A love for the sport is a preresquisite, but in the case of Swede Jonas Eriksson, the referee who will manage Monday's match between Ghana and the U.S., you have to wonder how much he must love the sport given that he's an independently wealthy millionaire.
It's true that many referees manage games as a hobby, but it's rare for for one to have such a notable private life.
A former shareholder in a Swedish media company with offices in Stockholm, Hong Kong and Dubai, Eriksson sold his 15% share a number of years ago for about $10 million.
Eriksson's bank account might be larger than that of some players, but that doesn't make him any less committed to the game.
In fact, with match-fixing and bribery probes grabbing headlines across the world, Eriksson might be the perfect referee.
As Eriksson said himself, "All the money hasn't changed anything, the best thing I do in my life is still refereeing football."
