Joe Fletcher (referee)

Joe Fletcher (born September 10, 1976) is a Canadian former soccer referee from Niagara Falls, Ontario.[1] He is currently the manager of senior assistant referees for the Professional Referee Organization.[1]

Joe Fletcher
Fletcher in 2018
Born (1976-09-10) September 10, 1976
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Other occupation Chartered accountant
Domestic
Years League Role
1999–2007 CPSL/CSL Referee
2014–2019 MLS Referee
2015 NASL Assistant referee
2017 USLC Assistant referee
International
Years League Role
2007–2019 FIFA listed Referee

Fletcher is also known in accounting circles as a Chartered Professional Accountant who had his designation revoked by CPA Canada in 2020. Fletcher was disciplined for improperly taking $14.2 million in loans from his clients and falsifying documents to cover up his misconduct.[2]

Career

Fletcher initially began officiating in 1999 in the Canadian Professional Soccer League, after receiving the opportunity from Tony Camacho then the CPSL Director of Officials.[3][4]

When the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was held that summer in Canada, he was selected to be one of the tournament's assistant referees.[5] In 2007, he officiated the 2007 Open Canada Cup finals match.[6] He was also voted the CSL Referee of the Year in 2007.[7] In 2012, the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) selected Fletcher as the recipient for the Ray Morgan Memorial Award, and the Canada Soccer International Achievement Award in 2015.[8][9]

In 2018, he was voted MLS assistant referee of the year.[10] On January 18, 2019, he retired from officiating and served as a referee instructor for the CSA.[11] In January 2020, he was named the manager of senior assistant referees for the Professional Referee Organization (PRO).[12]

Outside of soccer, Fletcher was a CPA. In 2020, Fletcher was suspended by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario for misconduct, after having been found to have improperly borrowed money from clients and falsified audits to hide the trail.[13]

World Cup

He was selected as an assistant referee for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[14][15]

In 2018, Fletcher was selected to be an assistant referee at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, his second World Cup appointment.[16][17] He was an assistant video assistant referee for the Argentina vs Iceland and Uruguay vs Portugal games. He was also an assistant referee for the Portugal vs Morocco, South Korea vs Germany and the knockout stage match Colombia vs England.[18]

References
  1. Fletcher bio page proreferees.com, December 31, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2018. "Joe Fletcher Bio"
  2. "Protecting the Public - Fletcher, Joseph W." cpaontario.ca. November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  3. "Ex-CSL Ref Joe Fletcher off to Brazil Saturday – Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. May 29, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  4. Adamson, Stan (July 12, 2018). "WORLD CUP MATCH OFFICIAL JOE FLETCHER SERVED THE CSL WELL – Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  5. "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  6. "Canadian Soccer League - Articles". September 3, 2007. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  7. "2007 Award Ceremony". November 5, 2007. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  8. "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  9. "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  10. "Canadian Joe Fletcher voted Major League Soccer assistant referee of the year | The Star". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  11. "St. Catharines man retires after 25 years, 2 World Cups as top assistant referee". www.cbc.ca. The Canadian Press. January 18, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  12. "Canadian Joe Fletcher to help train, supervise MLS assistant referees - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. The Canadian Press. January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  13. "CPA Ontario Disciplinary Record" (PDF). Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  14. "Canadian assistant referee Joe Fletcher to make World Cup debut". Global News. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  15. Davidson, Neil (June 11, 2014). "Canadian assistant referee Joe Fletcher ready for scrutiny of World Cup". CTVNews. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  16. "List of match officials for the 2018 FIFA World Cup". Eurosport. March 29, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  17. Harrigan, Scott (May 30, 2018). "Joe Fletcher prepares for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia". ISN. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  18. "Canadian Joe Fletcher to referee Portugal vs. Morocco game - CBC Sports". Retrieved June 18, 2018.

https://www.cpaontario.ca/protecting-the-public/hearings-appeals/cases/d-19-009

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