FIFA appoints 84 officials for London Olympic football

Geneva, April 20 (IANS) The FIFA Referees Committee has confirmed the appointment of 84 officials from 36 countries to officiate at the 2012 London Olympic football tournaments.

For the men's competition, 16 referees and 32 assistant referees have been selected from FIFA's six confederations, while for the women's tournament, 12 referees and 24 assistant referees will be on duty, Xinhua reported.

The London 2012 represents the first step on the road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil for the male referees.

FIFA's head of Women's Refereeing Sonia Denoncourt said Thursday that the bulk of the female referees who have been appointed for the 2012 Olympic Games are familiar faces from last summer's FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany and are at the top of their profession.