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referee
The striker is through on goal, one on one with the keeper, rounds them and slots the ball home. You fully expect the net to bulge and the striker is already running off to celebrate. It’s not the end of the story though, a defender has raced back and managed to make a last ditch goal line clearance, sliding in to sweep the ball away just before it crosses the line for a goal. Last ditch defending masterclass.
One of the most famous examples of a goal line clearance came in the Manchester City v Liverpool match in 2019. After a mix-up with Ederson in goal, Sadio Mane thought he’d scored only for John Stones to slide in and hook the ball away. The referees watch didn’t buzz and the replays of the goal line technology showed the ball was just 11.2mm away from fully crossing the line. Manchester City won the match 2-1 and the league title from Liverpool by a single point, 98 points to 97.
Bodies everywhere, defenders and the goalkeeper blocking the goal, legs flying in, arms in the air as the ball bounces around. There’s nothing quite like a goal mouth scramble where there are air kicks and a mass of bodies around the goalkeeper and in the six-yard box. Defenders do everything to block and clear, attackers try desperately to get the ball over the line, mostly it’s just chaos and a blur as the ball bounces back and forth off shins and calves and chests and heads. It usually ends up in a wild clearance to row Z or the ball being smashed into the net.
In the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United in January 2026 a Bukayo Saka corner bounced around the six-yard box before Mikel Merino bundled the ball over the line in chaotic fashion. It wasn’t until after a clearance that the referee’s watch buzzed to say the ball had crossed the line and a goal had been scored.
Pro Ref is the new name for PGMOL, renamed for the start of the 2026/2027 season. It is the body responsible for referees in the English pyramid, from training and development through to appointing match officials for matches across the Premier League, the EFL, and all other FA competitions.
Seeing Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb on TV admitting error after the contentious winning goal in the Manchester derby was like having Déjà vu. How many times do we have statements and apologies from the referees? In this game, Enzo Fernandez was clearly offside and interfering with play for Haaland’s goal, yet VAR awarded it.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). The former name of the official refereeing body in England responsible for the training, development, and match appointment management of referees and assistants for professional football matches in the English football pyramid. It was originally called the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOB) and for the start of the 2026/2027 season has been renamed again to Pro Ref.
PGMOL admitted “significant human error” in October 2023 for an incident where Luis Diaz had an incorrect goal ruled out for offside for Liverpool away at Spurs, leading to the famous “Check complete” audio from the VAR gaining notoriety.
The ref. The man in black. The whistle. The man or woman in the middle. The referee is in charge of each football match, they blow the whistle to start and end the game, award fouls, and have a yellow card and red card ready to give to players committing fouls. They are basically the police on the pitch, sent by Pro Ref (previously PGMOL). They work each match alongside a team of assistant referees (previously called linesmen) and a 4th official on the side of the pitch looking after substitutions and taking verbal abuse from managers and coaches. Who would be a referee? They receive plenty of angry insults from the stands, players, and the touchline.
Maybe the most famous referee of all was Pierluigi Collina, known for his stern yet fair refereeing style and intense eyes. The Italian ref was a standout, had great authority and was respected by pretty much everyone from players and coaches to fans and commentators, a rare feat. He refereed a World Cup final, Champions League final, UEFA Cup final and Men’s Olympic Football final.