David Gantar (born June 27, 1975) is a Canadian soccer referee for PRO from Edmonton, Alberta.[1] He has been a Canadian National Referee since 2004, and became a FIFA Referee in 2011. Gantar had a highly successful first year of international duty, officiating at three international tournaments — including one major tournament — and in the CONCACAF Champions League and 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification.[2]

David Gantar
Gantar before a 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup match at MetLife Stadium
Full name David John Gantar
Born (1975-06-27) June 27, 1975 (age 49)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Other occupation CFO and vice president of Stanley Construction Ltd.
Domestic
Years League Role
2015-2021 Major League Soccer Referee
2019–2021 Canadian Premier League Referee
International
Years League Role
2011–2021 FIFA listed Referee

On April 27, 2019, Gantar was the match official for the inaugural match of the Canadian Premier League.

Outside refereeing, Gantar has an MBA from the University of Alberta and is the CFO and vice president of Stanley Construction Ltd.[3]

Gantar retired following the 2021 Season. His final match was the 2021 Canadian Championship Final.[4]

Career

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Gantar had a successful first year as a FIFA referee, attending three international tournaments. His year included appointment to the Gold Cup (the continental championship) ahead of fellow Canadian FIFA Referee Paul Ward. The appointment came despite Ward's seniority and experience; coupled with Gantar's inclusion on CONCACAF's Elite Referee List.[5]

Tournament Date Venue Round Team 1 Result Team 2    
CONCACAF U-20 Championship[6] March 29   Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City Group Stage   Suriname 0 – 4   United States 2 1
CONCACAF U-20 Championship April 8   Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City Semi-Final   Costa Rica 2 – 1   Guatemala 5 0
CONCACAF Gold Cup[7] June 10   FIU Stadium, Miami Group Stage   Grenada 1 – 7   Honduras 1 0
Pan American Games[8] October 21   Estadio Omnilife, Guadalajara Group Stage   Costa Rica 0 – 3   Argentina 5 0
Pan American Games[9] October 23   Estadio Omnilife, Guadalajara Group Stage   Trinidad and Tobago 1 – 1   Ecuador 6 0

Card statistics

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Season G   Tot   PG   Tot   PG
2010 3 7 2.33 0 0
2011 17 68 4 5 0.29
2012 3 6 2 3 1

Statistics for all competitions, including domestic, CONCACAF and international friendlies/tournaments.

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "PRO Referee Roster". PROreferees.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  2. ^ "2011 International Appointments". Canadian Soccer Association. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  3. ^ "Dave Gantar Linkedin Profile". Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  4. ^ @CanadaSoccerEN (November 22, 2021). "Congratulations to Canada Soccer Referee Dave Gantar who refereed his final match today at the 2021 Canadian Championship Final. Happy retirement!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "CONCACAF Elite Referee Course held in Dallas". CONCACAF. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  6. ^ "Referees ready for U-20 Championship".
  7. ^ "Gold Cup first-round referees announced".
  8. ^ "Men First Round Group B Match 5". Retrieved January 20, 2012.
  9. ^ "Men First Round Group A Match 9". Retrieved January 19, 2012.
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