Under-fire World Cup Final referee Howard Webb returned home on Tuesday as the controversy around his performance in the showpiece continues to swirl.

Top official Webb, 39, pulled up in a chauffeur-driven black Mercedes and smiled before quickly shuffling into his pleasant semi-detached family home in Rotherham, South Yorks.

His return home to his loving family came just two days after a testing evening overseeing the feisty final between Spain and Holland - which saw a shocking 14 yellow cards and one red.

Doting wife Kay and the couple's children carefully set up some decorations for Howard's long-awaited return throughout the afternoon unveiling a banner saying 'welcome home daddy' and another simply saying 'congratulations'.

When the imposing ref finally pulled up outside his door just before 4pm after the long flight from South Africa, he simply smiled and walked inside the house.

Just minutes after Howard went inside, the all too familiar noise of a vuvuzela bellowed out from the family's back garden as the close-knit group reunited following a long month away for the Premier League ref.