Helpys Feliz has 8 siblings and three dreams. “Now that this opportunity has come to me, which is more than a blessing and a great commitment for me and for our country, in which I cannot fail, I have to tell my mother that my first dream, to go to a World Cup, is coming true. I was very upset because I used to work in the Sports area of the Air Force, but they fired me (and many other athletes) after I sacrificed more than six years organizing and teaching the fundamentals of this discipline. I can’t hide it, the news of going to the World Cup comforts me, but it is a great responsibility, to put this small country on the World Cup map for the first time as a match official and opening the door to our talent, that makes me forget any other stumbling blocks and confirm that things are achieved by hard working”, explained Feliz
Helpys Feliz made history for Dominican refereeing on May 4 when he was appointed by Concacaf for the second leg of the 2022 Concacaf Champions League final, an unprecedented event. In 2019, he also participated in the U-20 World Cup in Poland. He grew up in Invivienda and football never caught his attention; he was in love with the 10 kilometers run, high jump and a little swimming in his university life in APEC, where he graduated in marketing and achieved a diploma in tourism. But his academic plans disappeared when his sports mentor Roque Garcia suggested to attend his first football referee seminar. “It was Roque who got me into this, I did well in that seminar and then the federation included me in another FIFA seminar for ‘projected referees’ in Panama. From there everything continued with ups and downs, because nothing here has been fortuitous, work has been done so that our country could achieve this goal”, explains 32 years old Helpys Feliz. The other two dreams to be pursued by Feliz are to participate in the Olympic Games and to be the first immortal official of the Dominican sport in football.
Source: Blaze Trends
