PATIENCE, LUCK, HARD WORK, INTEGRITY: Jerome Damon Retired FIFA Referee
Soccer Club|May 2023
June 2006 - Frankfurt. I am sitting in the front row of seats in the auditorium of Hotel Kempinski. It was the eve of the World Cup in Germany
PATIENCE, LUCK, HARD WORK, INTEGRITY: Jerome Damon Retired FIFA Referee

The former FIFA President, Joseph Blatter (pictured), took to the podium and his opening remarks made my dream a reality - the long journey from the dusty fields of the Cape Flats to the epic arenas of the World Cup has been completed.

"You are our team, the FIFA team, and you have the best seats in the house."

Zinedine Zidane, Gianluigi Buffon, Ronaldinho and I were going to rub shoulders. Zlatan Ibramhovic was going to learn to not mess with this boy.

So, what exactly does it take to become a World Cup referee? This question gets thrown at me often.

Off the bat? Patience. You need to understand that "[you] can do your best and others will decide if your best is good enough" - an unconfirmed quote attributed to legendary referee (and my hero) Pierluigi Collina.

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