It is generally accepted that the first time a referee used a whistle to restore order at a soccer match was during and English league clash between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Norfolk in 1878.
Some soccer historians dispute that, however, claiming that the mouthpiece was not used to bring players to their senses until the 1890s and didn’t become a regular feature in a match official’s arsenal until the turn of the last century.
However, while the jury is still out on the exact date of the whistle’s adoption, what soccer historians cannot dispute is that Tomasz Superczynski is the first Polish national to use the mouthpiece as a referee in an Irish national league game.
Superczynski hails from the city of Opole in southwest Poland, and describes himself as “the Pole from Opole”. The 28-year-old Polish national arrived in Ireland in 2004 and officiated at Leinster Senior League games before graduating from the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) School of Excellence for Referees to the Eircom League First Division last season.
He was very much the new kid on the block, but Ireland’s soccer stars quickly learned that they wouldn’t be getting much change out of him, as he also works as a financial analyst in Dublin.
“I refereed in the Fourth and Fifth Divisions in Poland before I arrived in Ireland,” he explains, “before enrolling in the FAI School of Excellence, which is a top-class course lasting for two years.
“It was a very proud moment for me to referee my first Eircom League games in the First Division and I have learned a lot in my first season. The laws of the game are the same the world over, but I believe that the players in Ireland are more passionate about the game than in Poland.
“I believe that referees have to have authority and have to be strong mentally as situations develop in football matches that need to be sorted out and diffused very quickly. Once players realise that you are in charge, then they concentrate on their game and everything begins to more flow more smoothly.”
The FAI recently unveiled its Referee Development Plan which is designed to double the number of referees by 2012, as well as assisting in the education, training and development of all referees throughout the country. There is currently one registered referee for every eight registered teams in Ireland – far below the Uefa average of one for every two squads.
It can be tough being the man in the middle, as refs have to make split-second decisions without the benefit of electronic hindsight (video replays and the like). And just as players can’t afford to let their performances drop below a certain level, referees are subjected to the same scrutiny, as their performances are assessed throughout the season.
“Our performances are assessed on a match-by-match basis,” says Superczynski. “But that is the nature of football. The assessors are there to do a job also, and that job is to improve the standards of referring.”
While Superczynski is the only Polish whistleblower in the Eircom League, there are five non-Irish nationals presently enrolled in the FAI School of Excellence. Two of these, Tom Mazur and Ralph Perier, are both Polish nationals living in Limerick, and FAI Referees Assessor Paddy Collins believes they have great potential.
“Tom and Ralph are making steady progress as referees and they have officiated at matches in the Limerick District League and have a great attitude to the profession,” he says.
Superczynski is adamant about where his own future lies: “My ambition is to referee in the Eircom Premier Division and then at the very top level of international football. I’m only 28 and I feel that I can achieve these ambitions.
“Players aspire to playing at the top level of their games, and referees, including myself, are no different. We want to perform at the top level, and that includes being appointed for the World Cup final.
“It takes a lot of dedication to be a referee and it has been a long hard season. But I have enjoyed my first full season in the Eircom First Division and I am now looking forward to taking a break for a few months.
“After that, however, I’ll be looking forward to the start of the 2008 season next March and meeting up with my colleagues for the big kick off.”
Superczynski’s final match of the year saw him take charge of Monaghan United’s meeting with Limerick 37. Donegal-born referee Hugo Whoriskey, who was also officiating that weekend, was full of praise for his achievements.
He said: “Tomasz has made fantastic progress this season and he is a first class referee. I believe that it is only a matter of time before he takes charge of an Eircom Premier Division game.”
Before the introduction of the whistle almost 130 years ago, referees waved a white handkerchief to attract players’ attention when the laws of the game were being transgressed.
“I don’t think that would be of much use in the modern game,” says Superczynski. “I can imagine the looks on the faces of the players if the ‘Pole from Opole’ started waving a white handkerchief at them.”
