The Panamanian referee Roberto Moreno has decided to retire in the summer, after more than 15 years as a FIFA referee, regardless of whether he will be selected or not for the 2014 World Cup. Moreno, 43, said that his decision has been taken and will be effective after the completion of the World Cup in Brazil.
"I will retire in August, regardless of whether I will go or not to the World Cup. When the Apertura 2014 tournament will start, I will only referee a single match to end my career. I will invite several colleagues to come along and, if possible, will have a party afterwards", said the Panamanian referee. Roberto Moreno is waiting patiently the decision of the FIFA Referees Committee on 14 January that will determine the 33 referees who will be attending the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. "There are 52 candidates now and they will announce in a few weeks the 33 going to the World Cup. The 19 referees that will not be taken into account should keep training and refereeing because they could be considered if an official gets injured or shows poor performances", Moreno said. "I fulfilled all the requirements: passed the three FIFA courses in Zurich, Miami and Brazil and refereed at a major tournament, in my case the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. I was nominated amongst the best CONCACAF referees, which is important for the final evaluation of the FIFA referees in regards to the selection for the final tournament”. Moreno began refereeing in the domestic competitions in 1989 and has been a FIFA referee since 1996, which means almost 25 years in this profession.
Source: RPC Deportes