Willie Long has been refereeing for the past 28 years. Thirteen of which were spent on the National League Panel and for five years Willie was on the FIFA Assistant Referees Panel, 1995 - 2000. Currently, Willie is Vice-Chairman and PRO of the Irish Soccer Referees Society (Cork Branch), a position which he has held for the past two seasons and was Chairman of the Branch for a number of seasons before that and is still actively involved in refereeing. This season (2002 / 2003) Willie is in his 29th season as a referee and will be refereeing in the Munster Senior League.

Willie works with Pfizer in Ringaskiddy and recently took part in an interview with their magazine "Sitewise".

How did it all begin?
I started way back in 1975 in local football. The street leagues as we called them. Back in the '70s there were no facilities in Ireland, so local people would start their own leagues in order to get young boys involved in sport. We'd play 25 minutes each way. I was involved in managing and refereeing these games , for 10 years I refereed in the Cork Schoolboys League . They were great years for me I spent 2 seasons in the Cork A.U.L. and 1 season with the Munster Senior League I was promoted to the National League panel and spent 13 seasons there , I was involved in 8 F.A.I. senior cup semi-finals and 2 F.A.I. senior cup finals.

When were you chosen for the FIFA Panel?
In 1995. It was a great honour for me, a personal achievement. I came from an ordinary family in Farranree and ended up visiting countries all over the world. It was a marvellous experience. We'd travel first-class all the way. My mother used to love to see me coming back from these trips. I'd even save the little chocolates from the plane and present them to her.

Do you remember your first game as a FIFA Assistant Referee?
Oh yes, that was in Poland. I'll never forget it. At the time Poland was still under communist rule. Trying to get into the country was unbelievable and it was even worse trying to get out of it. There was al lot of poverty. We stayed in a lodge that belonged to the communist hierarchy, what an eye-opener! While the ordinary people had nothing to eat we were treated to tables loaded with food and drink. The game was Lech Poznan vs. IFK Gothenburg.

Any hairy moments as a referee?
It's a tough job alright, there's a lot of pressure involved but I must say also huge satisfaction. I remember one time in Holland when the crowd didn't like a decision I'd made - and showed it. However later on when I did something they approved of they began clapping. I turned around and bowed to them. A wee bit of humour doesn't go astray in these situations. We are only human and not robots, we do make mistakes, but by and large people accept that. You have only a split second to make a crucial decision and you have to stand by the decision you make.

With television cameras all over the place these days every little error is highlighted. People are always nice to you before a game but if things go wrong you'll be sure to read about the next day in the papers. They always blame the referee, which I think is very unfair.

I love refereeing, it just gets into your blood. As a referee you have many duties to perform off the pitch. You are required to check football gear and remove all kind of jewellery. You also have to discuss police and crowd control, to inspect the pitch and so on. Then you have to check the players' passports. It's definitely not just about standing on the line.

That's not all, personally you must be in tip-top condition. There are stringent fitness tests which you must pass. And in addition to all of that you are observed at every game. If your performance isn't good enough you're gone for a month - or maybe forever. FIFA referees have to retire at 45. A fitness test for referees is 2 x 50 metres in 7.5 seconds, 2 x 200 metres in 32 seconds and a 12 minute run. You must run more than 2700 metres, and you do this test three times a season!

Tell us about some of the matches you went to:
I have had the privilege of refereeing in many countries and venues throughout Europe. Some of the ones I remember include: Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Parma, Rosenberg, PSV Eindhoven vs Celtic, Switzerland vs Iceland, Holland vs Belgium, Bulgaria vs Russia, Sweden vs Nigeria, Denmark vs Cyprus. There was also Ireland vs Mexico and Ireland vs Sweden.

Did you enjoy the travelling that was involved?
I just loved it. Travelling to different places is a great eye-opener. When we went to Spain or Italy we would be escorted in Mercedes cars and accommodated in the very best hotels. No expense spared. When we stayed in places like Bulgaria or Armenia the contrast was amazing. They had absolutely nothing. In Belarus I remember being collected by an old bus. After driving 50 miles up the motorway we pulled in at a roadside caf� for a very simple lunch. For me that meant more than all the glitz and glamour.

And the people you met?
I particularly remember Johann Cruyff, Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane, Sergi, Zola, Asprilla, Zubizoretta and Julio Salinas. I also was lucky enough to meet Bert Millichip, one of our observers, who was in charge of the F.A. in England for a long time.

The things that actually go on during matches are very different to how we see it on TV. Players can be extremely nervous before a game and they have lots of ways of dealing with it. I remember in Parma before the match a number of the players were missing. They were eventually found in a nearby church praying. Some players won't put on a top until they are out of the dressing room, others want to be the last out. Some don't even talk to each other. Not only that, all the stuff you see about the ads about drinking Lucozade and Red Bull is bull. These fellas are athletes who are very concerned about fitness levels. Many just eat bananas morning, noon and night and drink only water.

How about the Republic of Ireland team?
I really enjoyed meeting players from the Irish team. We often stayed in the same hotel and we had a great craic with Mick McCarthy, an extremely funny man and very approachable. My last match as a FIFA Asst referee was a great thrill. It was the testimonial for Steve Staunton and Tony Cascarino in Dublin. A fantastic experience altogether.

What do you think of the game now?
Sadly it has become totally commercialised. Because it's on TV it's also much more difficult to get a local team out on a Saturday or Sunday. For me the whole idea of the game is to get people to take an active part in sport. They have destroyed soccer in Italy, and I just hope that we won�t do the same to the game in Ireland.

So have things changed for youngsters since your old street league days?
Oh absolutely. There are great facilities for kids nowadays. My greatest respect is still for the people who organise young teams. People don't appreciate the amount of work that is put into local clubs; collecting the children, putting up nets, making sure the football gear is washed. It's incredible dedication. 2003