Friday 15 November 2019

FIFA Under-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 - Knockout Stages

Appointments and discussion page for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, Knockout Stages. 


Law 5 would like to thank our user Ahmed Aderdour for his tireless work in collecting appointments.

ROUND OF SIXTEEN

Tuesday 5th November

Angola - Korea Republic
Referee: Srđan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Nicholas Waldron (NZL)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Isaac Trevis (NZL)
Video Assistant Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)

Nigeria - Netherlands
Referee: Mario Alberto Escobar Toca (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Noel Panjoj Chitay (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicholas Linton Anderson (JAM)
Fourth Official: Adonai Escobedo González (MEX)
Reserve Assistant Referee: William Andrés Arrieta Barrantes (CRC)
Video Assistant Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)

Wednesday 6th November

Spain - Senegal
Referee: Guillermo Enrique Guerrero Alcívar (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Carlos Macías Franco (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Fabián Barén Córdova (ECU)
Fourth Official: Andrés José Rojas Noguera (COL)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Dionisio Ramón Ruiz Almanza (COL)
Video Assistant Referee: Nicolás Gallo Barragán (COL)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)

Japan - Mexico
Referee: Omar Mohammed Amin (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Attia Amsaeed (LBY)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdallah Ibrahim Mohammed (SDN)
Fourth Official: Victor Miguel de Freitas Gomes (RSA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Souru Phats'oane (LES)
Video Assistant Referee: Abdullah Ali Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee : Luís Miguel Branco Godinho (POR)

France - Australia
Referee: Claudia Inés Umpiérrez Rodríguez (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Luciana Elizabeth Mascaraña Ríos (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mónica Fernanda Amboya Soque (ECU)
Fourth Official: Edina Alves Batista (BRA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Víctor Armando Ráez Izaguirre (PER)
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)

Brazil - Chile
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Video Assistant Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)

Thursday 7th November

Ecuador - Italy
Referee: Christopher James Beath (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Ashley Beecham (AUS)
Fourth Official: Mǎ Níng (CHN)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Xiang Shi (CHI)
Video Assistant Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)

Paraguay - Argentina
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: István Kovács (ROU)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Vasile Florin Marinescu (ROU)
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER)


QUARTERFINAL

Sunday 10th November

Netherlands - Paraguay
Referee: Khamis Mohammed Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Dharman (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Ramzan Al-Naemi (QAT)
Fourth Official: Rédouane Jiyed (MAR)
Reserve Assistant Referee : Lahcen Azgaou (MAR)
Video Assistant Referee: Abdullah Ali Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)

Korea Republic - Mexico 
Referee: Diego Mirko Haro Sueldo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Víctor Armando Ráez Izaguirre (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Luis Orué Medina (PER)
Fourth Official: Edina Alves Batista (BRA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mónica Fernanda Amboya Soque (ECU)
Video Assistant Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Piero Daniel Maza Gómez (CHI)

Monday 11th November

Spain - France
Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Florin Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Claudia Inés Umpiérrez Rodríguez (URU)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Luciana Elizabeth Mascaraña Ríos (URU)
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)

Italy - Brazil
Referee: Adonai Escobedo González (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: William Andrés Arrieta Barrantes (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Barwegen (CAN)
Fourth Official: Iván Arcides Bartón Cisneros (SLV)
Reserve Assistant Referee: David Jonathan Morán Santos (SLV)
Video Assistant Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)


SEMIFINAL 

Thursday 14th November

Mexico - Netherlands
Referee: Guillermo Enrique Guerrero Alcívar (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Carlos Macías Franco (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Fabián Barén Córdova (ECU)
Fourth Official: Claudia Inés Umpiérrez Rodríguez (URU)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Luciana Elizabeth Mascaraña Ríos (URU)
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Piero Daniel Maza Gómez (CHI)

France - Brazil
Referee: Iván Arcides Bartón Cisneros (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: David Jonathan Morán Santos (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Zachari Jair Zeegelaar (SUR)
Fourth Official: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Video Assistant Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nicolás Gallo Barragán (COL)

Previews of all of the match officials attending FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019

112 comments:

  1. So, I guess that all five referees from Europe remain in the tournament. And I'm interesting if FIFA will break the confederation neutrality in this competition.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A clip from the Brazil - New Zealand game, handled by Mario Escobar (VAR: Armando Villarreal):

    => 38' After an On-Field Review, referee sends off BRA No.2 for Violent Conduct.

    VAR correctly applies the revision to the LotG that RCs can still be issued for Violent Conduct after play has been restarted.

    However the officiating team violated the LotG by restarting from the freekick where the stamp occured, not the goalkick that had been awarded before the review took place (resumption had already been sanctioned by the referee, leading to that goalkick).

    If New Zealand directly scored from that freekick, Brazil could have successfully appealed the result of the match to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

    https://streamable.com/7i4ot

    Quote from the VAR protocol on IFAB's website:

    The Laws of the Game do not allow restart decisions (corner kicks, throw-ins etc.) to be changed once play has restarted, so they cannot be reviewed

    If play has stopped and restarted, the referee may only undertake a ‘review’, and take the appropriate disciplinary sanction, for a case of mistaken identity or for a potential sending-off offence relating to violent conduct, spitting, biting or extremely offensive, insulting and/or abusive gesture(s)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting situation. The pictures don't proof to me that it was deliberate, therefore rather no EC IMO.
      I agree with your comments on the procedure (and wonder, whether anyone at FIFA noticed...)

      Delete
    2. You don't think that is deliberate?!?!

      I don't know what to say.

      As far as the restart goes, yes, huge mistake.

      Delete
    3. I agree with usaref, very good intervention by Villarreal - violent conduct, without doubts for me.

      Probably a good thing that those involved got the restart wrong, I guess they were watching the U20 WC too and saw that violating the LotG merely increases your chances of handling the Final!

      Delete
    4. I'm always in favor of clear RC for violent conduts, you know, but to be honest I agree with Philipp regarding the argument that one can't be 100% sure it was deliberate act. It is very likely done on purpose but not very clear like other situationas.
      In any case, in such situations best decision for me is to invite referee to watch the incident, because VAR and referee can have different views there.

      Delete
    5. To be clear: I don't think, the VAR intervention or the RC were mistakes.
      But if I would see those pictures in the Review Area, I still would have doubts and therefore decide against the RC.

      Delete
    6. @Philipp S Some contrasting texts from you here. If you say that you would have doubts in the RRA and therefore decide against a RC, that means you should perceive the review recommendation by the VAR as incorrect (as you say YC is the better decision, meaning YC was not close to a clear and obvious error, and this wasn't a serious missed incident case). So based on your last sentence, you should think the VAR intervention was a mistake.

      Delete
    7. Maybe we are missing something. Violent conduct is happening on the second position. Between freekick and goal kick. Everyone focused on foul given but there is no violent conduct there. I don't think this is against protocol.

      Delete
    8. @The Referee:
      I think, in general one can say: "This is the best decision IMO, but the other decision is also OK and no mistake".
      And here, I am maybe 75% convinced, that it was deliberate. IMO that's not enough for a RC. But I completely understand, if someone is 95% sure and therefore shows the RC resp. recommends an OFR. Then I don't call that a mistake.
      Furthermore as VAR, I probably consider 75% enough for a serious missed incident and letting the referee decide himself.
      However if the referee had seen the incident live (and maybe shown a YC), I would not have supported an OFR.

      Delete
    9. @assistantreferee: You are right! The VC happens at 0:30 in the video and not before the free kick.

      So actually no violation of the LotG.

      Delete
    10. Yes, my mistake, too on the LOTG issue. Not a mistake.

      But if you guys seriously don't think that's deliberate VC, you need to get out of Europe and officiate or observe some matches in Latin America. That is 100% VC. He knows what he's doing. That is not an accident.

      Delete
  3. France - Australia

    Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)
    Assistant Referee 1: Luciana Mascaraña (URU)
    Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU)
    Fourth Official: Edina Alves Batista (BRA)
    umVideo Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee : Bartosz Frankowski (POL)

    ReplyDelete
  4. can you answer please?

    1) when the referees get an appointment by UEFA to International match?
    We know that appointments are published two days before kickoff! but when and how they received an appointment?they need to buy the tickets of all planes and trains?!

    2) how does the referees get the salary from UEFA matches? to their national credit cards?

    3) what is the role of UEFA referee observer before and after the match? Does referee observer communicate to referee team?

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1) There isn't a fixed date, sometimes I heard that a referee got the confirmation of an appointment even two weeks before the date, other times, due to changes or other reasons, a referee can be informed later. However, I also know that only the involved officials know the exact games, the federations are informed only about competition and day of the game (at least as first information given).

      2) I really don't know, this is something you should ask directly to referees. :)

      3) I can suggest to read here, a very interesting article about the role of UEFA referee observer:
      http://www.hungarianfootball.com/2018/08/18/the-role-of-the-uefa-referee-observer/
      Written by Raymond Ellingham, UEFA referee observer.

      Delete
  5. Spain - Senegal
    Referee: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)

    Japan - Mexico
    Referee: Amin Mohamed (EGY)

    Brazil - Chile
    Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)

    France - Australia
    Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are not breaking confederation neutrality, at least for now...

      Delete
    2. Good appointment for Treimanis!

      Delete
  6. Spain - Senegal

    Referee: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)
    Assistant Referee 1: Juan Carlos Macias (ECU)
    Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Baren (ECU)
    Fourth Official: Andres Rojas (COL)
    Reserve Assistant Referee : Dionisio Ruiz (COL)
    Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)

    Japan - Mexico

    Referee: Amin Mohamed (EGY)
    Assistant Referee 1: Attia Amsaaed (LBY)
    Assistant Referee 2: Mohammed Ibrahim (SDN)
    Fourth Official: Victor Miguel de Freitas Gomes (RSA)
    Reserve Assistant Referee : Souru Phats'oane (LES)
    umVideo Assistant Referee: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee : Luís Miguel Branco Godinho (POR)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Brazil - Chile

    Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
    Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
    Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonnikovs (LVA)
    Fourth Official: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
    Reserve Assistant Referee : Mehmet Culum (SWE)
    Video Assistant Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)

    France - Australia

    Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)
    Assistant Referee 1: Luciana Mascaraña (URU)
    Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU)
    Fourth Official: Edina Alves Batista (BRA)
    Reserve Assistant Referee: Víctor Armando Ráez Izaguirre (PER)
    umVideo Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee : Bartosz Frankowski (POL)

    ReplyDelete
  8. What referee observers in this tournament? Thank

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ecuador vs Italia:
    Referee - Christopher Beath (AUS)
    AR1 - Anton Shchetinin (AUS)
    AR2 - Ashley Beecham (AUS)
    4th Official - Ma Ning (CHN)
    Reserve AR - Shi Xiang (CHN)
    VAR - Drew Fischer (CAN)
    AVAR - Craig Pawson (ENG)

    Source: https://twitter.com/ArbitroInteBlog

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ecuador - Italy

    Referee: Christopher Beath (AUS)
    Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin (AUS)
    Assistant Referee 2: Ashley Beecham (AUS)
    Fourth Official: Ma Ning (CHN)
    Reserve Assistant Referee : Shi Xiang (CHN)
    Video Assistant Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)

    Paraguay - Argentina

    Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
    Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
    Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
    Fourth Official: István Kovács (ROU)
    Reserve Assistant Referee: Vasile Florin Marinescu (ROU)
    Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee : Bibiana Steinhaus (GER)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Brazil - Chile, Andris Treimanis

    Good performance by Andris Treimanis in this sonorous game. Sure, though we could recognise the exaggerated emotions and tensions, it was not reminiscent of the 2014 edition of this game handled by Howard Webb - but quite challenging game nonetheless and Latvian should be satisfied with how he fared.

    => The game's crucial call was correctly evaluated at 45' - penalty to Brazil. GK carelessly tripped the attacker - good no card here too. Just after that trip, Haralds Gudermanis correctly signalised an offside, and referee initially gave IFK before pointing for a penalty. Tricky situation but he could give a tidier impression - small point for improvement.

    => Treimanis operated a good disciplinary control in this match. He sorted out five YCs (SPA x1, Reckless x4) which were all correct. I would have issued two more cards, at 66' for LoR and 80' for what looked like a heavy reckless tackle. He was very quick to run in to the scenes to show the card, which worked well in this match (see below).

    => Biggest strength of the performance was how proactive Treimanis was from the first to last whistle. It was quite impressive that there was not one moment where he lost his concentration and he was always ready to intervene when necessary to issue warnings or stop conflicts.

    => Treimanis' game plan was to stay in the background but remain VERY proactive to threats against his control of the match. We could call this a 'helicopter pilot' approach - similar to Björn Kuipers. At 10' he faced the choice to step in and give a verbal warning for a heavier reckless foul, or allow Chile to take the quick freekick and allow the game to reach a (relatively: U17) quick pace - he chose the latter and this proved to be effective, thanks to his full concentration.

    => Treimanis' interacted with the players frequently, issuing verbal warnings for small player-player conflicts and some preventions at corners (thank goodness, not for every-single-one as we can be used to at FIFA level). He gave a firm impression which I liked – a rare match where Treimanis looked the oldest man on the pitch surely helping that. It seems though, that he couldn’t always fully ‘reach’ players, who sometimes didn’t listen. It was good that he tried to ‘force’ them too – but it didn’t really work (not for the lack of trying, though). At U17 it is surely quite ad hoc situation managing boys who are still going through adolescence, but a remark worth making I think.
    -> Good performance in this Sudamerican match for Andris Treimanis, he should be satisfied with how he performed in this match. He is clearly an able decision-maker and he chose a nice approach in this match which revealed a good smartness in the Latvian. Looking to the future, it is interesting question to ask how best that Treimanis can maximise his talent – I noted an improvement in his interactions with players since the last time I watched him, but he could go further, which I think he will do with time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Goal disallowed at 15' by VAR after minimal offside missed by Haralds Gudermanis - no bigger faults for him.

      Delete
    2. With Snoddy in Latvia Treimanis has the perfect person to guide him.

      Delete
    3. FIFA were obviously impressed by this performance as he now has the final

      Delete
  12. Maybe a short analysis of potential UEFA EURO 2020 referees:

    I am pretty sure that we will see these established referees next summer:
    1.Anthony Taylor (England)
    2.Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
    3.Clement Turpin (France)
    4.Felix Brych (Germany)
    5.Daniele Orsato (Italy)
    6.Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
    7.Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
    8.Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
    9.Ovidiu Alin Hategan (Rumania)
    10.Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
    11.Cüneyt Cakir (Turkey)

    After these eleven "save pairs" the situation is more difficult:
    1.Michael Oliver (England)
    2.Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain)
    3.Felix Zwayer (Germany)
    4.Anastasios Siridopoulos (Greece)
    5.Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
    6.Artur Manuel Ribeiro Soares Dias (Portugal)
    7.Sergei Karasev (Russia)

    Alexey Kulbakov (Belarus) and Ivan Kruzliak (Slovakia) should be out, because it is their first year in UEFA Elite category.

    Pavel Kralovec (Czech Republic) was long-time injured and Jesus Gil Manzano (Spain) is clearly behind the other Spanish Elite refs like del Cerro Grande and Mateu Lahoz.

    Benoit Bastien (France) has not the trust from the commitee and Deniz Aytekin (Germany) is like Manzano clearly behind his german colleges.

    Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) should be out because of age limit and William Collum (Scotland) is actually in a catastrophic form with controversial decisions.

    On the other hand I am pretty sure that we will see women officating UEFA EURO matches:
    1.Stephanie Frappart (France)
    2.Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)
    3.Esther Staubli (Switzerland)

    The other UEFA Elite Women refs are in my opinion not experienced enough (maybe Adamkova,Kulcsar and Pustovoitova) but they don't have much experience in men competitions.
    Bibiana Steinhaus (Germany) is the big question,if she can recovering soon from her injury.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that Del Cerro Grande (ESP) and Zwayer (GER) are 100% sure names, especially the Spanish who gained a big trust. I think they should belong to the first list you posted (13 officials instead of 11).
      Oliver: a bit in doubt, but for me he will be there as well.
      About the rest, fully agree with you.

      Delete
    2. About Kulbakov and Kruzliak: If Kassai, Karasev, Collum, Kralovec don't recover (health and/or form) soon, they could have some chances, I think.

      About the women: If that is planned, why don't we see them in CL/EL matches and EURO qualifiers? They should get the opportunity to gain experience there before been thrown into a big tournament.

      Delete
    3. Why would you see women if they aren't doing qualifiers or UCL matches? That makes no sense.

      Delete
    4. Because before UEFA Super Cup there were also no women refereeing any UEFA Champions or Europa League (qualification) matches.
      And with Rosetti nothing should be locked out.

      To be honest,I am pretty sure UEFA thinks about women refereeing at the next UEFA EURO that they have enough experience in national team competitions.
      Stephanie Frappart is officating tomorrow the friendly match between England and Germany with 90.000 spectators in Wembley.
      Fun fact:Wembley is the final venue :)

      Delete
    5. Ah, right, "national team" competitions. Women's World Cup and EURO is just like the men's competition.

      This is nuts.

      The Super Cup was a public relations stunt. It was one game that almost no one cares about. And it came on the heels of the WWC.

      If UEFA was thinking about putting female referees on the biggest men's competition in Europe and the second biggest event in the world... they would be trying them out on other men's matches.

      They aren't.

      If UEFA doesn't trust its women referees to do UCL match or a EURO qualifier, why would they suddenly put one on a EURO 2020 match?

      I'm reading more and more foolish commentary here.

      Delete
  13. DFB has published some IFAB clarifications
    1) A substitute next to the goal stops a ball, which comes from a missed shot on goal, on the line (i.e. in the penalty area).
    Even if the substitute's action has a possible game-changing character (penalty kick), the IFAB's view is that this is not one of the exceptional circumstances listed in the VAR Protocol, which justified an intervention of the video assistant, even if the technically correct decision is penalty.
    An intervention of the VAR in a comparable situation is therefore only in the sense of the VAR protocol, if the substitute (or team official) goes directly into a duel with an opponent or runs on the field and stops the ball before crossing the goal line or influences the game by intervention from outside (throwing objects, etc.).

    2) An APP (attacking phase of possession) ends when the opposing team has cleared the ball, is in controlled possession of the ball and therefore a new attack is built or if the attacking team interrupts the attack itself, for example, if the ball is played clearly backwards and thus the team newly forms in the construction of the attack.
    In the specific case the striker #10 reaches the ball from an offside position (i.e. he is offside) and then plays it to a teammate who shoots at the goal. The ball is defended and goes to the side line. The AR had missed the offside. On the sideline, a teammate of #10 now picks up the ball and plays it back about 20 yards, towards the center line, to another teammate. That player starts with the ball on the foot again in the direction of the goal and then plays it back to striker #10 (not offside anymore), who then runs a few meters with the ball before scoring a goal. The original offside position of #10 is not in the APP of the goal scored. The APP ended when the ball was cleared to the outside, taken by a player on the sidelines and clearly played backwards. The goal would therefore also count in a game with VAR.

    3) Goals after an undeliberate handball:
    The purpose and spirit of this law change is to prevent a goal that results directly from contact with the hand/arm or immediately thereafter. With regard to this rule change, the IFAB plans to incorporate this "immediate" into the LotG in order to provide even more clarity.
    In this respect, it is not considered immediate or direct in connection with the goal, for example, if a player undeliberately gets the ball against his hand in midfield or in his own half, the ball jumps from his hand to a teammate who receives the ball and plays out to another player, who then crosses the ball to an teammate at the goal area, who scores a goal at the end.
    In connection with the above description of the definition of an attacking phase (APP), it should also be pointed out that when assessing an undeliberate handball leading to a goal, it is not the APP that is relevant for the assessment by the referees, but the described immediacy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. About point 3, would you consider regular the goal scored in Napoli - Salzburg?

      Delete
    2. I am simply shocked by 1)

      VAR should not intervene "even if the technically correct decision is penalty".

      Well...

      Delete
    3. @Chefren: Yes, I would think so. At least not all undeliberate handballs in the APP must be considered, that is clear now.

      @Mikael: Yes, surprising statement. They base it on this quote from the current protocol:
      "'Reviews' are generally only for incidents relating to the players but, in exceptional circumstances, there could be a 'review' for a RC offence or a goal/penalty incident involving someone on the team list e.g. a substitute/team, official commits an offence against an opposing player or enters the field of play to stop a goal.'
      - which excludes "normal" penalties, which are not caused by active players.

      Delete
    4. And this will lead to further issues, because all referees will have different ideas about a goal to be disallowed for a previous handball. Analyzing all the APP would have been better in terms of consistency, now it will be up to referee's discretion. Even worse, another problem to add to handball issue.
      Best solution here would have been to disallow goal by hand / arm only in case of direct touch and then goal, otherwise it becomes very very difficult and without sense, as we already saw in some Champions League games with big discussions.
      How to make things even more complicated...

      Delete
    5. Also Leipzig's disallowed goal becomes wrong, I think. The handball was not immediate before the goal and not deliberate, because the same player played the ball with the foot before.

      Delete
    6. Another source for the same:
      https://twitter.com/BobbyMadley2/status/1192919382307037187?s=20

      Delete
  14. Quarterfinals

    Netherlands - Paraguay

    Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (QAT)
    Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Dharman (QAT)
    Assistant Referee 2: Ramzan Al-Naemi (QAT)
    Fourth Official: Redouane Jiyed (MAR)
    Reserve Assistant Referee : Lahcen Azgaou (MAR)
    Video Assistant Referee: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)

    Korea Republic - Mexico

    Referee: Diego Mirko Haro Sueldo (PER)
    Assistant Referee 1: Víctor Armando Ráez Izaguirre (PER)
    Assistant Referee 2: Michael Luis Orué Medina (PER)
    Fourth Official: Edina Alves Batista (BRA)
    Reserve Assistant Referee: Monica Amboya (ECU)
    Video Assistant Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee : Piero Daniel Maza Gómez (CHI)

    ReplyDelete
  15. imgur.com/XERPIdU.mp4
    VAR disallowed the goal, because the ball was out of play at the beginning of the clip.
    Is he allowed to intervene there?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unique case, I would say. APP should start when the first player from attacking team touches the ball, so in this case one could say: no matter what happened before? But at the same time it is impossible to give advantage when ball is out, game must be always stopped. I think it is difficult to give an answer there, I would say maybe that ball out was before the beginning of new action (APP) that occurs with the first touch by defender, but I can't be 100% sure about what to do with VAR there.

      Delete
    2. Yes, I agree. Hopefully, we will get an official statement on that by DFB and/or IFAB.

      Delete
  16. A clip from the Japan - Mexico game at U17 WC, handled by Omar Mohammed Amin.

    => 22' Reckless vs. Serious Foul Play? YC given - no VAR intervention.
    https://streamable.com/ka23a

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You might be surprised, but that is a quite clear RC (even) for me. Uncontrolled, two (nearly) straight legs, main contact on the shin.
      Also hard to find arguments against VAR intervention other than that the referee had a good view on it.

      Delete
    2. We agree! :D

      Full highlights of this game and others from U17 WC can be found at the blog's side.

      Delete
    3. I agree, clear RC. Philipp S, IMO the referee's good view is not an argument for the VAR to not intervene in this situation.

      Delete
  17. Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan, today:
    Bastian Dankert, Rene Rohde, Jan Seidel (all GER)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEvC2R3KM2s

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reason for such particular appointment?

      Delete
    2. https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-kyrgyzstan-resolving-decades-old-border-dispute/28918059.html

      I guess this friendly is played for diplomacy purposes, hence the particular appointment of Dankert.

      Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB) is the fourth official.

      Delete
  18. Nigeria - Netherlands, Mario Escobar (Guatemala)

    —> all mentioned episodes can be found on the summary video on the right column of the blog

    A rather calm and fair game for Mario Escobar, who controlled the game with authority and distance, adopting a rather strict line on fouls and card selection, and keeping communication to a minimum. However, there is room for improvement in several fields. As we will see later, he had to assess one crucial mistake, which he only got right with VAR intervention.

    Although I agree on the strict disciplinary control - all 6 cards at 17, 63, 65, 79, 81, 83 - can be justified, I do not back the pedantic line on fouls. Some contacts might not have been whistled in order to allow the game to flow more. A clear example is the free kick to NED at 23’ which is not only soft, but IMO wrong. The players at times tried to keep advantage of this strict line by exaggerating the evidence for a foul. This was the case at 32’ when NIG appealed for a penalty or at 82’ when NIG player complained about an elbow, which did not look as violent as the player wanted us to believe.

    The crucial episode happened at 76’ as NIG #5 committed handball in the penalty box. His arm was raised up in a fully unnatural position. Escobar, although well positioned, did not spot the touch. VAR Pawson called him for an OFR and the penalty was awarded. It’s even more surprising that the referee had to look at the incident 6 times, as 2-3 reviews should have been enough to assess the incident. Anyway the final decision was correct, which is the most important thing.

    Besides this, not much happened in the game, but I would like to focus on a few more elements that are worth mentioning:

    * ADVANTAGE RULE: I quite appreciated that Escobar applied the advantage rule in its orthodox way - excellent examples at 10, 17 and 50 - not afraid of going back to the original foul spot if the action did not result in a significant advantage after a few seconds. Since we have been used to see different interpretations of the rule, with “ball advantage” given even without immediate promising attacks (Clattenburg was surely one of the pioneers in that respect), Escobar applied the rule as it is meant to, not forgetting to take disciplinary action when I went back to the original foul

    * POSITIONING: in a few occasions he was not alert and was caught far from the game, too close or not looking at the right place. At 28’ after a corner kick, he was focused on the shooting player while a lot was going on in the penalty box, far from AR2. If a holding took place he surely missed it. Furthermore, at 67’, his sprint was rather weak and left him very far from the action on a counter attack. He should have reacted earlier.

    * ASSISTANT REFEREES: good performance by ARs Humberto Panjoj and Nicholas Anderson, who got all the crucial decisions correct (3’, 51’, 59’ and a couple of good onsides). They might have helped the referee in a few occasions, though.

    Overall an average performance for Escobar, marked by a crucial mistake on the penalty episode, which should have been detected without OFR. This somehow old-style refereeing that he displayed was positive regarding card selection and advantage rule, but was lacking in foul detection and communication - in more challenging games it would open up to simulations, easy falls and dissent.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Quarterfinals

    Spain - France

    Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
    Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Florin Marinescu (ROU)
    Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
    Fourth Official: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)
    Reserve Assistant Referee : Luciana Mascaraña (URU)
    Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)

    Italy - Brazil

    Referee: Adonais Escobedo (MEX)
    Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
    Assistant Referee 2: Michael Barwegen (CAN)
    Fourth Official: Iván Arcides Bartón Cisneros (SLV)
    Reserve Assistant Referee: David Jonathan Morán Santos (SLV)
    Video Assistant Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee : Craig Pawson (ENG)

    ReplyDelete
  20. OT:

    https://streamable.com/87cyt - off. foul? (goal awarded)


    https://streamable.com/wv2ze - penalty for handball? (not awarderd)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1. offensive foul - yes (referee's mistake)


      2. clear penalty for h.bal (mistake, too)

      Delete
  21. Anybody can answer me may we expect Jovanovic in world cup final?

    ReplyDelete
  22. To those watching LaLiga: do you have the same impression I have regarding Guillermo Cuadra Fernández. His performances this season have not been that good in my opinion, with some crucial mistakes (as VAR in Valencia - Getafe). Tonight, a wrong foul for Celta which ended in a goal. What I mean is that he doesn't look as solid as he did last season to me. What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a crazy Paraguay - Argentina game for Georgi Kabakov!

    I would strongly recommend to watch the refereeing highlights at the blog's side of PARARG - it would be impossible to write a report about that game where so much happened :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Any idea, why he stopped the game at 0:56?

      As an overall impression, I liked his authorative, but also communicative approach during this difficult match. I think, it helped in avoiding that things get worse.

      Delete
  24. As he did last season, Hugo Miguel will handle the Dérbi do Minho today between Vitória Guimarães - Braga at 2100CET. Full appointment:

    REF: Hugo Filipe Ferreira de Campos Moreira Miguel
    AR1: Bruno Miguel Alves Jesus
    AR2: Ricardo Jorge Ferreira dos Santos
    4th: João Filipe Malheiro Pinto
    VAR: Bruno Alexandre da Silva Esteves
    AVAR: Nuno Filipe dos Santos Tomás Pereira

    ReplyDelete
  25. Predictions EURO qualifiers MD9/10
    ENG-MNE: Aytekin CZE-KOS: Hategan
    BUL-CZE: Schüttengruber KOS-ENG: Karasev

    POR-LTU: Gestranius SRB-LUX: Beaton
    LUX-POR: Schärer SRB-UKR: Rocchi

    GER-BLR: Buquet NIR-NED: Cakir
    NED-EST: Martins GER-NIR: Kruzliak

    DEN-GIB: Dabanovic SUI-GEO: Grinfeld
    IRL-DEN: Brych GIB-SUI: Letexier

    AZE-WAL: Stavrev CRO-SVK: Turpin
    WAL-HUN: Marciniak SVK-AZE: Stieler

    NOR-FAR: Jug ESP-MLT: Meckarovski ROU-SWE: Kuipers
    ESP-ROU: Skomina SWE-FAR: Gil MLT-NOR: Boiko

    SVN-LVA: Massa AUT-MKD: Oliver ISR-POL: Soares Dias
    LVA-AUT: Gözübüyük POL-SVN: Bastien MKD-ISR: Orsato

    TUR-ISL: Mateu FRA-MDA: Blom ALB-AND: Eskas
    ALB-FRA: Peljto MDA-ISL: Siebert AND-TUR: Aranovsky

    CYP-SCO: Kralovic RUS-BEL: Reinshreiber SMR-KAZ: Doyle
    SCO-KAZ: Kominis BEL-CYP: Nyberg SMR-RUS: Zelinka

    FIN-LIE: Eskov ARM-GRE: Vincic BIH-ITA: Collum
    ITA-ARM: Kulbakov GRE-FIN: Ardeleanu LIE-BIH: Tohver

    ReplyDelete
  26. France - Australia, Claudia Umpiérrez

    The most one-sided of these knockout clashes was a rather straightforward game. Australia did their best and kept the result close for a long time but troubled the French only once after conceding early. The referees had a rather calm game with 65 percent possession underlining French dominance. 25 infringements were whistled (11:14).

    As for Umpiérrez, fitness and positioning and what I would call the "basics" were all there. Match management was rarely required with most fouls being small ones. That said, I liked her warning for the Australian wall to keep their arms down, as VAR was watching (9') and she showed alertness when a AUS player tried to gain some extra ground from a throw-in (31').

    Disciplinary wise, we had two YCs in the first half, both for offences that were reckless with the first one having an additional SPA aspect. Both cautions were correct and contributed to making it clear that such roughness would not be tolerated. It worked, since apart from the RC, we had almost no challenges that were in any way reckless throughout the rest of the match.

    Despite the rather low level of challenge, we had three VAR interventions. The first one happened in 54'-55' and ended with the initial YC changed to a RC for SFP:

    https://streamable.com/6pk86?fbclid=IwAR0_jRAjYYDhKu4XEFWnYyiTYVKb1n-I-h2oMoTWS2YiQtbvChB7KQhxcnk

    Umpiérrez actually had a position that couldn't be better: Clear, unobstructed view and about as close as you can be. The AUS player plays the ball but his studs catch the shin of the opponent afterwards. The initial YC was given quickly and as she changed her decision afterwards, she must have had a different perception on the pitch. For me, the RC given for SFP is correct, but I must say I'm not sure if FIFA will count the initial YC as a crucial mistake. That said, the player accepted the RC without any dissent, which also makes it quite clear that the final decision is correct.

    https://streamable.com/1rhnz?fbclid=IwAR02cSrlxzj2G6h1t_qH_PyiYfgQiiHXJ1nYr13eJZ_CALA9jUXiEZC0yPA

    A penalty for FRA, given for a trip by AUS #14 was cancelled after OFR for a previous handball. The penalty decision itself is correct. As for the handball, I'm not completely convinced by the replays shown. This OFR took longer and multiple cameras were used. The pictures I got to see were very fast forward, which did not help the perception at all. But it seems that in the end they judged there was a handball, which is supportable as well.

    Lastly, a fifth French goal in added time was cancelled by the VAR for offside. It was a tight decision for AR2 Amboya, who unfortunately made the wrong decision here.

    Overall, I would say it was a solid performance in a match that was rather easy for the knockout stages. While I found none of the three scenes to be glaring errors (we can discuss the initially missed RC), it is quite possible that 3 VAR interventions are too many for FIFA to appoint the team further.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, that the RC is not clear and obvious and therefore think, that the OFR was not required.

      The handball decision is wrong IMO. I think, the arm can be considered in a natural position (natural, when stumbling/falling). But even if not, he (deliberately) plays the ball himself before, which would make a unnatural position acceptable with the new LotG.
      And there is no goal-scoring opportunity created, therefore not every handball is punishable.

      Delete
    2. I completely agree with Philipp. The initial yellow card decision (54. min) was perfectly acceptable, if not totally correct. And the intervention after which the penalty was turned over is even more wrong for the exact reasons Philipp mentioned.
      VAR put Umpiérrez in an unnecessarily uncomfortable position by searching for the spotlights here... I hope this doesn’t cost her a next match in this tournament.

      Delete
  27. Anyone watching Lazio - Lecce? Lecce just had a goal disallowed at 2-1 for Lazio for offside after a penalty miss, but the replay clearly shows there is no offside:

    https://i.redd.it/jn2u9zrdovx31.png

    Unless I am missing something this is a shocking error, as Lecce #9 is at least 2 meters on-side.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do we have video footage from the incident? Was the goal disallowed after VAR intervention or was it an on-field decision?

      Delete
    2. It was not for offside, but because attacker entered penalty area before the kick. Problem, as petschovski explained below, is that at least two players from Lazio did the same thing.
      So, according to LotG, in case of penalty missed, penalty should have been retaken.
      It is possible, waiting for Rizzoli statements (hopefully) that VAR (Pairetto) did a technical mistake there.
      He considered only the action by attacker, but it was a simultaneous infringment.

      Delete
    3. That is the same violation of the LotG made by Toshimitsu Yoshida, Marija Kurtes and Keith Stroud in previous times.

      Terrible for the whole officiating sextet - especially for Pairetto I would expect a suspension. Unacceptable!

      Delete
  28. He entered in the penalty area but... the problem is that also some defenders of Lazio were in the penalty area in the moment of the shot.

    Imo, the penalty should have been repeated.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anyone watching Liverpool-Man City? I think City deserved a penalty (6. min) after a handball by Alexander-Arnold in his own penalty area (short distance but arm wide out), but instead in the counter attack Liverpool scored the opening goal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm watching, agree your opinion. hand was extended and out of body accordingly

      Delete
    2. https://streamable.com/1005c

      I'm not entirely sure it's a clear and obvious error, and with the PL not using monitors then it's unlikely to be overturned.

      Perhaps Aguero will learn to play to the whistle instead of appealing next time!

      Delete
    3. Other complicating factor for VAR is that the ball on the outstretched arm seemed to have bounced directly from the attacker’s hand. In any case a very interesting incident!

      Delete
    4. First handball was by a city player, hence no penalty is ok and no VAR is ok

      Delete
    5. Marco Nero: no, if VAR would have reached that conclusion, the decision would have to be free kick to Liverpool and no goal. So with that interpretation, no VAR is not ok

      Delete
    6. I find it even more interesting what coaches in England are allowed to do without getting punished.

      Delete
    7. Interesting indeed Ref_1707. Though the words I would use are 'disgusting behaviour'.

      Delete
  30. Match between Shakhtar Donetsk-Dynamo Kyiv (Ukrainian derby) was stopped due to racism cries from Dynamo fans
    The referee was Mykola Balakin(promissing referee of our country)
    Taison was showed red card because of showing middle finger gesture to these "fans"...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did he stop the match before Taison’s - understandable - reaction or did he only stop the match after the situation having escalated? Disgraceful, just disgraceful behavior of the Dinamo crowd...

      Delete
    2. After situation escaleted(((

      Delete
  31. Just watched Kabakov's highlights.

    I liked his performance so much! So proactive and alert, authoritarian in the 'good way' and not hesitating on taking early disciplinary measures. Also some funny bloopers at 8' and 55'. A pity the missed goal by AR2 Valkov and that ugly finale with a mass confrontation.

    ReplyDelete
  32. OT
    Unbelievable scenes in the very last minute of the game SC Freiburg-Eintracht Frankfurt (Referee: Felix Brych). Frankfurt's player knocked Freiburg's coach over after the ball was out of play. That lead to a very huge mass confrontation with the whole bench on the field. Brych showed the player a RC and an official of Freiburg a YC. The VAR (Benjamin Brand) had to check a lot of possible incidents that could lead to a RC and invited Brych to take an OFR resulting in yet another RC for a substitute of Freiburg. The difficulty was that they all wore jackets so you could not easily identify the player. It would be great to have a video. Very difficult to explain, very much going on. You have to see it. I have never seen such a thing in the Bundesliga.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First video. I hope it won't be deleted.
      https://twitter.com/nayn_co/status/1193610640520335360?s=21

      Delete
  33. Tomorrow the first set of appointments for Thursday 14 November.
    I can add, about Karako, it seems as he has been regularly appointed for U17 qualifiers on next days:
    https://www.uefa.com/under17/match/2026335--republic-of-ireland-vs-andorra/matchinfo/?iv=true

    ReplyDelete
  34. Ecuador - Italy, Chris Beath

    I can keep it brief here: A match between two quite evenly matched teams whose interest was to play football. Therefore, little intervention by the Australian was needed and he finished the game without going for his pocket even once.

    My impression of Beath at the Asian Cup was that he is the rare sort of referee who has a strict disciplinary control and isn't a players' friend. In this match, his approach was different, smiling and very friendly in general (20', 43'). Quite fitting.

    Disciplinary wise, we only had a few scenes were cautions could have been an option (32', 47', 75', 79'), but I believe none of them were mandatory and it is fitting for the match not to punish any of these incidents. FIFA will almost certainly like it.

    That leaves only the one crucial scene of the match: A penalty for Ecuador that was cancelled after OFR: https://streamable.com/cnhs9

    There is a contact, a tiny shove and a small shirt grab, but it looks like the player is slightly unbalanced. However, he only goes to the ground after he makes a mess of his attempt to play the ball. One could argue that the contact was enough to support the call on the pitch, especially since AR2 and Beath himself had a decent view. The long duration of the review - Beath was more than two minutes at the screen - is also not ideal.

    The penalty would have been a very soft call. I wouldn't call it completely wrong but play on would be my preferred choice.

    Although this match was not the best to judge, I believe Chris Beath is definitely a promising referee who could represent Asia at the 2022 WC.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I completely agree regarding the penalty situation.
      If FIFA is not too critical about that, he should have good chances for another appointment, I think.

      Delete
    2. Is it possible that the penalty was whistled for an alleged contact with the goalkeeper? That would justify the OFR even more, as there was a clear wrong perception.

      Delete
  35. Quite boring Juventus - AC Milan game was well refereed by Fabio Maresca. A tackle at +92' was close to SFP, but I agree with YC shown - no other remarkable incidents in the game. I simply love Maresca's way of refereeing; as I said ad nauseum, he is such a natural!

    If this game was a final exam as to Maresca entering the FIFA list for 2020 - he passed. To be honest I could see him as Carlos del Cerro Grande v2. with a quick ascent to Elite and immediately joining the top echelon of UEFA.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't watch the game yesterday but I also believe he has excellent soft skills that could make him progress quicky at UEFA level. There is currently a gap in Italy between experienced referees who are about to quit (Rocchi, Orsato, and non FIFA Giacomelli, Calvarese) and younger ones, who are however not performing constantly well (Massa, Fabbri, Abisso, Pasqua, Di Bello). He could be one of those who can fill that gap more quickly

      Delete
  36. OT: https://newsaf.cgtn.com/news/2019-11-11/History-made-as-first-female-referee-takes-charge-of-AFCON-U23-match-Lw7qVbRxDy/index.html

    WWC referee Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) became the first woman to referee a U-23 AFCON match. One AR was Fathia Jermoumi from Morocco.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Spain - Senegal
    Referee: Guillermo Enrique Guerrero Alcívar (ECU)
    Assistant Referee 1: Juan Carlos Macías Franco (ECU)
    Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Fabián Barén Córdova (ECU)
    Fourth Official: Andrés José Rojas Noguera (COL)
    Reserve Assistant Referee: Dionisio Ramón Ruiz Almanza (COL)
    Video Assistant Referee: Nicolás Gallo Barragán (COL)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)

    Description of the match.

    Round of 16 match for the FIFA U17 tournament between Spain and Senegal. Both teams wanted to win in order to progress to the QF. The match was played at Estádio da Serrinha with an attendance of 483 spectators. The atmosphere was more than fair and the crowd didn’t put any pressure to the referee. Spain had possession of the ball and tried from the beginning to score quickly and relieve from anxiety. Senegal tried, mostly, with counter-attacks to score. Spain scored at 27’ and 59’ and Senegal at 85’. The referee had only a few difficulties and managed to put a good performance. There wasn’t any VAR intervention. So, match difficulty is “Normal” for all officials.

    Key match incidents:

    87’ Senegal asks for a penalty. Referee is very close and decides for a play-on. Correct decision.

    https://streamable.com/5qp03

    Application of the LOTG, Management of the match.

    Guillermo Guerrero tried from the beginning to stay in the background and intervene as little as possible. He had a clear and consistent line in foul detection without unnecessary stops to the match. He was helped by both teams and the fact that they were playing fair and whistled only 21 fouls.
    Guerrero managed the match at the best possible way. At 02’ we have the first warning to N11 SEN. The referee uses his body language in a strong way in order to establish his authority. Moreover the referee was very proactive inside both penalty areas in regards with pulling and pushing. He made 3 public warning (9’, 45’, 55’). Finally at min. 77’ he made a warning to SEN coach for dissent. FO was also present at the scene. I think that the warning was enough since the SEN coach was mostly complaining on an acceptable tone.

    Disciplinary control

    We had 4 cautions on this match (17’ N13 SEN, 52’ N11 SEN, 86’ N20 ESP, 90+4’ N3 SEN). The first caution definitely came at the right moment. The first heavier foul of the match was a reckless challenge. Low hitting point and medium to low intensity makes the challenge only reckless. All the other cautions were correct.

    Physical condition and positioning

    The referee has a good physical condition which is visible on the pitch. He made a couple of good sprints when it was required. He played the diagonal system on a sufficient way. The only negative point is the absence of backwards movement and especially when the GK has the ball on his hands. The referee doesn’t have eye contact with the ball.

    Co-operation with AR’s and FO.

    At min 21’ we had a bit of confusion. AR1 signals for a foul to SEN. The Referee initially awards the free-kick to SEN but after a few seconds he goes to place the ball and awards the foul to ESP. Here better communication was needed in order to avoid such scenes.
    Good co-operation with FO at min. 77’.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely not a penalty at 87', I agree

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the report! Indeed a very good no pk call and a crucial one as well. Interesting note: The YC for ESP #20, which he seemed to write down and was also displayed during the match is not included in all FIFA documents on their website.

      Delete
  38. A couple of infos from the AFC region:

    Hettikamkanamge Dilan Perera from Sri Lanka will handle the Amman-hosted Iraq - Iran game in AFC WCQ. Adham Makhadmah was originally appointed but AFC switched him out when the game was moved from Basra to his home nation.

    Valentin Kovalenko will handle the second leg of the AFC Champions League Final between Urawa Red Diamonds - Al Hilal a week Sunday morning (1100CET). Ali Sabah Adday Al-Qaysi took charge of last Saturday's first leg, with the Saudi club winning 1-0.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Italy - Brazil, Adonai Escobedo González

    Sorry for such strong words, but I found Escobedo's performance actually quite shameful. On a par with Kim Dong-jin in Qatar - Saudi Arabia at the Asian Cup at the start of the year, that is the worst refereeing that I've witnessed at any level in 2019.

    0) CRUCIAL DECISIONS

    => 10', Missed Red Card for Violent Conduct BRA No.2 - no intervention from Fischer / Pawson
    https://streamable.com/nlczr

    1) APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF THE GAME

    LotG was applied without technical mistakes. Foul detection was really poor: a high number of missed CLEAR (I mean, very clear) fouls that inflated the game a lot, and then some whistles for zero fouls in some jostling duels because the referee wanted to avoid any conflicts. Many fouls whistled with delay, not looking to help the game flow, just delay, that heated the game up. Missed fouls leading up to 79' almost saw the referee lose control.

    2) DISCIPLINARY CONTROL

    Two cautions correctly sorted out, both for SPA, very clear. Two other very clear cautions missed, the second one at +95' for SPA/LoR makes me lost for words. No visible stepped approach.

    3) SELF-PRESENTATION

    Abysmal. NEVER interacted with players, not once. It is not enough to run over quickly to fouls with a long whistle, put on a grumpy face and do an aggressive arm signal and no management. No verbal warnings (there were ≈five situations which were 'mandatory' warnings), no calming talks, no reaction against dissent - nothing. One scene at 25' verged on the parodical as the referee just stared at the player whom he should have verbally warned for an intentional careless foul - not even angrily, rather just longingly.

    4) CO-OPERATION / OTHER TEAM MEMBERS

    Missed a clear foul missed by AR1, good performance by the other three on-pitch officials. No problems with co-operation.

    5) FITNESS, POSITIONING

    Fitness was very good - positioning was overall good, he was a bit unlucky to block a BRA shot at 27'.

    -> Unacceptable performance; Escobedo should be nowhere near a FIFA World Cup.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Semifinals

    Mexico - Netherlands

    Referee: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)
    Assistant Referee 1: Juan Carlos Macias (ECU)
    Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Baren (ECU)
    Fourth Official: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)
    Reserve Assistant Referee : Luciana Mascaraña (URU)
    Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Piero Daniel Maza Gómez (CHI)

    France - Brazil

    Referee: Iván Arcides Bartón Cisneros (SLV)
    Assistant Referee 1: David Jonathan Morán Santos (SLV)
    Assistant Referee 2: Zachari Jair Zeegelaar (SUR)
    Fourth Official: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
    Reserve Assistant Referee: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
    Video Assistant Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee : Nicolás Gallo Barragán (COL)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Iván Arcides Bartón Cisneros appointed directly to a semi final then after 2 group stage matches.
    The big question then is, who will get the final?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would say not CONMEBOL (had the U17 final 2017) and not CONCACAF (had the U20 final 2019).
      So it could be Beath or Al Marri from AFC, Omar from CAF or any of the UEFA referees except Ekberg.
      My prediction is Beath (because I think, he would have got FRA-BRA otherwise). He also did not have any of the semifinalists yet.

      Delete
  42. By the way, what about Kovacs game? On the paper was a big match between Spain vs France, but it was the easy game of this round. For me, the big surprise is that Ekberg had only two games and two as FO. I hope that Kovacs could get the final if Brazil meet Mexico.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Highlights tomorrow - at the blog's right hand side :)

      Delete
  43. Crucial mistake by Guillermo Enrique Guerrero Alcívar before the free kick for Mexico that leads to the equalizer. Tackle was 100% on the ball

    ReplyDelete
  44. I don't really understand the VAR intervention at Brazil's penalty, which was then taken back. Maybe there are some arguments against the penalty, but BRA#2 clearly is taken down by the French defender - so a penalty hardly is a clear and obvious mistake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcxN_Y1EfPs
      Starts from 00:25.
      I fully agree with Philipp here. No explanation for VAR intervention since there is a clear contact and this call by referee is absolutely justified.
      I really would like to know the argument used by VAR de Burgos Bengoetxea to invite referee to OFR.
      This is a situation in which all people will agree that penalty is at least supportable choice...
      Only reasoning I can do is about the fact that he had already kicked ball but well, no matter.
      Unluckily we will never know more but I'm curious because maybe there is something we are missing there.

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    2. Absolutely clear penalty. Unbelievable decision to change it.

      Delete
  45. Final predictions
    NED-FRA: Treimanis, 4th: Haro, VARs: Steinhaus, Frankowski
    MEX-BRA: Beath, 4th: Omar, VARs: Higler, Pawson

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been a good tournament so far for UEFA referees.

      Candidates from UEFA IMO are Treimanis and Kabakov, both had very good performance on a quite challenging game on their KO stage games. Jovanovic in 1/16 and Kovács in QF had a flawless performance, both with zero cards. Ekberg 2 expected performances in GS + another two matches as 4th official in KO stage.

      Delete
    2. Also, I can see a UEFA in Final due to confederation neutrality.

      Delete
  46. Third place

    Netherlands - France

    Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
    Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
    Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
    Fourth Official: Redouane Jiyed (MAR)
    Reserve Assistant Referee : Lahcen Azgaou (MAR)
    Video Assistant Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)


    Final

    Mexico- Brazil

    Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
    Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
    Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonnikovs (LVA)
    Fourth Official: Christopher Beath (AUS)
    Reserve Assistant Referee : Anton Shchetinin (AUS)
    Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congratulations to all the referees involved.

      Delete
  47. Netherlands-Paraguay, Khamis Mohammed Al Marri (QAT)

    The refereeing trio did not convince in a game that was mostly fair but had a number of important decisions to be assessed that required alertness and where they seemed not focused enough, with lacking collaboration. There also were two potentially missed SFP situations, with only YC being issued.

    Al Marri focused on letting the game flow and staying in the background, trying to issue only verbal warnings at the beginning. This shows his first weakness, as he warned the players three times in the first half on corners (4’, 7’, 30’) but was much less effective in using a stepped approach when assessing fouls. A few of them at least required a warning, if not a YC (17’, 20’, 64’). The referee’s communication was minimal, more aimed at reducing dissent and explaining the decision than actually warning the guilty player. Furthermore, and this could be extended to modern refereeing and not only to this single game, the warnings before corner kicks looked more like a protocol than a real threat. After two warnings YCs should come out, so the 3rd warning on a corner kick at 30’ really did not make sense.

    Prevention on corner kicks
    https://streamable.com/hb4fw
    https://streamable.com/fw185
    https://streamable.com/wio4e

    No YC or verbal warning on FK - lack of prevention
    https://streamable.com/a19xl
    https://streamable.com/d9hxj
    https://streamable.com/7ntlc - mandatory YC

    At 23’ a silent check on a possible handball, but the replay doesn’t show anything significant, so the referee should be backed here
    https://streamable.com/2w98j

    Then started the unlucky afternoon for ARs. First with a very likely wrong offside from AR1 at 35’, then again referee and AR1 did not signal offside from a NED forward who obstructed the view to the goalkeeper after being in an offside position. VAR room suggested an OFR and the goal was cancelled. Similar happened at 67’, where AR2 did not signal an offside position of a Dutch player interfering with the action and Al Marri was invited to an OFR. We must acknowledge that both ORF situations were complex, especially the latter, but overall the team did not seem to have worked well together when assessing the incidents.
    35’ wrong offside: https://streamable.com/spr0q
    37’ offside: https://streamable.com/wcvki
    67’ offside: https://streamable.com/9znpk

    Later in the game, the only two YCs of the game were issued, to NED #2 and PAR #5. In both cases a RC seemed more appropriate. In the first case the referee was not so close to the action, so it was difficult to spot (VAR might have recommended another OFR), whereas in the second case the referee was well positioned. He probably assessed that contact was minimal, but the lack of control and intensity of the challenge by PAR #5 could have been much more dangerous and it was just a matter of luck if the opponent was not hit violently.
    YC NED #2 https://streamable.com/h49uw
    YC PAR #5 https://streamable.com/wc7ed

    A couple of good decisions were taken around the later stages. Furthermore fitness was at an expected level, with Al Marri able to sprint and keep a reasonable distance to the play.
    Correct play on https://streamable.com/nlug6
    Onside #1 https://streamable.com/ojq8z
    Onside #2 https://streamable.com/fnfl4

    Summary: Al Marri did not show consistency in his preventive approach, being pedantic on corner kicks but never reacting to that accordingly, and not showing the same level of communication in other circumstances. His overly lenient line in disciplinary control led to some bad fouls that could have resulted in a RC. Furthermore, inaccuracies from both AR1 Mohammad Dharman and AR2 Ramzan Al-Naemi and failed cooperation required OFR to disallow two NED goals.

    ReplyDelete

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