THERE will be four new referees from Trinidad and Tobago on FIFA’s list of match officials for 2024, and possibly beyond.
Timothy Derry (referee), Nikolai Nyron (referee), Kirt Charles (assistant referee) and Melissa Nicholas (assistant referee) have joined the new elite international panel.
Meanwhile, Kwinsi Williams, Crystal Sobers, Cecile Hinds, Caleb Wales, Ainsley Rochard and Carissa Douglas-Jacob have all retained their FIFA status for the upcoming year, which brings T&T's FIFA tally to ten match officials.
T&T now has a full team of match officials (referee, two assistant referees and fourth official) for both men and women.
Earlier this year, on September 27, Williams, Wales, Rochard and Derry were all appointed to a Concacaf Caribbean Cup fixture between Harbour View United (Jamaica) and SV Robinhood (Suriname), which made them the first Trinidadian quartet to officiate an international match since 2016.
The quartet returned for Concacaf Nations League action on October 14, overseeing Aruba vs the US Virgin Islands.
Derry refereed his first international match as a "centre referee" on November 20 alongside Wales and Williams, in a clash between Dominica and Turks and Caicos Islands in the Nations League.
Williams and Wales were later appointed for the second leg of the Caribbean Cup final on December 6, which was contested by Cavalier FC (Jamaica) and Robinhood, as the latter won 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate.
Derry’s fellow newcomers – Charles, Nyron and Nicholas – all participated in regional competitions as well. Charles made his Concacaf debut in the Caribbean Cup on October 5 as an assistant referee for the match between Robinhood and Pantoja (Dominica).
Alongside Charles, Nyron officiated in the Concacaf Boys Under-15 Championship last August while Nicholas served as an assistant referee at the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Girls Under-14 Championship accompanied by Crystal Sobers, Cecile Hinds, Carissa Douglas-Jacob and Nathalya Williams in the same month.
All ten referees also officiate in the T&T Premier Football League (TTPFL) Tier 1.
Additionally, Andrew Samuel and Nathalya Williams were accepted into the Concacaf Academy, which will assist them on their path to become FIFA referees in the near future. Samuel, along with Melissa Nicholas, were recipients of the South Zone referee and assistant referee of the year last Saturday.
SOURCE: T&T Newsday