Whistle-blower Poll quits internationals
Story Tools:
Print Email Blog This
RivalsDM
Posted: 4 hours ago
Foxsports
Graham Poll has announced his retirement as an international referee after his World Cup blunder - but will continue as a top-flight official.
England's most high-profile match official is no longer required at the tournament after booking Croatia's Josip Simunic three times, only sending him off on the third occasion, in a match against Australia.
Poll was among 14 referees not retained by governing body FIFA for the latter stages of the competition and will leave Germany on Friday.
The Hertfordshire referee has announced he will quit refereeing at international tournaments but is adamant his career will continue in the Premiership.
"For the first two or three days I did think about retirement," he told Sky Sports.
The 42-year-old regrets his error-strewn performance last Thursday in Stuttgart, but said: "I will be refereeing in the Premier League next season from August 19.
"Five weeks of rest now will be good and I will be fit for the start of the season. But it is time for me to let go of (other international tournaments).
"Nobody got hurt and nobody died and it's a game even though it is very important."
He told Sky Sports: "What I did was a public mistake but it didn't affect qualification or the outcome of the match.
"It meant a player who shouldn't have been on the field stayed on the field for two or three minutes longer than he should have done.
"I'm not trying to minimise that error but because of that it makes me easier to say it's time to move on and let go.
"I will certainly not retire. I will come back stronger for next season.
"I've had three major championships, Euro 2000, World Cup 2002 and World Cup 2006 and not one has gone right for me for various reasons.
"They say in life that if one thing goes wrong then that's unlucky, two things go wrong then maybe you are really unlucky and three then you say something isn't quite right there.
"I don't enjoy the amount of time I am away from home and that is not knee-jerk. I have discussed this with the FA already.
"It's time for somebody else in England to have a go and I will do everything I can to prepare them. But for me tournament football is over."
TOP STORIES
