October World Cup Referee Appointments

[MassachusettsRef]

CAF
Congo : Togo - SHELMANI (LBY)
Senegal : Mali - MAILLET (SEY)
Liberia : Zambia - EVEHE (CMR)

Uganda : Burkina Faso - BENOUZA (ALG)
South Africa : Congo DR - MBERA (GAB)
Cape Verde Islands : Ghana - DAAMI (TUN)

Benin : Libya - MUSUSA (ZIM)
Sudan : Cote d'Ivoire - DAMON (RSA)
Cameroon : Egypt - COULIBALY (MLI)

Rwanda : Angola - GUEZZAZ (MAR)
Gabon : Algeria - DIOUF (SEN)
Nigeria : Zimbabwe - PARE (BFA)

Tunisia : Morocco - ABD EL FATAH (EGY)
Botswana : Guinea - SOWE (MAD)
Malawi : Kenya - CODIJA (BEN)

AFC
Uzbekistan : Bahrain - BUSACCA (SUI)
Bahrain : Uzbekistan - POLL (ENG)

UEFA
Finland : Romania - GUENOV (BUL)
Czech Republic : Netherlands - SARS (FRA)
Andorra : Armenia - STOKES (IRL)
Netherlands : Macedonia - FARINA (ITA)
Finland : Czech Republic - FROJDFELDT (SWE)

Ukraine : Albania - VERBIST (BEL)
Georgia : Kazakhstan - HYTTIA (FIN)
Denmark : Greece - DE BLEECKERE (BEL)
Albania : Turkey - DAUDEN IBANEZ (ESP)
Greece : Georgia - TREFOLONI (ITA)
Kazakhstan : Denmark - TRIVKOVIC (CRO)

Slovakia : Estonia - ALLAERTS (BEL)
Russia : Luxembourg - TUDOR (ROM)
Portugal : Liechtenstein - GILEWSKI (POL)
Portugal : Latvia - MEJUTO GONZALEZ (ESP)
Luxembourg : Estonia - DERELI (TUR)
Slovakia : Russia - ROSETTI (ITA)

Cyprus : Republic of Ireland - KASSAI (HUN)
Switzerland : France - HAUGE (NOR)
Israel : Faroe Islands - BRUGGER (AUT)
Republic of Ireland : Switzerland - MERK (GER)
France : Cyprus - STARK (GER)

Scotland : Belarus - SZABO (HUN)
Norway : Moldova - BENNETT (ENG)
Italy : Slovenia - POULAT (FRA)
Italy : Moldova - BENQUERENCA (POR)
Slovenia : Scotland - TEMMINK (NED)
Belarus : Norway - PLAUTZ (AUT)

Northern Ireland : Wales - BOSSEN (NED)
England : Austria - MEDINA CANTELEJO (ESP)
England : Poland - NIELSEN (DEN)
Wales : Azerbaijan - HANSSON (SWE)
Austria : Northern Ireland - BRIAKOS (GRE)

Lithuania : Serbia - WEGEREEF (NED)
Bosnia : San Marino - HAMER (LUX)
Belgium : Spain - MICHEL (SVK)
Serbia : Bosnia - VASSARAS (GRE)
San Marino : Spain - MEYER (GER)
Lithuania : Belgium - RILEY (ENG)

Bulgaria : Hungary - DELEVIC (SCG)
Croatia : Sweden - DE SANTIS (ITA)
Malta : Bulgaria - GODULYAN (UKR)
Hungary : Croatia - LARSEN (DEN)
Sweden : Iceland - IVANOV (RUS)

CONCACAF
Costa Rica : USA - ARCHUNDIA (MEX)
Mexico : Guatemala - PRENDERGAST (JAM)
Panama : Trinidad & Tobago - NAVARRO (CAN)
Guatemala : Costa Rica - HALL (USA)
Trinidad & Tobago : Mexico - PINEDA (HON)
USA : Panama - ALCACA (MEX)

CONMEBOL
Ecuador : Uruguay - REZENDE (BRA)
Colombia : Chile - SOUZA (BRA)
Venezuela : Paraguay - ELIZONDO (ARG)
Bolivia : Brazil - LARRIONDA (URU)
Argentina : Peru - TORRES (PAR)

Peru : Bolivia - SEQUEIRA (ARG)
Paraguay : Colombia - REZENDE (BRA)
Chile : Ecuador - ELIZONDO (ARG)
Uruguay : Argentina - SOUZA (BRA)
Brazil : Venezuela - BALDASSI (ARG)

[MassachusettsRef]

1. So much for the practice, used in the past, of rotating referees amongst the confederations in the final few matchdays. I thought it would be MORE prevalant this year, considering the candidate's list. Instead, except in some rare instances through the campaign, it's been virtually absent.

2. It seems that Africa's biggest referees have been kept away from the biggest games. The Nigeria, Angola and Tunisia/Morroco games have relatively unknown referees, while CODIJA, DAAMI and DAMON have lower-profile matches.

3. European referees for the AFC playoff, as Englishref pointed out a few days ago.

4. Some predictable things in UEFA, but some strange things too. SARS has the big match in Group 1 and DE BLEECKERE in Group 2. Group 3 is surprising as MEJUTO GONZALEZ is used on a meaningless match and ROSETTI has the important game. Group 4 has HAUGE and MERK working the biggest of several important games. All matches in Group 5, with the exception of Italy/Moldova, are of some importance. Group 6 sees NIELSEN for the showdown. Group 7 is very strange to me: you have HAMER (a WC candidate) working Bosnia/San Marino, but you also have MICHEL on what most would consider the biggest game and VASSARAS on the potentially volatile Balkans derby. DE SANTIS gets the showdown in Group 8.

5. Not sure what to make of CONCACAF. HALL gets what is probably the most important match yet (in determining 3rd/4th/5th places)--could he still be a stealth candidate? NAVARRO, though, also gets a big match insofar as determining T&T's chances. Then you get PRENDERGAST back in the mix. PINEDA gets T&T's other game. And the US gets two Mexican referees: ARCHUNDIA and ALCACA (who?!). I assume he's getting a shot at the big-time because it's the only meaningless match left.

6. CONMEBOL lookes like it's trying to cut down on travel costs, using the same three referees twice. And it's an all Brazilian/Argentine affair on the final matchday. Was one of these referees the one that recently failed out at the U17s? Maybe they are trying to promote him intentionally. Surprised not to see RUIZ and AMARILLA working, but that might be by design (their teams are still in the running, while Brazil/Argentina have already qualified).

[Englishref]

4. Some predictable things in UEFA, but some strange things too. SARS has the big match in Group 1 and DE BLEECKERE in Group 2. Group 3 is surprising as MEJUTO GONZALEZ is used on a meaningless match and ROSETTI has the important game. Group 4 has HAUGE and MERK working the biggest of several important games. All matches in Group 5, with the exception of Italy/Moldova, are of some importance. Group 6 sees NIELSEN for the showdown. Group 7 is very strange to me: you have HAMER (a WC candidate) working Bosnia/San Marino, but you also have MICHEL on what most would consider the biggest game and VASSARAS on the potentially volatile Balkans derby. DE SANTIS gets the showdown in Group 8.


No real surprises in UEFA. They've wheeled out all their Elite category referees for any match involving a team still unqualified. A couple of surprises I spotted. Steve Bennett has a game involving one of Scotland's main rivals for the playoff spot. I cannot understand for the life of me why Kyros Vassarass has the Serbia vs Bosnia game, which is not only a political powderkeg, but also sees both teams desperate for a win to qualify. Ruud Bossen also has a huge game, given his (lack of) experience - Domenico Messina sent three off in the reverse of this fixture. And LMC also has a very important game if Austria wish to retain any hopes of snatching second from England.

Group 7 is very strange to me: you have HAMER (a WC candidate) working Bosnia/San Marino, but you also have MICHEL on what most would consider the biggest game

I don't see that as being much of a surprise. Lubos Michel is considered one of UEFA's top 3 or 4 referees, whereas Alain Hamer never really gets very big games. And in any case, Bosnia need to win to keep alive their hopes of qualifying, so whilst it should be a formality against San Marino, it's still an important game.

And the US gets two Mexican referees: ARCHUNDIA and ALCACA (who?!).

Gilberto Alcaca, a very experienced Mexican referee apparently, having been on the list since 1994 when he was only 31.

Was one of these referees the one that recently failed out at the U17s?

Carlos Torres was indeed one of the fitness test failures at the U17 WC, but CAF have used Modou Sowe after he failed his test. And in any case, we don't know it was Torres who failed the test or one of his ARs. I do worry that CONMEBOL only seems to consider Argentinian and Brazilian referees good enough to do WCQ games. Surely the various other CONMEBOL nations have capable officials.

[MassachusettsRef]

I cannot understand for the life of me why Kyros Vassarass has the Serbia vs Bosnia game, which is not only a political powderkeg, but also sees both teams desperate for a win to qualify. Yeah, that's what surprised me, too. I thought you'd see Merk or Nielsen on the match. If Collina hadn't retired, is there much doubt that he'd have the whistle?

I don't see that as being much of a surprise. Lubos Michel is considered one of UEFA's top 3 or 4 referees, whereas Alain Hamer never really gets very big games. And in any case, Bosnia need to win to keep alive their hopes of qualifying, so whilst it should be a formality against San Marino, it's still an important game.I was only commenting on Hamer's low-profile game, not Michel's assignment, which is obviously deserved. Hamer's still seems very strange to me; you have him officiating a team with an outside shot against a complete doormat. Matches like that in the other groups drew referees of a lower stature.

Gilberto Alcaca, a very experienced Mexican referee apparently, having been on the list since 1994 when he was only 31.Well now I'm just even more baffled by the assignment. That makes him 42, which makes him ineligible for WC2010. I figured that he was a younger guy who'd be getting the WC experience on this match to prep him for next go-around because this match is meaningless. I don't understand the thought process of giving him this game. He might be experienced domestically, but he has never had any big CONCACAF qualifiers. A newer FIFA Mexican or Central American referee in their 30s, I can totally understand (an equivalent to, say, a Terry Vaughn). This guy? Why?


Carlos Torres was indeed one of the fitness test failures at the U17 WC, but CAF have used Modou Sowe after he failed his test. And in any case, we don't know it was Torres who failed the test or one of his ARs. I do worry that CONMEBOL only seems to consider Argentinian and Brazilian referees good enough to do WCQ games. Surely the various other CONMEBOL nations have capable officials.I think they are using the Argentinian and Brazilian referees on the final matchday because they are the only two teams that are definitely through and every match (with, I think, the possible exception of the Brazil/Venezuela game) could have meaning. It makes sense to do what they're doing, I just would have rather seen them import CONCACAF refs and export theirs to the Hex.

[Alberto]

1. So much for the practice, used in the past, of rotating referees amongst the confederations in the final few matchdays. I thought it would be MORE prevalant this year, considering the candidate's list. Instead, except in some rare instances through the campaign, it's been virtually absent.

2. It seems that Africa's biggest referees have been kept away from the biggest games. The Nigeria, Angola and Tunisia/Morroco games have relatively unknown referees, while CODIJA, DAAMI and DAMON have lower-profile matches.

3. European referees for the AFC playoff, as Englishref pointed out a few days ago.

4. Some predictable things in UEFA, but some strange things too. SARS has the big match in Group 1 and DE BLEECKERE in Group 2. Group 3 is surprising as MEJUTO GONZALEZ is used on a meaningless match and ROSETTI has the important game. Group 4 has HAUGE and MERK working the biggest of several important games. All matches in Group 5, with the exception of Italy/Moldova, are of some importance. Group 6 sees NIELSEN for the showdown. Group 7 is very strange to me: you have HAMER (a WC candidate) working Bosnia/San Marino, but you also have MICHEL on what most would consider the biggest game and VASSARAS on the potentially volatile Balkans derby. DE SANTIS gets the showdown in Group 8.

5. Not sure what to make of CONCACAF. HALL gets what is probably the most important match yet (in determining 3rd/4th/5th places)--could he still be a stealth candidate? NAVARRO, though, also gets a big match insofar as determining T&T's chances. Then you get PRENDERGAST back in the mix. PINEDA gets T&T's other game. And the US gets two Mexican referees: ARCHUNDIA and ALCACA (who?!). I assume he's getting a shot at the big-time because it's the only meaningless match left.

6. CONMEBOL lookes like it's trying to cut down on travel costs, using the same three referees twice. And it's an all Brazilian/Argentine affair on the final matchday. Was one of these referees the one that recently failed out at the U17s? Maybe they are trying to promote him intentionally. Surprised not to see RUIZ and AMARILLA working, but that might be by design (their teams are still in the running, while Brazil/Argentina have already qualified).


1. This is not a surprise given the previous appointments. In previous years, by match day 5 or 6 you were seeing officials from other confederations.

3. Not surprising and also expected given the problem with the earlier match.

5. We need to look at the U17's and see how the appointments go for the remaining matches. Hall may have supplanted Stott and rightfully so.

[Ref Flunkie]

5. We need to look at the U17's and see how the appointments go for the remaining matches. Hall may have supplanted Stott and rightfully so.

Ugh lets hope not. I have no use for Hall, but that's just me.

[MassachusettsRef]

5. We need to look at the U17's and see how the appointments go for the remaining matches. Hall may have supplanted Stott and rightfully so.The remaining U17 appointments have nothing to do with Stott as a referee, they have to do with the politics of Mexico being involved and of a potential Netherlands/Brazil rematch. Stott's been kept around to the finals of a FIFA youth tournament, which says a lot. I'd say he and his crew are a lock for the World Cup at this point.

There's no way Hall will "supplant" Stott. For one, Strickland/Barkey are attached to Stott as a crew; those two won't be ditched. If Hall goes, it is in addition to Stott. The ironic thing, of course, is that though Hall would be the "second" American referee, he'd be the higher-rated one at the beginning of the finals.

All that being said, the lack of a consistent crew for Hall makes me skeptical that he's even in the running. I wish it were otherwise, but I doubt it.

[Alberto]

There is one thing to factor in this equation. Issues of referee fitness. While FIFA has rightly pushed for crews from the same country instead of mixing and matching crews from various countries, they had a lot of scarmbling at the U17 Championship. I wonder what long term changes might come from this recent problem.

[Englishref]

Peter Frodjfelt (SWE) has replaced MMG on his game. I don't know why yet - he did a UCL game on Wednesday and didn't seem to be suffering an injury - or who has replaced Frodjfelt on his game.

[MassachusettsRef]

Peter Frodjfelt (SWE) has replaced MMG on his game. I don't know why yet - he did a UCL game on Wednesday and didn't seem to be suffering an injury - or who has replaced Frodjfelt on his game.Could it be a straight swap? The Finland:Czech Republic match seems more important.

[Leighs_babe]

Well if hall would get the shot as well as stott. Who would u choose as Hall's AR's. This would be Hall's Last run..... I think if he goes he takes Lowry and Ganser... or maybe Quisenberry and supple

[whistleblowerusa]

Well if hall would get the shot as well as stott. Who would u choose as Hall's AR's. This would be Hall's Last run..... I think if he goes he takes Lowry and Ganser... or maybe Quisenberry and supple
I doubt that hall is going. No way Lowry OR Ganser are going or Kermit or Supple. I think Strickland if an AR is chosen and Stott if a Referee is chosen.

[MassachusettsRef]

I doubt that hall is going. No way Lowry OR Ganser are going or Kermit or Supple. I think Strickland if an AR is chosen and Stott if a Referee is chosen.Haven't you been paying attention to how the process is working? FIFA is selecting crews. If Stott goes, so do Barkey and Strickland. It's not a question of a CR or an AR this year. It's a question of whether we get a crew or not. And, after the U17s, that doesn't seem like much of a question anymore.

The secondary question is whether or not Hall is a "stealth" candidate since some of the named candidates have been injured or had poor performances. If Hall is a stealth candidate, that would put two more American ARs in the mix.

[allan_park]

Been trying to not jump into this debate, but feel I have to now. As much as I respect all of the people who have been contributing to this debate, I think I have to disagree with the view that Brian Hall (and therefore another couple of ARs) might be "in the mix" along with Kevin, Greg, Chris. Quite simply, the US will NOT get two crews.

Quite frankly it doesn't matter whether you, or I, think that they deserve it, or that some of the other crews are less worthy, it essentially is a political decision.

And there is no way that the US will get two crews to the Finals when most of the so-called "top tier" nations are only going to get one. It's simply not going to happen.

[Englishref]

Been trying to not jump into this debate, but feel I have to now. As much as I respect all of the people who have been contributing to this debate, I think I have to disagree with the view that Brian Hall (and therefore another couple of ARs) might be "in the mix" along with Kevin, Greg, Chris. Quite simply, the US will NOT get two crews.

Quite frankly it doesn't matter whether you, or I, think that they deserve it, or that some of the other crews are less worthy, it essentially is a political decision.

And there is no way that the US will get two crews to the Finals when most of the so-called "top tier" nations are only going to get one. It's simply not going to happen.

I can only see Germany and possibly Mexico having two teams at the WC finals. Rosetti is too young for ITA, the French refs aren't good enough, and Matthew Breeze is too inexperienced and had a poor Confed Cup. If Hall was on the list of candidates, I'd say the US would have a good chance. Stott was ok at the U17 WC, not as good IMO, as some on here have made out, and I wouldn't say he's a certainty, but he's better than some refs from the two-ref nations.

[numerista]

Others will know more than I do about this, but isn't the expectation that there will be five Concacaf refereeing teams in Germany?

We've got three strong candidates...
1. Batres, Gua
2. Rodriguez/Archundia, Mex
3. Stott, US

Beyond that, from Central America, there's Pineda (Honduras), who seems like a real possibility. Sibrian (El Salvador) was on the inside track but seems to have failed a fitness test recently, while Mattus (Costa Rica) retired due to fitness problems, IIRC. From Canada, there's Navarro, and from the Caribbean, really only Prendergast. These last two may not belong at the WC level.

Speculating on the rank order ...
4. Pineda, Hon
5. Prendergast, Jam
6. Navarro, Can
7. Second ref from Mexico

So, the way I figure, Hall is no worse than 8th and quite possibly higher. It wouldn't take much for him to enter the picture.

[MassachusettsRef]

Others will know more than I do about this, but isn't the expectation that there will be five Concacaf refereeing teams in Germany?

We've got three strong candidates...
1. Batres, Gua
2. Rodriguez/Archundia, Mex
3. Stott, US

Beyond that, from Central America, there's Pineda (Honduras), who seems like a real possibility. Sibrian (El Salvador) was on the inside track but seems to have failed a fitness test recently, while Mattus (Costa Rica) retired due to fitness problems, IIRC. From Canada, there's Navarro, and from the Caribbean, really only Prendergast. These last two may not belong at the WC level.

Speculating on the rank order ...
4. Pineda, Hon
5. Prendergast, Jam
6. Navarro, Can
7. Second ref from Mexico

So, the way I figure, Hall is no worse than 8th and quite possibly higher. It wouldn't take much for him to enter the picture.There was a published list of candidates this year, and there aren't any expectations as to what CONCACAF will get. The only CONCACAF referees officially in the mix are:

Stott
Archundia
Rodriguez
Batres
Sibrian
Prendergast

[Alberto]

I agree with Allan Park, there is only one referee crew going to the world cup finals from the USA. No way that two US crews go. It's a shame for Hall apparently unless FIFA does a complete about face.

[Alberto]

Numerista, I believe that if you looked at the referee's listed in the mix from CONCACAF from strictly a performance level I see the list as follows.

1. Hall
2. Batres
3. Rodriguez
4. Archundia
5. Stott
6. Sibirian

Note, this list is strictly my personal opinion and to hell with FIFA's ridiculous pre-selection of officials for the world cup (1 1/2 years prior to the event). Clearly, it has been exposed as being too rigid and simplistic. While I am all in favor of providing intensive training for referees to achieve the highest performance levels for the world cup, the presenmt system does not account for poor performance, injury, and failure to pass fitness tests. The U17 championship really was an embarrassment. If one official from a team failed the entire team was sent home. What happens come June 2006 if one or more officials fail the fitness tests? What benefit is there is if several teams of officials are sent home and we have a replacement team with less training and experience? For this system to work, FIFA needs to expand the pool of available officials and to be less rigid in whom they include in the list.

[numerista]

There was a published list of candidates this year, and there aren't any expectations as to what CONCACAF will get.

Thanks, my mistake ... I was assuming we'd get five because that's what we had in 2002. But in 1998 (the first 32-team event) we only had three. One of those three was Ramesh Ramdhan, which suggests that officiating in our region has come a long way since then.