Veteran international referee Hector Vergara goes to World Cup again.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Veteran international referee Hector Vergara goes to World Cup again.

HECTOR Vergara, chief administrative officer of the Manitoba Soccer Association, has again been selected by FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, as an official for 2006 World Cup, which begins June 6 in Germany. He is the only CONCACAF assistant referee to make it back to the World Cup from the group that took part in the 2002 tournament in Korea and Japan.
"I am extremely proud and pleased with having earned a spot for the World Cup," Vergara said. "All the sacrifices that have been made by my family and me have paid off. Four years of preparation, and what seems to be a lifetime of devotion to refereeing, has once again rewarded me with this opportunity."

Laurent Eloy, chairman of the MSA referee development committee said: "Being able to return to the World Cup shows that FIFA highly regards Hector as one of the game's best assistant referees."

Throughout his career, Vergara has worked more than 90 international matches, including four world championships, the 2002 World Cup, the 2004 Athens Olympics, three Gold Cups and numerous World Cup qualifiers.

Vergara's appointment indicates how highly he is regarded within FIFA, especially when one of the trio he belonged to at the 2002 World Cup -- the Guatemalan referee -- was injured.

"I was not so sure that I would earn a spot, considering that our referee was injured and likely would not be selected," Vergara said.