Hunter to referee Rep of Ireland v England

By Adam Higgins
Jun 1, 2015
2 min read

ARNOLD Hunter has been confirmed as the referee for the international friendly between the Republic of Ireland and England in Dublin on June 7.

The 36-year-old Northern Irishman will take charge as the two nations meet in Ireland for the first time since the infamous Lansdowne Road contest 20 years ago.

He will be assisted by Gareth Eakin and David Anderson while fourth official Mervyn Smith completes the all-Irish officiating team.

Hunter, a dairy farmer from Fermanagh, is considered a talented Uefa referee and oversaw two Europa League group stage games last season.

He was first included on the Fifa list in 2011 along with fellow Irishman Richard Storey and was elevated to Category One in December last year.

The father-of-two has also spoke openly about his ambitions to gain future promotion to the Elite Category, which allows him to officiate Champions League matches.

Last time out: Hunter issued a red card and awarded a penalty in his previous game between Derry and Sligo Rovers on May 22 (Picture from ITV Sport)

Hunter was inspired by his uncle, former referee George Parkinson, to take up the whistle in 2001 after his playing career as a goalkeeper for Lisnaskea Rovers was ended by a collarbone injury.

His first match was at junior level between Lisnaskea Thirds and Lisnarick Reserves, and he has never looked back.

The Maguiresbridge-based whistler progressed through the ranks and became eligible to officiate Danske Bank Irish Premiership games from 2007, where he has since been a mainstay.

Hunter’s most high-profile domestic appointment was the 2013 Irish League Cup Final between Cliftonville and Crusaders in January 2013.

His main continental activities have involved Under-19 and Under-21 qualifiers for the World Cup and European Championships as well as the Uefa Youth League and various friendly internationals.

Hunter also went to the 2012 Uefa Under-19 European Championship finals in Estonia as one of six referees for his first experience of a prestigious tournament.

A member of the Fermanagh and Western Referees Association, he has travelled far and wide from Macedonia to Cyprus as the man in the middle.

But the upcoming contest at the Aviva Stadium will be one of the biggest of his career thus far.

Both nations have key Euro 2016 qualifiers next weekend with Roy Hodgson’s England travelling to Slovenia while Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland host Scotland.

The last four meetings have been drawn including the last one in June 2013 at Wembley Stadium as Frank Lampard cancelled out Shane Long’s early opener.

Elsewhere, Scotland’s friendly with Qatar at Hibernian’s Easter Road ground on Friday night will be refereed by Sebastien Delferiere from Belgium.

England’s Anthony Taylor will also oversee the friendly clash between Scandinavian rivals Norway and Sweden on Monday night at the Ullevaal Stadium.