Soccer: Referee coup for NZ

Michael Hester has broken new ground for New Zealand soccer referees after being appointed to control a semifinal at the under-17 World Cup in Nigeria.

Hester, with his assistants Jan Hintz of New Zealand and Tevita Makasina of Tonga, will officiate in the match between Switzerland and Colombia tomorrow morning in Lagos.

It marks the first time a New Zealand official has refereed a fixture in the last four at a Fifa World Cup.