Having started the tournament as favorite for whistling the final, Pitana has confirmed the expectations, by showing always very good performances, especially in terms of players management. He will get the final as fifth match in this tournament. After Horacio Elizondo's appointment in 2006, Argentinian refeereing can be proud again by reaching the top level with another referee.
He will be assisted by his countrymen Hernan Maidana and Juan Pablo Belatti. Kuipers from the Netherlands will work as fourth official, while Erwin E. J. Zeinstra from the same country of the latter as fifth official. We wish the officiating crew good luck.
Alireza Faghani from Iran will be in charge of Thid Place final.
More to follow.
Referee designations FWC 2018 Match 64: #FRA🆚#CRO (15 July) FINAL
ReplyDeleteReferee: Nestor PITANA (ARG)
ASR 1: Hernan MAIDANA (ARG)
ASR 2: Juan P. BELATTI (ARG)
4th Off. Bjorn KUIPERS (NED)
Res.Ass.Erwin ZEINSTRA (NED)
Wow, that's a great honour for Nestor. He got the first and the last match of the tournament. Congratulations!
DeleteMaybe we can say that it is a bit disappointing for Faghani that he didn't get the final. No Rocchi and Ricci in the last games.
Nestor Pitana has pulled off a Horacio Elizondo... There is something special about the Argentine referees... But to be fair I'm not sure Pitana had done anything so extraordinary to merit 5 matches! But overall he deserves it!
DeleteMe personally, I'm glad that Rocchi isn't involved on the field anymore. His overall body of work throughout the entire tournament hasn't merited any further involvement.
DeleteThanks God.......Nestor for the final. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteis this the first? referee in charge of opening & closing as well?
ReplyDelete2006... Horacio Elizondo!
DeleteNo, also Elizondo (ARG too) in 2006.
DeleteNo, at least his countryman Elizondo in 2006.
DeleteIt's a Latin American (Argentine) thing :D
Deletehe is the best, one of the biggest ever. Thanks PLC that you show us again
ReplyDeleteDecent appointment. Glad to see Kuipers involved. A mix of Arg/Ita/Ned in the VAR room I suspect
ReplyDeleteStupid assignment why both opening and final to one referee. Even a good one. Why not Faghani.sad. Disappointed.angry
ReplyDeleteMy feeling clearly is that Pitana was very good in this tournament and throughout his career but he did nothing so extraordinary to merit 5 matches in this World Cup... CONMEBOL has been overappointed in this tournament!
Delete@Soham 👍
DeleteI agree
DeleteSomeone was right... Björn Kuipers didn't get the Final only because he is from Europe... But if I'm not incorrect he is the one taking most money home from the tournament... 4 matches as main referee and 3 matches as 4th official!
ReplyDeleteI'd dare to say that Bjorn would return all if not most of that money. In exchange for having the ultimate honor for any referee. To be the man in the Middle for a FIFA World Cup Final. A memorable career comes to an end full of of many honors. But much like other greats, incomplete.
DeleteVery good reminder. Like other greats, incomplete.
DeleteBjörn can't do anything about it as UEFA referees were just not candidates for the Final this time because they got it in 2010 and 2014... No career can be totally complete but yes I hope he will continue to whistle good games in European competitions now for another or so!
DeleteNow we see how bad was decision to give two consequtive finals to UEFA refs
DeleteKuipers was a prime candidate for the 2014 Final so I won't complain on that :D The Netherlands team just destroyed his tournament that time... Anyway Rizzoli managed to get something he didn't deserve at all! But I'm happy for Björn that he ends this WC as the most appointed UEFA referee plus 4O appointments in SF and Final are a nice token consolation gift!
DeleteIn terms of finance each official(ref A/R) receives the same no matter how many times they are appointed.
DeleteAs Dr. Mr. said, this is indeed the consequences of having UEFA in two consecutive Finals. A "domino effect" that started way back in 2010. Webb was not the best and most deserving referee in South Africa, yet he got the Final. Four years later in Brasil, the same goes for Rozzoli. Fortunately IMO, the Ref Comm finally did reward 1 of the 2 most deserving referee's.
Delete@GerryUSref Absolutely wrong informational... They get a basic fee based on their categories on being selected for the tournament... For every match officiated, there is a separate match fee paid to referees and ARs!
Delete@Sheriff I would dare to say that Kuipers, Faghani or even Mazic, Ricci deserved the final equally (if not more) than Pitana...
DeleteIn have a very early prediction to make : 2022 World Cup Final referee will be César Arturo Ramos Palazuelos (Mexico)
@Soham:
Delete2002: Italy, 2006: Argentina, 2010: England
2014: Italy, 2018: Argentina, 2022: England
Should be Michael Oliver then! :-P
Well, who should get final in South Africa instead of Webb and in Brazil if not Rizzoli? I would like to know your opinions.
DeleteBtw, Kuipers doesn't need the money at all. He is not as rich as Eriksson, but he is richer than most football player.
DeleteSoham can you simply not accept that FIFA thought Pitana was better instead of saying it’s just because Kuipers is from Europe?
Delete@Rik It's just an observation... Not what he needs or doesn't need!
Delete@Peter Or maybe Anthony Taylor? :D Anyway I am starting to cheer for Michael Oliver already then!
@Victor Point 1 is none of the UEFA referees were considered for the final as it was politically not possible this time... Point 2 is that it's not a rule that everyone has to agree with FIFA, I feel Ricci, Faghani, Kuipers, Mazic, Cakir all showed equally strong, if not better, performances as Pitana! I know you are his big fan and I congratulate you as well... But reality is reality!
To put it better, I must write it as Björn Kuipers ends the tournament with most involvements in matches (4 as main referee and 3 as 4th official)... Matchday 1 (Main referee), Matchday 2 (Main referee), Matchday 3 (4th official), Round of 16 (Main referee), Quarter-final (Main referee), semi-final (4th official) and Final (4th official)... Not a bad end of the tournament for the Dutchman... Of course money is a primary thing here but that comes as a direct consequence of getting appointed to more games and hence I mentioned it!
DeletePredictions of VAR teams after the appointments:
ReplyDeleteFRA-CRO: Irrati (ITA), Vigliano (ARG), Astroza (CHI), Valeri (ITA)
BEL-ENG: Makkelie (NED), Dankert (GER), Borsch (GER), Zwayer (GER)
I'm not very sure just because of Kuipers IV, but I think you got right. Maybe Rocchi AVAR3 for the final and for BEL-ENG Gil is quite sure to be AVAR1.
DeleteI'm so disappointed that Kuipers didn't get the job.
ReplyDeleteMy devil 👿 side says: What if Pitana gets sick before the match...
Or maybe picks up an injury tomorrow on training? :D Jokes apart, God forbid that... That should never ever happen to anyone!
DeleteWho is the Referee for the 3rd Place game?
ReplyDeleteReferee designations FWC 2018 Match 63: #BEL🆚#ENG (14 July) Play-off for third place
DeleteReferee: Alireza FAGHANI (IRN)
ASR 1: Reza SOKHANDAN (IRN)
ASR 2: Moha. MANSOURI (IRN)
4th Off: Malang DIEDHIOU (SEN)
Res.Ass: Djibril CAMARA (SEN)
Alireza Faghani (Iran) with Malang Diedhou as 4th Official
DeleteFaghani > Pitana
ReplyDeleteI don't like the appointment, but wish good luck to The Rock, of course!
CONMEBOL in general way too much appointed in this tournament... Don't think they are really so much better than the other confeds!
DeleteOther than Roldan. They have been. If you look at their performances game by game. Pitana, Ricci, Caceres, and the surprising Cunha were stellar with minimal controversies.
DeleteSome of the UEFA guys, Faghani, Diedhiou were equally good, if not better... Also Pitana's R16 game should've ideally gone to Cáceres to ensure a more logical and fair distribution of games! You need to be something tremendously extraordinary to be given 3 KO games, which with all due respect, Pitana wasn't, infact none of the referees in this tournament were that extraordinary!
DeleteI was right about Faghani. 3rd place match is enough at the moment. He will have big chance for the final in Qatar in 4 years.
ReplyDeleteAbout Pitana - I am a bit disappointed. Why 5 natches and why opening and closing match for the same official. Neither he is so great, nor he is that better than others to get all of that. Too much, there were 5-6 refs that deserved one of two biggest matches (opener is important as a question on honor). And why to keep 12 refs until the end, and appiint Kuipers as 4th ref in semifinal and final. Makes absolutely no sense. What - others are not capable of beeing 4th ref? Stupid, so stupid.
I so much don't like arguements like he has the big chance in Qatar. Once you have a great tournament, it's hard to make it again. This was the big chance simply..
DeletePitana is a good choice, but I think he is overrated little bit to me..
I am also little bit disappointed about not giving one more game in the middle for Malang...
Agree with Theref about chances in Qatar but also with Teo about Pitana. Good tournament, good referee but not great...
Delete2014 Rizzoli, 2018 Pitana... The trend of appointing not too deserving referees for the World Cup Final continues... For sure Pitana has achieved way more than he deserved!
Delete@Teo The 4th official appointments are a consolation gift for not being able to be appointed to the Final for political reasons... Basically clear up all doubts as to who the most highly rated UEFA referee is at the moment, some miles ahead of the rest UEFA guys to have managed involvement in 7 WC matches this time (4 as main referee and 3 as 4th official)!
DeleteI'll be honest. I've never been nor will I ever be a fan of Kuipers and his style. But at this tournament he was mmost definitely the best performing referee from UEFA. Head and shoulders above his fellow UEFA referee's like Mazic and others.
DeleteOn a side note. I am hugely disappointed by Brych. Hopefully over time the truth will be finally revealed as to what happened during that fateful Switzerland v Serbia match.
I'm also not a fan of Mazic's style but then I admit that he was very good (minus the penalty situation) in Brazil v Belgium... Our personal preferences will always vary but then we must praise what is good! Good to see Sheriff with some deserved appreciation!
DeleteWhat did I told you guys all the time, Pitana,Pitana,Pitana. So proud to see him in final, so proud becouse I was right all the time.
ReplyDeleteI said Pitana several months before the WC
DeleteI still believe that Sandro Ricci would be the best option for the final. And I have to say that I disagree with Collina's and Busacca's decisions, which are strange. Pitana is great referee, but not so much better than Ricci, Faghani and others...
ReplyDeleteOK. Pitana is not number one.
DeleteI agree... Pitana is good, even very good I say but surely not so great to merit appoint to both the opening match and Final... Not so great to be appointed to 3 Knockout games... Many equally (if not more) deserving referees are stranded with less matches and that's not fair! CONMEBOL in general has been overappointed in this tournament!
DeleteWhen has anything been fair or right in regards to the FIFA Ref Comm? 2010 and 2014 should have made that crystal clear to you and everybody.
DeleteIt's all about UEFA and CONMEBOL... Other confederations always ignored for something big... Again in 2022, CONMEBOL refs will have a less sonorous tournament like UEFA refs this year and a European ref will get the Final... The cycle will continue!
DeleteI would have preferred Ricci over Pitana, by far. I don't really like the Pitana-style and he was not THAT good.
DeleteAgreed, Rik but then Pitana is a steady and safe pair of hands any day we must not forget that whereas Ricci has shown the tendency to struggle in pressure games at times!
DeleteIs this first time in history that some referee got 3 KO matches
ReplyDeletePretty much.
DeleteHahahaha. Told you all. It's not about who you like best, but who is most consistent and guarantees "security" and "control" in a WC match. You have to understand the FIFA mentality, if not you'll keep missing the point. It won't happen anytime soon that a referee officiates both the Opening and Final match of the same WC. As someone said: "it's an Argentine thing..." ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat I am hearing is the appointment is a forced one with lack of other options... Biggest issue is Mr. Sandro Ricci has picked up a minor injury in the QF match... CONMEBOL guys are just lucky that UEFA guys automatically went out of contention because of past two editions! ;)
DeleteWhat is the reason for not appointing Feghani?
Delete:)) say whatever... unless you're Collina himself, I guess you'll have to ask him buddy. I don't think the referee that opened the WC referees the final "only because there are no options"--as you imply. Rici did not have a good performance. Just count how many games he was given. I understand non-South American commenters missing to see "how the heck is this Pitana guy?" But seriously, nobody knew Elizondo outside of America in 2006 too. Argentine referees have an amazingly huge reputation in FIFA since, at least, the 1980s. The referee level is superb. We can imagine all the "maybe reasons" and throw dirt and cast shade on the assignment. However, FIFA knows best than any of us here. Let's at least respect that. They know what they are doing.
DeleteThe thing is that me and many others don't agree with FIFA has done... I said it during the time of Rizzoli and I say it now as well... But I'm very happy for Pitana as I quite like him as a referee!
DeleteThat's the thing that most can't grasp or comprehend. That football doesn't revolve solely around UEFA. We have great referee's and great clubs on this side of the world. Just because you don't know who they are or are unable to watch them regularly. Don't ever disregard them.
DeleteMy point of argument is not around UEFA... I'm saying that CONMEBOL is overappointed... Faghani deserved this match a lot more, Diedhiou deserved 4 matches in this WC too! I'm talking about AFC and CAF in the last 2 games, FIFA had an ideal opportunity to give them something big with the teams involved but they went for the politically strong CONMEBOL! I'm not saying anything about UEFA at all!
DeleteSheriff, it was a real pleasure to see some really good officiating by referees from other confederations (beside UEFA referees with whom as Europeans we are more familiar) at this World Cup. I must say that some are on par on even better than some well renowned UEFA referees!
DeleteRightly summed up by Andreja... I can give some examples : Faghani > Marciniak, Diedhiou > Rocchi and so on!
DeleteCould we talk about colour of refereeing kits in final ?
ReplyDeleteFRA blue & CRO white/red = referees will probably not wear black, blue or red. Referees will wear yellow or green. Depends on what colours the GK:s will wear.
DeleteSubašić, the Croatian goalkeeper usually wears light green and if I recall correctly Loris, the French goalkeeper in semi-final, when the team wore blue, was in yellow ...
DeleteSo light blue is possible...
DeleteIn 2004 Collina wore black in the semi final and the Greek keeper also had black. Is it such a big issue nowadays. Im sure they will wear yellow or green this time around
Deletehttps://www.cbssports.com/soccer/world-cup/news/2018-world-cup-final-kits-croatia-back-in-checkered-jersey-france-lives-up-to-les-bleus-nickname-with-uniform-combo/
DeleteI know it doesn't matter a lot, but now none of those comments can occur, that one of the teams eliminated Argentina, so why Pitana. As both teams won against them. So Pitana is a fair choice :)
ReplyDeleteAnd Ricci had 3 top much Croatia already.
DeleteWhat was a bad thing for Argentina-the elimination of its national team, has turned out to be a good thing for its referee Pitana :-), "One man's loss is another's man gain" 😉
DeletePitana has made both Croatia and France once in the KO stage itself so perhaps he will know the teams very well and can use it to his advantage during the management of the game... Who knows maybe this was one factor considered!
DeleteI agree. That's mainly the main reason. Both teams also "won" when he referee'd so, they both are happy.
DeleteFor anyone who follows South American/Argentine football can you give some examples of Pitana's palmares or his best career performances? Would be much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteHe has referee'd many River--Boca matches (the Argentine "Derby") and has many CONMEBOL matches and one Copa America. If you google, you will find the information pretty easily.
DeleteMaybe, try translating this one: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A9stor_Pitana
DeleteHere
Deletehttp://worldreferee.com/referee/pitana
IMHO there were 6 referees based on their performances in the WC 2018 who deserved the final: Kuipers Madzic, Cakir (UEFA), Ricci, Pitana (CONMEBOL) and Feghani (AFC). It was also obvious that they will not give it to a UEFA referee since the last 2 were from Europe. So for me Pitana is not a wrong choice but I would have preferred Feghani since it would have given referees from “3rd World” countries some hope.
ReplyDeleteFaghani and Diedhiou should have got the Final and 3rd place playoff... Most importantly that would have given some hopes to Asian and African guys that they are trusted by FIFA!
DeleteDiedhiou not being assigned to officiate the 3rd place match. Shows that The FIFA Ref Comm lead by Busacca and Collina don't care about CAF, their referee's, and the visible improvement that CAF referee's have made.
DeleteThere is a rumour around that at least 2 of the WC referees this year are in line to join FIFA as the head of refereeing this year... What do you think about such a move? Will it be beneficial?
DeleteSoham: "Most importantly that would have given some hopes to Asian and African guys that they are trusted by FIFA!"
DeleteI mean, after the huge number of African scandals that have come to light the past 2 years, can FIFA really trust CAF?
For what it's worth, I don't think it's fair to judge a referee by what confederation he comes from, but FIFA has no reason to show how much they trust CAF officials right now.
Don't think there is any reason not to trust Malang Diedhiou... As of now he is absolutely clean from any scandal and had some good performances too to deserve a further appointment let's be honest!
DeleteAgreed! He should have had the third place match IMO, but if they're going to give Pitana the final, they can't leave Faghani with nothing!
DeleteI shared a suggestion on what could've been done better with the management in this context in the next thread... Please do have a look :)
DeleteI would have preferred Ricci or Faghani but I can’t argue with Pitana. I’m generally not a fan of his style but he has been solid enough.
ReplyDeleteI don’t like to see Kuipers again but assume Mazic was planned but Croatia’s appearance will have ended that hope.
Despite FIFA’s atrocious guidelines the performances have been very good and the officials should be proud. The bigger problem is for other officials around the world who now have to pick up the pieces and try and re-establish authority while applying the laws correctly. I wish them luck.
A 4th official appointment is just a consolation gift... Kuipers deserved the involvement in the final more than Mazic in my honest opinion!
Deletecongratulations Soham
DeleteCongratulations to the referees... They worked hard and stayed till this very end... I'm proud to support the referees and always wish them well!
DeleteI think Pitana´s appointment it´s a recongition for his career. He had a very good Copa America 2015 where Ricci failed, a very good Rio Olympics (semifinal), an excellent Confed Cup (semifinal) where Faghani "failed", and this will be his 9th world cup match. He has never struggled at fifa level, and his 8 WC matches (2014 and 18) were very good.
ReplyDeleteIn isolation it's an absolutely deserved appointment... His career has been excellent... Probably one of R16/QF and Final would make sense... The other appointment could've gone to someone else after all to ensure a more even distribution!
DeleteThat is a very good point. If you take into consideration the entire 2018 World Cup cycle and all the events in which these referee's officiated in to include at the World Cup. Pitana's overall body of work has more than likely been better than the other candidates. No major controversies come to mind and he's remained fit without missing any time for injuries.
DeleteCongrats to Argentinian crew. There's no doubt that they can handle this match easily. But as most of you said : too many games in KO for Latin Americans.
ReplyDeleteReferees in a WC are not assigned games by nationality or "Region" (confederation). Although that plays a secondary role (they cannot referee their own national teams, it's all based on performance my friend.
DeleteIn 2022, it will be the tournament for the UEFA guys!
DeleteFIFA is basically all about rotation between CONMEBOL and UEFA every alternate World Cup!
DeleteBack in the day we had 1 UEFA (in 94) vs. 4 non-UEFA (in 82, 86, 90 and 98).
DeleteNot so much balance either. Belqola was the only one of them who wasn't a big name already.
Just a reminder for those who don't know or follow South American or Argentine soccer... or FIFA statistics much.
ReplyDeletePitana and his ARs already referee'd in Brasil 2014. Their performance was very good in this WC as well. Pitana and Pablo Belatti have 8 matches and 2 World Cups under their belts, while Hernán Maidana has 12 (!!) matches in 3 World Cups. These are extremely experienced referees. Maybe that answers partly why not Faghani or others.
Thats facts are good. I said he deserved final. But it's strange to gave him 3 matches in KO. What's the point? Is he much better than Cakir,Mažić,Skomina...? Of course not.
DeleteI think Pitana is the safest choice. Collina said Pitana was 'like a rock' and that's true. Nobody will dare to mob him as he is very tall and therefore somehow authoritarian. He showed that he is able to deal with both the players and VAR. Last but not least I cannot remember a single game in which he lost control - Collina and Busacca surely considered these points. One can argue that Faghani was the better choice concerning performances at WC, this may be true, but I think it would be riskier to appoint Faghani. Maybe the last minutes of his R16 match showed that. It was a great WC for Faghani, but in case of acceptance and player management Pitana seems to be ahead. His performances have been more consistent in the past, too. So, I would say it is a deserved appointment for Pitana and I'm convinced he will do well.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good point... Pitana may not have been anything too out of the ordinary but at the same time he has overall been very solid and steady and hasn't done much wrong... As I said it's a deserved appointment in isolation, but when we consider other candidates there is room for much argument!
Delete+++VAR Appointments+++
ReplyDeleteBEL-ENG: Geiger (USA), Dankert (GER), Fletcher (CAN), Valeri (ITA)
FRA-CRO: Irrati (ITA), Vigliano (ARG), Astroza (CHI), Makkelie (NED)
Wow, honestly I'm a little surprised by this. Faghani totally deserved it, only a R16 and 3rd place game is a very disappointing outcome for him; he was absolutely excellent in this tournament. Pitana certainly was good too... but he wasn't as remarkable as usual. I'm very sad for Faghani, he definitely deserved the final. Good luck to Nestor Pitana, though!
ReplyDeleteI think Faghani should have at least got a semi-final ahead of Cunha... At the very least!
DeleteI predicted him for the final before the WC started.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations... Must be a very proud moment as a fan :)
DeleteAnd for sure he was one of the prime candidates from much before the tournament... Very favourite in the FIFA circles and always steady and safe pair of hands in whatever opportunity he got in FIFA games... The appointment is not surprising by any means!
DeleteAs a fan sure. After the 2014 WC I noticed him. And after Héber Lopes retired Pitana became my favorite.
DeleteHéber Lopes was your favourite? :o Wow :o
DeleteYes. Very unique and passionate referee who dared to be who he wanted to be.
DeleteHeber Lopes was also one of my favorites. Many didn't like him. Oh well.
DeleteBut at least with Heber Lopes everybody involved knew exactly the type of referee that you were getting. He was never wishy washy or flip floppy in regards to his application of The Laws of the Game. And he unlike many "modern" referee's never "sold himself out" to benefit the spectacle.
That's a nice and unique point of view... Interesting to hear... To be honest, I haven't seen enough of him to judge him!
DeleteI only ever saw Heber Lopes referee at the 2016 Copa America... and we all know how that went :(
DeleteTwo correct red cards and he really enjoyed the match. Typical south american match.
DeleteAgreed Victor! Heber stepped on the pitch at didn't care that it was a Final or a group stage match. He was the same referee that he always was. He can never be nor will he ever be accused of being a "sell out". Like today's "modern" referee's who are willing to sell their souls in order to please the corporate entities that have way too much control over football.
Delete@Chefren The 5th official is Erwin E.J. Zeinstra :) Please correct the info in the post! :)
ReplyDeleteTotally unfair wc final appointment from FIFA. Opening match, 3 ko matches and wc final. Its like there s no other referee in the world. He is not that Good, sorry. We will sene this at sunday. Also what is the relationship between conmebol and fifa. Opening match, 2 gf, one sf, and the final. 3/5 pitana. Is he going to be fifa-ref committe member soon?
ReplyDeleteSorry for faghani and diedhiou. They deserved more but this is fifa, everything is about the politics.
Not sure if I would be so harsh on the appointment, but what you say about FIFA politics scenario of course is quite true!
DeleteI expected Ricci/Faghani. So if Ricci was really injured thus solution is just logical. Alternative would have been Faghani/Diedhiou but I think they wanted to choose the lower risk. And no doubt that even Pitana deserves it. So I am ok with that!
ReplyDeleteI would like to tell something about ref kits in the final. It is not excluded that they cant wear red kits, look at match france croatia 1998.god. Ref was in red kits.
ReplyDelete