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Rob Styles: I've Quit Refereeing Because The Buzz Is Gone

The whistler just does not enjoy his time in the middle any more...

Jul 2, 2009 8:45:14 PM

Steve Finnan, Rob Styles, Liverpool - Chelsea (PA)

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Steve Finnan, Rob Styles, Liverpool - Chelsea (PA)

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Rob Styles today confirmed that he has stopped refereeing and will be reverting to working with his Hampshire-based business interests, largely because he just does not enjoy being the man in the middle any more.

The sheer effort now involved in being a full-time referee, along with the travel, both domestic and international, that it entails, has reduced the job satisfaction he used to feel.

With that gone, Styles feels that he cannot maintain the high standard expected, and has decided to quit.

"I have completely retired from refereeing and will never do it again," he told The Portsmouth News.

"I have made the decision to call time on my footballing career. The time, effort, energy, the whole package involved in being a full-time domestic and international referee was not returning what I was giving.

"And I cannot carry on without that buzz, commitment and job satisfaction. It seems very callous but in a 280-day 40-week football season I spend 110 days of those away from home.

"That's down to travelling, refereeing, attending bi-weekly training camps, those kind of things. Given that kind of commitment, it has to give you back and it had stopped doing that for me.

"There is no way I wanted to carry on but lose motivation and commitment, that wouldn't have been fair."

And Styles felt that he could look back on his career in the game with a fair degree of satisfaction, despite the fact that his enthusiasm for the job has now waned.

"At 45 I can look back at my career with pride and am at the stage where I can go out with loads of happy memories, job satisfaction and fulfilment," he added.

"I did not want to carry on refereeing and not feel committed or motivated. That wouldn't have been doing the general public any favours."

Zack Wilson, Goal.com

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