Philip Sharp (born 5 April 1964) is a former

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

assistant referee and one of only 10 match officials from the

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to have officiated in a FIFA World Cup Final. Sharp first played football for Livingstone School but became a referee via the

Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

in order to fulfil the Service in the Community component of the course. He gained his apprenticeship through the Hertfordshire County League before gaining promotion onto the Southern Football League middle from where he was promoted to Panel Referee for two seasons before being promoted as an Assistant Referee to the Football League and, finally, the

. He was selected to run the line at the

1999 FA Cup Final The 1999 FA Cup Final was an association football match that took place on 22 May 1999 at the old Wembley Stadium in London to determine the winner of the 1998–99 FA Cup. It was contested between Manchester United and Newcastle United. Goa ...

. Sharp currently referees on the national Contributory List of match referees. Sharp was promoted to the FIFA list of match officials on 1 January 1997. His progression, internationally, was exceptional being appointed to hold the flag in the opening game of his first senior

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

, the year 2000 European Championship and the semi-final of that tournament. In the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

Sharp was appointed to five games in total, including the

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Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

match and the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

between

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and

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. As such he was England's second successive match official at a Final match, Mark Warren having been the Assistant Referee at the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final. Phil Sharp was selected to represent

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at the

2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

football tournament and represented

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at the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

. On 18 October 2008, Sharp was hit by an object thrown from the crowd in the game between Aston Villa and

Portsmouth FC Portsmouth Football Club is a professional football club based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, which compete in . They are also known as ''Pompey'', a local nickname used by both HMNB Portsmouth and the city of Portsmouth; the ''Pompey'' nick ...

. It resulted in a cut to his face, although he was eventually fit to continue till the end of the game. The police subsequently arrested a man from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

and charged him with

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

. He now works for the Hertfordshire FA as the Referee Development Officer. In 2010 he started instructing as an Assistant Referee Coach and invited to Turkey, Cyprus, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help develop their Assistant Referees. For the Uefa 2014 Euro Tournament in Poland/Ukraine he was the specialist Assistant Referee Coach to prepare the Assistant Referees before and during the Tournament. In 2018 he was also requested to do the same again for the European Championships in France

References

English football referees People from Chipping Barnet Sportspeople from the London Borough of Barnet 1964 births Living people FIFA World Cup finals match officials {{England-footy-bio-stub