Experienced African Referee Victor Gomes Retires

South African referee Victor Gomes has hanged up his whistle and retired just days after returning from FIFA World Cup.

Gomes made his debut in 2008 at the South Africa Premier Soccer League and went on to be listed in the FIFA panel in 2011.

The 39-year-old announced his retirement on Tuesday, but he is expected to stay in the game and become a video assistant referee.

“The dream started when I was only a child. Now that I’ve achieved the World Cup I’m grateful and ready to spend time with my family. The 8-hour flight was enough for me to make the decision to retire. We discussed this with my wife,” he said on Marawa Sports Worldwide.

“I believe I’ve been better than those who have come before me and I want others to come and also do better than me. Football is in my blood, I will leave the field but I will still contribute towards lifting the SA’s flag high.”

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Gomes was in-charge of two group-stage games, namely France’s 4-1 win over Australia and Spain’s 2-1 defeat to Japan.

The experienced arbitrator served as the fourth official in Argentina’s quarter-final win on penalties against the Netherlands.

In Africa, he officiated a flurry of matches in the club competitions including the finals of the 2018 Confederations Cup match between AS Vita and Raja Casablanca. 

At home, Gomes was well known for penalty kicks in most of the matches that he refereed during his 14-year career.