FIFA Referees Committee has included Egyptian official Essam Abdul-Fattah in its 23-referees list who will be in charge of World Cup matches in Germany. "The committee members evaluated the performances of the 44 candidates during FIFA competitions, continental championships and in national leagues over the past 18 months," read a statement carried by FIFA's official website on Friday. "The match officials underwent comprehensive medical checks as well as a fitness test. In addition, they all completed a psychological test. "And members of the FIFA Referees Committee held interviews with the candidate referees," the statement added. The 23 referees are representing 23 different countries; the World Cup finals will witness a refereeing trio from the same country or same continent for the first time. "The Referees Committee noted the benefit of having well-rehearsed teams in terms of the speed and accuracy of their reactions, and stressed that this can only help to improve the quality of the match officials' performances." The list includes high-figure officials such as Germany's Markus Merk and Lubos Michel of Slovakia. "The 33rd team at the World Cup - the 23 referees who will be in action in Germany - are currently the best match officials in the world," FIFA president Joseph Sepp Blatter said. "That is the way it has to be as they will have a crucial role to play in this tournament, and great demands will be placed upon them," he added. There also a list of seven referees and 14 assistants who will appear only if one of the chosen officials is unable to take part for whatever reason. Abdul-Fattah will participate in the WC for the first time while former Egyptian famous referee Gamal Al-Ghandour took part in two successive tournaments 1998 and 2002. The WC kicks-off on the ninth of June and ends in July ninth.
