Howard Webb
has been promoted to a new role as performance director for England's
professional referees and will be the man who selects officials for
Premier League matches.
Webb,
43, who retired as a referee last year after a career which included
taking charge of the 2010 World Cup final, has been appointed
performance director for the Select Group of referees - the 17 full-time
professional officials.
He takes over from 69-year-old Keren Barratt, who had been due to retire but is moving into a different role.
Webb, who
had been working as technical director for Professional Game Match
Officials Limited (PGMOL) since retiring as a referee, will now take
responsibility for managing the Select Group.
PGMOL will also appoint an additional referee coach to work directly with Webb.
Webb
will continue to report to PGMOL general manager Mike Riley, who said:
'Howard's role as technical director this season has enabled him to
obtain an excellent understanding of the organisation, our officials and
the strong work of our support team.
'What
has also become clear is that Howard has a natural flair for coaching
and his extensive experience of the Premier League means he's expertly
placed to lead and further develop the high standards of the Select
Group.'
