Referee Bill Hamilton is at the Dana Cup for the 25th Time

This year 79-year-old Bill Hamilton will participate at the Dana Cup as a referee for the 25th time. The anniversary edition will also be his last, and therefore it is appropriate to ask him to highlight a special moment.

‘It must be the final I refereed between Academia Deportivo Cantoloa from Peru and Djurgårdens IF from Sweden,’ Bill Hamilton says.

The match was the B11 A-final in 2013, and despite the score being 1-1 at half time it was goals galore.

‘The Swedes scored twice in the first three minutes of the second half to go 3-1 up. They then had a penalty, which put them ahead 4-1. It looked dead and buried,’ Bill Hamilton says.

However, the fact that they were behind by three in the second half did not make the Peruvian team give up.

‘To use an English phrase, they threw everything except the kitchen sink at them. They hit the bar twice and the Swedish goalkeeper made some miraculous saves. However, the Peruvians came back and with 50 seconds to go it was four all,’ Bill Hamilton recalls.

The Scottish referee was excited and was already looking forward to extra time. However, no extra time was needed.

‘The Swedish players put the ball down the centre circle, one pass out, and then kicked the ball right into the top corner from 32 yards out to win it 5-4,’ Bill Hamilton adds.

The U11 boys from the Swedish club thus won and could therefore bring the cup home to the trophy cabinet in Stockholm, which already held 11 Swedish championships. The club has since won another one.