Busacca: World Cup 2014 referees will be of the highest calibre

Joy Chakravarty 12:13 30/12/2013
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  • Positive: Busacca (l) feels prospective Cup referees have been well trained

    FIFA’s Chief Referee Officer has voiced his belief that the officiating at next year’s World Cup would be of the highest standard ever.

    Speaking at the eighth Dubai International Sports Conference, which concluded yesterday at Madinat Jumeirah, Massimo Busacca said almost two years of methodical training has been imparted on the prospective referees who will control the matches in Brazil.

    Although the actual list of referees will only be announced in May, a month before the tournament starts, FIFA has hosted a couple of seminars already for the prospective referees, drawn from various parts of the world, including one for the AFC and OFC regions in Dubai in April this year.

    Among the key training imparted was protecting players and the image of the game and fair play, better ‘reading’ of the game, guarantee of decisional consistency and uniformity and understanding different football mentalities and knowledge of various teams.

    Swiss Busacca, who retired from active refereeing duty in 2011 to take up his present role with FIFA, said: “Apart from the fact that a referee has to be physically fit and should have phenomenal amount of concentration, it is imperative that he has a good knowledge of the game and prepares for the match as well as the players do.

    “We referees also need to have a sense of responsibility. “The players have invested a lot of effort and time for big moments like the World Cup, and we should be aware that our mistakes can ruin all that.” But Busacca – who refereed the 2008 Champions League final in Rome between Barcelona and Manchester United – also insisted that respect has to be a two-way street.

    “There has to be mutual respect for each others. Referees have to respect the players, but the players have to respect the referees too,” he added.

    “Sometimes it is impossible to see a decision. With players running so fast all around, sometimes decisions are based on feelings. And let’s not forget that referees are human beings too and can make a genuine mistake.”

    Referees will be given a helping hand at next summer’s tournament after FIFA have confirmed officials will be provided vanishing spray to mark out the correct distance at free-kicks for the defensive wall to stand.

    The spray was successfully trialled at the Club World Cup earlier this month in Morocco.

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