Graham Poll
Graham Poll (born 29 July 1963) is an English former football referee in the Premier League.
 | |||
| Born |
29 July 1963 Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Other occupation | Television pundit, newspaper columnist | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| ?–1991 | Isthmian League | Referee | |
| 1986—1991 | The Football League | Referee | |
| 1991–1993 | The Football League | Referee | |
| 1993–2007 | Premier League | Referee | |
| 1996—2007 | FIFA listed | Referee | |
Career change
With 26 years of experience, he was one of the most famous referees in English football. He was often taking charge of the highest-profile games. His final domestic game in a career spanning 1,544 matches was the Championship play-off final on 28 May 2007 between Derby County and West Bromwich Albion.[1]
He was the English representative at two World Cups and UEFA Euro 2000, and refereed the 2005 UEFA Cup Final.
In his third game of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Croatia vs Australia, he cautioned Croatian defender Josip Šimunić three time before sending him off. Poll retired from refereeing international tournament finals matches shortly afterwards, citing his error in the match. He continued to referee in the Premier League, Champions League and on international games, but said he would disallow himself to be nominated to represent the FA at any tournament finals as he felt he had his chance.[2]
References change
- ↑ Graham Poll's retirementArchived 19 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine: Guardian Unlimited, 28 May 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
- ↑ Lutz, Tom (29 June 2006). "Poll retires from international game". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 June 2006.