FA Cup final: The referees of the last two finals reflect on what it is like to take charge of Arsenal v Manchester United, with Alan Biggs

Jeff Winter

(FA Cup final referee last season before retiring at 48)

I refereed all the major derbies during my Premiership career and you can take my word for it that none of them has the intensity of Manchester United playing Arsenal. From a referee's point of view it is very much a case of having the fingers of both hands crossed behind your back. The history of the game makes you feel that at some stage the discipline will go.

If both teams play within the rules today, then it will set a new marker for future matches being about football, not controversy. However, I wouldn't be 100 per cent confident about that.

I have experienced this fixture a couple of times in recent years and it is like no other. I was fourth official to Paul Durkin when Arsenal won at Old Trafford to clinch the title in 2002 and the following season I was in the middle for a fifth-round FA Cup tie at Old Trafford which Arsenal won 2-0. It was the game made famous by Alex Ferguson kicking a boot at David Beckham in the United dressingroom.

The opening seven or eight minutes of that match was the most difficult period of football I ever had to control. Both teams came out of the traps with tackles flying in. There were two yellow cards in the first few minutes, including a late challenge by Ruud van Nistelrooy on Martin Keown which led to many players exchanging pleasantries. I had to speak to the two captains, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira. After that things did calm down but, when you see what has happened since then in the games this season, it's obvious that these matches are even more volatile than the biggest derbies.

Taking control of an FA Cup final is the greatest appointment of a referee's career and the last thing he wants is to be dishing out cards all over the place. There has been only one sending-off in the history of the Cup final and it would be nice if that record could be kept intact. Yet this is such a powder keg of a game that it could go off with the slightest spark.

What aggravates the situation is that, though both clubs are in the Champions League, neither have won any silverware. The stigma of having a season of failure will heighten the intensity. You've also got Manchester United supporters venting their feelings over the club's takeover.

When you throw everything into the melting pot it doesn't augur well, although let's hope that tomorrow the papers are talking about the skills of the players. The referee, Rob Styles, can only deal with what is in front of him. One would hope that he will adopt a common-sense attitude and try to keep things under control. But, if the tackles start flying in, he will have to respond.

There is a fine balance between not over-reacting and perhaps letting the first couple of challenges go. Letting too much go can be seen as a sign of weakness and players can take the law into their own hands. The dilemma for the referee is that clamping down too early is taking a route along a one-way street to a red card. The referee can be criticised for being too soft or too hard. No one wants silly cautions and you hope the players respond.

Apart from any other factor, the final is something else. I never experienced an atmosphere like the one in Cardiff when I refereed the final last year. It is the greatest game on the calendar. It could be said that it is fuelled even more by the fact that the managers, Alex and Arsene Wenger, have had a long-standing feud. But the fire has been set already by the size of the occasion. It will take only one spark to set it off.

Graham Barber

(Refereed the Cup final two seasons ago before retiring last year at 45)

One of the secrets of handling a game like this is to let it develop and give people the chance to express themselves.

Something you must not do is prejudge what is reported in the build-up. The referee handles what is presented to him on the day.

You can only speak as you find and my most recent experience of refereeing an Arsenal-Manchester United game was an enjoyable one. It was the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park last year, which United won 1-0. Bear in mind that this was at a time when it was reported - just as now - that there was a lot of animosity between the sides. However, the game itself was played in a very good spirit.

There were a couple of cautions but I remember nothing untoward. I never spoke to the teams beforehand because, if you do that, then it shows you are prejudging.

Inevitably when you get two teams who are that good and that competitive there are occasions when you have to stamp down on things. As long as players understand you are in control they are happy to work with you. For the players it's a tough game and it's the same for the referee. In the main, players respect that.

When you look at the Premier League, all games are difficult to referee - there's a lot at stake for all the teams involved. When matches involve sides like Arsenal and Manchester United there is something extra, whether it's through history or locality. As to whether it's more difficult, you have to remember that these are teams who haven't won anything this year and all the people there are winners.

Of course, it is a challenging game for the referee but then that is true of any final. I think the players today will recognise the occasion and respond to it.

For Rob Styles it is a special thing to have been selected. A referee gets the final only once and it is the realisation of a lifetime's dream.