(CNN) -- Former English Premier League referees have jumped to the defense of Howard Webb after criticism of his performance in Sunday's World Cup final. Webb, the first referee to officiate the European Champions League final and World Cup final in the same season, dished out 13 yellow cards and one red as Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in a tempestuous clash at Soccer City, Johannesburg. Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk and several of his players suggested the English official favored the Spanish, and Netherlands fans booed Webb and his assistants when they collected their medals after the game. But ex-referee Jeff Winter, who took charge of several fiery encounters between English giants like Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, was full of praise for Webb's performance in extremely testing circumstances.
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Former referees defend Howard Webb's performance in World Cup final
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Ex-Premier League official Jeff Winter ddescribesWebb's display as superb
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FIFA president Sepp Blatter says Webb had a "very hard task" in the match
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Dutch players and manager say referee favored Spain, who won 1-0 in extra-time
"To listen to @placeholder players after the game blaming the referee for the defeat after they conducted themselves abysmally for the whole two hours is unbelievable," he said.