THE World Cup is here and FIFA have announced Said Martinez will be joining 38 other officials for the tournament.
Honduras-born Martinez is his country’s only representative at this winter’s competition.
Here are a few more facts about him.
Who is Said Martinez?
Said Martinez was born in Tocoa in 1991, making him the second youngest referee at Qatar, behind Kevin Ortega.
At the age of just ten, Martinez dreamt of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a referee.
Eight years later he would become the youngest-ever referee to officiate in the Liga Nacional in Honduras.
Martinez then swapped whistles for books, choosing to move to Hondurus’ capital city where he studied Mathematics.
He returned to refereeing in 2017 when he was appointed as a referee for FIFA and CONCACAF.
The 31-year-old went on to officiate a variety of international tournaments including the 2019 Gold Cup, CONCACAF Under-20 Championship and the Under-20 World Cup.
More recently, Martinez took charge of the 2021 Gold Cup final between the United States and Mexico.
