Daraine Luton, Freelance Writer
British referee Graham Poll, as he prepares to take the field for the Wray and Nephew National Premier League match between Tivoli Gardens and Rivoli United on Sunday at the Edward Seaga Stadium. Tivoli Gardens won 5-1.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON at the Edward Seaga Stadium was different. Not because the rain and the sun competed for prominence in the sky just before the start of the Wray and Nephew National Premier League game between homesters Tivoli Gardens and Rivoli United, but it was one of the few, if not the only occasion, that a referee was not served a dish of expletives on the field of play.
Even local referees who were on hand to watch the game were in awe. Some whispered amongst themselves that "it is because him a foreigner".
The referee was Graham Poll, a British national who officiated the UEFA Cup Final between Portugal's Sporting Lisbon and Russia's CSKA Moscow in May.
Poll is also the only British referee with a chance of taking part in the 2006 World Cup Finals after FIFA revealed its shortlist of 46 officials in January.
In a high-paced contest played before a partisan west Kingston crowd, Poll expertly managed the game, which was not lacking in intensity, and found no reason to show a card.
"I hope more of our referees were here to see him in action. He had a marvellous game. He allowed the game to flow, he was just so professional at his job. I was extremely pleased with the refereeing," said Tivoli Gardens' coach Glendon "Admiral" Bailey, who himself had been reprimanded by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) last year for speaking out against poor officiating.
And Bailey did not stand alone. Rivoli's coach Anthony Thompson said the referee is "one of the best I have ever seen".
"He is good. Very good. I find no fault with him," Thompson said.
Poll is a guest of FIFA referee Peter Prendergast, president of the Jamaica Football Referees Association (JFRA).
In adding spice to Poll's vacation, Prendergast invited him to do a game and the Brit said he thoroughly enjoyed it.
"Both teams showed me respect and I enjoyed it. I just hope that they play this way game after game. It was certainly a pleasure for me to referee such a good game of football," Poll said.
Meanwhile, on the virtual absence of expletives being hurled at the officials, Prendergast, who himself has endured a fair bit, said "apart from him being a good referee, I think the novelty of having a complete stranger contributed".
