Question Number: 12678

Character, Attitude and Control 4/29/2006

RE: Rec Under 15

Victor Blackburn of Beaufort, SC USA asks...

How do Leagues or Recreations determine what games you referee? And, Just beacause your born in the U.S., does that necessarily mean that you can only ref in the U.S. at the FIFA level, or may you be placed elsewhere?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Good question Victor, and one that is being asked all over this country. Leagues assign based on your ability, your experience, your grade and (of course) how well the assignor likes you.

At the highest levels of refereeing appointments are made using the same criteria and do tend to be much more political. Referees at the White Badge level are, as a whole, the best trained, most capable, most fit, most everything the world has to offer. Training referees to that level is the responsibility of the National Association to which the referee belongs. Once a referee is trained to the standard needed he is nominated to the FIFA panel. If accepted international assignments are the next level of appointment.

At that level he proves his skill and gets further international assignments. Those assignments are contingent on his knowledge and application of the Laws of the Game and the Spirit of the Game as observed by match inspectors and assignors. You'll notice the number of US referees assigned to the World Cup Finals this summer and I believe that number is a direct result of the National Referee Program within the United States. Here we have at least four national organizations, one of which belongs to FIFA. Three of those organizations have different rules than FIFA and the one that belongs to FIFA has different interpretations of the Laws at the professional level.

Could it be the folks assigning referees at the highest levels of The Game know this?

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

While I cannot comment on why the USA has no featured referee at the world cup as many other countries have none as well so politics lives on even in sports no real suprise although always irritating. FAN base, professional marketing, advertising dollars, team owners and associations willingness to govern the sport according to fairplay and fun or profit and ability to influence? In some areas if you are willing to hold a whistle you will be a referee as there are too few who are willing to do so. In many areas where the developement and structure are in place you are assigned based on the criteria outlined by my esteemed colleague Ref Fleischer.

In Canada most of our featured FIFA referees or ARs are immigrants and speak more than one language. In a world game handy to be able to do so. Still in Canada a lack of a powerful national association and club football fan base is very meager and spaced far afield we rarely do better than an AR or two. Still in Hector VERGARA he is in my opinion one of the very best ARs in the world if not the best based on his performances at high level matches he has continuously shown a standard of excellence that cannot be denied. On the world stage nothing better than outstanding performances to get you at the top and keep you there! Cheers