International football
A total of 117 referees from 41 countries were included in a list published by the FIFA in which no Guatemalan appears.
Luis Suarez #Del Inter Miami speaks to Mario Escobar during a match of the Concacaf Champions Cup. (Free Press Photo: AFP)
What seemed that it was a reality finally did not happen, the Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar was out of the final list of the whistles that will lead in the next Club World Cup 2025.
“After an exhaustive preparation period that has included seminars with FIFA referees of the six confederations, The FIFA Referees Commission has made public the name of those in charge of directing the 2025 Club World Cup matches. The revolutionary tournament will be played from June 14 to July 13 in twelve stadiums in eleven host cities in the United States, “says the entity that governs football.
In total, 117 whistles are (35 arbitrators, 58 assistant referees and 24 video assistants) of 41 nationalities, but in the list No Guatemalan appears, even Mario Escobar, who was the main candidate to represent the country in the contest after being both in the last World Cup in Qatar 2022 and in the Copa América 2024.
“The bar is very high after the great performances in the last Tournaments of the FIFA, and, when this happens, it is more difficult to maintain the level. However, we are working thoroughly so that Team Oone contributes decisively to the success of this exciting competition,” said Pierluigi Collina, president of the FIFA arbitrators commission.
Guatemala excluded from Concacaf referees
On the part of Concacaf the list of main referees (not counting an assistant) is a recipient number of just five names.
Iván Barton (El Salvador), Drew Fischer (Canada), Said Martínez (Honduras), Tori Penso (USA) and César Ramos (Mexico) are the only arbitrators of the Concacaf that were designated for the Clube World Cup that will be played between June 14 to July 13 in the United States.
It should be noted that the Club World Cup will be held at the same time as the Concacaf Gold Cup, so the reason behind not leading so many referees from the region to the Club World Cup is that they will be in the region’s tournament.
On the part of Guatemala the candidates to be assigned to the Gold Cup are Mario Escobar and Walter López as main referees.