Elite referee Viktor Kassai retires

The most successful Hungarian referee of the last two decades will no longer be seen on domestic and foreign football pitches and from now on, will instead use his experience of almost thirty years in other fields.

According to mlsz.hu, Viktor Kassai gained his refereeing qualifications at the age of fifteen in 1990, and at the age of 24 he had already officiated in the NB I. He soon became recognised as one of the best referees in the country and in 2003, on the recommendation of the MLSZ Referees Committee, he became a FIFA referee.

Thanks to his persistent work and continual excellence, Kassai’s name became audible 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 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.

Viktor Kassai factfile:

Place and date of birth: Tatabánya, 10 September 1975
Place and date of referee examination: Bicske, June 1990
First match as linesman: Szárliget-Óbarok, June 1990
First match as a referee: Kecskéd-Vértessomló ifjúsági, October 1991
First adult match: Ászár-Császár, April 11, 1993
National referee squad member since: July 1997
First Hungarian first-division match: Zalaegerszeg vs BVSC, March 20, 1999
FIFA referee since: January 1, 2003
First international match: Plovdiv vs Eastern Slovakia, UEFA Regions Cup, October 24, 2000

Kassai has also refereed at the 2012 and 2016 UEFA European Championships and at the 2106 World Club Championship he became the first referee to use video technology.

He set a new Hungarian refereeing record in November of this year when he led his 322nd NB I match.

“I’m finishing a thirty-year career as a referee to face new challenges”, Viktor Kassai told mlsz.hu.