Ref John Carpenter sent off player after getting a Nazi salute!
JOHN CARPENTER is a pragmatist. He knows that in the profession he follows he is unlikely to win any popular awards. Indeed he is more likely to have aspersions cast on his mother’s marital state as he tries to go about his job.
He is of course a referee, one of Ireland’s best and has been for almost two decades. He has been the man in the middle for more than 60 top European matches at club and international level. He’s refereed two cup finals at home, and for the past two summers has helped pioneer soccer in America.
John, who lives in Laytown, and can often be seen going about his business on drogneda’s streets, hardly recognisable out of his black gear. His career, spanning ten years, is covered in glory, and at times controversy, but always exciting.
A useful but admittedly never outstanding player with St. Patrick’s Athletic and Transport John took up refereeing in 1962 starting predictably with schoolboys, and getting his chance at League of Ireland level, taking charge of a match between the now defunct Cork Hibernians and Sligo Rovers.
Seven seasons of an apprenticeship followed on the domestic fields, gaining the experience to take him almost 250,000 miles round the world to some of the most famous stadiums, controlling some of the greatest players of our time, Pele, Best, Cryuff...
“Experience is essential to a referee, for he needs to encounter almost every type of situation before he gets to the top,” said John. “He needs also to acquire a confidence in himself to show to the players and the public that he is in sole control of a match. That’s why I get so annoyed when I see ill-informed criticism of referees who may only be in the game a season or two.”
That experience stood John in good stead many times on Foreign fields, last year for example when he had to send off a Belgian international for giving him the Nazi salute on the field. The player subsequently was banned for four matches. Or in America last year when John had to send off George Best for calling him a “Fenian b......”. Difficult decisions, but one which John took in his stride. “I never like sending off a player, no referee does,” ne said, “but I will never flinch my responsibility no matter who the player is, or how big his reputation.’
John’s first European match was in 1969 in Rotterdam when the home side won 12-2, and since then he has referred in every country in Europe; Sweden and Hungary being the exceptions. He has handled semi-finals, and was once reserve referee for a European final at Wembley. Twice he’s been to Russia, where he found the hospitality exceptional.
But never once in those travels was he offered a bribe. “You get the odd gift alright,” he said “never anything lavish, just a little momentum, and always we prefer to have it presented after the game. I usually officiate with two other Irish referees and we usually try not to get involved with anyone before the game concentrating on the job in hand.”
“When I was in America in particular I got more Irish people coming up to me after matches to introduce themselves and once after refereeing in Los Angles I was approached by a school friend who I handn’t seen for over 20 years.”
That American experience was probably the most exciting of John’s career. Gaining recognition from the American officials in a European match he was invited to participate in their season for the last two years. Last summer he travelled 100,000 miles in the States refereeing on one occasion in Tampa in the south and for his next match in Canada.