Football Federation SA match officials Matthew Cream and Paul Cetrangolo were re-appointed to the 2013 FIFA Match Officials Panel last month.

Cream was first appointed to the FIFA Panel in 2000 and has earned his FIFA Badge every year since, while Cetrangolo celebrates his third consecutive year as a FIFA Assistant Referee.

Both match officials enjoyed a remarkable 2012 season with Cream travelling to the London Olympic Games and officiating at Old Trafford and Cetrangolo appointed to the 2012 AFC Asian Champions League Final in Ulsan, South Korea.

"To be appointed to the FIFA Panel for a 14th consecutive year was another immense privilege and to represent Australia internationally is something I definitely don't take for granted,” said Cream. 

“Being reappointed to the FIFA and AFC panel for 2013 is a massive honour and one that I hold very passionately,” said Cetrangolo.

Cream has been appointed as an Assistant Referee at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany and 2009 in South Africa, the 2012 London Olympics, two NSL grand finals, three A-League grand finals and two AFC Champions League finals in a career spanning over 15 years.

“I am honoured to have been appointed to such prestigious appointments throughout my career - the 2012 A-League Grand Final, the 2012 Mens Olympic Football Tournament in London – they’re all events which I will remember fondly," he said.

Cetrangolo, who took up refereeing when he was 16 after seeing an ad in The Messenger, admitted last season was certainly the highlight of his officiating career, travelling to no less than seven countries and culminating in the ACL Final. 

“This was my first year on the AFC Elite Panel and I enjoyed all parts of the year,” he said.

“Over the course of the 12 months I travelled to Qatar, Vietnam, Myanmar, Iran, Japan, Malaysia and Korea.”

“Each trip was very special and the final trip to Korea for the ACL Final was truly memorable.  To be selected for such a massive game was an honour and one that I will hold dear to me for the rest of my life.”

Cetrangolo is hoping to continue officiating for as long as possible and harbours ambitions to one day be appointed to a major tournament such as a FIFA World Cup. 

“I hope that the body remains sound so that I can maintain my position on the panel for as long as possible,” he said.

“In the long term I would love to be selected for a major FIFA tournament and even the World Cup.  But to get there you need to make sure that you are focused, fit and you just do every game right.”