Jorge Caballero Vega of Paraguay is to referee the opening match of the 3rd FIFA World Futsal Championship between Spain and Egypt in Murcia on Sunday 24 November 1996.

The FIFA Referees' Committee, meeting in Murcia, appointed referees for the first 12 matches of the tournament. The first match in Segovia, between the USA and Uruguay, will be refereed by Pedro Galan Nieto of Spain.

A total of 17 referees from all six FIFA continental confederations have been appointed for the 40 matches of the Championship, the Final of which is to be played in Barcelona on Sunday 8 December.

Each match is controlled by a main referee, an assistant referee and a timekeeper. The timekeeper's responsibilities include controlling the effective playing time, temporary suspensions, time-outs and accumulated fouls.

The Referees' Committee has instructed all referees in the Championship to be especially strict in penalising foul play and misconduct.

The Committee also heard that all 17 referees had passed the standard fitness tests held in Murcia, although four had needed a second attempt because of the effects of injury or travelling to Spain.