El Paso’s own, Jair Marrufo, has had an extensive and esteemed career in his tenure as a referee; a career that has also spanned generations. “Watching my father every weekend on the tv reffing in the Mexican League was a unique experience for any kid and when I was 19 he kept asking me to ref.” At first to no avail, Jair eventually succumbed to his father’s request. Moving through the ranks of the pro refereeing world and fast tracking his way to the upper echelons, in three years’ time he stepped onto the pitch in his first professional debut as a referee, in an MLS matchup between the Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution.
Eighteen years have passed since his pro debut and Jair Marrufo has done anything but slow down. Reffing across the globe, he has been an integral component of some of the world’s largest matches and tournaments, from countless Gold Cup appearances, Copa America, the Beijing Olympic Games, and most recently the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Just as with athletes, there is a progression and leveling that your craft must go through to get to the highest level of the game. “I think my first game was a U-8 game in El Paso and since then I was able to keep moving up and be a part of the highest level of soccer in the world.” This FIFA World Cup was not only the first for Jair, but also for the implementation of the VAR system, a system that he had familiarity with during his time working in the MLS.
“VAR is great and fortunately for us (American audiences) we are already used to the idea of video replay in sports. In Russia, it held players and refs accountable. We gave out no red cards for violent conduct. It ultimately makes the game safer in many ways.” VAR also solidified the “excellent call” made by Jair in his World Cup debut of Tunisia vs Belgium, when he called for a penalty. “To the viewers it looked like it was on the line, but I knew I made the right call and when it was confirmed by VAR, the Tunisia players and others who were skeptical of the call were appeased.”
A proud El Pasoan, Jair Marrufo can be seen on the tele and reffing local youth games when the opportunity arises.