Deprived of his FIFA badge, Fagundes retired early

Brazilian FIFA referee Salvio Fagundes Filho decided to retire early from refereeing after his national association decided to remove him from the FIFA List for 2012, although he is only 43 and would have been age-eligible for two more years. His last match was the FIFA World Cup qualifier Colombia – Argentina, played last week in Barranquilla. The highlight of his career was the 2011 Copa America final, Uruguay – Paraguay.

"I was notified by the CBF Referees Committee that I will not be included on the FIFA List in 2012 because I am not young enough to take part in future international competitions. This procedure has already been implemented by other countries and CBF communicated their intention this year. The Referees Committee proposed me to continue refereeing in Brazil for the next two years, but without a FIFA badge. In these circumstances, I decided, along with my family, to end my refereeing career, because I believe that I achieved the goals that were possible, by representing the Brazilian refereeing in various international competitions. After 895 professional matches and 43 international matches in 21 years dedicated to refereeing, I would like to thank to all professionals involved in this sport so exciting, football", said Salvio Fagundes Filho in a media release.

Source: Terra