On a Saturday morning in early February, I ean train to see a
Manchester United Football Club
A home game against Crystal Palace. It was only his 8th game of the season as he pulled his thigh earlier. It wasn't a good day for him. In the opening exchanges, he missed a goal that should have belonged to
Manchester United Football Club
of 12 yards to reverse the call with VAR. Subsequently, it took another VAR intervention before he knew to jeopardize both players'
Manchester United Football Club
Center fielder Casemiro rushed out.
Manchester United Football Club
He won the race, but he was also in the eye of the storm. Why was Casemiro not penalized? "The fact that Casemiro wasn't penalized is bad law enforcement, poor handling, and the standard of soccer in England needs a lot of improvement," said ESPN commentator and former Norwegian international Jan Åge Fjørtoft. ESPN commentator and former Norwegian international Jan Åge Fjørtoft said on TV.
After the game I went to Marriner's locker room, and I bit into a hamburger as I made my way to the
England Premier Soccer League
The assigned assessor, Iffy Onuora, explained the enforcement decision at the time and why the incident warranted a red card. "What I saw on the video was that there was a player on the other side who was holding another player by the throat with both hands," he said. Marriner explained calmly as usual. "I don't know how hard he falsified it, but the images are there for all to see and it was an act of violence."
Soon after, we walked out of the stadium with the players, and thousands of partying fans were waiting for their favorite player, hoping to get a selfie. They greeted all
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The fans cheered and chanted their names, but when Marriner stepped out of the gate, the whole atmosphere was very different. Some were booing the license "Get the fuck out of here, license!" One man wearing a
Manchester United Football Club
The fan in the jersey shouts. I smile at Marriner as the jerseys burst out in loud, maniacal laughter.
Recently Marriner's son Oliver wanted to aspire to be a ball witness. In
Manchester United Football Club
A few days after the race, I visited Marriner's home a few miles south of Birmingham. He had a couple of ponies and piglets in his backyard, as well as several of his son's
England Premier Soccer League
Official Football. When I sat down to talk to Marriner and his wife, Lisa, they couldn't hide the fact that they were nervous about their son's desire to become a referee. "I've seen my husband play in some grassroots games," Lisa said. It's really scary sometimes, and now to say that my son is going to do it, it makes me even more nervous," Lisa said. It's not the first time, but I wonder why so many people still want to join the profession as referees. The life of a referee is very different from that of a footballer - long periods of pressure and abuse, but without the job satisfaction: flattery, a high income, or an aura of glory.
Marriner takes me on a tour of his home and he begins to speak warmly about his career. At the local tournament, he has been given all the career pinnacles he deserves as he shows off his enforcement jersey from the FA Cup final, the most important soccer tournament in the UK for licenses, and then the 2017 League Cup. He recalls the famous names he saw on the field - Mays (
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
), Ronaldo, Bergin - all the heart-stopping goals, such as Oliver Giroud's (Keogh) scorpion-legged shot into the Crystal Palace goal in 2017. "This career has taken me around the world to experience different styles of soccer in different countries," said Marriner. Marriner said. "It's a fairytale."
When I asked the other cards why they stayed on as cards, they said it was because of the brotherhood with the other cards. "The community of referees belongs to all of us," said Abbas Khan, an assistant referee in the third and fourth division. Abbas Khan, an assistant referee in the third and fourth division, said. Abbas Khan, an assistant referee in the third and fourth divisions, said. Abi Byrne, who works in the Women's Super League, shared with me her joy at getting to work with the world's best women's soccer players. Some of the referees see it as craftsmanship and are proud that they can do the hard work. For young licensee England, his satisfaction comes from the fact that he can make a difference in the outcome of a game ("It's the same as an assist," he told me.). he told me).
For Sam Allison, a Division III, Division IV ball witness, the answer can be quite simple: 'I don't know any soccer ball witness who doesn't like the game of soccer itself.' Many football referees are
demobilize
Player and coach.Allison is also a former England Under-18 international. "When you're sitting on a hot potato," he says, "you're in the field, you're in the box, the player passes the ball right in front of you, the ball goes to the shooter, and boom? You feel the vibration of the ball, the net, and then the crowd goes wild, and you're there physically and mentally to feel the power of the goal, and you feel the vibration of the earth's crust, and your hairs stand on end."
When I asked ball witness Marriner the same question, he recalled to me an incident that took place on February 12, 2011 at the Manchester Punchbowl (
Manchester United Football Club
treat (sb a certain way)
Manchester City football club
). 78 minutes, 1-1.
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Nani, the scorer, broke into the box with the ball, changed direction a little and passed it behind Wayne Rooney. Rooney then somehow managed to shoot the ball out of the back of the net, a sequence Marriner has recalled thousands of times in front of countless people. As Ronnie jumped, he turned his back on the east stands of the home ice. The crowd was silent for a moment until the moment the puck hit the net and the cheers were deafening. "I get to be in the center of the field at those moments," Marriner smiles, "and it's an unparalleled experience.
When you rewatch the footage, you can see Marriner in the corner of the screen. He calmly walks back to the center of the field after scoring the goal without a trace of the expression seen by the audience. As the camera captures Ronnie's excited display of victory, Marriner disappears from the TV's view. For that brief moment, the most exciting of his entire career, he was not seen, as if he hadn't been part of the whole thing.
