Final referee list

Below is a list, broken down by zones, of the 21 referees we can expect to see in action over the next month. Each will be accompanied by two assistants from his own country or region. For the full list of referees and assistants along with bios of each, see the FIFA referee page.

After months of fitness tests, evaluations in professional match situations, assessment of foul recognition using tapes of potential foul situations from different angles, as well as psychological testing, the 44 candidates announced in October 2005 were cut down to 23.

Of the referees who made that cut, Peter Prendergrast of Jamaica was removed due to injury and Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez of Spain and Kyros Vassaras of Greece were removed because one or more of their assistants failed fitness tests.

It appears that Luis Medina Cantalejo, also of Spain, has been chosen to replace Mejuto Gonzalez.

AFC - Asia, Middle East Zone
Toru Kamikawa (Japan)
Shamsul Maidin (Singapore)
Mark Shield (Australia)

CAF - African Zone
Essam El Deen Abd El Fatah (Egypt)
Coffi Codjia (Benin)

CONCACAF - North, Central American & Caribbean Zone
Benito Armando Archundia Tellez (Mexico)
Marco Antonio Rodriguez Moreno (Mexico)

CONMEBOL - South American Zone
Carlos Amarilla Demarqui (Paraguay)
Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)
Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)
Oscar Julian Ruiz Acosta (Colombia)
Carlos Simon (Brazil)

UEFA - European Zone
Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
Valentin Ivanov (Russia)
Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain)
Markus Merk (Germany)
Lubos Michel (Slovakia)
Graham Poll (England)
Eric Poulat (France)
Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

If there are to be any further replacements for the above referees, they will apparently be drawn from the Support and Development Group:

Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia)
Carlos Chandia (Chile)
Jerome Damon (South Africa)
Mohammed Guezzaz (Morocco)
Kevin Stott (USA)