The Cayman Islands football fraternity has reason to celebrate after seven local referees received FIFA badges last month.
To earn the prestigious FIFA referee badge, one must dedicate years of refereeing, attend training courses and complete certifications, which ultimately assist in reaching the highest levels of football refereeing.
“We manage to get, for the second time, a full squad of referees … all of them in good standing with FIFA,” Alfredo Whittaker, Cayman Islands Football Association president, told the Cayman Compass.
Akangou Micheal, Benjamin Whitty, Dwight Cummings, Deann Foster, Kedeen Foster, Kedlee Powell and Jonathan Hughes all received their FIFA badges, marking the first time since 2012 that Cayman referees received a promotion from the governing body.
They are all well known among competitors in the Cayman Islands, from the youth level and up, and some, like Whitty, have even stepped up to regional games.
“The big highlight is Ben Whitty, that has been participating in VAR [Video Assistant Referee] in various CONCACAF tournaments, and recently he was attending a FIFA seminar for a bigger match appointment in Costa Rica,” Whittaker said.
Hughes, who has been involved in refereeing for the past eight and a half years, noted he is deeply honoured to be selected for the 2025 FIFA international referee list.
“Anyone who knows me, knows that it’s not just a hobby. It’s a passion and a lot of hard work and dedication has gone into getting to this stage,” Hughes told the Compass.
“I suppose I am most proud of the fact that on the international stage, I am representing the Cayman Islands. I started refereeing here; all of my mentors are former Cayman referees. The Cayman Islands Football Association referee department in particular has really moulded me into the person that I am.”
He added that while it’s exciting to receive a FIFA badge, there is great added pressure to perform at a level of exceptionalism.
“It marks you as an elite referee and I want to rise to those standards to show that I deserve it,” Hughes said. “I want to do everyone proud.”
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