Stadio Olimpico, Rome (ITA)
AS Roma - FC Liverpool
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Matej Jug (SVN)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Slavko Vinčič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)
UEFA Delegate: Ronald Zimmermann (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Matej Jug (SVN)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Slavko Vinčič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)
UEFA Delegate: Ronald Zimmermann (GER)
Now there is a big question: would you appoint Mazic for CL final without having handled any single game in KO stage? That's a more than weird management. At the same time, I really don't know what to think. Skomina can officiate both this semifinal and then the final.
ReplyDeleteThe question is was that necessary to appoint him to a SF if he is indeed planned for the final... Shocking management!!
DeleteMaybe Mazic was originally planned for a 2nd-leg match in the CL quarterfinals but UEFA decided - with a look at the 1st-leg results - to appoint him in the EL instead?
DeleteMy predictions:
ReplyDeleteCL final: Mazic
EL final: Rocchi
Atletico- Arsenal: Orsato
Salzburg- OM : Karasev
CL final 2019: Skomina
CL final 2020: Orsato
CL final 2021: Mateu Lahoz (if no Barca/Real)
CL final 2022: Marciniak
2023: Collum
Delete2024: Hategan
2025: Turpin
2026: Oliver
2027: Makkelie
2028: Zwayer
2029: Bastien
2030: Gil Manzano
... and I hope, as romanian, that until 2025 also Hategan will whistle a CL final. It will be very difficult but he has some chances :)
Delete2024 will be the year :)
Delete2031 Guzubuyuk
Delete2032 Ekberg
2033 my son.......
:-) long vision
I'm joking guys
I agree with the predictions for this year. I would prefer Makkelie instead of Karasev based on performance, but the Russian needs such matches more with regard to the WC.
DeleteAn alternative theory might be, that Marciniak was planned for Atletico and will be replaced by some big name (Brych/Kuipers) after the first leg's events - Orsato in Salzburg in this case.
@f I was joking too :D
Delete@Phillip S : Let's get Brych to Madrid... Any problem, Brych is always the solution :D
Soham, Gil Manzano will be 46 yr old by 2030, no way.
Delete@f: Rumours say that the CL final 2033 is to be handled by a female referee for the first time.
DeleteI predict myself in 2041(I am 41 in That year)the last human referee. After that robots will officiate the first CL-final 🤖 🙃.
DeleteAnd I predict that the first "son" to handle a CL final will rather be Dallas' son or Levnikov's son than f's son. ;-)
Deletehttps://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwkc3sKcCNy9MXpRU1pTSW1mLTA/view
DeleteThis is quite a useful document to assessing future referees, from The Third Team days. Of course they got some wrong (eg Stefanski), and quite a lot has changed, but anyway it is quite a useful reference IMO.
Maybe Rocchi for CL final...of course Liverpool need to do their homework
ReplyDeleteI have a question : Why on earth did Milorad Mazic not get a single CL knockout game this year in spite of good performances throughout the season?? Absolute joke to keep Mazic out completely!
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to think that he failed some physical tests to get CL, this can be the only reason, to be honest.
DeleteAgree this is so weird that we need to think to some out of the box explanation
DeleteAs i said before that Mazic wont get CL this week due to 2 matchs in 5 days in our league.
DeleteI dont think Mazic failed physical tests coz he looked in top form on both matchs in last 5 days..
For sure he has cleared the most rigorous fitness tests during World Cup selections... Kuipers was injured but even after that cleared all fitness tests well so I don't think Mazic being completely fit would have had problems there!!
DeleteOr they decided already in winter, that Mazic will get the CL final and did not want to take any risks.
DeleteWould be a new strategy and I am not convinced that it is a good one.
Anyway, Mazic seems more likely for the final now than Skomina, because otherwise Mazic should have the match in Rome. He should not get Atletico-Arsenal in that case.
Really bad move I must say if it is indeed so... At least one good R16 match is necessary for the final candidate to get the referee back in groove and also to ascertain that his current form is good!
DeleteIn my opinion is really unfair to forbidden once gain CL final to Skomina. It happened last year too, when Brych was preferred to him at last second due to un-attendance of Bayern Munchen.
ReplyDeleteSkomina has longer carrier and better palmares respect to mazic, so IMO it has been more fair to assign CL final to Skomina and EL final to Mazic
And under that circumstance it is a poor move to appoint Skomina for Roma v Liverpool... Weird management either way!!
DeleteMazic had WC 2014, Skomina not. Also Mazic whistled Confederations Cup final.
DeleteFor sure Skomina will be the referee in Madrid, next season.
But before next season... everything can happen!
DeleteSkomina had quite a few CL Semi-finals, but Mazic has not one... Skomina has already an EL final, which Mazic has not... Really difficult to ascertain who is ahead of whom...
DeleteMaybe they planned Skomina for WC final?
DeleteFirstly World Cup appointments have got nothing to do with European appointments... Plus I can name at least 6-7 referees who enjoy more credit and ratings in FIFA than Skomina... So I would say the maximum I expect Skomina to progress is R16 or at max QF in the World Cup!!
DeleteNo way Skomina for WC final. There won't be an european. Even than Cakir, Brych and Kuipers are ahead hime.
DeleteProbably Pitana will whistle the WC final (other names are Irmatov or Ricci)
Argentina and Brazil in Semi-final will mean Pitana and Ricci goes straight back to their homes... European refs are always favourites in such cases!! Argentina progressing far will also lower Irmatov's chances... Cakir and Kuipers are two of the most reliable and safest options available whichever team might progress!!
Delete@soham, how old are you ? You reply to every post, there is no thread, no discussion without you. Honestly, I'm tired to read your name everywhere.
DeleteOtherwise, I can bet my house that (after Webb and Rizzoli) we will see a non-european referee in WC final. It's common sense...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Delete@petchovski Am I bound to give you an explanation?? I'm free to express my opinion here in the blog as much as I want... Whether you or another particular user is bored of me, matters really little to me... The least important thing I care about is your views on me... And keep your common sense to yourself as appointing is no perfect science... Thank you very much!! :)
DeleteDamir Skomina will be again disappointed in case of missed appointment for CL final. This man deserves it. One must be honest. I really don't like what committee is doing there. I'm not Slovenian but I think that Skomina gave already everything with many top class performances, and this "dangerous" appointment in Rome could have been avoided....
ReplyDeleteAgain I think that for the final assignments committee will kid us.
To be fair this season's overall management shows that it's now time for Collina to go... This juggling of responsibilities with FIFA and UEFA is just not working and leading to all sorts of poor management of referees!
DeleteMy theory is that the UEFA Referees Committe saved Mažić from really big games (CL) in order to appoint him for the CL final in what most likely is his last campaign. Skomina will be a shoe in for the CL next season. And even if his performances will be poor next season, there are still two more season on the horizon.
ReplyDeleteIf we have Mažić for this year's CL final, I fully understand the committee's choice.
The only weird thing in this scenario, would be the fact that Mazic would get CL final without having handled a semifinal before this step. Do you know whether this already happened in past with another referee in recent times? (question to all readers, of course)
DeleteProbably it won't be the last season for home. Even Rizzoli stayed after 45. Akinson (born 1971) is still in the list. Maybe we will see Mazic next season in a SF, you never know.
DeleteIn recent times Webb, Kassai, Proenca, Rizzoli, Kuipers, Çakir, Clattenburg and Brych all had at least one CL Semi-final before whistling the CL final in their respective years... I really don't know what Committe plans, there were some very moderate games in CL KO like Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayern Munich v Sevilla where Mazic could get a game... The complete absence is a very poor thing to do!! For example suppose I say Cakir is a favourite for WC final so will it be a great idea to keep him for the final safe and not appoint him in any prior match in the tournament?? Of course, the answer is a No!
DeleteSomeone having two good group stage matches at the WC and then directly the final - I can totally see that happen this year...
DeleteNot saying, it would be a good idea.
Did Kassai had a CL Semi-final or even a CL QF before his CL final?
DeleteNo, only 2 R16 matches
DeleteKassai didn't whistle a qF or SF before his final in 2011. But he whistled a WC semfinal in 2010 and Olympic Games final in 2008.
DeleteAnyway, I still think that final came too early for Kassai. He was only 36 years old in 2011 !!! It was not normal. A CL final should be the reward for the entire (long) career. For this reason I said it's too early to see Marciniak (born 1981) before at least 2022.
Kassai had a WC semi-final before the CL final, if that means anything :)
DeleteFor Europa League semifinals I think we can expect for sure Rocchi but then I really don't know about the other game!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Italian will handle the CL final, but wouldn't it be distasteful? Rizzoli was soooo much pushed by Collina and now another countryman?
DeleteRocchi same issue... Never progressed beyond CL QFs at any stage of his career!!
DeleteI agree, this is my theory:
Delete- Rocchi told Collina that he is going to retire circa WC
- Collina decided that Mazic was for EL Final, and Skomina can wait another year thanks to his young age
- Rocchi's performance was assessed as sth like 8,2/3 by Dallas (in spite of the rumours)
- Or even Dallas didn't like Rocchi's performance, but surely neither did Ilka Koho at MAL-POR for Rizzoli...
So it looks as if the constellation is aligning for Gianluca Rocchi.
But also Mazic could get CL Final directly, and I would not yet totally eliminate Skomina. Even Mateu?
I think, we can be sure that Rocchi gets another match this season. Otherwise it would be strange to leave him out in QF.
DeleteSo if he doesn't get a match on Thursday, he should be clear for one of the finals.
IMO it should be the EL final for him this year (and therefore no match this week).
Rocchi already did Super Cup this season so how can he get another UEFA final? Has anything like that happened before?
DeleteAnother aspect: If Skomina is indeed not planned for the final, I would have preferred him for Real-Bayern.
ReplyDeleteI think, he is equally (to Cakir) able to handle that match, but Cakir really had a lot of Real matches in recent years. And two years ago, he refereed Bayern's second SF leg with a wrong penalty for Atletico. This has been already remembered by German media yesterday.
Skomina would be "fresher" in that aspect and it would be a recognition for his good season to get the biggest match of the campaign.
Of course, Cakir still is a good choice for tomorrow.
I agree with this... Cakir has 2 Real Madrid matches each in 2016 and 2017 KOs... And overall he has done Real Madrid 5 times in the last 2 seasons... Way too much meeting one team!!
DeleteI'm starting to think it will be possible to see a referee appointed for his second CL final. Brych, Kuipers?
ReplyDeleteEverything seems to be possible there.
Can we bring back Frank de Bleeckre please? :'(
DeleteNo, no look, I dont know how anybody can think about Rocchi as a candidate for CL final. Mazic is candidate no. 1, Rocchi cant be becouse of, for me not so good preformance after Real-PSG, he can take EL final at least this year, so I think that UEFA saves Mazic for the CL final, becouse this is his Farawell campagin in CL.
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of naivety . The specific weight of the Federations is not the same, Germany has a weight, Spain has a weight, Slovenia has one of its own. PLC is certainly independent in its choices but the pressures it perceives them.
ReplyDeleteWe see PLC who will send to Kiev and then we will understand many things.
I believe that much will depend if Real Madrid goes into the final
I agree, but I think you cannot forget this factor: Mr Sajn
Delete@Mikael W, true.. Mr.Šajn on one side and A. Čeferin on the other. A. Čeferin being the President of Uefa and his position is not necessary in favor of Skomina's possibility for officiating the CL final. I'm convinced that Skomina should deserve to officiate the CL final this year but as we all know too well that there is a lot of lobbying/hidden politics behind the appointments and not necessarily the performance criterion is the decisive element to become the man in the middle of the most prestigious match of the year.. 😉
DeleteAll the names in this decade deserved it... Some maybe not in their respective years but for their overall careers, they all deserved it :)
DeleteDamir Skomina has made a new record this season with officiating Italian teams.
ReplyDeleteCL Play off
Nice - Napoli
CL Grup Stage
Barcelona - Juventus
Chelsea - Roma
Napoli - Shakhtar Donetsk
CL KO Stage
Roma - Liverpool
EL KO Stage
Salzburg - Lazio
The only games without Italian teams:
Celtic - Zenit (EL KO Stage)
Barcelona - Chelsea (CL KO Stage)
Total of officiated games: 8
Involving Italian teams: 6
It's a love story, baby just say yes :D
DeleteIt's a shame Italy isn't there in the World Cup for Skomina to referee them :D
@Soham It feels almost like home 😉😃. That why has Skomina 4th official from Italy (Rocchi in EL Final last year) or was himself the 4th official to Italian Referee team (e.g.Rizzoli) 😃
DeleteSkomina also speaks fluent Italian, I think you said before? 😃 Some love stories are made in heaven and Skomina and Italy is one of those 😍
Delete@Soham, yes you've remembered it correctly and kt seems we have a really nice football refereeing love story 😃😃😉..
DeleteSadly we won't see anything such blossom between Michael Oliver and Juventus FC 😢😢
DeleteMichael Oliverto referee UCL Final..
ReplyDeleteLiverpool spoils the party :(
DeleteNow that England hav no referee in the World Cup..uefa should give them a chance
ReplyDeleteOliver is 33 so some 12 years left... Don't be in a hurry :D
DeleteI want to ask Serbian readers why in their opinion Milorad Mažić was not appointed for CL KO stage.
ReplyDeleteWe dont know. That question has to go for Collina. I expected to see him at least 2 times in CL KO but same happening as last year. I dont know whats the problem when his last 2-3y was the best..
DeleteOne reason might be the he was planned for CL final and therefore saved. If he had some important mistake against the tram progressed to final, it would be very problematic to appoint him at the final - complaints and pressure on Mazic would be enormous.
DeleteI believe Mazic was planned for something more last years, but... Goal scored in Psg-City few years ago was assessed as offside by Collina (Ibrahimovic's infrigement of GK), and Mazic lost his place in CL/EL semifinals. After Bayern-Arsenal we all expected Mazic at least in semifinal, but he didn't get nothing (in RAP we saw 4 situations from Bay-Ars: 3 crucial and very tough decisions were assessed as correct, and only "mistake" was that the wall wasn't positioned 9.15m from the ball). Maybe, PLC wanted to completely save him.
I understand the argument the he has never got CL semifinal, bit he got 3 EL semifinals, Super Cup final and Confederations cup final - so he is very experienced and he is ready for the final (maybe CL semifinal is considered as bigger issue than Conf cup final, but nevertheless final is final). He has great team, he is always in excellent form, he improved his management and body language... Having in mind that both Mazic and Skomina are always available for the finals, because of their nationality, it is smart decision to save one of then (youger one) for next year.
So, for me:
Mazic Cl final
Rocchi EL final
For EL semifinal 4 candidates: Marciniak, Makkelie, Orsato and Karasev - first two would be my choice.
Sorry for few typing mistakes - I typed comment on my mobile phone.
DeleteGreat analysis Teo, thanks. It was interesting to read your opinion about this.
DeleteUefa Favourites
ReplyDelete1. Kuipers
2. Cuynet
3. Rocchi
4. Skomina
5. Mazic
6. Lahoz
7.
Brych?
DeleteKuipers, Cüneyt and Brych are in top 3 that's for sure!!
DeleteSpanish referees favourites for me:
Delete1. Gil Manzano.
2.- Del Cerro.
3.- Undiano.
4.- Sánchez Martínez.
5.- M.Munuera.
6.- Estrada.
7.- Hernández Hernández.
8.- Matéu Lahoz.
9.- De Burgos.
Very interesting your ranking, mine is slightly different.
Delete1. Gil Manzano.
2.- Del Cerro.
3.- Sanchez Martinez
4.- Hernandez Hernandez
5.- Lahoz
6.- Estrada
7.- Munuera Montero
I don't consider the first years........
My 5 is Martínez Munuera. Not Munuera Montero.
DeleteSome nice research done by Stake :
ReplyDeleteDid a bit of research. Number of CL KO games by referees before being sent to the CL Final.
Webb: 3x R16, 2x QF
Kassai: 2x R16
Proença: 2x R16, 1x SF
Rizzoli: 4x R16, 2x QF
Kuipers: 4x R16, 2x QF, 1x SF
Çakir: 3x R16, 1x QF, 1x SF
Clattenburg: 5x R16, 3x QF, 2x SF
Brych: 8x R16, 6x QF, 1x SF
All credit to Stake for getting this information 😎
13 VARs confirmed for World Cup.
ReplyDeletehttp://resources.fifa.com/image/upload/russia-2018-list-of-video-match-officials.pdf?cloudid=dlf1vsqmmpucihtftsu0%E2%80%8B
Atletiko Madrid-Arsenal - Milorad Mazic
ReplyDeleteZalsburg-Marseille - Jonas Eriksson
What if Skomina becomes another Clattenburg? CL SF and then Final?
ReplyDeleteLast year noone expected that.....
For me, Skomina is one example of dedicating-hard work referee. I think he never goes down in his hard times. He for sure will get a big final (which I don't know what final). The battle of East Europe referee for this time UCL final :)
ReplyDeleteClattenburg came from another planet !!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd, unluckily for UEFA refereeing, he decided to return back there too early!
DeleteBut he has left on earth a worthy heir...Oliver
ReplyDeleteWould've been a worthy successor anyway even if he left 4 years later!!
DeleteSure Soham, sure.
DeleteHopefully Oliver will manage a bright career in Europe like he has already managed in England :)
DeleteI can't understand Collina by any means. Skomina is the best European referee for the time being and has been in superb form for the last 3 years. If it turns out that Committee "protected" Mazic in CL KO stage to assure him of CL final, then I think this would set a very dangerous precedent. Any referee would think from now on they don't need to pass any performance test to be awarded the dream match for any European official. If confirmed, CL final appointment will become a mere lobbying fight starting from the very beginning of each season. That said, Collina has been so poor in his management that nothing he comes up with can take me by surprise. Also, the age argument in favor of Mazic is beyond all reason. One has to earn it!
ReplyDeleteActually, I can understand him.
DeleteHe obviously wanted to give Mazic the final and had to protect him at any cost. The Serbian is known for struggling in big matches and especially under pressure. So an appointment on QF would be a risky move. Don't forget what happened on the 2014 WC when Mazic was clearly PLC's choice.
You're just making the case for why Mazic should not referee the CL final. Come on, if he folds under pressure, he has no place in the most coveted and demanding match for any European official.
DeleteHi everyone, to answer the question that has been on most of our minds, it seems that Lubos Michel in 2008 has been appointed for the final without any previous appearance in the CL knockout phase.
ReplyDeleteCheck here (http://worldreferee.com/site/copy.php?linkID=41&linkType=referee&contextType=stats), also wikipedia says the same.
However he already had a semifinal in his experience in CL 2004-2005.
Anyway, I think he is now the favourite for the final. Even though he never refereed a semifinal, he got very important games such as Germany-Portugal or Atletico-Real etc. that should justify a final. However I agree that this would be partly due to the fact that he will retire soon.
The performance on Atletico - Real would rather justify a demotion, not a final.
DeleteIt is very interesting that most of you here remember particularly Mazic's mistakes and emphasize them, and forget his many brilliant performances. In the same time, you all forget big mistakes from Cakir, Brych, Kuipers, Skomina... All of them and their teams had crucial mistakes even this year, but obviosly it is already forgotten. Tell me in Germany-Portugal what was Mazic's mistakes? He missed PK for Portugal when it was already 4-0, really some crucial mistake... Winner decider... In Real-Atletico (one of the hardest matches in football history for refereeing - everybody expected fight from the beggining till the end of the match), if the same decisions were brought from Cakir/Brych/Kuipers you wuold say that at least they are supportable, if not even correct ones. All of you are going 4-5 years in the past, saying that he is bad under pressure. Was he bad in his 3 EL semifinals? Was he bad in Confederations cup and Super cup finals? Believe me, much harder match for him is Serbian derby Red Star-Partizan than any European match!
DeleteYou seem to forget that Skomina was left out of 2014 WC for an assistant's mistake. And that mistake was critisized here. And Mazic was on that list. Even though, as it turned out, that list was politically motivated.
Delete@anonymous, Mazic was in Brazil in 2014 but, as we all recal, his performances were an outright disaster. No wonder he was dispatched early on. The point is at this moment Skomina is the best of the lot, so CL final would be a natural and fully deserved appointment. By the way, he should have refereed last year's showdown in Wales. Only lobbying prevented him from doing so.
Deleterecall*
Delete
ReplyDeleteCollina and Dallas are difficult for understand.