A long-time soccer referee, Aston officiated at the opening match of the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile, a game so wild that the police had to help him keep order.
After retiring in 1964, he became chairman of the international referee committee of FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), soccer’s governing body. While sitting at a traffic light one day, Aston got an idea: referees could show a yellow card to caution players, and a red one to eject them from games. The “yellow card” and “red card” concept was adopted for the sport in 1970. He was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1997. Aston died October 23 in Ilford, England. He was 86.