888sport writer Tony Incenzo casts his mind back to the 1990 World Cup, remembering his fondest memories of the tournament.

I HAVE some incredible personal memories of attending the Italia 90 World Cup in a working capacity.  

From sipping coffee with Jack Charlton and Bobby Moore to almost getting mugged and then spending the night in hospital on my return to London! 

I was employed for the tournament as a reporter by Capital Gold Radio and the telephone information service Clubcall. My role involved covering the Republic of Ireland in their first ever World Cup Finals appearance.

Could they defy World Cup odds and go far in the tournament? Hopes were high but fans were realistic with expectations.

Italia 90 started for me watching Group F action on the beautiful islands of Sardinia and Sicily. The opening game finished in a 1-1 draw between England and Ireland at Stadio Sant’Elia in Cagliari.

Immediately afterwards, the Capital Gold team were invited back to the Irish squad’s palatial hotel. 

Our delegation consisted of top commentator Jonathan Pearce, legendary pundit Bobby Moore and myself.

Of course, the Ireland manager Jack Charlton instantly spotted his former international team mate Bobby and so he called the three of us over to join him for a chat. 

I could barely believe what was happening! It was just a real treat to sit in the hotel lobby having coffees alongside two former World Cup winners.

I listened intently for several hours as Jack and Bobby discussed a multitude of fascinating stories from their glittering footballing careers.

Anyway, three drawn matches led to Ireland reaching the knock-out stages and I flew to the mainland for my next destination which was Genoa.

In the British-like Stadio Luigi Ferraris, I commentated on Ireland 0 Romania 0 plus extra-time in the ‘Round of Sixteen’.

I was told that there were record incoming calls on the specially designated Clubcall line as David O’Leary tucked away Ireland’s winning kick to seal a thrilling 5-4 penalty shoot-out victory.  

From there, I was on another flight down to Rome for the Quarter Final. It was host country Italy versus Ireland at Stadio Olimpico.

Amongst the huge crowd of 73,303, I was probably the only person who couldn’t lose that evening due to my Italian and Irish parentage!

The noise was immense – particularly when Toto Schillaci buried the only goal for Italy in a tight affair. Alas, the Republic of Ireland had been knocked out although they had covered themselves in glory. 

My work assignment had therefore finished, but I decided to stay on for a few days to take in some more World Cup action.

I saw West Germany beat Czechoslovakia 1-0 at Milan’s magnificent San Siro. I remember marvelling at how steep the stands were with chocolate box top tiers that seemed to directly overhang the pitch.  

Then it was on to Naples where I witnessed one of my all-time favourite matches. Italy faced Argentina at Stadio San Paolo and it turned out to be a truly unprecedented occasion. 

Italy are usually near the top of World Cup markets in football betting and that was no different in 1990.

However, Napoli superstar Maradona was playing for Argentina and he appealed for all the local fans to support him.

As a consequence, there were 59,000 Italians in the stadium loudly booing Italy! Argentina won 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.  

Following that game, a couple of nightmare scenarios rapidly unfolded for me. I didn’t have a hotel booked so I headed for the city centre to find one.

Unfortunately, a local thug appeared from nowhere and tried to rip the gold chain from around my neck. I managed to repel him and made my escape! 

I subsequently checked into the first hotel I came across and this was a big mistake.

It was clean enough but had no air condition and temperatures topped 35° in Naples that night. Hence I had to leave the bedroom windows open to get some sleep as I was sweltering.

That allowed an exotic variety of winged predators easy access to my skin and I was almost eaten alive by hungry mosquitoes. Nevertheless, I flew back to London the next evening and my mother came to pick me up at the airport. 

But I had suffered an allergic reaction to the insect bites causing my face to swell up dramatically. 

Mum shrieked when she set eyes on me and loudly shouted across the airport in her Irish accent: “What happened? You look like The Elephant Man you total eejit!” 

So she drove me straight to Barnet General Hospital. I was there until dawn the next morning having soothing creams applied and a tetanus injection in the A&E department. 

A bizarre denouement to my trip of a lifetime at Italia 90.

It isn’t an easy journey to become a famous snooker referee. Years of work is required before appearing in the premium sports betting events, learning and perfecting the science of snooker officiating prior to any opportunity at The Crucible.

Not every young snooker fan will aspire to referee at the highest level. Of course, enforcing the rules in any sport comes with pressure, scrutiny, and often some awkward situations.

• Enjoy a bet on the World Snooker Championship action at 888sport

Snooker in-play betting odds can swing on a poor decision, and you can find yourself dealing with some riled up players on occasion.

So, let’s learn a bit more about the role, qualifications and salaries of snooker referees.

What Does A Snooker Referee Do?

Snooker referees might not have to deal with the confrontation which is frequent in physical sports like rugby or football but their role is still vital.

They make sure each frame and match is played following the rules. Certain regulations can vary from tournament to tournament - it is important that the referees keep up to date.

An eye for detail is vital. While maintaining fairness and integrity throughout, snooker referees are encouraged to keep the pace of each frame at a decent level.

It is a sport of tactics, tension and calm, yet snooker is often pondering if the sport needs to be sped up. Referees should have a minor role in proceedings, with their interventions being subtler than their brasher peers in other sports.

At times, snooker referees will be forced to make big calls. These can be significant in high-stakes tournament play, leading to the occasional disagreement between players and officials. This is inevitably when they face greater pressure. 

How Much Do Snooker Referees Get Paid?

There is considerable flexibility when it comes to how much snooker referees get paid. A figure of £70 per match has been quoted for some tournaments in the past, but there can be significantly smaller sums for local tournaments. 

Naturally, the amount snooker referees get paid depends on the event’s revenue and the experience of the referee. The highest-profile officials will have a base rate, functioning much like a retainer, along with a figure agreed per match. 

At the higher levels, some take on snooker refereeing as a full-time occupation. World Snooker will cover expenses for travel, food and accommodation for big events, which supplements their salary and earnings per match. The exact figures that snooker referees earn are not publicly available. 

World Snooker Referees:

With all exams passed and the necessary experience accumulated, snooker referees can oversee official ranking events.

Not only do these matches impact the world rankings, they also carry significant prize money and can make or break careers. The pressure, as a result, is sky high for the referees.

Paul Collier, Olivier Marteel and Marcel Eckardt are three of the most famous snooker referees in the world. Between them, they have overseen six world finals. Former referee Brendan Moore has taken charge of three world finals, with the 2023 being his last before retirement.

Of active officials, Jan Verhaas has the most experience on the biggest stage, refereeing six world finals throughout his illustrious career. 

Ascendant referees are always looking to make their names on the biggest stages. In truth, the most successful snooker referees are seldom recognisable, but keep the game ticking over while remaining even-tempered.

Verhaas, for instance, has professionally dealt with some awkward circumstances involving star players and chatty crowd members in the past.

Female Snooker Referees:

Female snooker referees have not always been prevalent in the men’s game.

The World Women’s Snooker Championship has been running since 1976, but it is only in recent years that significant progress has been made towards equality among snooker referees. 

Described as a trail blazer, and a well-known face to snooker fans worldwide, Michaela Tabb has been among the world’s best snooker referees for over a decade-and-a-half.

Tabb has cleared a path for others, including Tatiana Woollaston and Desislava Bozhilova. 

Tabb, however, remains the only woman to oversee a World Championship final after refereeing John Higgins’ 2009 win and Ronnie O’Sullivan’s triumph three years later. 

Since Tabb broke into a male-dominated role, a generation of female snooker referees have emerged across the world.

Malgorzata Kanieska, Maike Kesseler, Proletina Velichkova and Monika Sułkowska are just a few to have taken the responsibility of refereeing at tour events. 

Bozhilova is reportedly the highest-paid female snooker referee at the time of writing.

Snooker Referees Salary:

The salary of snooker referees at the professional level is a base rate of roughly £20,000.

Those refereeing women’s snooker have a lower base rate, but these figures are added to throughout the season with fees per match. Expenses are covered.

Those refereeing the biggest matches can receive over £500 per fixture, which racks up over a lengthy tournament like the World Championships.

Entry level referees have a base salary of roughly £4,000, and will be looking at around £50 per match when they are starting out. 

Snooker referees do not have wealth comparable to the game’s stars like Ronnie O’Sullivan or Mark Selby, yet the most accomplished will be on a more than comfortable salary throughout the course of a busy season. 

Some outlets claim the highest-paid snooker referees have a salary in the region of £200,000, though this is not widely reported.

Much like officials in other sports, exact figures for the salary of individual snooker referees are hard to come by.