Remember back when US Soccer Federation Ref Jair Marufo was suspended by US Soccer for questionable calls in a Chicago Fire match in which he chatted up Cuatehemoc Blanco and received a Blanco jersey?

Well he’s back. According to this press release he could be one of the refs in a crucial match in the Interliga, the competition between Mexican clubs for the qualifying spots for the second most important and prestigious club football tournament in the world, South America’s Copa Libertadores:

InterLiga 2010 Referee Pool Announced

NEW YORK (Tuesday, December 22, 2009) – The referees, assistants and fourth officials participating in the seventh edition of InterLiga, the tournament that determines two Mexican berths to the prestigious Copa Libertadores, were announced today. The tournament will begin on Saturday, January 2, 2009 at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas with Group A action.

Each match’s official referee designations will be announced 24 hours before each match on the tournament’s official website, www.InterLiga.com.

The U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) oversees the designation, evaluation and training of all the officials in the United States, and will assign the teams of four to officiate each match of the tournament. USSF, currently in partnership with the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), will also assign referees from the CSA to participate in these matches. The referee pool follows below:

REFEREE POOL

Mark Geiger

Baldomero Toledo

Jair Marrufo

Ricardo Salazar

Jorge Gonzalez

Silviu Petrescu

Alex Prus

Kevin Stott

Terry Vaughn

Paul Ward

ASSISTANT REFEREE POOL

Adam Garner

Adam Wienckowski

Anthony Vasoli

Brian Poeschel

Chris Strickland

Corey Rockwell

Daniel Belleau

Eric Boria

Fabio Tovar

Frank Anderson

Greg Barkey

Hector Vergara

Jason Cullum

Jeff Hosking

Joe Fletcher

Kermit Quisenberry

Peter Balciunas

Peter Manikowski

Steven Taylor

Thomas Supple

FOURTH OFFICIAL POOL

Alex Prus

Baldomero Toledo

Jair Marrufo

Jasen Anno

Kevin Stott

Paul Ward

Ramon Hernandez

Ricardo Salazar

Terry Vaughn

Yader Reyes

All the matches will be broadcast in the United States on Fox Sports en Español and ESPN Deportes Radio.  For more information, visit the official tournament website, www.InterLiga.com.

Could this mean Marrufo will be back reffing MLS matches next season? It certainly seems likely. What do you think? Should the former US Soccer Referee of the Year get a reprieve for 2010?