Former Premier League referee Howard Webb has reportedly moved to Germany to live with hisnew partner- and fellow match official-Bibiana Steinhaus after ending his 21-year marriage.
Steinhaus, 37, who, like Webb, is also a former police officer, was the first professional femalereferee in German football. The pair were spotted together during a tournament in Lower Saxony earlier this year following Webb's split with his wife of 21 years.
His former wife, Kay, is the mother to his three teenage children and in his latest autobiography, Man in the Middle, expresses his gratitude for her support in his life both 'personally and professionally.'
Thanks to the @howtoacademy for hosting the book launch. Now time to celebrate ��#ManInTheMiddle pic.twitter.com/uFD7CQALsC
He wrote:Success also comes at a price and can change people and circumstance, as Kay and I have both come to realise.
Whatever the future holds, I want her to know that I'll be personally grateful for the huge part she played in my life both personally and professionally."
The pair met in 1988 and in his autobiography, the Rotherham-born ex-ref recalls how he became instantly attracted to hisvivacious� blonde colleague in the Yorkshire Bank they were working in.
Howard Webb zostawiÅ‚ ponoć żonÄ' oraz trójkÄ' dzieci i zwiÄ…zaÅ‚ siÄ' z niemieckÄ… sÄ'dziÄ… BibianÄ… Steinhaus.https://t.co/36CzsEODEh
But after the split with his former wife, reports suggest Webb has decided to relocate to Germany to live his new partner.
After being photographed together during the tournament in the German town Lower Saxony, local reports wrote:The reps of the three winning teams were surprised by the presence of Howard Webb.�
Webb, 45, retired from professional refereeing back in 2014 after becoming one of the country's best officials, which resulted in him officiating the Champions League and World Cup finals in 2010.