Howard Webb's appointment as World Cup final referee has caused consternation in Spain in the wake of the English official's performance in their opening match against Switzerland.

Howard's way: Spain are unhappy with the appointment of Howard Webb for the World Cup final on Sunday

On the day when Webb's wife Kay joked that her husband couldn't even take charge of his own kids, let alone the biggest sporting event in the world, they were finding it rather less easy back in Madrid and Barcelona to see the funny side of the Rotherham official being named the man in the middle for the big showdown with Holland.

"Bad news - Webb will referee the final," was the damning verdict of daily sports newspaper Marca, while another, AS, described the appointment as "debatable" because he had "made two mistakes" which cost Spain during the 1-0 defeat by the Swiss.

Marca claimed Webb had not given an obvious penalty in favour of David Silva and allowed the winning goal to stand which they believed was offside. His officiating would bring back "bad memories for La Roja", grumbled the Barcelona-based Mundo Deportivo.

Meanwhile, Kay Webb could only chuckle about her astonishment that her husband would be officiating in a game which will be watched by an estimated quarter of a billion people.

"I don't know how he does it. He can't take charge of his own children. I don't know how he manages it on a football pitch," said Mrs Webb, who makes it sound as if coping with son Jack and daughters Holly and Lucy is good practice for handling Mark van Bommel and Carles Puyol.

Webb's father Billy, himself a one-time referee and former miner, said: "I encouraged my son to take it up, but when I watched his first game, I encouraged him to pack up. But my brother, a referee too, he said 'I can see something in this young lad.'

History's proven him right and me wrong. The whole thing is jaw-dropping; I just can't imagine my son reffing the World Cup final."