- Over five days, referees completed their preparation for the world's oldest continental national team tournament.
- A total of 101 referees from CONMEBOL, UEFA, and Concacaf were summoned to officiate the competition's matches.
From June 13 to 17, referees, assistant referees, and VAR officials, who will be participating in CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024™️, attended a seminar organized by CONMEBOL in Dallas, Texas, before the competition starts in the United States.
"Preparation began with the Referee Preseason in January, which included almost all referees. They have come with good physical preparation for this competition, which makes us very happy," commented Enrique Cáceres, President of the CONMEBOL Referees Commission, regarding the work done during the year.
In these last five days of work, the professionals reinforced theoretical concepts and carried out physical and technical work on the field, VAR booth simulations, and regenerative work to arrive at the tournament in peak performance.
"As usual, and especially given the importance of the CONMEBOL Copa América™️, we conducted preliminary physical, technical, and theoretical work. This year, we also had the participation of referees from Concacaf and UEFA to unify criteria and intervention lines, but we have realized that we are on the same page," explained Carlos Astroza, Technical Manager of Refereeing for CONMEBOL.
Among the 101 referees called are those belonging to CONMEBOL, those from UEFA as part of a strategic referee exchange agreement between the Confederations, and Concacaf referees as guests.
Additionally, for the first time in history, CONMEBOL Copa América™️ will feature female referees, a milestone achieved thanks to their work and preparation in previous months, as well as CONMEBOL's commitment and investment in the development of women in football.
"It's a dream, a dream come true. Today, I and seven other women are here at this CONMEBOL Copa América™️. So, for us, it is something very big, something inexplicable, the emotion and the feeling of experiencing all this here," commented Edina Alves, a referee from Brazil, regarding the first participation of women during the continental tournament.
Being part of CONMEBOL Copa América™️, the oldest national team tournament in the world, represents a great achievement for the 101 professionals who have prepared in the best way for this moment.
"It is a personal and professional gratification, a very great responsibility," revealed Juan Pablo Belatti, an assistant referee from Argentina.
Argentina and Canada will play the opening match of the CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024™️ this Thursday, June 20, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The tournament will be played until July 14, when we will know the champion after the final, which will be held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
