2014fwc_tsg_report_15082014_neutral

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Refereeing report
REFEREEING REPORT
Author: Massimo Busacca
The FIFA Referees Committee appointed
25 referee trios and eight support duos
representing 43 different countries for the
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.
The instruction and monitoring of these
officials began in 2012 with the FIFA
preparation project “Road to Brazil” for
referees and assistant referees for the 2014
FIFA World Cup Brazil, which included a team
of FIFA instructors with expertise in a range of
areas.
All of these referees and assistant referees had
previously taken part in regular preparation
and monitoring workshops, as well as FIFA
competitions. Furthermore, a virtual platform
was launched to enable close communication
with the referees, as well as continuous
control and monitoring.
In addition to the technical and physical
activities, thorough medical examinations
were carried out during the project.
The referees were also reminded of the
importance of having the support and
cooperation of players and coaches, and
ensuring fair play was a common goal.
There was an opportunity to communicate
and exchange views with the coaches
and officials of the 32 participating
teams about FIFA’s philosophy and the
key points of the preparation during
the team workshop in Florianópolis in
mid-February. Massimo Busacca, FIFA’s
Head of Refereeing: “It was another
milestone in the preparation. To have
the opportunity to speak to these great
coaches was a very important moment
in our preparation work. We talked, for
instance, about tackles and the different
circumstances in which a player should be
cautioned for unsporting behaviour. We
also discussed with them other topics such
as the use and the advantages of goal-line
technology and the vanishing spray, which
are both a big help to the match officials.
Discussion about fair play between the
players, coaches and referees is hugely