World Cup final referee Howard Webb is among the 25 named by FIFA on Wednesday for this year's tournament in Brazil.

The list included nine referees from Europe, five from South America, four from Asia, three each from Africa and CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) and one from Oceania. Each referee was selected as a part of a team ­including two linesmen.

Felix Brych was picked from Germany, Carlos Velasco from Spain and Nicola Rizzoli from Italy, while there were no referees from France. Sandro Ricci was named as Brazil's referee and Nestor Pitana from Argentina.

Brych was involved in the so-called phantom goal match during a Bundesliga clash between Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim in October.

He awarded a Stefan Kiessling goal for Leverkusen after failing to see that the ball had entered the net through a hole in the side.

Germany's sports court ruled later Leverkusen's 2-1 win helped by the phantom goal would not be replayed despite the ball going in through the hole in the netting.

Englishman Webb handed out 14 yellow cards and one red in the Spain-Netherlands final in 2010 in South Africa, although he was widely criticized for failing to send off any Dutch players in a wild first half as Spain went on to win 1-0 in extra time.

"FIFA has implemented a comprehensive ­program to ensure that the referees for its flagship competition are in peak condition," the world soccer's governing body said.

"The referees selected for the World Cup in Brazil have been chosen based especially on their personality and their quality in football understanding by being able to read the game and the teams' tactical approaches towards each game."

Agencies - Global Times