Football: Whangarei man Peter O'Leary to ref at World Cup

O'Leary in action as tempers flare after a penalty was awarded to New Zealand during an International soccer match against Honduras. Photo/File

It's hard to remain the invisible man when the eyes of hundreds of millions of people are on you.

But that's just what Whangarei man Peter O'Leary hopes to be known as when he referees at the World Cup in Brazil later this year, the sole Oceania representative chosen to officiate at the second largest sporting event on the planet after being named on a 25-strong refereeing panel.

While the All Whites narrowly missed out on going to Brazil for the cup - losing over two-legs to Mexico late last year - O'Leary's appointment will at least mean that one Kiwi - and a Northlander at that - will take the field when the tournament kicks of on June 12 in Sao Paulo.

This will be his second World Cup after he officiated in South Africa four years ago when he was fourth official for six games, and in 2012 he was the on-field referee for games at the London Olympics.

O'Leary hopes his performances at the Olympics - he officiated in the highly-charged match between Japan and Korea - will see him take charge of at least one game at the World Cup.

"I don't mind if it's only one game... especially if that game's the final," O'Leary said.

"Really though, it's an honour and a privilege to be selected to officiate at the World Cup. In effect I've made the first team squad and now I've got to prove that I'm good enough to make the first XI."

He's already undergone plenty of testing and there's more ahead of the cup, with a trip to Fifa House, in Zurich, for a final workout before the big event. The final testing covers everything from physical and psychological testing to knowledge of laws of the game to drug testing.

"Yes, we also get drug tested, just like the players, and we've got a list of all the banned substances. Thankfully caffeine from coffee isn't on there or I'd be no good."

O'Leary describes his style of refereeing as letting the play flow with as little intervention as possible, though he's not afraid to use his cards if needed.

"I like to let the players dictate how they are going to play and referee accordingly," O'Leary said.

So what's it going to be like in the red hot atmosphere with 100,000 fans in the stadium and hundreds of millions watching on TV around the globe?

"For me, I'll be happy if nobody talks about me as a referee as that would mean I've done my job well. The referees often get talked about if they have made a mistake - and everybody makes mistakes - but I always want to be the invisible man."