FIFA.com: FIFA has appointed 23 referees and 25 assistant referees to officiate at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship (for U-20 national teams) to be held from 27 November to 19 December in the United Arab Emirates.
The competition, originally scheduled to take place from 25 March to 16 April 2003 had to be postponed due to the armed conflict in the Gulf region.
Representing the OFC is Australian trio, referee Matthew Breeze and assistant referees Matthew Cream and Nathan Gibson (see their profiles below). Australia is also representing the OFC at the tournament. Dubbed the Young Socceroos, they were impressive in the Oceania qualifiers last December and have just come off a draw and win in a warm-up series against the UAE.
For a full list of match officials for this tournament click on the following link on the FIFA.com website.
http://www.fifa.com/en/comp/event/referees/all,2003,1046.html . FIFA.com features a comprehensive section on the upcoming competition and will provide full coverage during the event itself.
OFC MATCH OFFICIAL PROFILES:
Matthew Breeze
Date of birth: 10-Jun-1972
Height & weight: 185 cm, 82 kg
Place of residence: Sydney-Australia
Marital status: Married
Occupation: Police prosecutor
Mother tongue: English
Int’l Referee since: 2001
Hobbies: Music, golf and cricket
Fondest memory: When first selected for the FIFA referees’ list in 2001
Nathan Gibson
Date of birth: 17-Aug-1972
Height & weight: 195 cm, 90 kg
Place of residence: Taree- Australia
Marital status: Married
Occupation: Production manager
Mother tongue: English
Int’l Referee since: 2001
Hobbies: Cricket and golf
Fondest memory: Receiving my first FIFA badge
Matthew Cream
Date of birth: 19-Jun-1975
Height & weight: 178 cm, 60 kg
Place of residence: Adelaide – Australia
Marital status: Single
Occupation: Laboratory technician
Mother tongue: English
Other languages: Italian
Int’l Referee since: 2000
Hobbies: Sports, travel and music
Fondest memory: 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan Preliminary match between Iran and Saudi Arabia