At half-time on 30 June 1998, Kim Milton Nielsen stepped into the changing room at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Étienne. The air reeked of wet towels. He hugged his assistants. They’d just taken charge of the best half of football they’d ever officiated.
Argentina v England. World Cup round of 16. Michael Owen had terrorised Argentina with blistering runs and his breakout goal. A clever free-kick had outsmarted the English defence. Nielsen had awarded two penalties. He couldn’t wait for the second half, but he didn’t know what was coming.
At 37, Nielsen was refereeing his first major international tournament. He’d been trusted with the showcase match. Tensions between Argentina and England had simmered since the 1982 Falklands war, and deepened through controversial World Cup clashes – Geoff Hurst’s goal in 1966; Diego Maradona’s handball 20 years later. A loss for either side would be colossal.
And then it happened.
Diego Simeone clattered into David Beckham. Nielsen blew his whistle to book Simeone. Simeone leaned on Beckham and tugged his hair. Beckham flicked his boot; Simeone fell. Nielsen blew again. Red card for Beckham.
But it wasn’t going to be that easy. Sending off Beckham, a global superstar, at a World Cup with a full half still to play. A voice in Nielsen’s head whispered: was it really violent? Didn’t Simeone provoke it? Then he recognised the voice. He’d heard it before. It had nearly beaten him. He knew what to do.
Nielsen’s mind flicked back to 1991, when he was in his early 20s, refereeing Barcelona at the Camp Nou. A Sparta Prague player broke through on goal and was cynically fouled by Guillermo Amor. Before 82,000 Barça fans, he needed to send off one of their heroes. His instincts urged leniency – a free-kick and a yellow.
“Barcelona at home against a team from eastern Europe … it would be very easy to close your eyes and not do anything,” Nielsen told me. But he dug deep. Red card.
Sparta Prague scored from the free-kick. Nielsen’s heart sank. “I thought: ‘Oh my God, I am going to die at the Nou Camp.’” But the press admired the decision. It was a vital lesson. Whether it’s a big team or a small team, a superstar or a debutant, the same rules apply. Now, standing there, in front of Beckham, Nielsen reminded himself of that lesson.
That night, after England’s loss on penalties, Nielsen wondered if there was more he could have done. Then he realised something important. “If I changed my mind because I was afraid of the headlines, I would have destroyed myself as a referee,” he said. The cost of fairness is high. Sometimes referees must pay.
Being called up for a World Cup was a highlight of Nielsen’s career, one that started in Copenhagen in 1976. He retired in 2006, but remains one of football’s iconic officials. In February 2005, he became the first referee to reach 50 appearances in the Champions League. But he’ll always be remembered as the man who sent off David Beckham. “I am surprised, and I have been surprised since, because even small boys who were not born in 1998, they come up to me and they say, ‘Hey, you are the man who sent off David Beckham,’” Nielsen told me.
And he is quietly proud of it.
This is an extract from The Impossible Job: The Truly Unbelievable World of a Football Referee by William Ralston (Viking, £22). To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply