It is just March, but the soccer season is already about to hit a peak. Even though MLS has just started, top clubs in North America will battle out for the CONCACAF Champions Cup. And Tata Martino’s side, Inter Miami, will take on Nashville SC in the 2nd leg of the round of 16 of the Cup. The Argentine coach is taking the fixture very seriously and does not expect any errors from the team. However, after expressing concern over refereeing in MLS, Martino will face one of the most experienced referees in the region, Drew Fischer, in tonight’s game against Nashville. But who is Fischer, and what do we know about his refereeing?
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The transition in soccer from Europe to the USA has been rather smooth for Lionel Messi, regularly scoring goals. However, it doesn’t look the same for Tata Martino, who has issues with the less experienced referees. Nevertheless, Fischer, who was also a part of prominent tournaments, will probably go by his rules.
All you need to know about Drew Fischer
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Known for his meticulous planning in busy schedules, Drew Fischer is one of the most sought-after referees in CONCACAF. The 43-year-old was born in Alberta, Canada, on 07-10-1980 and started refereeing at the age of 13, apart from having a degree in physics. He works also as a physicist and environmental consultant in the energy sector. Coming to soccer, initially starting with Calgary Youth Games at CalGlen Soccer Club, he became a senior referee in 2007, and the rest is history.
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Growing up in the ranks in 2007, the first major step for Fischer was starting as a referee in the MLS in 2012. The Canadian then got an opportunity to officiate the CONCACAF Men’s U17 Championship 2015 after receiving the FIFA Badge. His career started to kick off enormously as he later went on to officiate in tournaments, including the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and many others. But his memorable moment came when the organizers selected him as one of the VAR assistants for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Earlier, Fischer had experience as the Video assistant at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Nevertheless, like any top referee, his spells were not short of controversies. His decision to not overturn on-field referee Cesar Ramos’s decision to award France a penalty against Morocco in the semifinals of the 2022 tournament sparked a debate. He was also criticized for disallowing LAFC’s goal in the final of the 2023 Campeones Cup after Giorgio Chiellini’s alleged moving pass in a free kick. Hence, it would be interesting to see how Tata Martino reacts to his refereeing after his opinion.
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Tata Martino bashes MLS refereeing after Inter Miami vs Montreal
Meanwhile, Tata Martino, after the recent game against FC Montreal, called out the referees and the opponents for wasting time. He said, “Whoever watched the Liverpool and Manchester City match and saw the shape and pace of the match, the referee of that match gave eight minutes, the same amount they gave today when there was a team that did not want to play,” attacking the quality of the referees.
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Additionally, Martino went on to take a dig on MLS’ spirit, stating, “The spirit of the league that they told me about in an hour-long talk, I didn’t see today,” after losing the game 3-2. Overall, the season seems to be a bit vast for the Inter Miami coach. With multiple tournaments this year, the former FC Barcelona coach would like to escape all the referring mishaps.
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