'Being a ref at the World Cup was mind-blowing'

An assistant referee said officiating at the Fifa World Cup was a "mind-blowing" experience.

Stuart Burt, from Northampton, officiated at four matches including Norway v France in the group stages.

He said: "Walking out [onto the pitch] you sort of look around and think how did a kid from Kingsthorpe manage to get here?"

Burt began refereeing in 1996 and went on to become an assistant ref in the Football League and then the Premier League, where he is now in his 17th season.

Last year, he became one of only four officials to have overseen 500 Premier League fixtures, and this summer's World Cup was his second after Qatar in 2022.

The 46-year-old said: "You do find yourself taking it all in, but once you're over the white line it's work mode and time to focus."

Burt was partnered with fellow English officials Michael Oliver and James Mainwaring during his time at the event.

He was based in Miami for the tournament along with about 170 other officials.

"It was a surreal experience," said Burt. "It was 45 days and the longest I've ever been away from home - but it was incredible. An amazing feeling."

The assistant referee ran the line in Ecuador v Ivory Coast and Norway v France in the group phase.

Although Norway rested some of their star players, including Erling Haaland, Burt described the French team as "incredible".

He said: "You've got a standing start and [French striker Kylian] Mbappe is already running through and you're thinking 'I've now got to chase him'.

"That's where the training comes into it. But it's not a very nice sight when you see him sprinting off in the distance and you've got to chase him."

He also officiated the last-16 tie between Canada and Morocco and the quarter-final between Belgium and eventual winners Spain.

He said the Spain tie - held at the Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles - was a particular highlight.

Burt said: "It was the most amazing stadium I've been to in my life. I found myself thinking back to my first game [as a referee] and wondering 'how did I get here?'.

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