Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
Referee Peter Prendergast gives a gift to Margaret Sutherland (right), assistant secretary/treasurer of the Jamaica Football Referees Association, at a function to honour him, which was hosted by the Kingston and St. Andrew Referees' Group on Friday night at the Terra Nova Hotel. - Contributed
FOOTBALL OFFICIALS and whistle-blowing men from the Corporate Area body tooted off an array of glowing tributes to one of its field marshalls, Peter 'Prendy' Prendergast, officially recognising one of the country's best-ever referees for his distinguished service to the beautiful game.
"Prendy is the undisputed king of refereeing in this region," offered Charles Barrett, himself a former FIFA referee and one of the many football officials who turned out in their numbers at the occasion perfectly dubbed 'A Tribute To Greatness', an event last Friday witnessed by Prendergast's wife, Andrea, mother, Lola, and father, George.
He is the only referee in the Caribbean to have been selected to officiate at two World Cup finals. He first participated at the 2002 championships in Korea/Japan, where he made a sharp off-side ruling in the Belgium-Brazil encounter that turned out to be spot on, undoubtedly one of the biggest calls of the tournament.
Injury
The Jamaican was selected, along with fellow regional assistant referees Anthony Garwood of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago's Joseph Taylor, among a shortlist of 23 officials for Germany 2006, but he was forced to withdraw as he damaged his knee in that country while undergoing final preparations just days ahead of the tournament. Because the trio was selected to work as a team, all three had to pull out.
Prendergast has also officiated at other big FIFA tournaments including the Confederations Cup, which consists of the leading teams from the different confederations, World Cup qualifiers, Youth World Cup championships and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
In total, he served as a FIFA referee for just over 12 years until he blew his whistle on the game by announcing his retirement recently.
Members of the Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Referees' Group believed he deserved more than going out with just a whimper and poured it all out at Terra Nova Hotel on Friday night.
Barrett, himself a former FIFA official, says Prendergast's "achievements are no ordinary feat ... he's the benchmark by which other referees will be judged."
Ambassador A.B. Stewart Stephenson, an attorney-at-law and president of KSAFA, recalled how Prendergast stopped a game and went into the stands to challenge a spectator who had thrown an object at one of his assistants and went about giving them a lesson about laws of the game when it was complete.
A former St. George's College Manning central defender who went on to represent Wanderers and Harbour View at club level, Prendergast has also dedicated his time to premier league clubs at sessions where he talks to players about the laws of the game and its interpretations.
"He was fearless," noted Stephenson. "That's a characteristic we need to see more often in our referees.
"He was a teacher, one who has high moral values," he added. "He has made Jamaica proud ... little Jamaica could have one of the great referees on the international stage.
A quiet human
"Peter is a quiet human, a decent, humble professional," added Stephenson.
Crenston Boxhill, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, noted similar attributes including his fitness, noting how "... your ability to keep up with the run of play contributed to your efficiency".
Boxhill added: "I hold your achievements in the highest regard and wish you all the best. Best wishes from the JFF."
Women's football pioneer Elaine Walker-Brown and fellow female official Maxine Hinds delivered a tribute in song, and Winston Delahaye used the theme 'What's In A Name' to effectively illustrate the stength that lies within.
Garwood said "true friends are rare ... Peter has served as a role model, a leader."
Indeed, he is also the head of the Jamaica Football Referees Associa-tion. There were other tributes, too much to mention and Prendergast said his bit too, telling his peers "we need to stick together as a group" and pledged to "continue to serve the game".
It contrast from the emotional side when making mention of former long-time colleague Michael Mitchell - the referee who went missing last year, Prendergast issued all the women present with cards coloured red, yellow and green, charging them to "use it against your husbands when they misbehave".
Master of Ceremonies, popular broadcaster Patrick Anderson, summed up the occasion beautifully in saying "honour a man when he's alive".
All agreed, there couldn't have been a better way of officially recognising one of the country's best-ever referees for his distinguished service to the beautiful game and to keep him in good stead during his retirement, he also received a treadmill.
