Thai in action on June 10
Thailand's lone representative in Germany at the World Cup, assistant referee Prachya Permpanich, will be in action in the game between Trinidad and Sweden on June 10 in Dortmund, Fifa announced on Friday night.
After making his way through Fifa's testing process in Germany on Thursday, the 43-year-old from Nontaburi finally secured his place in the world's biggest football tournament. Prachya is scheduled to make his debut in a Group B match with Trinidad and Sweden and will be the first assistant referee along with Singaporean referee Maidin Shamsul and second assistant referee Ghul Oum from the UAE. Prachya, who works as a sport journalist, has been on duty in many international matches - the friendly between Brazil and South Korea in 1966, the Confederations Cup in Germany in 2005 between Australia and Argentina and 2006 World Cup Preliminary Asian Zone match between Bahrain and North Korea. He went to Germany on May 25 to be part of Fifa's referee selection process. He was chosen by Fifa as one of four Asian assistant referees, or linesmen, and became the second Thai to play a role in the World Cup after Pirom Un-Prasert, who was a referee at the 1998 World Cup in France. Fifa had all the referees and assistant referees take an intensive medical followed by a physical test and then a test of their knowledge of the rules before a final fitness test on May 31. A total of 22 candidates were selected as referees, while 44 were picked as assistant referees, or linesmen. There are also five reserve referees and 10 reserve assistant referees. Peter Prendergast of Jamaica ended his dream of performing his duty due to a knee injury, while countryman Anthony Garwood and Joseph Taylor of Trinidad and Tobago also did not make it. Argentine in opener n Horacio Elizondo will be the referee when hosts Germany play Costa Rica in the opening match of the 2006 World Cup. The Argentine was picked to officiate Friday's match in Munich by the Fifa Referees Committee. The other 15 referees to work during the first set of games in the first round were also selected, Fifa said on Saturday. Elizondo, a Fifa referee since 1994, officiated his first international match in 1996 but is at the World Cup finals for the first time. "I'm of course very proud and I have a great feeling in me mentally because we gave so much for this game in the preparation phase," Elizondo said. "The opening match is just a dream." Elizondo, a Fifa referee since 1994, officiated his first international match in 1996 but is at the World Cup finals for the first time. Alitta Tangrungruengkit The Nation
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