Drew Fischer was quick on his feet — as is his sporting job — to answer the question, ‘Who’s hated more by footie fans?’
The dastardly on-field referee?
Or the diabolical VAR guy?
“That’s really hard,” said Fischer, thinking for just a moment when talking proudly about his upcoming assignment as an official at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris. “I think the answer a lot of the time is the VAR guy. But for most fans, that’s a faceless person, right? And so it all gets directed at the referee. “But half the time, they hate the VAR guy more.”
The Calgarian knows first-hand, having been the target of barbs from fans as both a ref and video assistant since he’s held both gigs at prominent international soccer events over the years.
But not many if you consider his next assignment.
After all, it takes quality to be awarded a job as a head on-field official at the Paris Olympiad.
“Yeah … it’s definitely merit based,” said the 44-year-old Fischer. “We got selected in, I guess, February or March — something like that. But really, the process starts a couple of years out. Everything in our world operates in four-year cycles, built around the World Cups. And so throughout that process, you kind of get identified for the various competitions that are in that cycle. And you start with the International stuff in your own region. So for me that was things like Concacaf Gold Cup and the Concacaf League final and that kind of stuff. And if if those go well, then hopefully you get selected for World Cups and Olympics.
“But with all these things, there’s a certain element of good timing and good fortune that goes into it, too.”
Fischer, who started reffing at age 13 for CalGlen FC matches and went onto his first professional gig in Major League Soccer in 2011 and onto international assignments in 2015, was fortunate to be streamed as an VAR assistant at high-profile events.
The 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia all featured the Calgarian in the VAR booth, his eyes scrutinizing every play for potential infractions.
Yet despite his success behind the screens, Fischer yearned to return to the field. Since Qatar, he pushed to prove himself worthy of wielding the whistle once more at the highest level. The FIFA Under-20 World Cup was his first test, followed by the high-pressure Concacaf Nations League final between the USA and Mexico last fall in Texas.
Each match was a statement, a declaration that Fischer belonged on the field as much as in the VAR room.
And so he’s off to Paris, part of the first Canadian men’s refereeing trio to officiate at the Olympics in at least three decades.
He’ll work beside Micheal Barwegen, from Coaldale, Alta., and Lyes Arfa, from Quebec City — his assistant referees running the sidelines. They have trained together, traveled together, and now face the scrutiny of the world together.
“That’s a big part of this, too, is we’ve been together now for a while,” Fischer said. “We’ve gained a lot of familiarity. It does become a stronger team when you’re able to do that. And so that’s kind of a neat opportunity.”
And they’ll feel the pressure at Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris or in one of the other many cities — Bordeaux, Décines-Charpieu, Marseille, Nantes, Nice and Saint-Étienne — hosting the 18 days of Olympic soccer.
“You’re guaranteed one game,” said Fischer, who won’t know his assignment(s) until hours before the start of the Summer Games. “You do one game that has a bunch of noise around you, and it’s maybe the last time you do it. So it makes the pressure really high. It also it also kind of makes the satisfaction really high when things do go well. You’ve done your job.
“The Olympics are kind of a big deal, you know,” added Fischer. “It’s one of those things, especially on the men’s side, that it’s kind of the second biggest event, right? The World Cup is is bigger.
“But as soon as you get to people that aren’t fully invested in soccer, the Olympics is the one that moves the needle with everybody, right? That’s the one that’s cool no matter what your background is.
“So … yeah … it’s pretty exciting.”
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