Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar travels to Qatar to fulfill his World Cup dream
Referee Mario Escobar shared with family and friends before embarking on the trip to the host city of the World Cup. Before arriving in Doha, it will make stops in Miami, the United States and Barcelona.
Escobar defines himself as a “serious” and somewhat quiet person. Despite this, with just over two weeks to go before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he cannot hide a smile and expresses himself fluently.
“We are a soccer family. My brothers like it, my mom had to adapt and she has never stopped supporting us“, He says. Regarding his father, Mario Efraín, a former national referee who came close to directing the 1998 World Cup in France, expresses: “I know that he is happy for me, he is not going to express it much; we resemble each other in the way we are”.
In his first World Cup as a referee, he is seeing the dream he had since he was a child materialize. “Being there — in Qatar — there are going to be mixed feelings. An accumulation of emotions before the match assigned to us”, he says serenely, while looking directly at the camera on a sunny morning at the High Performance Center (CAR), zone 15.
When I land at the World Cup venue, Escobar Toca will stay at the Intercontinental Hotel, as he has done in other events —World Clubs and seminars—.
“There they give us each a room, with all the comforts to be able to do our work”.
Regarding the stay, he refers: “I consider myself serious and I find it difficult to start a conversation; We talked for a while with the other referees. We talk about soccer. We play ping pong, video games or go to the nearby beach. I relate more to those from Concacaf, because we share in the Gold Cup and other events”.
In this transcendental stage of his life, he focuses on enjoying every detail, always aware of the responsibility that he carries with him. In the game that he has to lead, he hopes that all the work and effort that has accompanied him for 22 years will be reflected.
“I am not going to be in any group D match – Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Japan – because my assistant is Costa Rican and Fifa takes care of those details. The chances of directing the Concacaf teams are nil”, explains the whistler.
Regarding the favorite teams to win Qatar 2022, the 36-year-old Guatemalan referee prefers not to give an opinion.
“Many teams play football well and will give it their all. We, as referees, are going to want to advance and direct in the round of 16, quarters, semis and, why not, the final. You have to go with that mindset”.
Already at the end of the interview, after some laughs and before saying goodbye, Escobar Toca looks on his phone for a photo of a report by Carlos Batres —former national referee who led the World Cups in Korea and Japan 2002, and South Africa 2010—.
After several minutes he finds her. It is an article published in the Sports section of Prensa Libre, on February 6, 2010—. The headline says: “He will go to the World Cup.” And there, with a pencil, Escobar Toca wrote: “Here I want to arrive”.
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