Local 'ref' tells of his World Cup Journey

The former FIFA referee and current member of the IFA Referee's Committee is attending the tournament in his capacity as 'FIFA Referee Instructor'.

The local man arrived well in advance of the start of the tournament and revealed: "During this time I have been settling into my 'home'-the exclusive Kievits Kroon Country Estate, located outside the city of pretoria."

Twenty nine sets of referees and assistant referees from all over the world are officiating in South Africa and Leslie wrote: "FIFA President, Joseph S Blatter, addressed the referees during the Referees Seminar. He reminded them that they were the 33rd team in South Africa, his team, the only team performing under the name of FIFA."

As the tournament progressed Leslie Irvine was obviously aware of the controversies being beamed around the world and he said: "Over the past few days we have more than our fair share of thrills, spills and controversy. The Jabulani ball has been ridiculed, the persistent drone of the vuvuzela has been blasted, and, of course, the referees have come under increasing criticism.

"No doubt over the coming days it will be no different. As we approach the business end of the tournament, referee decisions are becoming more and more microscopically examined. Of course, mistakes have been made. But, regrettably, only the mistakes have interested the media."

However far from being a month long junket for referee's the pitch custodians Leslie Irvine outlined their daily routine.

"Each day starts on the training field at Hierskool FH Odendaal. The school's rugby pitches have been completely relaid and converted into two international sized football pitches, a legacy for the school after the World Cup.

"The two hour training sessions are basically in three distinct parts: a thorough warm-up, a technical session and a cool-down.

"The technical sessions simulate match-like situations with players from Pretoria's Tuks Academy creating challenging situations for the referees and assistant referees. Furthermore, the assistant referees undergo a daily diet of offside decision-making with the benefit of Instant Replay Feedback.

"Afternoons are spent either preparing for matches or debriefing after matches. Each evening a full debriefing of the previous day's matches is held for all those referees and assistant referees at Ref HQ."

Whilst referees regularly receive verbal abuse and major criticism for their decisions, Leslie Irvine also wrote of a the human tragedies often masked by the celebration of such a global event.

"With World Cup matches coming thick and fast it is easy to forget about everything in life except football.

"However, during the past few days, we have been reminded here in South Africa about the frailty of life.

"First we had the tragic death of the great grand daughter of Nelson Mandela, tragically killed in a road traffic accident on her way home from the pre-tournament concert.

"Not so well reported was the death of the terminally ill mother of Carlos Batres, one of the referees, only two days before he was due to take charge of the Algeria – Slovenia match.

"His late mother's wishes were that should she pass away Carlos should stay in South Africa. And so it was. Even with a heavy heart he refereed the match without problem."