Jeff Winter

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Jeff Winter is a former FA Premier League referee. He hails from Stockton-on-Tees in the north-east of England. Winter took charge of the 2004 FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Millwall, his final game as a professional referee before retirement. Winter also appeared as an official on the BBC TV programme Superstars.

His autobiography, Who's The B*****d In The Black?' was published in 2006, and was notable for Winter's sense of self-importance, particularly in his treatment of his final game as referee of a professional league match ^[1]:

In the end I played a little bit extra, waiting until play was at the Kop end, before sounding the final shrill blast - a bit like the Last Post. The fans behind the goal burst into spontaneous applause. It was longer and louder than normal, even for a big home win. Did they know it was my final visit? Was the applause for me? They are such knowledgeable football people, that it would not surprise me.

Perhaps a more plausible explanation for the extra applause was that the game saw Liverpool take the advantage in the nailbiting race with Newcastle United in the race for 4th and final UEFA Champions League place for the next season with their 4-0 defeat of Blackburn Rovers.

Since the year 2006, he has officiated in the annual series of national six-a-side tournaments called Masters Football, referees for which are FA endorsed. This competition features ex-professional footballers chosen by the PFA, and is televised on Sky TV. ^[2]