After 25 years of a relationship you would be celebrating a silver anniversary but Dermot Gallagher does not want his love affair with refereeing to end at this time. Gallagher has been on the National list for 17 years and the FIFA list for nine.

TheFA.com's Lawrie Madden caught up with one of the most experienced officials in the game to discuss some of the pertinent issues in the game.


TheFA.com: What is the biggest game you have been involved with?

Dermot Gallagher: Well I have done all the domestic finals but the biggest game would be the Under 20s World Cup Final in 1995. It was between Brazil and Argentina in Qatar. After the World Cup and the Olympics, it is the biggest tournament around.

TheFA.com: Is the biggest game necessarily the best moment for you?

Dermot Gallagher: No. The most memorable and greatest moment was being in charge during the South Africa versus Germany game. I met Nelson Mandela and it was a great thrill. He was awesome, he had such a presence. He was so humane, it was the greatest moment and it came through my involvement in football.

TheFA.com: Did you always want to be a referee?

Dermot Gallagher: No, I wanted to be a footballer all my life, from being a little boy in Dublin. After school I would play in the garden and only having my nappy changed would stop me. I started from the minute I could walk. But what I do now is the next best thing.

TheFA.com: You would be considered an experienced referee these days. What experiences have you gained?

Dermot Gallagher: Well I retire from FIFA at Christmas and I will have done 14 international matches. I have also done 8 international cup finals. The big thing though is the friendships that you make. I get christmas cards from all over the world. Refs have very special bonds with each other.

TheFA.com: Who do you most admire as a referee?

Dermot Gallagher: I didn't mould myself on anyone particular but George Courtney epitomised what was good. I was young enough to run the line with George once and it was a great opportunity to talk to a top ref.

He gave me two tips: Firstly, be yourself and if you pick up good habits from other people and they work for you, use them. Secondly, treat every game the same whether it is Arsenal v Spurs or an under 15 game. Give them the same respect. I have always remembered that and I think that it is the secret of success.

TheFA.com: As usual every week passes by with some incident or other. Where do you stand on looking at video evidence?


Dermot Gallagher: I think it is all about justice. If a player appeals and gets off because of video evidence that is fine. By the same token we cannot as refs have it both ways because players sometimes are brought to justice by TV evidence when the ref has missed it. It is about justice.

TheFA.com: There are not many former players coming into your game. Is it because they think it takes too long?

Dermot Gallagher: At the moment it is very exciting being a referee. There are more opportunities. The powers that be are looking for refs. They have recently identified a group to feed through. There are fewer rungs on the ladder and there is fast tracking of talent. At the moment there are people in their 20s on the Football League and there are people in their late 40s there as well. Referees are like players. You have 15 refs and maybe only 3 make it but you can make it at different levels.

TheFA.com: You have achieved much as a referee. What ambitions do you have left?

Dermot Gallagher: I want to remain at the top. I went professional at the outset and would like to see out my years at the top.