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Assistant Referee Patrick Browne makes his debut on the 2024 FIFA International Refereeing List, bringing the total of Antigua and Barbuda match officials on the list to six.

While Browne makes the list for the first time, fellow assistant referees Iroots Appleton, Wasnah Barnarde, Nikesha Gage and Kevin Peters were reappointed. Referee and sibling of Appleton Ken Pennyfeather was also reappointed.

For keen observers wondering about 2023 debutante Abigail Brathwaite nee McKenzie, she too was reappointed. However, the assistant referee migrated and now falls on the list of Barbadian match officials.

Head of the ABFA Referees Department Kelesha Antoine congratulated the match officials and encouraged them to maintain their discipline and focus.

“We are proud our cadre of FIFA referees. They continue to put in the work, and they serve as examples for others to follow. I am confident that each of them has the ability to make their mark, to have longevity and to go far as long as they maintain their commitment to excellence,” Antoine said.

She noted the work of the Referees Department, from recruitment to ongoing training, and she encouraged match officials with the requisite skills to stay the course. Antoine also issued a call for individuals interested in refereeing to stay tuned for the next round of recruitment.

“There is synergy with what we are doing locally with initiatives at the FIFA, Concacaf and CFU levels,” Antoine said. “Overall, we are working towards having a deeper pool of Caribbean match officials and to having, in short order, a panel of Caribbean match officials at every world game. There is both a pathway and a future in refereeing, and I want everyone with a passion for this aspect of football to take note.”

Meanwhile, three promising referees—Shemroy Allie, Cariessa Corbett and Portia Davis—are invited to the third edition of the CFU Next Generation Referee Course. The 2024 edition runs from January 11-15, 2024 and will take place in Trinidad and Tobago.

Introduced in 2022, Next Gen, as it is called, provides concentrated training for Caribbean referees who are not yet FIFA but have the requisite abilities to matriculate to the international list in a year or two.

After one year in the Next Gen Course, Giovannie James is heading to the Concacaf Referee Academy.