The Fifa Referees Committee has included South Africa’s Abongile Tom in the list of 25 referees and 38 assistant referees for the forthcoming Fifa U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023. In addition, 18 video match officials have been appointed for this tournament.
“It is a particular joy to be able to hold the Fifa U-20 World Cup in Argentina and Argentina will be a great venue for this important competition which is the beginning of a new cycle leading to the Fifa World Cup 2026,” said the chairman of the Fifa Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina.
Overseen by the Fifa Refereeing Subdivision, the officials’ preparations for this important youth competition will focus on a wide range of topics, such as their reading and understanding of the game, teamwork, and the importance of obtaining the best position or angle – being in the right place at the right time – to make the correct decision.
“All these aspects reflect the Fifa Refereeing philosophy and are key to the officials’ performance, and as such, are vital to achieve consistency and uniformity at such a high level of the game. For Fifa, it is essential to ensure that the best match officials from all around the world are selected for Fifa competitions,” said Fifa’s Director of Refereeing Massimo Busacca.
The selected match officials will participate a few days before the tournament kicks off in a final preparation seminar, 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.
“After the successful Fifa World Cup in Qatar last November and December, this competition in Argentina will give talented Fifa match officials the opportunity to show their quality while taking another step forward in their career,” said Pierluigi Collina
The Fifa U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023 will take place between 20 May and 11 June 2023. The draw to determine who plays whom in the group stage will take place on 21 April 2023 in Zurich.