The Mexican who became a referee out of necessity, and who will lead the 2023 FIBA ​​World Cup final – Fox Sports

When the bills stopped going out, Omar Bermudez opinion Control K Run away from your problems: Today he is not close to directing last affiliate Basketball World Cup 2023.

he Mexican refereeborn in Tijuanawill be the national representative in Basketball World Cup FinalWhich will be held on Sunday morning, September 10 between Germany and Serbia.

In his time studentl age He was excited to appear in Tijuana sticks And attract someone’s attention Area Viewer To advance in his dream of being Basketball playerwith no idea where his path would be associated with sportsbut from another angle.

And this is when money It started to pose a problem for Omar and him Academic lifehe Basketball He extended his hand, but in a very special way.

“My goal as a young man was to play sports as professionally as possible. I did that in local student leagues, and then opened a Tijuana Cup franchise Over time my profile changes.

“The truth is that, For me, the refereeing ended up being a fluke, something I wasn’t intentionally looking for. There, on the weekend of the local league being played in Tijuana, there they say to me: “I was already here, so you can arbitrate and act.”Omar said on the Café y Basketball podcast.

What started as banter and even informal invitationended with age Help each other financially for the school, thanks small batches They gave him in the local league.

“I ran into a good friend of mine on the field, Alejandra Ángel, who used to referee. The truth is that All of us who got started, myself included, had it because of the financial support of our time as students..

“I approached Alejandra and jokingly said, ‘I want to be a referee,’ and another teammate said, ‘Okay, come,’ and I arrived with them the following week.” No whistle, no feathers, nothing, I wasn’t ready. That’s how I learned about arbitration. “Saturdays used to have 5, 8 or 10 matches,” Omar explained.

From fighting to taking notes, to becoming a professional referee!

Indeed, in his first match as a referee, age He did not strive to impose discipline or enforce the rules of the game, but WIt was another challenge that gave him green gray hair..

“I was bad at scoring, never good. I’m so hyper that I can’t sit still, imagine 8 games. This is how I entered the field of refereeing, then I continued to work in children’s tournaments and open leagues, and in refereeing I allow myself to go, and I go wherever they call me.

“That’s how I got into refereeing, until I met people who were already in the professional field, but By playing they drag me into professional leagues.“Omar said.

It was another friend who already knew other heights of Mexican basketball Finally, he convinces Omar to attend training and courses. In one of them he finally managed to become a professional referee.

“My approach was very strange, and I had aspirations to continue playingBut they invited me to a camp, and that’s where they really inundated me with the judging information, and a friend convinced me to go to a training session (I’m 22) and that’s when I was in that clinic, which was for selection and re-validation. Licenses for professional and aspiring referees, who From day to day he became a professional referee“, counting.

That need, the need of the student who loves basketball, He turned Omar into a FIBA ​​refereewith experience in the National Basketball League (in Mexico) and the G League, in NBA Summer LeagueFIBA ​​Basketball World Cup China 2019 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Omar will miss a 10-game set on Saturday at his beloved Tijuana, as he struggles to score…this Sunday, the Mexican He will referee the most important match of his “eventful” career.one of 2023 FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup Final.