36 referees and 63 assistant referees appointed as Russia 2018 Match Officials
The FIFA Referees Committee has selected 36 referees and 63 assistant referees, representing 46 different countries for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™.
Preparations for the road to Russia kicked off in September 2014 not only for the 32 participating teams, but also for the initial group of 53 FIFA referee trios from around the world. The choice of the final group of match officials selected to officiate at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ was based on each referee’s skills and personality, as well as his level of understanding of football and ability to read both the game and the various tactics employed by teams.
Over the last three years, preparatory seminars have taken place for referees and assistant referees focusing on fair play, protecting players and the image of the game, as well as consistency and uniformity. The selected FIFA World Cup match officials will attend another dedicated seminar for two weeks in the second half of April at the technical centre of the Italian Football Association in Coverciano, Italy. The officials will be divided into two groups, which will also include video assistant referee (VAR) candidates. Below is the list of the officials that were appointed.
AFC
Fahad Al-Mirdasi (Saudi Arabia) Abdulah Alshalwai (Saudi Arabia) / Mohammed Al Abakry (Saudi Arabia)
Alireza Faghani (Iran) Reza Sokhandan (Iran) / Mohammadreza Mansouri (Iran)
Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) Abduxamidullo Rasulov (Uzbekistan) / Jakhongir Saidov (Uzbekistan)
Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates) Mohamed Alhammadi (United Arab Emirates)
Ryuji Sato (Japan) Toru Sagara (Japan)
Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain) Yaser Khalil Abdulla Tulefat (Bahrain) / Taleb Al Maari (Qatar)
CAF
Mehdi Abid Charef (Algeria) Abdelhak Etchiali (Algeria)
Malang Diedhiou (Senegal) Djibril Camara (Senegal) / El Hadji Malick Samba (Senegal)
Bakary Gassama (Gambia) Jean Claude Birumushahu (Burundi) / Marwa Range (Kenya)
Gehad Grisha (Egypt) Redouane Achik (Morocco) / Waleed Ahmed (Sudan)
Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos (Angola) / Zakhele Thusi Siwela (South Africa)
Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia) Anouar Hmila (Tunisia)
CONCACAF
Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) Juan Zumba (El Salvador)
Mark Geiger (United States) Frank Anderson (United States) / Joe Fletcher (Canada)
Jair Marrufo (United States) Corey Rockwell (United States)
Ricardo Montero (Costa Rica) Juan Carlos Mora Araya (Costa Rica)
John Pitti (Panama) Gabriel Victoria (Panama)
César Arturo Ramos (Mexico) Marvin Torrentera (Mexico) / Miguel Angel Hernandez Paredes (Mexico)
CONMEBOL
Julio Bascuñán (Chile) Carlos Astroza (Chile) / Christian Schiemann (Chile)
Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay) Eduardo Cardozo (Paraguay) / Juan Zorilla (Paraguay)
Andrés Cunha (Uruguay) Nicolas Taran (Uruguay) / Mauricio Espinosa (Uruguay)
Néstor Pitana (Argentina) Hernan Maidana (Argentina) / Juan Pablo Bellati (Argentina)
Sandro Ricci (Brazil) Emerson de Carvalho (Brazil) / Marcelo Van Gasse (Brazil)
Wilmar Roldán (Colombia) Alexander Guzman (Colombia) / Cristian de la Cruz (Colombia)
OFC
Matthew Conger (New Zealand) Simon Lount (New Zealand) / Tevita Makasini (Tonga)
Norbert Hauata (Tahiti) Bertrand Brial (New Caledonia)
UEFA
Felix Brych (Germany) Stefan Lupp (Germany) / Mark Borsch (Germany)
Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey) Bahattin Duran (Turkey) / Tarik Ongun (Turkey)
Sergei Karasev (Russia) Anton Averianov (Russia) / Tikhon Kalugin (Russia)
Björn Kuipers (Netherlands) Sander van Roekel (Netherlands) / Erwin Zeinstra (Netherlands)
Szymon Marciniak (Poland) Pawel Sokolnicki (Poland) / Tomasz Listkiewicz (Poland)
Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) Pau Cebrian Devis (Spain) / Roberto Dias Perez (Spain)
Milorad Mažić (Serbia) Milovan Ristić (Serbia) / Dalibor Djurdjević (Serbia)
Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) Elenito Di Liberatore (Italy) / Mauro Tonolini (Italy)
Damir Skomina (Slovenia) Jure Praprotnik (Slovenia) / Robert Vukan (Slovenia)
Clément Turpin (France) Cyril Gringore (France) / Nicolas Danos (France)