RUFC - Millers fan was 'humbled'

Rotherham United fan Howard Webb said he was 'humbled' when he went to the Palace earlier this week.

Now, this wasn't the Palace at Selhurst Park where you'd expect to find him, this was the big one in London where the Queen lives.

The World Cup Referee, though obviously better known as the Millers biggest fan, was at Buckingham Palace to receive his MBE from Prince Charles.

Speaking to Tom Sharpe for The Advertiser, Howard said, at the ceremony he got talking to an RAF pilot who'd be shot in the eye while flying on a rescue mission in Afghanistan. 'He carried on regardless to save the lives of his mates,' Howard said. 'And when we met all he wanted to talk about was football and how nervous I was at the World Cup Final!

'It was an extremely humbling experience talking to him.'

Howard was only the second British referee to take charge of a World Cup Final and what an explosive final it was with him showing fourteen yellow cards, which included two to Dutch defender John Heitinga.

After the ceremony at Buckingham Palace, the thirty-nine year old dad of three, who has taken a sabbatical from his job as a Police Officer with South Yorkshire Police, immediately dedicated the medal to 'the lads who work with me.'

'I never dreamt when I started refereeing that I would get something like this,' he said.

Congratulations, Howard!




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