New Zealand referee Peter O’Leary took charge of the meeting between CF Monterrey and Kashiwa Reysol at Toyota Stadium and was joined by assistant referees Jan Hendrik Hintz (New Zealand) and Ravinesh Kumar (Fiji).
The OFC trio had plenty to do in the match as it turned out to be an action-packed thriller. With the scores locked at 1-1 following the 90 minutes, extra time had to be played in an attempt to separate the teams but it failed to do so as no more goals were produced.
The result was then left to the footballing gods in the lottery of the penalty shoot-out and it was Kashiwa who emerged triumphant, going through to the semi-finals after a 4-3 victory in the spot kicks.
While a memorable moment for all three OFC officials, the game was a particularly significant milestone for Kumar as it saw him become the first Fijian to officiate at a FIFA Club World Cup.
Fiji Football Association (Fiji FA) acting president Sheik Ibrahim is pleased to see Kumar achieve the feat and hopes he will be joined by many others in the near future.
“It is a proud moment for Fiji FA and the country,” Ibrahim says.
“Ravinesh has been in the limelight recently after coming back firstly from the FIFA U-20 World Cup and then the Stage 1 qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Samoa. He has proven himself and new doors are opening for him.
“My best wishes are with him and I hope he continues to create more history. This achievement is a clear sign of the quality of referees we have and should be a motivating factor for other referees, especially the young ones, to follow in the same footsteps.”
The appearance at Japan 2011 also continued an impressive run of postings at international FIFA events for O’Leary.
The Whangarei-based school teacher took part in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia during July and August and was joined in South America by Kumar and Solomon Islander Jackson Namo.
O’Leary also made the cut for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa with assistants Brent Best (New Zealand) and Matthew Taro (Solomon Islands), during which he was called into action as a fourth official.
The involvement of O’Leary, Hintz and Kumar in Japan 2011 is the latest positive result of the confederation’s Refereeing Assistance Programme (RAP).
OFC places great importance on developing world-class referees and this has been strongly supported by FIFA through its funding of the programme.
Under the supervision of referee development officer Massimo Raveino, referee instructor Neil Poloso and fitness trainer Kader Touati, the programme is helping to create a more organised, professional approach to refereeing in the Pacific.

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