Choice of ref Elizondo rewards S.America: Grondona

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany, Jun 4: The choice of Argentina's Horacio Elizondo to referee the opening match of the World Cup is a reward for South American officiating standards, FIFA vice-president Julio Grondona said.

''It's the recognition of many things and one of those is that Argentine and South American refereeing can compete with the rest of the world,'' said Grondona, head of Argentina's association, AFA.

Elizondo and compatriots Dario Garcia and Rodolfo Otero, who will run the lines, were appointed for the Group A match between hosts Germany and Costa Rica which will kick off the 64-match tournament in Munich on Friday.

''Today our referees are not inferior to the Europeans in the physical aspect. On top of that, they are referees with a quick vision (of the game),'' Grondona said while watching Argentina's squad practice at their base near Nuremberg.

''Argentina is a first-world country in terms of football, which is why Elizondo is now taking charge of the start of a World Cup...we Argentines have to realise that.'' Elizondo is the second Argentine to referee the opening match at a World Cup, after Angel Norberto Coerezza took charge of the game between holders Germany and Poland in his homeland in 1978.

REUTERS