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Emirati Bujsaim To Referee World Cup Opening Match
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Gamal
Ghandour
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SEOUL,
May 30 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Emirati Ali Bujsaim, the
referee who will take charge of the World Cup opening match between
France and Senegal on Friday, May 31, is the first Arab and Asian
referee to control an opening match since the start of the World
Cup in 1930.
The
42-year-old officer in passport and emigration department in the
United Arab Emirates is appearing in his third World Cup finals,
making him a member of an exclusive club - for only Joel Quinou of
France and Syria's Jamel El-Sherif have taken part in three finals and
they are both already in retirement, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.
Many
consider that to be a fitting reward for Bujsaim’s distinguished
performances in 1994 and 1998, which have included the Sweden-Bulgaria
third place play-off in the United States and the Brazil-Netherlands
semi-final in France.
Bujsaim
said there is no room in the FIFA refereeing ranks these days for the
high-profile, charismatic individual, AFP reported.
“As
FIFA referees, we don't see it in quite the same light,” he says.
“We work as a team and it is our job to present the true face of
international refereeing. The appointment of match referees is
entirely down to the refereeing commission."
However,
he acknowledges the pressure he faces in Friday's game. “In
appointing me for this game, FIFA have placed a heavy burden of
responsibility on my shoulders,” he explains.
“My
task is to set the tone for the whole tournament. The main issues are
to punish cheating and shirt-pulling which waste time as well as
players who do not get back nine meters at free-kicks.”
Bujsaim
said earlier this year that his ambition is to take charge of a World
Cup final before retiring.
CompetitionComCCompetition
to control top matches had been very strong, till the 72 referees and
their assistants who will control the tournament were chosen.
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Ali
Bujsaim
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They
have been given strict instructions to clamp down on the growing
number of players who dive to secure a penalty or feign injury to get
an opponent sent off, AFP said.
“FIFA
have been very clear that they will support us in this effort to rid
the game of this cancer,” said Graham Poll, one of England's top
referees after a FIFA seminar for referees in Seoul in March 2002.
Arab
referees in the competition includes the Kuwaiti Saad Mane, who will
run the Uruguay-Denmark match on June 1 with the assistance of
Jordanian linesman Awni Hassouneh.
The
Spain-Slovenia match, to be held on June 2, will be run by the
Moroccan referee
Mohamed Guezzaz . On June 7, the Egyptian Gamal Ghandour will be the
referee of the Spain-Paraguay match with also an Egyptian linesman
Wagih Farag.
The
Tunisian referee Mourad Daami with the Tunisian Linemen Taoufik
Adjengui as one of his assistants will run the Mexico-Ecuador match on
June 9.
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