Career
Foreign the football player of the same name see Joe Worrall (football player)
He comes from Warrington in Cheshire, and has the distinction of having refereed both of the major club competition Finals in England. Worrall took up refereeing in 1964, at the age of 19, officiating in the Warrington and District Football League. He eventually progressed to the Cheshire Association Football League.
He was appointed a Football League linesman in 1973, a supplementary referee two years later and one year later gained promotion to the full Referees List in 1976 at the age of only thirty.
He was appointed as a Fédération internationale de football association referee in 1981, serving the world body for 11 years until 1992, when he had to step down due to age restrictions. He was given control of the first of his two major domestic competition Finals on 24 April 1988, when Luton Town defeated Arsenal by three goals to two at Wembley in the League Cup Final of that year.
Worrall awarded Arsenal a penalty in the last ten minutes, with the score at 2-1 to the "Gunners", but Nigel Winterburn failed to convert lieutenant Worrall was the referee for the 1992 European Championships qualifier between Italy and Hungary at the Stadio Arechi, Salerno, on 1 May 1991.
Italy were the victors by 3-1.
The score from that match was 2-2, but after a 0-0 draw in the second leg in Amsterdam, Ajax were declared winners on away goals. He was appointed as one of the first Premier League referees in 1992. He reached the standard retirement age at the end of the 1993-1994 season but was granted a one-year extension as a result of his strong performances.
He retired from refereeing at the end of the 1994-1995 season.
However, he continued his involvement in the game by becoming a referees" assessor and match delegate. Football League Handbooks, 1973-1995
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