Amato DeLuca has been appointed as a CONCACAF referee assessor to a World Cup 2018 qualifier and this summer's Pan-American Games. DeLuca's newest assignments have a lot to do with his good work at the U-17 CONCACAF Championships earlier this spring. �Every time someone goes to a tournament as a referee, as an assessor or instructor, there is a reason why you are there," DeLuca said. "Just like the referees are being watched, I think the assessors are being evaluated also." DeLuca (photo) will be the only Canadian working as an assessor at the Pan-American Games this summer and his goal for this summer's event are pretty simple. "To help the referees succeed and also to better myself," he said. DeLuca is a former FIFA Assistant Referee and currently a national referee assessor and instructor.
Toronto FC � Montreal Impact Referee: Mathieu Bourdeau (QC, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Marco Arruda (BC) Assistant Referee 2: Richard Gamache (QC) Fourth Official: David Barrie (ON)
Vancouver Whitecaps � FC Edmonton Referee: Drew Fischer (AB) Assistant Referee 1: Philippe Briere (QC) Assistant Referee 2: Gianni Facchini (ON) Fourth Official: Juan Marquez (BC)
A six-day FIFA Futuro III course for futsal and beach soccer referee instructors and fitness trainers will continue this week in Panama. More than 50 attendees from 12 CONCACAF-affiliated member associations are participating in the program, which opened last week. Those countries are: Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Puerto Rico. For the first time in eight years, the course includes representatives from both versions of the sport. Through classroom and field sessions, physical and technical aspects of officiating will be shared. Additional items to be reviewed include, an examination of the rules, new teaching tools, testing protocols for physical evaluation, the use of electronics and first aid.
The course is being led by Fernando Tresaco (Director of Referee Development, FIFA), Ronald Gutierrez (Referee Development Officer, FIFA) and instructors Hector Vergara (Canada), Erick Samayoa (Guatemala), Alan Brown (Costa Rica), Rodolfo Sibrian (El Salvador), Victorino Rodriguez (El Salvador), �lix Peralta (Panama) and Victor Estrada (UNCAF).
6 May 2015 Montreal Impact � Toronto FC Referee: Silviu Petrescu (ON, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Belleau (QC) Assistant Referee 2: Gianni Facchini (ON) Fourth Official: Francis Latulippe (QC)
FC Edmonton � Vancouver Whitecaps Referee: David Gantar (AB) Assistant Referee 1: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho (QC) Assistant Referee 2: Jean-Francois Marchand (QC) Fourth Official: Dereck Illingworth (AB)
The 2015 CSA Annual Meeting of the Members concluded with the Annual Banquet marking the celebration of Canadian soccer and the achievements of its participants over the previous year.
The 2015 International Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding work as an active referee or assistant referee within his/her provincial/territorial and/or national association and become a leader and an example to his/her fellow referees prior to as well as during the five years that his/her name appeared on FIFA�s List of Match Officials, was presented to Joe Fletcher (photo). While officiating at the London Olympics would be the pinnacle of most referees� careers, for this CA, a soccer official who has done high-level competition since receiving his FIFA assistant referee�s badge in 2007, London represented a stepping stone to his ultimate goal: working the pitch in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup. From refereeing house league soccer in Niagara Falls, ON, when he was a teenager to working at some of the largest stages in the game, including the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup final in Colombia. In 2014, he participated in the FIFA World Cup and closed out the year by being appointed to the MLS Cup Final.
The 2015 Ray Morgan Award, presented to the referee whose performance at the national and international level is the most deserving of recognition for the year, was presented to Marie-Jos�e Charbonneau. In 2010, she made her debut on the National List of Officials. Within two years, she had been appointed to the FIFA International list of Officials. During her rookie year, she officiated at the London 2012 Olympic Games. In only a short period of 5 years officiating nationally and internationally, she has been appointed to three CONCACAF tournaments and one FIFA competition, including the finals at three of those four events. Charbonneau will also represent Canada on the international stage again this summer as part of the Canadian quartet to officiate at the FIFA Women�s World Cup Canada 2015.
The Awards Ceremony concluded with the introduction of three new Life Members recognised for their outstanding service, commitment and overall contribution to Canadian soccer: Sonia Denoncourt, Colin Jose and Richard Labrom. Since 1978, Sonia Denoncourt has been a pioneer in the field of refereeing and has written her name into Quebec, Canadian and international soccer history. She was the first female referee to obtain her FIFA international badge, as well as the first female referee to officiate an A-League game in 1991. She became FIFA's first female referee and was the first woman to referee men's first division matches, in El Salvador in 1996, and then in Brazil in 1997. Before her retirement in July 2004, Denoncourt was the only referee in Canada, either male or female, to have officiated in 100 international matches. She later went on to become FIFA referee instructor, Head of FIFA women�s referee development and has recently came back to the region as CONCACAF�s Director of Refereeing.