The Big Interview: Michelle O'Neill
Irish official Michelle O'Neill is one of an elite set of officials, having worked at World Cups, Olympic Games and European Championship. She gives a unique insight into the world of officiating...
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Michelle O’Neill is returning home from officiating Bohemians vs UCD in the Irish Premier League. She is still one of only a handful of female elite officials in the men’s game, but her reputation and stature, as well as her quality as an official, has allowed her to join the select few.
O’Neill will be officiating as an assistant referee at this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and has previously officiated at both Euro 2017 and Euro 2022, as well as the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Irish-born official ran the line in Lyon in for the World Cup final between USA and Netherlands, as well as last summer’s European Championship semi-final between France and Germany.
She was also part of the first-ever all-female officiating team to take charge of the men’s UEFA Super Cup a couple of years ago when Premier League duo Liverpool and Chelsea faced off, and she is well placed to offer an all too regularly unheard insight into the current state of refereeing and the physical and mental demands of the role.
“I work a lot mentally. I have trigger words and trigger moments, so if I feel myself getting emotional I will refocus on my task…”
Right now, her attentions are fully on preparing for the World Cup this summer. Officials don’t find out which game they will be assigned to until a few days in advance, and O’Neill starts by offering a look into just how hard officials have to prepare for a tournament which encompasses 32 teams, albeit O’Neill won’t be able to officiate any games including the Republic of Ireland.
“You have to prepare now, for all the tests,” she says. “There’s four teams in one group, so the coaches only have to research three teams. We have to find out about all 32 because we don’t find out until two days before.
“I can rule out my country but you still have to know about every single team and their approach to the game. We’re working with specialists. We have our own analysts who we can be in contact with who do a lot of research, which makes life a bit easier, but we still have to do all or own work too.”
Officiating is constantly under the microscope, especially now in the world of social media, slow motion replays and even despite the entrance of VAR, a system created to take away doubt from decisions, rather than the other way around.
O’Neill though has been to the very top and is well aware of the challenges faced and that will continue to be faced, as I ask how she feels heading into another World Cup off the back of being involved in the last final in France four years ago.
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