ULRICHEN, Switzerland (AP) — FIFA president Sepp Blatter says only full-time professional referees should be chosen to work at the next World Cup.
Blatter tells The Associated Press that improving the standards of elite referees is a top priority in the coming months, and until the 2014 finals in Brazil if he is chosen next June to lead FIFA for a fourth four-year term.
Blatter says: “You can’t have nonprofessional referees in professional football.”
His call for change follows high-profile errors by referees at the World Cup in South Africa, where just two of the 30 selected for FIFA duty listed refereeing as their full-time job.
Blatter says he’ll reveal a detailed review of training for top-level referees in October.
