TTFA congratulates Wales on World Cup appointment

TTFA congratulates Wales on World Cup appointment

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is pleased to congratulate Mr Caleb Wales on his appointment as an Assistant Referee for the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar.

Today, the FIFA Referees Committee announced the lists with the names of the selected match officials for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials (VMOs) have been chosen in close cooperation with the six confederations, based on their quality and the performances delivered at FIFA tournaments as well as at other international and domestic competitions in recent years.

“As always, the criteria we have used is ‘quality first’ and the selected match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide,” said the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina. “The 2018 World Cup was very successful, partly because of the high standard of refereeing, and we will do our best to be even better in a few months in Qatar.”

The “Road to Qatar 2022” project started already in 2019, with more than 50 trios considered possible candidates and going through intensive preparation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, this preparation was anything, but easy, as in-presence activities were suspended for a long period.

Massimo Busacca, FIFA’s Director of Refereeing, ensures the match officials will receive all the necessary support by FIFA, as their preparation is paramount.

Wales and the other selected match officials will participate in early summer in several seminars (Asunción, Madrid and Doha), reviewing and analysing video clips of real match situations, and taking part in practical training sessions with players, which will be filmed to enable participants to receive instant feedback from the instructors.

For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Referees Committee has also appointed three women’s referees and three women’s assistant referees.

TTFA Normalisation Committee Chairman Robert Hadad offered words of congratulations to Wales today.

“We wish to congratulate Mr Wales on his appointment as an Assistant Referee for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. This is indeed a significant accomplishment for him and for us as a country. Caleb has worked tirelessly and has been a dedicated servant of the game in Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the region,” Hadad stated.

“It is my hope that this achievement serves as encouragement and inspiration for other referees from our fraternity to soar to greater heights. I would like to extend best wishes to him as he continues on his journey,” he continued.

Wales also commented on his appointment, stating to TTFA Media, “It’s indeed a privilege to be selected as part of the refereeing team for World Cup 2022 in Qatar. I am honoured to represent myself, my family, Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean region.

“It has been a long time since Caribbean officials and moreso someone from our country has been selected for the World Cup Finals. I intend to put my best foot forward to show what we are capable of doing. Generally it’s overwhelming to even be considered. I will continue to give my all to serve the game and to give my best in Qatar later this year.”