Jack Taylor (referee)

John Keith "Jack" Taylor ( born May 21, 1930 in Wolverhampton, † 27 July, 2012 Shropshire ) was an English football referee.

Jack Taylor took part in two FIFA World Cups during his career. At the World Cup in Mexico in 1970 he refereed the preliminary round match between Italy and Sweden. The highlight of his career was the game lead the final of the 1974 World Cup between Germany and the Netherlands in Munich. In this game he whistled during the first minute a penalty for the Netherlands before a German player had even touched the ball and later a controversial second penalty after a foul on Bernd Hölzenbein that led to the equalizer. In the 59th minute, he did not recognize a regular hit Gerd Müller for alleged offside position, five minutes before the end, he failed the German team this time the clear penalty after a foul on Hölnzenbein. Overall, John Taylor led three games in this World Cup. In the course of his career, Taylor led more than 100 top-flight appearances in England and also more than 100 international matches.