FIFA to announce WC Referees on Friday [3/31]

[MassachusettsRef]

The announcement is to come Friday. An article from Monday, in the wake of the final workshop:

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060327/1/6dxp.html

Some highlights:

1) EVERY domestic league performance has been monitored. I know that some have suggested in the past that, for example, Stott's MLS's performances didn't matter that much. Obviously, they do.

2) FIFA now says that the exact number of referees taken is not yet finalized and that it will be "at least" 30. That leaves wiggle room from the announcement a few weeks ago that there would be 30 referees selected total.

3) FIFA has stuck to the "new" fitness test, which some people doubted would happen.

[IASocFan]

Thanks to soccerbot:

List of 23 referees chosen to officiate at the 2006 World Cup in Germany:
Essam Abd El Fatah (Egypt)
Carlos Amarilla (Paraguay)
Benito Archundia (Mexico)
Carlos Batres (Guatemala)
Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
Coffi Codjia (Benin)
Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
Massimo de Santis (Italy)
Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)
Valentin Ivanov (Russia)
Toru Kamikawa (Japan)
Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)
Shamsul Maidin (Singapore)
Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain)
Markus Merk (Germany)
Lubos Michel (Slovakia)
Graham Poll (England)
Eric Poulat (France)
Peter Prendergast (Jamaica)
Oscar Ruiz (Colombia)
Mark Shield (Australia)
Carlos Simon (Brazil)
Kyros Vassaras (Greece)

Link To Original Article (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/sow/SIG=12qe6h9sv/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-worldreferees_factbox&prov=reuters&type=lgns)

[Spaceball]

The article from FIFA's site.

http://www.fifa.com/en/media/index/0,1369,116346,00.html?articleid=116346

No Kevin Stott on either the list of 23 or the Support team.

[macheath]

Ugh. Peter Prendergast? Can you say "phantom handball?" And no US refs, even on the developmental list.

[mfw13]

Eleven out of the 23 chosen were referees at WC 2002.

Kamikawa (Ireland/Cameroon)
Codjia (Costa Rica/Turkey)
Batres (Denmark/Senegal, Germany/Paraguay)
Prendergast (Russia/Tunisia, Brazil/Belgium)
Ruiz (Turkey/China, Korea/Poland, Senegal/Turkey)
Simon (England/Sweden, Mexico/Italy)
Shield (Tunisia/Belgium)
Merk (Japan/Russia, Denmark/England)
Michel (Paraguay/S.Africa)
Poll (Italy/Croatia)
Vassaras (China/Costa Rica)

[Nermalthecat]

Having Prendergast there is an insult to referees at every level worldwide. What an incompetent azz.

[TOTC]

Peter Focking Prendergast???? Jack Warner's Star Chamber Strikes Again!!!!

[Shackleton]

This is an honest question, so go easy on me. :)

If Prendergast is as bad as everyone seems to think he is, then why was he selected? The only logical possibilities I can think of are (a) he's not that bad; (b) whoever selects refs are fools; (c) refs are not selected on merit.

[ChaChaFut]

If Prendergast is as bad as everyone seems to think he is, then why was he selected? The only logical possibilities I can think of are (a) he's not that bad; (b) whoever selects refs are fools; (c) refs are not selected on merit.a = false
b = true
c = see b

[Autogolazo]

Don't forget that Pendergast is also the one who invented a phantom foul against Mark Wilmots that wiped out a Belgium goal.

They would've been up 1-0 on Brazil in the Round of 16. Changed the game completely.

Pendergast gets proven an idiot again, and again, and again....

[ursula]

This is an honest question, so go easy on me. :)

If Prendergast is as bad as everyone seems to think he is, then why was he selected? The only logical possibilities I can think of are (a) he's not that bad; (b) whoever selects refs are fools; (c) refs are not selected on merit.


Prendergast is actually quite good normally and I think the games that he will ref will be done competantly and fairly. However there are times that he gets a bit imperious. There are also a couple of well known games where he made a critical mistake and the perfectly wrong time. I think there's maybe a 1% chance for one of those games.

[Alberto]

I disagree completely Skip. Peter Prendergast is a terrible referee exactly because he has brain farts in all of his matches. He see hand balls were none exist. He misses fouls and serious foul play. Look at any of his performances and you will see moments of truth where he messes up. During Japan Korea he had a particularly bad match might have been Brasil vs. Belgium. Can't remember the teams, but it was damn embarassing. This guy has no right refereeing in the world cup and is only there for the grace of Jack Warner FIFA vice president and all around bad guy.

[macheath]

I disagree completely Skip. Peter Prendergast is a terrible referee exactly because he has brain farts in all of his matches. He see hand balls were none exist. He misses fouls and serious foul play. Look at any of his performances and you will see moments of truth where he messes up. During Japan Korea he had a particularly bad match might have been Brasil vs. Belgium. Can't remember the teams, but it was damn embarassing. This guy has no right refereeing in the world cup and is only there for the grace of Jack Warner FIFA vice president and all around bad guy.

It was Brazil-Belgium, goal by Marc Wilmots of Belgium disallowed in the 36th minute of the first half, score was 0-0 at the time. Brazil went on to win 2-0. Wilmots said later Prendergast had apologized at halftime for the call, Prendergast claimed that wasn't true.

[wallstreet123456]

Has anyone seen this clip with this Ref, it is so funny. Is he going to be at the world cup?

http://media.putfile.com/Schwuchtel-Schiri

[Regency]

I've never liked De Santis and it's possible that he could be denied the chance to go to Germany because he is being linked with a match fixing scandal in Italy. Terrible referee which doesn't deserve to go!