Three new Belgian referees, Lothar D’Hondt, Jasper Vergoote, and Jana Van Laere, will soon receive the coveted FIFA badge, entitling them to referee matches at the international level, the Royal Belgian Football Association announced in a press release on Thursday.
D’Honte and Vergoote will join fellow referees Erik Lambrechts, Jonathan Lardot, Bram Van Driessche, Nathan Verboomen, and Lawrence Visser in the list of Belgian men’s referees who can oversee matches at an international level.
Van Laere will join the ranks of Belgian international women’s referees. Belgium already has two female professionals who referee matches at an international level: Viki De Cremer and Caroline Lanssens.
Other Belgian officials are also set to receive a FIFA badge. Nico Claes will become a men’s assistant referee. Mélissa Lejear and Irmgard Van Meirvenne will be women’s assistant referees.
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Belgium will also have three new accredited VAR officials – Ella De Vries, Bram Van Driessche, and Nathan Verboomen. Until recently, only referee Erik Lambrechts was a VAR official for FIFA games at the international.
Belgium has produced many world-class FIFA referees. Brussels native Alexis Ponnet was once ranked as the world's second-best referee in the 1980s. Belgian referee Vital Loraux arbitrated Brazilian footballing legend Pelé's last international fixture in 1971 against Yugoslavia.
