Anyone have any idea why a non-FIFA ref was assigned as center for the opening game of the CONCACAF League between Arabe Unido and Arnett Gardens? Rubiel Vasquez from USA was the center with Anderson and Hosking as ARs and Canadian Fischer as 4th. Also, Villarreal got the center for the FAS vs Perez Zeledon game with Mariscal and T&T Rochard as ARs and Aruban de Leca as 4th.
Here's what the regulations say CONCACAF Champions League - "They will be selected from the official FIFA list of eligible referees and will be neutral." CONCACAF League (which is the event going on now which acts as a qualifier for the Champions League) - "They will be selected from the official Concacaf list of eligible referees and will be neutral." That seems to suggest that CONCACAF has a separate list of referees that includes referees besides FIFAs. Perhaps this includes some sort of FIFA panel candidates?
Looks like non-FIFA US Ref in CONCACAF Nations League as well. Nima Saghafi with the Guadeloupe vs Aruba center. Maybe this could give an indication on who the future FIFA Referees will be? Couldn't find the ARs and 4th for this game yet by the way. Seems like many of the other center referees from other matches were FIFA refs.
Blanchard and Atkins were ARs. Discussed a little in the "FIFA Referees 2019" thread. I imagine Saghafi and Blanchard are joining the list. Vazquez seems like a stretch to me, though. If Hall is pushing him, that could be a year away still. But maybe not.
You would think. Of course, one would also think there's no way for him to have enough MLS matches to warrant a continental appointment.
He is there with Elfath, which, by the way, is what has ruled Elfath out of MLS Playoffs thus far. Elfath could get a conference final, but I don't know how likely that is after being out of the league for a month. This appointment aside, by the way, Vazquez is not joining the FIFA list in 2019. Rumor is Saghafi is not joining the list in 2019 either, though Blanchard will be.
You know that old saying, "it's not what you do on the field but off the field that gets you in trouble"? Ya, that. Only this time it's keeping someone off the FIFA panel and probably for the rest of his life when he could have been on it for 10+ years.
For the first time, referees from TARP and PORE programs joined the FIFA referees selected for the Concacaf U-20 Championship. Those that are not FIFA (yet) are wearing the new "Concacaf Referee" badge.