Venezuelan arbitration representatives will participate in the CONMEBOL Development Course

Published at: 28/10/2025 07:30 PM

Three representatives of Venezuelan refereeing were selected to participate in the Development Course for Referee Advisors 2025, organized by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) through its Referee Committee and the Development Directorate.

Carlos López, Paul Riera and Yoly García, professionals with extensive experience in national and international arbitration and currently taking an active part in the training process of new arbitration talents in the country, will be the participants for Venezuela.

López, VAR manager of the National Referee Commission, has 28 years of experience in refereeing and was an international FIFA assistant for 16 years. He represented Venezuela in high-level tournaments such as the 2013 United Arab Emirates Under-17 World Cups and India 2017, as well as in the London 2012 Olympic Games. He also participated in several editions of the Copa América and was part of the historic call for eight Venezuelan referees in the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024 together with Jesús Valenzuela, Alexis Herrera, Jorge Urrego, Alberto Ponte, Lubín Torrealba, Migdalia Rodríguez and Juan Soto.

Meanwhile, García, referee advisor in FUTVE system competition matches, also had a long career as an international referee, being part of the Women's World Cup Germany 2011 and the Under-20 Women's World Cup in Chile 2008 and Papua New Guinea 2016, consolidating herself as one of the leading figures in Venezuelan women's refereeing.

Riera, technical instructor of the National Referees Commission since 2015, spent more than 20 years as a referee in the First Division of Venezuelan professional football, and has dedicated the last decade to the technical training of referees in the country, contributing with commitment and vision to refereeing development.

The course will take place from November 4 to 6 in Luque, Paraguay, and is aimed at former referees and instructors who have not previously participated in CONMEBOL training sessions. Its objective is to strengthen the pedagogical, technical and analytical competencies of new advisors, in order to expand the capacity for support and arbitration training in member federations.

The participation of this list reaffirms the commitment of the Venezuelan Football Federation to strengthening national refereeing, continuous training and the integration of professionals with a training vision.

Mazo News Team/FVF