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CONCACAF announced the names of match officials selected for the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Costa Rica. A total of 28 match officials, 12 referees and 16 assistant referees, from 15 different countries earned assignments to the competition, which qualifies four teams directly to the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. �We have appointed the top referees to officiate the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, which is one of the oldest and most important competitions within our Confederation�, said CONCACAF Director of Refereeing Brian Hall. �The tournament promises challenging and competitive games, providing a platform to display not only the best professional young players, but also the extraordinary talent of our referees�. The CONCACAF U-20 Championship will be played from 17 February to 15 March 2017, at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose and the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Ayma in Tibas. (Source: CONCACAF)

�The Program of Excellence for Referees and Coaching Education is an important step in investing in football, a pillar of our ONE CONCACAF Vision. The Confederation and FEMEXFUT are working together to implement the initiative, which represents a key deliverable to accomplish our mission to develop the game,� said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani. �For the first time, CONCACAF and FEMEXFUT have established a program that presents unique educational tools to increase and improve the sport quality within the region.� Coaches and referees will have customized access to FEMEXFUT�s educational resources, including special sessions on technical, physical, psychological, and nutritional aspects. Top national-level referees will be trained, over an eight-week period, by professional referees from Mexico as well as FIFA Instructors. Participants will be assigned selected games to officiate in one of the lower divisions of FEMEXFUT, commensurate with their level of refereeing. This program consists of two four-week sessions: the Introductory Course, which begins on Monday, January 30 to Monday, February 27; and a Certification Course that will begin on Monday, September 4 to Monday, October 2, 2017. Through a thorough application process that resulted in over 30 candidates, CONCACAF selected 14 referees that will participate in the program.

Canadian Carol Anne Chenard was chosen by IFFHS as the world�s fourth-best woman referee in 2016. Hungarian Katalin Kulcsar was named as the IFFHS 2016 World�s Best Woman Referee, winning support from football experts in 56 countries around the World in the 5th Annual IFFHS Women�s Awards. It was a very close ranking, Kulcsar had only 5 points more than Katarina Monzul (winner 2015) and Bibiana Steinhaus (winner 2013 and 2014), and 6 points more than the Canadian Carol Anne Chenard (photo).