May 9, 2006, 12:38 GMT
Hamburg - Three referees have been dropped from the World Cup list due to injury or a failed fitness test of their designated linesmen, the ruling football body FIFA said late Monday.
FIFA presented its final list of 23 referees from 21 countries for the June 9-July 9 finals in Germany.
Guatemala referee Carlos Batres hasn't regained fitness after rupturing the cruciate ligament in his knee last December. Greek match official Kyros Vassaras and Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez of Spain failed to make the cut because their linesmen were not deemed fit for the event.
The new men are Roberto Rosetti of Italy, Luis Medina Cantalejo of Spain and Marco Rodriguez of Mexico. In addition, Belgian Frank De Bleeckere joined the list by passing the required fitness test in April after being sidelined with injury at the original March date.
All referees and their designated linesmen had to undergo the test and prove their knowledge of the game in Neu Isenburg, Germany.
For the first time FIFA is using referee trios from the same country or at least the same confederation at the World Cup in order to improve the quality of officiating.
The 23 World Cup referees were chosen from 44 candidates and their linesmen from 80 candidates. Nelly Viennot failed to make history as the first women at the World Cup when she missed out as a lineswoman.
Mexico and Spain are the only countries with two referees.
The World Cup match officials, including five reserve trios, will arrive for the World Cup on may 26 and will be based in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt. Officials for the 64 games will be named 48 hours advance of each match by FIFA.
The World Cup referees are:
Essam Abd el Fatah (Egypt), Carlos Amarilla (Paraguay), Benito Archundia (Mexico), Massimo Busacca (Switzerland), Coffi Codjia (Benin), Frank de Bleeckere (Belgium), Massimo de Santis (Italy), Horacio Elizondo (Argentina), Valentin Ivanov (Russia), Toru Kamikawa (Japan), Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay), Shamsul Maidin (Singapore), Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain), Markus Merk (Germany), Lubos Michel (Slovakia), Graham Poll (Britain), Eric Poulat (France), Peter Prendergast (Jamaica), Marco Rodriguez (Mexico), Roberto Rosetti (Italy), Oscar Ruiz (Colombia), Mark Shield (Australia) and Carlos Simon (Brazil).
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