Five months after resigning his post as Head of Refereeing in Russia, Viktor Kassai is set to be named as Head of Referees in Bulgaria. György Ring, his trusted friend and colleague, will be going along with him as his #2. They will initially sign an 18-month contract.
Kassai was one of the longest serving FIFA elite referees prior to his retirement in January 2020. As a referee he made his debut in the First Division on 20 March 1999 in a match between Zalaegerszeg vs BVSC. He was added to the FIFA list of referees on 1 January 2003 and quickly worked his way up to the elite list. Thanks to his persistent hard work and excellence, Kassai made a name for himself on the world stage in 2007 when he refereed three matches at the U-20 World Cup and then even more so when he oversaw the Olympic football final in Beijing in 2008 and four matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, including the semi-final Spain-Germany. In 2011, he was given his most prestigious refereeing assignment, the Champions League final Barcelona - Manchester United at Wembley, making him the youngest ever referee of European football’s premier club football event at the age of just 35. That same year, IFFHS named him the best referee in the world. He also refereed at the 2006 Club World Cup and the 2012 and 2016 Euros. He was fourth official for the 2016 Euro final. He made history on 14 December 2016 when he became the first referee to use VAR to award a penalty kick in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final between Atletico of Columbia and the Kashima Antlers.
György Ring is considered to be the most successful Hungarian assistant referee in recent decades. Prior to his retirement he ran the line in 285 First Division fixtures and numerous elite-level international matches. In addition to the 2011 Champions League Final, he worked at two European Championships and the 2016 World Club Cup.
Source: Hungarian Football
