Vergara announces his retirement

Héctor Vergara, Canada’s longest-serving official on the FIFA List of Referees and Assistant Referees, has announced his retirement. Vergara served as a FIFA official for a final time on 11 November 2011.

“I have had a wonderful 19 years on the FIFA list,” said Vergara. “It has provided me with the opportunity to see the world, experience fantastic sporting events, meet amazing people, make tons of friends, enjoy the “beautiful game” as a referee on the field amongst the world’s best players and teams, as well as be a spectator in awe at what was in front of me. Soccer has allowed me to be involved in 11 FIFA competitions (three of those FIFA World Cups and 14 FIFA World Cup games, Semis and Finals in many of them), Six Gold Cups (three of them in the Finals), Olympic Games and nearly 150 international matches involving Clubs and Nationals Teams playing at the highest competitions in the world.”

On the FIFA List, Vergara was first appointed as an assistant referee for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Japan 1993. Nine years later, he was appointed as an assistant referee to the FIFA World Cup for the first time. He would return to the biggest stage again in 2006 and 2010.

Vergara has been named Sport Manitoba Official of the Year five times in his career. He was presented the Canada Soccer International Achievement Award in 2002 and the Ray Morgan Memorial Award in 1996.