DAVID SCARLETT
THE illustrious FIFA World Cup is here again, bringing together casual fans, fanatics and bandwagonists for one month of thrilling, heart-breaking and exciting football.
Four years since the previous tournament was held in Russia, Qatar opens its doors to the world for the largest event on the sporting calendar.
It's been 16 years since the Soca Warriors made TT proud with a maiden appearance at the World Cup. TT did not qualify for Qatar 2022 but there is still much to be proud of.
Twenty years since Michael Ragoonath, head of the TT Football Association (TTFA) Refereeing Department, graced the 2002 World Cup stage, the nation will, again, be proudly represented by one of TT’s most outstanding referees – Caleb Wales.
Refereeing is often seen as a villainous occupation. Whether referees make the right or wrong decision, some fans still believe they harbour sinister intentions against their favourite team.
But it is noteworthy to understand that referees are athletes and football lovers too, and only want the best for the game.
Refereeing in TT has been at a high level for some years now, particularly now under Ragoonath's management.
[caption id="attachment_986576" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Caleb Wales is a match official as an assistant referee at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. - Photos courtesy Caleb Wales[/caption]
Ragoonath was an assistant referee in South Korea and Japan and now uses his experience and expertise to develop both seasoned and budding referees across the nation.
Wales, 34, who has a background in information and communications technology (ICT), fell in love with officiating in his early adult years. It was then he decided to pursue refereeing as a career and later specialised as an assistant referee.
The Santa Cruz resident has been a TTFA referee since 2006 and was selected as an elite FIFA assistant referee in 2013. Since then, he has officiated in several Concacaf World Cup qualifiers, many Concacaf Champions League fixtures, the 2021 Gold Cup semifinal (Mexico vs Canada), and the 2021 Concacaf Nations League final (USA vs Mexico), in addition to matches and competitions in TT.
On May 19, Wales was selected by the FIFA Referee Committee to serve in Qatar.
He is now the fifth Trinidadian match official (fourth assistant referee) to fly the TT flag, as well as the checkered flag, at a World Cup.
His predecessors were Douglas James (assistant referee, USA 1994), Ramesh Ramdhan (referee, France 1998), Merere Gonzales (assistant referee, France 1998) and Ragoonath (assistant referee, Korea/Japan 2002).
[caption id="attachment_986577" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Caleb Wales on duty during a match. -[/caption]
In an interview with Sunday Newsday recently, Wales expressed his excitement to be on the world’s biggest stage in Qatar. “For me, it means a lot to be at the FIFA World Cup. It is the realisation of a lifelong goal to be a part of one of the biggest events in the world. It is also a big deal for my family, friends, colleagues, country,
