By Jamie Bradbury. Friday, 27 August 2004.
Just two short years after officiating at the World Cup Final in Yokohama, English referee Phil Sharp has been handed another Final date.
In Athens on Saturday morning, Argentina and Paraguay meet in the Olympic Games Gold Medal match and 40-year-old Sharp will be making his second international Final appearance.
Highly respected both in England and around the world, Sharp is England's official representative at the games, and his appointment as assistant referee for the final match of the 28th Olympiad follows swiftly on from his World Cup adventure in Japan.
It was there that Sharp, who hails from Hertfordshire, was on the line as Brazil beat Germany courtesy of a Ronaldo double and Italy's famous 'man in the middle' Pierluigi Collina was on the whistle.
He was also present at Euro 2004 in Portugal this Summer, taking Sweden's five-nil win over Bulgaria and Latvia's goalless draw with Germany - earning their first ever Finals point, alongside English duo Mike Riley and Glenn Turner.
Mind you, It hasn't all been finals and showpiece matches for the man who was also on the line for the 1999 FA Cup Final at Wembley.
24 years ago it was Phil's involvement with a youth activity awards programme that prompted him to don the traditional black outfit.
”When I was 16 I was doing my Duke of Edinburgh award and needed something for serving the community and I decided to take up refereeing Sunday football," he told us from a humid Athens train.
”I actually began refereeing in grassroots football a year later and went on from there to go to the World Cup and Olympic finals.”
His journey to Yokohama and Athens' Olympic Stadium has taken him via the lower leagues in his home county, starting in the Barnet Sunday League then on to the Herts County League and the Mid-Herts League before eventually reaching the heights of the Premier League and Football League.
”I had been on the referees panel for two years and thought that I maybe wasn’t good enough to progress as a referee," he explained.
"But, in 1997, I was promoted to FIFA as an assistant referee, so as one door closed another opened, and my career path was set.
"I suppose you could say I became a specialist assistant referee."
Phil still referees on occasions, though he admits that running down the line is where he feels most at home.
”I take to the middle in matches at Isthmian and Southern League, but for every game I referee in a month, I’m on the line for perhaps four during the same period in the Premier League or Football League."
But at 10am on Saturday, it won't be the Premier League, the Football League, or even the Barnet Sunday League as two of South America's biggest football nations compete for Gold.
“It’s another dream come true. To go to the Olympics after a World Cup is unusual, it tends to be the other way round, so for me the appointment itself was a great honour.
”I just feel fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time. If people wish to choose me then I’ve very grateful to accept."
He added: ”All the match officials were gathered in one room, almost like when they take the register at school.
”I’d felt that things had been going well for me during the games and you just hope that you’re in with a shout for the last match.
”When they called out my name it was great news, but then you can’t be too excited with 40 other people in the room who have just missed out. It was a quiet celebration.”
Phil is now ready for the early morning kick off.
”I’ve already officiated both Paraguay and Argentina during these games, so I know the style, I know how they play in both attack and defence.
"My preparation for this final couldn’t have been better."
If you'd like to follow in Phil's footsteps and become a referee, or indeed a linesman, it's so easy to get involved. Click here to find out more or contact your local County FA for all the details of where to begin.