World Cup 2014 Qualifying Appointments [Rs]

the remaining three for September in South America:

Paraguay : Bolivia - CARRILLO (PER)

Paraguay : Argentina - OSSES (CHI)
Venezuela : Peru - ABAL (ARG)

 

AFC PLAYOFF
06.09.13 - Jordan : Uzbekistan - NISHIMURA (JPN)
10.09.13 - Uzbekistan : Jordan - WILLIAMS (AUS)

 

CONCACAF
06.09.13 - Costa Rica : USA - RODRIGUEZ (MEX)
06.09.13 - Mexico : Honduras - MORENO (PAN)
06.09.13 - Panama : Jamaica - LOPEZ (GUA)

10.09.13 - Honduras : Panama - GEIGER (USA)
10.09.13 - Jamaica : Costa Rica - MARRUFO (USA)
10.09.13 - USA : Mexico - CAMPBELL (JAM)

To start, Geiger has his full WC crew + Toledo. Marrufo has Boria, Frank Anderson (instead of his Jamaican AR, for obvious reasons) and Petrescu.

Garcia and Aguilar are the only WC candidates not announced to work this round yet. Garcia can't get the game in Columbus--again, for obvious reasons--so that would appear to leave Aguilar by default. If it's not Aguilar.... well, given Moreno and Lopez are both busy already, I don't want to think about the alternatives (Quesada/Campbell/Wijngaarde).

Huge match for Moreno, by the way. There are a lot of eyes on everyone at this point, but that game is a particularly big one. Might indicate that Moreno is still in the mix. Of course, Geiger gets what might end up being the most significant one, insofar as qualification goes.

 

New source for me, but I'm being told Campbell is confirmed for USA-Mexico. Will await secondary confirmation before updating.

 

Campbell is confirmed. I don't think it will be an unpopular opinion here to say that appointment is potentially disastrous. After what we saw in the Gold Cup, I just don't think he'll be up for it.

I guess they want to hold Aguilar for the October matches that could decide final qualification spots.

 

A few more...

Kenya : Namibia - GRISHA (EGY)
Benin : Rwanda - ABOUBACAR (GUI)
Algeria : Mali - OTOGO-CASTANE (GAB)
Angola : Liberia - JEDIDI (TUN)

The Senegal/Uganda, Nigeria/Malawi, Ghana/Zambia, and Tunisia/Cape Verde matches are all elimination situations where one team will go forward.

(also, Bennett's match is in Senegal, not Uganda)

 

So through 8 matchdays, the 2013 Hex appointments breakdown as follows:

Geiger (USA) - 3
Campbell (JAM) - 3
Lopez (GUA) - 3
Aguilar (SLV) - 2
Rodriguez (MEX) - 2
Marrufo (USA) - 2
Quesada (CRC) - 2
Wijngaarde (SUR) - 2
Moreno (PAN) - 2
Garcia (MEX) - 1
Chacon (MEX) - 1
Rodriguez (HON) - 1

It's possible Geiger, Campbell and Lopez are done. Garcia, as the only candidate without a second match, should obviously get one of the last six. I think the same goes for Aguilar, Quesada and Wijngaarde. You'll probably see Moreno get a third match (unless it is impossible without affecting Panama's qualification chances). Then there will be one last assignment to dish out.

For reference, the 2009 Hex was:

Archundia (MEX) - 3
Quesada (CRC) - 3
Moreno (PAN) - 3
Batres (GUA) - 2
Rodriguez (MEX) - 2
Aguilar (SLV) - 2
Campbell (JAM) - 2
Brizan (TTO) - 2
Marrufo (USA) - 2
Pineda (HON) - 2
Vaughn (USA) - 2
Ward (CAN) - 1
Morales (MEX) - 1
Toledo (USA) - 1
Geiger (USA) - 1
Salazar (USA) - 1

So they are spreading assignments out a little less this time. Sixteen referees have been cut down to 12 so far. And six referees did a single match last time while, this time, it will likely be two who only work game (Chacon and Rodriguez of Honduras, with a possible third).

Previous Hexes follow, just in case anyone wants to take a trip down CONCACAF memory lane. It's noteworthy that things were done a lot different when the Hex first started and in 2001. Then we saw an adjustment in 2005, with a very small pool of referees.

2005
Batres (GUA) - 4
Archundia (MEX) - 4
Rodriguez (MEX) - 3
Stott (USA) - 3
Hall (USA) - 3
Prendergast (JAM) - 3
Navarro (CAN) - 3
Pineda (HON) - 3
Sibrian (SLV) - 2
Rahmdan (TTO) - 1
Alcala (MEX) - 1

2001
Batres (GUA) - 4
Navarro (CAN) - 3
Bujsaim (UAE) - 2
Kim (KOR) - 2
Sibrian (SLV) - 2
Ramdhan (TTO) - 1
Burgos (GUA) - 1
Farias (CAN) - 1
Seifert (CAN) - 1
Prendergast (JAM) - 1
Simon (BRA) - 1
Periera da Silva (BRA) - 1
Mane (KUW) - 1
Shaban (KUW) - 1
Larrionda (URU) - 1
Aquino (PAR) - 1
Elizondo (ARG) - 1
Rendon (COL) - 1
Ruiz (COL) - 1
Mendez (URU) - 1
Ghandour (EGY) - 1
Kousa (SYR) - 1

1997
In 1997, 28 different referees were used for the 30 matches. Nelson Calix of Honduras and Oscar Ruiz of Colombia were the only referees used twice. Notable referees included Collina, Bujsaim and Garcia-Aranda--the latter two did the World Cup semifinals in 1998.

 

Looks like there was a 1981 Hex in Honduras, as you said, with Socha there as the American referee: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_CONCACAF_Championship

1985 saw a bit different of a system, with Bellion as the American referee working the final round (Bratsis and Socha worked at the semifinal stage): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_CONCACAF_Championship

1989 was a full Hex, with no referees from the countries participating (lots of Mexican and Canadian refs): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_CONCACAF_Championship

1993 ended with a four-team double round robin (Angeles the only American to work in the final stage, and in a match that didn't matter): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(CONCACAF)#Final_round

Looking at it all in whole, it appears that CONCACAF went to the Hex in 1969 (I think most people date it to 1997), but opted to revert to an alternate system in 1985 and 1993 because Mexico and the US had qualified as hosts, respectively, and only 1 or 1.5 spots were available.

 

If you read FIFA's regulations for the World Cup, there's actually still a rule in place that bars referees from working a qualification group at all if their national team is involved in the group.

It seems like it was strictly adhered to until 1998 qualification, when CONMEBOL had to be granted an exemption when they went to a full league table for all of its members. CONCACAF stuck with the rule for 1998 and 2002 (until the final matchday, when Prendergast was used once Jamaica was eliminated). It appears as though CONCACAF was either granted an exemption to the rule for the 2005 Hex or simply just started to ignore it. Oceania has also been exempted from or ignored the rule in recent years.

 

Last time it was Kassai and Larrionda for AFC/OFC and Undiano Mallenco and Busacca for CONMEBOL/CONCACAF.

2006 saw Shield and Ruiz for CONCACAF/AFC and Larsen and Medina Cantalejo for CONMEBOL/OFC (which made it all the more shocking Larsen didn't go to the World Cup).

Looks like there is a heavy reliance on European referees for these appointments. A CONCACAF referee can't do the CONCACAF/OFC playoff. That leaves only CONMEBOL/AFC as an option. I just don't see Garcia getting one of those games.

Obviously a wild guess, but I'd put forward Webb, Nishimura, Proenca and Lannoy as possibilities. I'm sure guys like Roldan, Brych and Irmatov will also be contenders.

 

I didn't meant to suggest that there can't be a UEFA referee for CONCACAF/OFC.

I do think it's likely that UEFA referees get both legs of CONMEBOL/AFC. On the other one, it's probably the top AFC referee and then either another UEFA referee or a CONMEBOL referee.

Also, I highly doubt FIFA is throwing Irmatov overboard for that error. The manner in which they publicized his admission of guilt says so much to me. If FIFA was washing its hands of Irmatov, there wouldn't be any reason for them to give him their platform to speak up. Think about recent referees sent home from tournaments for high profile errors... they are left to defend themselves, if at all, in their local press once they are back home. Furthermore, I don't think it's fair to toss a referee that you've invested so much in for a single error--no matter how bad it is.

That said, I think Irmatov's body of work shows he's not a world-class referee, but, of course, FIFA has thought differently for the past 6 years or so.

 

Somewhat interestingly, for the 2009 UEFA playoffs, only two referees who would go to South Africa as referees (Rosetti and Benquerenca) worked the playoffs. I'm sure some of it had to do with which Elite referees had officiated those exact teams in the previous matchdays, but it is rather odd that UEFA used only 2 World Cup referees for the 8 matches that decided final qualification.