Markus Merk has been voted World's Best Football Referee, overtaking 42-year-old Italian Pierluigi Collina, who held the title for the past six years. Merk refereed the final of the European Football Championships. "A deep faith in God and my actions as a professing Christian give me inner peace," he says. He loves righteousness, in football and in life. Besides his job as a dentist and refereeing, he is the co-founder of "India Aid Kaiserslautern", a charity helping the needy Sogospatty, Southern India. They have build a children's village with a school for 170 and an orphanage providing 30 children with a home. Once or twice each year, Merk visits the village to provide the children with dental care. He often finds it difficult to clear his head of the impressions from India when he has to referee a football match only a few days later. The contrast between the poverty he experienced and the footballers' millions is immense. "You're in India on Thursday, fly back on Friday, and on Saturday, you're in the stadium, where the kick-off is all that matters." He still tries to maintain his distance from the game's "It's all about me"-mentality. He radiates confidence and is sceptical of the glamour.

 

Football isn't the most important thing "The events on the football pitch should not be the most important part of our lives," says Merk. "We often talk about matches of fate, but the fate of many is in the balance in many different places around the world." On the pitch, he's known for his smile, and for his clear decisions. "I'm responsible for the players' health, after all." Like all referees, he has to bear scorn from players and fans for his decisions. He's been called all sorts of names on the pitch, and received telephone murder threats. Like all referees, he dare not show any doubt about his own decisions. A sovereign smile even while playing out several scenarios in his head is the name of the game in his class. In God, he finds the strength which he needs to project authority as a referee. A Catholic, Merk crosses himself before every match. "That is my personal kick-off. Faith in God gives me strength for life." He doesn't pray for divine inspiration in difficult decisions, though.

Source: pte online, David Kabel, Football Bible, Livenet