Abraham Klein is an Israeli former international football referee.
Klein is in Bermuda and will spend time speaking with the members of the Bermuda Football Association, as well as holding a information session with the Bermuda Referees.
Klein refereed international matches between 1965 and 1982, including the 1968 and 1976 Olympics and important matches at the Mexico 1970, Argentina 1978 and Spain 1982 World Cup Finals.
Klein was also a linesman (now assistant referee) for the 1982 World Cup Final in Spain.
Klein was selected for the 1978 World Cup where he was given the Argentina v Italy match in Group A in Buenos Aires.
In Klein's game Italy won with a Roberto Bettega goal but before half-time Klein denied Argentina a penalty kick. Klein said of the incident: "I analyzed all the players, which helped me to determine my tactics during the game.
For example: towards the end of the first half, one of the Argentines went down in the penalty box and of course 80,000 people were whistling, screaming and crying for a penalty. I had learned from the previous games that I needed to be really close to the Argentinian players who caused the trouble. I am not telling you their names."
Brian Glanville wrote of the incident, "There was nothing more impressive in this World Cup than the way he stood between his linesmen at half-time in the Argentina - Italy game, scorning the banshee whistling of the incensed crowd." Klein said, "At half-time, as I walked into the tunnel, I was booed at by 80,000 people. In the second half, as the players were called from the dressing-rooms, my tactic was not to walk onto the pitch before the players.
I knew the crowd would remember what had happened at the end of the first half, and they would definitely welcome me with whistling and yelling, which is not a good feeling for a referee. So I waited until the Argentines came out of the tunnel and I entered the pitch with them, towards the applause."
Klein was given the Brazil v Italy fixture in the 1982 World Cup, the game in which Paolo Rossi scored a hat-trick. He ran the line in the final to the Brazilian referee Arnaldo Coelho and was, reputedly, offered the chance to officiate in the event of that final being replayed.
