Tony Evangelista

Who is Tony Evangelista?

Antonio "Tony" Evangelista is a Canadian FIFA referee and important builder to Canadian soccer.

Evangelista was born in Sora, Italy, and came to Canada with his family when he was 13. He began refereeing when he was 23, and was for many years one of Canada's top referees. Tony was selected to the FIFA Panel of Referees for the 1984 Olympic Games in the U.S. and was in the middle for the game between West Germany and Morocco. Later in the competition he was a linesman in one of the semi-finals.

Other notable games and competitions Evangelista officiated in were Switzerland vs Italy in 1984, the final of the first FIFA Five a Side Indoor World Tournament in the Netherlands in 1989, the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship in the USSR and the game between Italy and the Ivory Coast at the FIFA U-16 World Championship in Toronto.

Perhaps the most important game Tony ever handled was that between Honduras and El Salvador in Tegucigalpa immediately following the so-called "Soccer War" between the two countries. The fact that he was chosen to handle such a potentially volatile game underlines the high esteem in which he was held by FIFA.