Paul Durkin has agreed a settlement over claims he, and three other former referees, were discriminated against.
Agreement ends tribunal
Former World Cup referee Paul Durkin has agreed a settlement over claims he, and three other former referees, were discriminated against because of their age.
Durkin, along with Roger Dilkes, Rob Harris and Clive Wilkes, had pursued identical cases in which they alleged ageism, unfair dismissal, breach of contract and a failure to pay redundancy and wages.
Their dispute was settled before the start of the second day at a Watford Employment Tribunal hearing.
The case had been expected to be heard over three days.
Both sides signed confidentiality clauses which prevent them from discussing the case and a PGMO spokesman told
Sky Sports News they could not comment on the agreement.
Dispute
All four officials had been in dispute with Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, the body which selects referees for all professional football matches in England, and the firm's manager, former referee Mike Riley.
The Watford Employment Tribunal heard that the terms of their settlement included large redundancy payments, which each referee had claimed they should have been paid.
Dilkes, 62, retired from refereeing at the end of the 1996/97 season after joining the profession in the early 80s.
Harris, who is in his early 50s, became an official in 1975 and conducted FA and European Cup matches before his retirement after the 2002/03 season.
Wilkes, currently the President of the Gloucester branch of the Football Referee Association, until recently coached aspiring referees for Professional Game Match Officials.
He also retired from the Premier League at the end of the 2002/2003 season.
Durkin, 55, was England's only referee at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, officiating in a single group match between Italy and Austria, and the same year took charge of the FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Newcastle.
Dilkes, from Mossley, Greater Manchester, Harris, from Whitwell, Isle of Wight, Wilkes, from Corse, near Gloucester and Durkin, from Portland, Dorset, refused to comment as they left the hearing.
