New Zealand referee Peter O’Leary will lead a trio made up of fellow Kiwi Jan Hendrik Hintz and Fijian assistant referee Ravenish Kumar, while Tahiti referee Norbert Hauata and assistant referee Mark Rule of New Zealand have been named as a support duo.
It is the second straight World Cup appearance for O’Leary who was the fourth official in six matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Since becoming a FIFA accredited referee in 2003, O’Leary has established himself as one of Oceania’s top referees and has become a fixture on the world stage.
After making his debut at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada in 2007 he has gone on to appear at ten further FIFA and international tournaments including U-20, U-17 and Club World Cups as well as the London Olympics.
Hintz will also be making his second consecutive appearance at the World Cup after travelling to South Africa as a member of fellow Kiwi Michael Hester’s trio. Hintz was assistant referee during the Group B match between South Korea and Greece.
Rounding out the trio is Kumar who, like O’Leary, is a schoolteacher in his native Fiji and has been FIFA accredited since 2010.
The appointment is a reward for the hard work the trio have been putting in together over the past few years.
They were a strong trio among the officials at the OFC Nations Cup in 2012 taking charge of four matches including the final between New Caledonia and Tahiti. They represented Oceania at the 2012 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan and the London Olympic Games, where they officiated in the Group A match between Uruguay and United Arab Emirates.
Joining their colleagues in Brazil are the equally qualified and experienced pairing of Hauata and Rule.
Hauata is another one of the region’s top officials, making regular appearances during OFC and FIFA events since earning his badge in 2008.
The pair have been working together for the past three years with their most recent outing the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates.
Their trio, which includes Tongan referee Tevita Makasini, oversaw two group matches together while Hauata was fourth official during a semi-final and the final, with his assistants alternating in the fifth official role.
The process of choosing the officials for football’s flagship event is as long and arduous as the road to qualification for the
32 participating teams.
The road to Brazil 2014 began for an initial group of 52 referee trios from around the world in September 2011. This was followed by seminars and workshops in the build-up to yesterday’s announcement, which saw that initial group whittled down to 25 trios and eight support duos.
The final group of referees were selected based on their personality and their quality in football understanding by being able to read the game and the teams’ tactical approaches to each game.
Between now and the World Cup in June, the selected referees will participate in three seminars and during this time they will be followed and monitored regularly.

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