The man who famously red-carded Danny Vukovic in last season’s A-League grand final has maintained a diplomatic silence regarding that specific incident but says officials have a job to do – sometimes it’s high profile, sometimes not.

Zurich Financial Services have extended their deal to support officials for the next three years with money also being ploughed into the FFA’s referee development program.

Shield says that is a welcome development, to help further educate young officials and encourage those already officiating to continue.

He told au.fourfourtwo.com: “Look it’s a partnership. We’re not trying to be the number one part of football. The game is about the players. We’re just there to make sure the game goes smoothly. Nine times out of 10 it does.

“Yes, it’s nice to have no controversy and occasions where you’re not seen (as an official) because the game allows that to happen.

“But sometimes there are games where unfortunately the referee does have to make the tough decision. Whether it involves the home or away side, the fans think the ref’s been involved again. But it’s certainly not anything that the referee wants, that’s for sure.”

Shield’s role sees him officiate in Australia and also the Asian Champions League but further down the chain, there is cause for concern.

Shield said: “One of the biggest issues is not necessarily the recruitment of referees, it is the retention.

“In some centres we lose up to 30 per cent each year. So you’ve got to have a lot of referees to recruit each year just to keep the numbers up. Retention, in my opinion, is one of the biggest issues that needs to be looked at.

“Zurich’s backing and the announcement of the development program will help that. It will help referees stay in the game because they’re given better tuition and better skills.

Often you’ll see a young referee, they might be 14 years old and doing their first match, and they’re expected to be perfect. It’s not possible. They’re learning their trade.”