The IFF Referee Committee has nominated seven pairs of referees from six different countries for the 2022 Men’s World Floorball Championship. The committee also nominated Mr. Mattias Linell from Sweden, as Chief Referee. Mr. Petr Seda from Czech Republic, Mr. Adrian Kretz from Switzerland and Mr. Sami Rahikainen from Finland are the observer referees in this event.
Corina Wehinger and Sandra Zurbuchen (Swiss)
- The most memorable game you have refereed?
Corina: This is by far the men’s final of the WFC in Helsinki. The whole atmosphere and the fact that we worked so hard to achieve this goal made it a unique experience.
Sandra: WFC 2020 -final.
- League in which you currently referee?
Corina: We referee in the highest men’s league in Switzerland.
Sandra: Lidl Unihockey Prime League Men (highest league in Switzerland).
- What do you enjoy the most being a referee?
Corina: I enjoy being a part of the game and being responsible for the fairness of the game in terms of sticking to the rules but also making sure the game runs smoothly. Allow good and positive emotions but on the other hand immediately stop negative vibrations and injustices. This is a great balance between the different emotions. Feeling this fine line and foreseeing those situations is what makes it so interesting and fun.
Sandra: That we can do our part to ensure that teams play a fair, fast and engaging game.
- Your profession/where do you currently work?
Corina: I work as a psychologist in the police department of the Zurich City Police.
Sandra: Lawyer and Tax Expert/Swiss Federal Tax Administration.
Janne Sjogren and Thomas Ellis (Finland)
- The most memorable game you have refereed?
Thomas: Final games are always memorable.
Janne: The atmosphere at the Finnish top flight finals last season was really great and unforgettable.
- League in which you currently referee?
Thomas: F-league.
Janne: F-Liiga (Finnish top league).
- What do you enjoy the most being a referee?
Thomas: Challenge, speed of play, unexpected situations and the process of preparing for them.
Janne: I love that he always puts new challenges in front of you and you can always develop yourself to be a better referee.
- Your profession/where do you currently work?
Thomas: electrician.
Janne: Working on consulting and digital development issues for large companies.
Thomas Andersson and Rickard Wissman (Sweden)
- The most memorable game you have refereed?
Thomas & Rickard: We love floorball and all of our games. But of course, the biggest games give great memories. This will be our fourth WFC in a row as a pair of referees and we look forward to many more good memories from Switzerland!
- League in which you currently referee?
Thomas & Rickard: Swedish Super League (SSL) and North American Floorball League (NAFL). With the aim of refereeing Floorball in the Olympic Games.
- What do you enjoy the most being a referee?
Thomas & Rickard: When we drive it together with the players to find the great flow and rhythm of the game that Floorball represents, that’s the best feeling! Outside of the big games, the memories and the people around: fellow referees, IFF and LOC staff. All fantastic people dedicated to the greatest sport of all time: Floorball!
- Your profession/where do you currently work?
Thomas & Rickard: Thomas works as Global Key Account Manager within Telecom and Rickard as Managing Editor/Chief Planner at the Swedish Police. From there we bring leadership and communication skills that are applied very well in the referee profile.
Jakub Furmanek and Vlastimil Solc (Czech Republic)
- The most memorable game you have refereed?
Jakub: For me, every game is memorable. The international level is always memorable and I am enjoying it a lot.
Vlastimil: My most memorable game was the last WFC in Helsinki, Thailand against Singapore, which was full of speed and emotions and I really enjoyed it.
- League in which you currently referee?
Jakub: Czech top league referee since 2007, IFF level since 2015.
Vlastimil: Czech top league referee since 2007, IFF level since 2015.
- What do you enjoy the most being a referee?
Jakub: I like to get both teams to enjoy fair play and floorball.
Vlastimil: Floorball is the sport of my life and after being an active youth player and coach, I enjoy staying in the sport as a referee and like to allow both teams to enjoy fair play.
- Your profession/where do you currently work?
Jakub: I work as COO at Czech Floorball, being responsible for testing, IT systems, legislation and the office.
Vlastimil: I work as Sales Director at Adidas, being responsible for the Strategic Sports Accounts in Eastern Europe.
Sharil Ismail and Oswind Rosayro (Singapore)
- The most memorable game you have refereed?
Sharil & Oswind: The most memorable game for us as a couple was during WFC 2020, Norway vs Czech Republic because that was our first Top 8 team game.
- League in which you currently referee?
Sharil & Oswind: We are currently refereeing in the Singapore League.
- What do you enjoy the most being a referee?
Sharil: Stay in good shape and share referee development ideas with other colleagues.
Oswind: Learning new officiating skills every time we have our tournament, whether it’s from observers or colleagues.
- Your profession/where do you currently work?
Sharil and Oswind: We are both sports coordinators working in schools in Singapore.
Maris Kumerdanks and Kaspars Kristapsons (Latvia)
- The most memorable game you have refereed?
Kaspars: The most memorable game is the first IFF final in Portugal (student championship game between Sweden and Finland).
Maris: WFC U-19 Men’s Gold Medal Game.
- League in which you currently referee?
Kaspars: Currently a referee in the top Latvian league.
Maris: Latvian men’s top league.
- What do you enjoy the most being a referee?
Kaspars: What I enjoy most is being part of the IFF family and meeting new people at every event.
Maris: Meeting lots of new people and being part of the big Floorball family.
- Your profession/where do you currently work?
Kaspars: Working in the Ministry of Defense as an instructor of state defense lessons.
Maris: Head of Information Systems Development Unit, Republic of Latvia Court Administration.
- Glenn Boström and Håkan Söderman (Sweden)
- The most memorable game you have refereed?
Håkan: My first semifinal at WFC 2010 I Hartwall Arena between Finland – Czech Republic. And also the 2016 Swedish Superfinal at Tele2Arena with 18,166 spectators.
Glenn: Last year’s Swedish final comes to mind. But in the WFC the last bronze match I would say.
- League in which you currently referee?
Håkan: Swedish Super League SSL.
Glenn: I have 541 games in the Swedish League.
- What do you enjoy the most being a referee?
Håkan: Being a part of Floorball and all the friends I know.
Glenn: Game management and getting players to have a smooth game.
- Your profession/where do you currently work?
Håkan: Working with Floorball in a local district in Sweden (Smaland/Blekinge).
Glenn: IT Consulting.