Concacaf: Changes To Refereeing Department
Concacaf has announced changes to its Refereeing Department, including the Director of Refereeing, Brian Hall, leaving his role at the Confederation to take on new projects.
A spokesperson said, “He leaves his position with sincere thanks and best wishes from everyone at Concacaf, having made a very positive impact on refereeing in the region over many years.
“Hall has held Concacaf’s top refereeing post for nine years across two separate stints [2010-2013 and 2016-2022] and over that time has worked extremely hard to train and develop referees across the region. In recent years he has been a major advocate for the development of women’s refereeing in Concacaf and has led the Confederation’s introduction of VAR in its competitions.
“In the coming months Concacaf will conduct a recruitment process for a new Head of Refereeing. In the interim, Concacaf has appointed the vastly experienced former Head of Refereeing for Italy’s Serie A, Nicola Rizzoli, as Technical Refereeing Advisor.
“Rizzoli will play a key role in assisting the Confederation to revamp its refereeing structures, programs and overall strategy to further develop refereeing in the region, and to elevate its stature globally. He joins Concacaf in an advisory capacity with a wealth of international experience.
“Rizzoli was from 2017 to 2021 Head of Refereeing for Serie A and a VAR Project Leader and VAR instructor for Italy’s top league. Since November 2021 he has been providing refereeing expertise to the Ukrainian Association of Football. He has also previously held roles at UEFA, including as a VAR instructor and UEFA Referee Panel Member.
“Prior to that, as a member of the FIFA International Referees List from 2007 to 2017, he refereed the FIFA Men’s World Cup Final 2014 between Argentina and Germany, and at multiple FIFA and UEFA competitions. Rizzoli was a Serie A referee from 2001 to 2017.”
Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President, Victor Montagliani, said, “On behalf of everyone at Concacaf and our Member Associations, I want to thank Brian Hall for his hard work and commitment to Concacaf refereeing over many years.
“Brian has demonstrated great dedication to Concacaf refereeing on and off the field. He has played a key role in the development of referees in our region for the best part of the past decade, and prior to that was a hugely successful referee in Major League Soccer and on the FIFA International List. We are sincerely grateful for his service to Concacaf and wish him well for the future.
“In Nicola Rizzoli we welcome someone with an outstanding international refereeing background as the Head of Refereeing and VAR Project Leader for Serie A and, prior to that, as a world-renowned referee on the field at FIFA World Cups, UEFA European Championships and in Serie A.
“He will support Concacaf and our MAs to further enhance our programs with the aim of taking refereeing to the next level in our region. Nicola will also offer guidance to our referees while we conduct a process to recruit a new Head of Refereeing for the Confederation.”
The spokesperson said, “Concacaf recently announced that VAR would be used across multiple competitions in 2022, beginning with this week’s Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Further details on the VAR rollout in Concacaf can be read here.”
