Alain Sars was one of the most experienced European referees. His international debut was in 1993 at the early age of 32.
He officiated his first match when he was only 14 years old. Sars claims a good referee should be courageous, fair and impartial. Furthermore a referee should be a good psychologist, should not be impressed by his surroundings and act in the spirit of the regulations instead of merely working by the book.
Brilliant career so far
Sars has appeared in a lot of international tournaments: the world youth championship of 1995 in Qatar, The Africa Cup of 2000 in Nigeria and the 2002 Gulf Cup in Ryad.
In 2004/05 Sars took charge of seven UEFA Champions League matches, including the semi-final first leg between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC, and one FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
He retired in 2006. Although he was never active in a big tournament he was one of Europe's most respected match officials.