"Thank you, Jack."

Martin. Atkinson, I'm really happy right now. With Philip. With Don's departure, he really didn't know what to do. Because he has always been an unpopular referee in the refereeing world. There are no connections in the refereeing world, and there is no backstage.

That's why I found Jack and hoped that Jack would help. Because he only had one friend like Jack who could help.

Jack is brilliant, that's all I can say.

Won Atkinson the chance to officiate in the Premier League this season. Of course, this is only a candidate for the referee of the Premier League, but this qualification is not something that can be obtained casually.

Whenever there is a vacancy in the Premier League, they are the first to go up. According to the current situation of Premier League referees, this batch of referees who have won the qualification of Premier League referees will definitely be able to become Premier League referees in a few years.

That's why Atkinson is so happy.

"You're welcome, Martin. You deserved this opportunity. ”

Keith. Hackett, Mike. Riley, they don't have a good impression of Atkinson. They think Atkinson is grandstanding as a way to attract everyone's attention. I don't think he's a big deal, he's just a bombastic referee.

But Jack is different.

Jack, on the contrary, thinks that Atkinson is still good, a good young man with ideals and ambitions. And the level of law enforcement is not bad, so Jack is willing to help him.

"It's not the same. Since Philip. I could feel it after Don was gone. ”

Atkinson sighed. He is not popular, of course, he himself doesn't care about this, he has been lonely since he entered the referee industry. It's not just the referee who doesn't like him. Even the assistant referees didn't like him, he was used to it. But with Philip. Don's departure. Atkinson felt not only the rejection of the refereeing community, but also their schadenfreude.

He should have had the opportunity to officiate in the Premier League last season. But no one talked about it at all. Because Philip. Don left.

"Don't do that, Martin. The Premier League referee is not full at the moment, and a number of veteran referees will retire soon. You'll be able to come up smoothly then. ”

Atkinson is really not very old.

Now he is just over thirty, and he is only thirty-one years old. If you can become a Premier League referee at the age of 33 or 34, it should not be a problem to become an international referee at the age of 378.

The level of referees in the Premier League is not high, and the level of Atkinson is good.

"I can afford to wait."

Now the results are already very good, and Atkinson is not imposing. To have a chance to regain access to the Premier League is a great deal for Atkinson.

After completing the Atkinson business, Jack began to prepare for this season's Premier League. So far, Jack has not been informed about this season's Champions League and UEFA Cup. But Jack wasn't in a hurry.

Jack has completed the task of the World Cup so smoothly, and Jack believes that UEFA will never ignore him. It has been more than a year since I got the international referee qualification.

So Jack is more of a Premier League problem this season. Jack believes he will definitely have to officiate more heavyweight games in the Premier League this season, so it's good to do your homework ahead of time.

And with Jack's return this time, Jack found out what a top referee is. In addition to the usual Premier League referee meetings, the referee committee usually has a lot of topics.

At this time, it is these top referees who are involved.

It's like the arrangement of the Premier League referee. Prior to the first round of the Premier League, the Premier League's refereeing committee assigns referees to each match. This kind of thing requires the chief referee and the top referee of the Premier League to be involved in negotiations.

Jack is of a different status and is already qualified to participate in such a meeting. But Jack is a small character after all. So this kind of thing will not be too much to say. Jack is going to stay up now, stay up for two years, and then he will be fully qualified to speak.

While preparing for a Premier League match like this, Jack received a call from UEFA's refereeing committee. It was UEFA referee Villar who personally called Jack.

Not very far anyway. Jack immediately flew to Geneva.

"Hello, Mr. Villar."

Looking at Villar's appearance, it seems that he is doing well. Of course. The Spanish national team reached the last four of the World Cup, only to lose to Germany. But in the third and fourth place races. Destroyed Turkey and won the third place.

Third place in the World Cup. This is already a very good result for the Spanish national team. Spain, the king of qualifiers, has not performed at the World Series for many years. This World Cup is the best performance.

Villar was very happy.

In the season just ended, Real Madrid won the Champions League and the Spanish national team finished third in the World Cup. Whether it's for club or country, the results are already very impressive. Of course, the Spanish national team finished third, and Villar was very happy, but he also admitted it.

Especially for Jack in front of him.

So Villar smiled and said to Jack, "Jack, sit down." ”

"Yes."

Jack enters Villar's office, and Villar is alone. Villar was very welcoming, and after Jack sat down, he made Jack a cup of coffee himself.

"Mr. Villar, don't be so polite."

Jack was flattered. Although Jack has returned from the World Cup and has officiated in the eighths and quarters, he is nothing remarkable. In the world of refereeing in England, this is a remarkable achievement.

But that's because the referees in England are so bad, there have never been any powerful referees, and there are no referees who are truly recognized in international football.

On the contrary, some referees from other countries, such qualified referees are not one or two. Like the Italian refereeing community, there are not one or two who have officiated the knockout rounds of the World Cup. Even the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and Spain have no shortage of referees who have officiated in the knockout rounds of the World Cup.

Therefore, Jack is still a referee of small print.

"Jack, you can afford it. I haven't thanked you for your impartial enforcement on behalf of the Spanish national team. ”

"That's what I'm supposed to do."

Jack hurriedly excused himself. I am a favor to the Spanish team, but after doing good deeds, I must not shout everywhere. The best thing to do, of course, is to be humble.

The more humble you are, the more you will make the other party remember this favor. If you shout everywhere, it will make people feel like they are trying to repay their kindness. That's more than worth the loss.

"Jack, I'm coming to you today for your opinion."

"You say."

Jack didn't understand what else he needed to consult on with Villar's status in UEFA. Although he has been in the World Cup, he is a small character even in English football, and he is nothing in European football.

After all, Jack has not been in European football, or even in the UEFA Cup. Among international judges, Jack's qualifications are very low.

"Have you paid attention to the UEFA Super Cup on the 30th?"

"Super Bowl? Real Madrid vs Feyenoord match? ”

"Yes."

Jack shook his head slightly and said, "Not much attention." ”

Jack told the truth and didn't hide anything. Jack is a Premier League referee and has not officiated in the UEFA Cup or Champions League until now. Jack's focus this season is on how to officiate those big conversations in the Premier League, and he is thinking about whether he can officiate the League Cup and Champions League this season.

As for games like the UEFA Super Cup, where does Jack have time to follow.

"Then you need to pay attention to it. We're ready for you to officiate this game, do you have any questions? ”

"Me? Of course there is no problem. ”

Jack was overjoyed. The European Super Cup, the gold content is not very high. But it's also a game of kings of Europe. Previously, the UEFA Super Cup was a match between the Champions League winner and the European Cup Winners' Cup winner for the best of the best.

With the merger of the European Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup is now a match between the Champions League winner and the UEFA Cup winner.

Even if the gold content of such a match is low, it is still a championship match. Jack was very happy and very satisfied to be able to officiate such a game. Jack has some understanding.

In the World Cup, although he did not subjectively want to help Spain. But objectively helped Spain, Villar must admit it, and now this is to repay himself.

"Jack, I was meant to inform you FA. But I think it's better to tell you in person. ”

"Thank you."

"No, Jack, you don't have to thank me, you should thank yourself. It was your excellent performance in the World Cup that made us determined. ”

Listening to Villar's words, Jack just expressed his gratitude. Villar's words are so obvious that Jack would be a fool if he didn't know what he meant. The UEFA Super Cup, which is Jack's first major international competition in European football.

But Jack's experience was really interesting.

It has not yet fully established itself in England, and many heavyweight matches in the Premier League have not yet been enforced. After becoming an international referee, he has not officiated in the UEFA Cup or Champions League. But I didn't expect that the World Cup had already been enforced. And then now to directly enforce the UEFA Super Cup, it's a legend.

Those top referees in European football are all famous in their home countries first, and then recommended to UEFA by their own football associations. Then he started to make his mark in the UEFA Cup, the Champions League, and then he had the opportunity to appear in the World Cup.

In other words, Jack's development is completely backwards. It's completely different from the development of ordinary referees.

"Jack, go back and get ready."

"Yes."

In the UEFA Super Cup, the only final Jack has refereed so far has been the English League Cup final. The UEFA Super Cup will be the second cup final of Jack's administration.

That's the beginning.

Jack has to officiate all the finals, not just the League Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, there will be many more finals waiting for him. (To be continued......)