As the new year has set on us, it is always the departure of international referees which has reached the mandatory retirement age of 45. This year we say goodbye to Belgian referee Frank de Bleeckere, who not only retired internationally but also domestically.
Born in 1966 he started his refereeing career as an 18 year old, and quickly progressed. He became an international referee in 1998, and he has had finals in both of FIFA’s youth tournaments (U-17 in 2005, U-20 in 2009). He was selected as a fourth official for EURO 2004, and as a referee for EURO 2008. He also participated in World Cup 2006 in Germany, and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
He has been a regular in the UEFA Champions League, refereeing everything except the final since his debut in 2003. The total number of matches refereed in the Champions League stopped at 47, most of all referees currently in the Elite category. In 2005 and 2009 he refereed the Belgian cup final.
Another referee to retire is Uruguayan Jorge Larrionda. He would be eligible for two more years of refereeing, but elected to call an end to his career to join FIFA’s referees committee. He was regarded as a top official, and his selection for both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups shows exactly that.
A FIFA referee since 1998, he has been present at a number of international tournaments, and was a favourite for one of the finishing matches in the 2010 tournament in South Africa. A rather unfortunate situation in the round of 16 match between England and Germany where his assistant referee missed a goal for England put a stop to his World Cup dreams in Africa.
Although the spot on FIFA’s referees committee is currently a nomination, it is expected that Larrionda will be selected as one of the three from CONMEBOL.
