The 30 selected trios representing 28 countries include Mike Hester (NZL) and his assistants Jan Hintz (NZL) and Tevita Makasini (TON) as well as referee Peter O’Leary (NZL) and his assistants Brent Best (NZL) and Matthew Taro (SOL).
OFC President Reynald Temarii says it is a momentous day for Oceania and has acknowledged all those involved in the referee development programme.
“Firstly I would like to congratulate our trios for their hard work to achieve this success. They performed exceptionally well in 2009 and thoroughly deserve their selections,” said President Temarii.
“I would also like to sincerely thank those staff involved in the Referee Assistance Programme, particularly Massimo Raveino, Neil Poloso and Kader Touati, for supporting our elite referees and lifting the overall standards in Oceania.”
Mike Hester, who controlled the semi-final match between Colombia and Switzerland at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria last November, says it is a huge relief to make the cut.
“I was confident we had done everything we could during the selection process and nothing was left in the tank but I was also aware that for FIFA’s biggest stage only the very best would be selected,” said Hester.
“I’m absolutely delighted. It’s a tribute to OFC and New Zealand Football that we’ve been able to get two trios in the final 30. It shows what opportunities are available in refereeing with the right programmes in place.”
For Hester, O’Leary and their respective assistants, the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup began in 2007 when an initial group of 54 trios of referees were selected from all over the world. At the same time, the Refereeing Assistance Programme (RAP) was established by FIFA to help identify and prepare referees for the tournament.
Both OFC trios performed with distinction at FIFA tournaments last year including appointments for the knock-out stages of the FIFA U-17 and FIFA U-20 World Cups.
The stringent screening process saw the shortlist reduced to 37 trios and at the FIFA Referees Committee in Zurich yesterday (Friday 5 February), the list was cut down to 30.
The selected referees are expected to take part in a training seminar next month before a final assessment and fitness test is conducted in Kuala Lumpur in May. A selection of 24 trios will be made prior to the FIFA World Cup kick-off on 11 June with the remaining six trios acting as fourth officials and reserve trios during the tournament.