Each day during the 2014 World Cup the languagecaster team explains a key word or phrase for learners of English in our World Cup Language posts. Today, we focus on the phrase ‘man in the middle‘. Why not try our World Cup Word Quiz, too, to see how well you know your football language!World Cup Phrase – Man in the middle
The man in the middle is another way of referring to the referee. Sometimes we also use the phrase ‘man in black‘ as this used to be the traditional colour of the referee’s uniform. During the 2014 World Cup, the man in the middle has come under scrutiny from the media especially when the hosts Brazil have been playing.
- Example: The man in the middle needs to be a strong character for the World Cup semi-final between Brazil and Germany
