Tony Martinez

Born in Malaga, he went to high school in Cartagena where he passed the Spanish baccalaureate with distinction. This was a remarkable especial achievement because the Spanish civil war was raging and the Martinez family were known to be republican sympathisers. Most of the students belonged to the fascist Nationalist party, and wore the full fascist uniform to school.

Indeed, things became so bad for the family that his father had to flee, leaving Spain in the last available ship. However, he was captured and interned in North Africa until liberated by US troops eight years later. He then worked for Voice of America, followed by RCA, his family joining him in self-exile in Tangier.

Tony and his brother Pedro were sent to England to study engineering, arriving in London in January 1950, Tony then 21. They both studied electronic engineering and worked at the EMI factory in Hayes as part of a sandwich course.

In February 1951 he met his future wife Helia Delgado at the Festival of Britain through mutual friends of both families. They were married in June, 1954, at the registry office in Knaresborough.

Tony became a Fellow of the Institute of Electronic and Radio Engineers.

After working for the Marconi company, he worked for Thorn in Bradford as chief engineer, and from there moved to Bedford to work for Texas Instruments. He returned to Bradford in 1979 and there set up Microvitec.

In 1982 Microvitec won the Industrial Achievement Award, and in 1984, when Microvitec cub screens accompanied the BBC computer, they were installed in schools throughout the country. The company was awarded the Queen's Award for Industry.

In that same year it was taken to the Stock Market. Later results proved personally trying for Tony Martinez and he left the role of chairman in 1987. He was, however, awarded an honorary doctorate by Bradford University.

Proud of his adopted country, he became a naturalised British citizen – and suffered with millions of others when the England football team bombed out in South Africa.

He remained philosophical, however, remarking "Now that England have been knocked out I can start to enjoy the competition."

He had been passionate about football since his childhood.

Tony, and his 12-seater long-wheel base Land Rover ferried his son and his team mates around on Saturday mornings, afternoons and Sundays and was the stereotypical parent on the touch line with his bitter complaint: "What do referees know anyway?" He decided he could do a better job than some of the referees he came across, and besides, what better way to enjoy grass-roots football on a weekend?

After qualifying as a referee, he started at the bottom, discovering too late the danger of sending off half-a-dozen players in a Sunday match between pub teams. Becoming a referee was not, perhaps, the best decision of his life, but he remained dedicated and fearless.

Tony Martinez is survived by five children, Azucena, Eugene, Delia, Arabela and Belinda, and nine grandchildren.