Viktor Kassai named as Head of Refereeing in Bulgaria

5 months after resigning his post as Head of Refereeing in Russia, Viktor Kassai is set to be named as Head of Refereeing in Bulgaria. Ring György, his trusted friend and colleague will be going with him as his #2. They will initially sign an 18 month long contract.

Kassai was one of the longest serving FIFA elite referees prior to his retirement in January 2020. As a referee he made his debut on the NBI on March 20, 1999 in a match between Zalaegerszeg vs BVSC. He was added to the FIFA list of referees on January 1st 2003 and quickly worked his way up to the elite list.

Thanks to his persistent hard work and continual excellence, Kassai made a name for himself on the world stage in 2007 when he refereed three matches at the Under-20 World Cup and then even more so when he oversaw the Olympic football final in Beijing in 2008 and four matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa including the Spain-Germany semi-final.

In 2011, he was given his most prestigious refereeing assignment, the Barcelona-Manchester United Champions League final at Wembley on May 28th, making him the youngest ever referee of European football’s premier club football event at the age of just 35. That same year, IFFHS named him the best referee in the world.

He also refereed at the 2006 Club World Cup and the 2012 and 2016 Euros. He was 4th official for the 2016 Euros final. He made history on December 14th, 2016 when he became the first referee to use VAR to give a penalty in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final match between Atletico, of Columbia, and the Kashima Antlers.

György Ring is considered to be the most successful Hungarian assistant referee in recent decades. Prior to his retirement he ran the line in 285 NB I fixtures and numerous elite-level international matches. In addition to the 2011 Champions League Final, he worked at two European Championships and the 2016 World Club Championships.

Viktor Kassai International highlights:

2005: FIFA U19 European Championship, Northern Ireland
2007: FIFA U20 World Cup, Canada
2008: UEFA European Championship, Austria & Switzerland (as a reserve)
2008: Olympic Games, Beijing, referee of the final
2009: FIFA U17 World Cup, Nigeria
2010: World Cup, South Africa. Group-stage matches: Brazil vs Korea and Uruguay vs Mexico; 2nd round: Ghana vs United States; semi-final: Spain vs Germany.
2011: UEFA Champions League final
2012: UEFA Champions League semi-final
2012: UEFA European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. Group stages: Spain vs Italy and Ukraine vs England. 2013: UEFA Champions League semi-final
2013: FIFA U20 World Cup, Turkey
2016: UEFA Europa League semi-final
2016: UEFA Champions League Final as 4th Official
2016: UEFA European Championship, France. Opening match: France vs Romania; group stages: Sweden vs Italy; Quarter-final: Germany-Italy; final: Portugal vs France (fourth official).
2016: FIFA Club World Cup semi-final
2017: FIFA U20 World Cup, South Korea