Match #29
Moscow, 23 June 2018 14:00 CET
Belgium - Tunisia
Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Rockwell (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Fourth Official: Andrés Cunha (URU)
Fifth Official: Nicolás Taran (URU)
VAR: Mark Geiger (USA)
AVAR1: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN)
AVAR 3: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Match #28
Rostov-on-Don, 23 June 2018 17:00 CET
South Korea - Mexico
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Đurđević (SRB)
Fourth Official: John Pitti (PAN)
Fifth Official: Gabriel Victoria (PAN)
VAR: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
AVAR1: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
AVAR 2: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
AVAR 3: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins (POR)
Match #27
Sochi, 23 June 2018 20:00 CET
Germany - Sweden
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Ryūji Satō (JPN)
Fifth Official: Toru Sagara (JPN)
VAR: Clément Turpin (FRA)
AVAR1: Paweil Gil (POL)
AVAR 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
AVAR 3: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
We have Sato, Charef, Grisha, Weyesa, Montero, Pitti, Bascunan, Hauata and Karasev without appointment so far.
ReplyDeleteIf we eliminate Hauata and Weyesa who IMO wont handle games we have 7 referees. Will every of them get match?
I believe only Grisha and Karasev will get matches. The others appear to be reserves. You're not going to throw one of those names onto a consequential matchday 3 assignment--it's not going to happen.
DeleteI know some are shocked that Marrufo is working. And, frankly, I am a little surprised that FIFA followed through. But he played himself into the tournament. Remember he wasn't even on the initial pre-selection list.
Selecting two US referee's and allowing both to officiate is a "consolation" prize from FIFA to US Soccer.
DeletePlease, don't call this beautifull game Soccer :)
DeleteHe didn't. US Soccer is the name of the association.
DeleteMarrufo picks up an appointment in spite of being with only 1 AR... Sato doesn't get any match in spite of being with both his ARs... What more can I say?? We all know USA has 2 Committee members so the reason can be quite easily guessed!
DeleteBut there is no US Football :)
Delete@DrMr the nation credited as the home of "football," Britain, were the ones who originally called it soccer. The term was subsequently imported. Check your history mate.
DeleteGrisha could ENG-PAN, then we have 4 referees from CONCACAF, CAF and AFC each on the pitch. Group H doesn't seem the right place for a WC debut (although maybe a small chance for Bascunan in JPN-SEN).
DeleteSo for anyone else the most possible should be a meaningless match on MD 3 (like KSA-EGY).
Wouldn't Karasev make sense on JPN-SEN?
DeleteAlso, if you think the two Committee members have anything to do with Maruffo being there, you don't understand the politics. Busacca likes Marrufo. Also the FMF harbors goodwill toward Marrufo, because of his father. Politics played a role in getting him there (as it does with every assignment, to an extent) but it had nothing to do with Sandy Hunt or the US not qualifying.
I mean, if that were true, don't you think Collina would have figured out a way to get Orsato on the field, too?
Collina had no way to bring Orsato in because other 9 names are way ahead of him and Karasev is local so there was no chance to keep him in the list... But CONCACAF doesn't have any other reliable name who could be in the list instead of Marrufo and once in the list whether he gets a match or not always was politics... Ricardo Montero and John Pitti are both way better referees than Marrufo, Sato and Charef are also far better than him so I will firmly stand by my comment that Marrufo's appointment is a completely political choice!
DeleteYes, Karasev is also possible for JPN-SEN, equally to Bascunan, I think.
DeleteBut with the situation in group H, I rather expect someone with a second game (e.g. Rocchi).
I would have preferred to see Walter Lopez in Russia in place of Maruffo. As he is a h better referee head to head. But much like Hategan an unforgivable error (ghost goal) doomed his chances.
DeleteAnd it wasn't an error that can be totally put on Walter. As it was his brother Gerson who signaled that the entire ball had entered the goal.
Shoot me down for stating the obvious but if these refs aren't good enough to handle matches then why have them in Russia? Seems stupid to me
ReplyDeleteBecause politics and FIFA are synonymous!
DeletePart politics. Part prep for the future. Part ensuring that CRs don't have to travel as much to do FOs.
DeleteWe have seen plenty of support/reserve referees come back to later tournaments--both with the WC and EURO--to be main referees. It is a good policy.
Agreed. Faghani is a brilliant example of that.
DeleteIsn't it possible that we just give the chance to Marrufo to prove his abilities? I feel like we judge people without let them to perform. (The same was the case with Mohamed Abdulla)
ReplyDeleteLet's with them the best of luck!
However well he may perform in Belgium v Tunisia, the appointment is not deserves based on sub par performances that he served up in the lead up to the tournament!!
DeleteHe was selected for the tournament, so why not to give him a game. Even though it could happen that better referees could stay without any games. (For example Sato) But Marrufo has just as much right to get a game as Sato or MArciniak, MAzic and so on...
DeleteNo he does not. He has the right to sit behind a VAR screen and to work the technical areas as a 4th Official. The positions that he was originally selected for. If he was truly selected as a main referee, then he would have 2 AR's selected with him. I'll say it again, it's a thanks for participating consolation prize for US Soccer. I mean after all, their national team isn't in Russia.
DeleteOther than his last 2 lines, Sheriff is correct!
DeleteThank God it's not Sheriff and Soham decide about referee appointments.... I still say, best of luck to his team as well, and looking forward to see his performance.
DeleteYou guys actually don't know what you're talking about.
DeleteFirst, he wasn't selected as a VAR-only. That much is clear and obvious.
Second, if you want to believe he was selected as a support official, you have to believe that CONCACAF got THREE reserves. That makes no sense.
The truth is that Aguilar losing one of his ARs through fitness started a snowball effect. I can't get into everything, but suffice it to say that it resulted in one of the American ARs being left home AND it resulted in CONCACAF getting both Pitti and Montero, rather than just one of them. If Aguilar had had a full trio, then Marrufo would have had a full trio, too. And--I believe--only Montero or Pitti would have come in support.
Finally, Soham you can say all you want that Marrufo's performances were poor, and I know he missed what some deem an obvious foul during his last match in India, but Busacca liked what he saw.
Before anyone accuses me of bias, let me say that I--personally--don't like Marrufo that much as a referee. He's gotten better over the years, but he's not my preferred style. But my opinion matters as much as yours and I can accept that he played himself into the World Cup without making excuses and casting aspersions
@usaref I'm not saying Marrufo hasn't worked hard for this or that he has been given a free ticket to the World Cup... My point is that out of the referees still not appointed there were more deserving names than Marrufo and I firmly stand by it... But unfortunately those referees don't have 2 Committee members from their country so they are not lucky enough to get an appointment on the pitch and that too with a mixed team! ;)
Delete2 home country Committee Members, a daddy who is a former referee, and a foreign nation (Mexico) with committee members who also back him because of his daddy. How fortunate for any referee to have this amount and level of backing.
DeleteYou’re a bitter, negative person.
DeleteAh getting personal and resorting to name calling. Does this mean that I've triggered you snowflake? Not at all bitter and/or negative, but thanks for participating.
DeleteJust because you don't like what I said doesn't make it untrue.
Right Sheriff, but saying what you just said about Marrufo isn't bitter and negative!
DeleteWas Marrufo so bad? When and in what way? I saw him several times in US Soccerleague last season and he really performed well there. So why do you see him so negative? May be I am not well informed in that point. So can someone explain me? I think his nomination is following the disappointment about Geiger's performance and so they want to find more options for duels between European and South American teams in the later tournament.
DeleteIf I have checked the assignment list correctly, Grisha (EGY) is the only one not to be appointed referee or 4th official. Either he is injured or he will enter the field soon, maybe ENG-PAN.
ReplyDeleteGrisha hasn't appeared as 4O and also his ARs haven't been appointed as VAR till date so he will be in middle!
DeleteEngland v Panama for Mr. Grisha
DeleteMaybe a KO game for marciniak in case of good performance ?
ReplyDeleteOf course... Very possible!
DeleteInteresting that Marciniak was Turpin's VAR and now it's the opposite :D
ReplyDeleteAnd Marciniak does not keep his VAR from MD1, Mark Geiger.
DeleteCould be because of a well discussed penalty situation or simply because they preferred Geiger to support his countryman Marrufo tomorrow.
A bit surprising, that Pawel Gil is not used as Marciniak's VAR, but only AVAR1 in both games.
OT: Will you publish the results of votes on Irmatov performance?
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