Tuesday, 17 December 2019

2019 FIFA Club World Cup - Referee Appointments

Appointments of match officials at 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, in Qatar. 

Abdulrahman Al-Jassim handles the Uzbekistan - Australia game at AFC Asian Cup 2019
Referee from Qatar was appointed to handle the final, Liverpool FC - CF Flamengo

 First Round

11 December 2019, 18:30 CET
Al Sadd Sports Club (QAT) - Hienghène Sport (NCL)
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud Abu Elregal (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Video Assistant Referee: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (USA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Bakary Papa Gassama (GAM)


Second Round

14 December 2019, 15:00 CET
Al Hilal Saudi FC (KSA) - Espérance Sportive de Tunis (TUN)
Referee: Roberto Andrés Tobar Vargas (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Rodolfo Schiemann Alonso (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Alejandro Ríos Ortiz (CHI)
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (USA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Esteban Daniel Ostojich Vega (URU)

14 December 2019, 18:30 CET
CF Monterrey (MEX) - Al Sadd Sports Club (QAT) 
Referee: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Şovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Eugen Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
Video Assistant Referee: Alan Kelly (IRL)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud Abu Elregal (EGY)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Fù Míng (CHN)


Match for Fifth Place

 17 December 2019, 15:30 CET
Al Sadd Sports Club (QAT) - Espérance Sportive de Tunis (TUN)
Referee: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Şovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Eugen Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (ROU)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
Video Assistant Referee: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud Abu Elregal (EGY)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Fù Míng (CHN)


Semifinal

 17 December 2019, 18:30 CET
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (BRA) - Al Hilal Saudi FC (KSA)
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Corey Parker (USA)
Fourth Official: Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Taleb Salem Al Marri (QAT)
Video Assistant Referee: Alan Kelly (IRL)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Saoud Ahmed Almaqaleh (QAT)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Bakary Papa Gassama (GAM)

18 December 2019, 18:30 CET
Referee: Roberto Andrés Tobar Vargas (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Rodolfo Schiemann Alonso (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Alejandro Ríos Ortiz (CHI)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (ROU)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Saoud Ahmed Almaqaleh (QAT)
Video Assistant Referee: Esteban Daniel Ostojich Vega (URU)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Salem Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)


 Match for Third Place

 21 December 2019, 15:30 CET
CF Monterrey (MEX) - Al Hilal Saudi FC (KSA)
Referee: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Şovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Eugen Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Claudio Alejandro Ríos Ortiz (CHI)
Video Assistant Referee: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud Abu Elregal (EGY)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Fù Míng (CHN)
Assistant  Video Assistant Referee 3: Alan Kelly (IRL)


Final

 21 December 2019, 18:30 CET
Liverpool FC (ENG) - Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (BRA)
Referee: Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al-Jassim (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Salem Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Ahmed Almaqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Esteban Daniel Ostojich Vega (URU)
Assistant  Video Assistant Referee 3: Bakary Papa Gassama (GAM)
Posted by at
Labels:

119 comments:

  1. Anonymous11 December 2019 at 08:29

    So Millot's gonna stay for one month in Qatar ? He was already present during the Gulf Cup.

    Btw, I'm a French (former) ref. who lives in Qatar, by any chance, do you know where the referees will be based during the Club World Cup ? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Marco Neri11 December 2019 at 13:09

    NCL is actually France. It’s interesting to have a french VAR here

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren11 December 2019 at 14:15

      The same happened with Norbert Hauata from Tahiti (French Polynesia) who officiated a game of French national team at U20 World Cup in 2017.

      Delete
    2. Quilava11 December 2019 at 15:20

      Indeed. I guess UEFA would never send a Danish referee to handle a game of a Faroese team or Faroe Islands NT.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous11 December 2019 at 19:38

    Very interesting first half of Al-Sadd SC - Hienghene Sport. Four key match incidents:
    26' 1-0 goal deemed as onside, very close call, no virtual lines shown
    30' Al-Sadd's penalty appeal, trip, no OFR
    35' Al-Sadd's penalty appeal, tackle, no OFR
    39' 2-0 goal deemed as offside after OFR, in the moment of shot there is a teammate in front of GK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11 December 2019 at 21:11

      It continued in the second half and extra time:
      46' 1-1 goal allowed after an OFR, at first it was a delayed foul call
      66' 2-1 goal disallowed for offside after VAR-only intervention
      84' Al-Sadd's penalty appeal, kick in the head of lying player, no OFR
      98' indirect free kick, HIE goalkeeper handling the ball after deliberate backpass

      Delete
  4. Jackson12 December 2019 at 06:59

    A-League appointments:

    Friday, 13 December 2019
    Brisbane Roar FC v Western United FC
    Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
    Kick-Off: 6:30pm (Local) (7:30pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Chris Beath (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 2: Ashley Beecham (FIFA)
    Fourth Official: Adam Kersey
    VAR: Kris Griffiths-Jones

    Saturday, 14 December 2019
    Melbourne Victory v Wellington Phoenix
    AAMI Park, Melbourne
    Kick-Off: 5:00pm (Local) (5:00pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Stephen Lucas
    Assistant Referee 1: Lance Greenshields (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Meimarakis
    Fourth Official: Jack Morgan
    VAR: Kris Griffiths-Jones

    Saturday, 14 December 2019
    Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners
    Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah
    Kick-Off: 7:30pm (Local) (7:30pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Jonathan Barreiro (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 1: Kearney Robinson
    Assistant Referee 2: Greg Taylor
    Fourth Official: Tim Danaskos
    VAR: Craig Zetter

    Saturday, 14 December 2019
    Perth Glory v Western Sydney Wanderers FC
    HBF Park, Perth
    Kick-Off: 6:45pm (Local) (9:45pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Alex King
    Assistant Referee 1: Josh Mannella
    Assistant Referee 2: Arvin Shanmuganathan
    Fourth Official: Adam Fielding
    VAR: Craig Zetter

    Sunday, 15 December 2019
    Newcastle Jets v Melbourne City FC
    McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
    Kick-Off: 6:30pm (Local) (6:30pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Alireza Faghani (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 1: Ryan Gallagher (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 2: Scott Edeling
    Fourth Official: Ben Abraham
    VAR: Kris Griffiths-Jones

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous13 December 2019 at 19:13

    AHMED ADERDOUR Where are yu with full appointments? :(

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mikael W14 December 2019 at 15:16

    Refereeing highlights of the Al Sadd Sports Club - Hienghène Sport game can be found at the blog's side.

    Below, links to the scenes in the highlights from Anonymous' comment.

    => 26' 1-0 goal deemed as onside, very close call, no virtual lines shown
    https://ok.ru/video/1308293073443?fromTime=260

    => 30' Al-Sadd's penalty appeal, trip, no OFR
    https://ok.ru/video/1308293073443?fromTime=374

    => 35' Al-Sadd's penalty appeal, tackle, no OFR
    https://ok.ru/video/1308293073443?fromTime=423

    => 39' 2-0 goal deemed as offside after OFR, in the moment of shot there is a teammate in front of GK
    https://ok.ru/video/1308293073443?fromTime=562

    => 46' 1-1 goal allowed after an OFR, at first it was a delayed foul call
    https://ok.ru/video/1308293073443?fromTime=701

    => 66' 2-1 goal disallowed for offside after VAR-only intervention
    https://ok.ru/video/1308293073443?fromTime=1016

    => 84' Al-Sadd's penalty appeal, kick in the head of lying player, no OFR
    https://ok.ru/video/1308293073443?fromTime=1195

    => ET98' indirect free kick, Hienghène goalkeeper handling the ball after deliberate backpass
    https://ok.ru/video/1308293073443?fromTime=1397


    This game had many interesting incidents - would be interested in your thoughts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S14 December 2019 at 16:49

      26': too close to call without lines; also deliberate play by the defender has to be considered
      30': basically a foul; only "not enough for a penalty" arguments could maybe help here
      35': could be given, but not a clear one, because the ball is gone and the defender pulls back
      39': correct decision (should have been detected by the on-field officials)
      46': Rather not "clear and obvious" IMO, so I would not expect a VAR intervention here.
      66': Probably correct. Unusual situation that the player is behind his teammate, but in front of the ball. Too close for the AR to see.
      84': No foul IMO. If anything, dangerous play by the attacker
      98': Not sure, whether it was the player's intention, when he stopped the ball. But an acceptable decision for me.

      Delete
    2. Chefren14 December 2019 at 22:26

      26' it is clearly a deliberate play by defender, see leg's movement, no doubts. It was assessed as regular for this reason, otherwise attacker looked to be in offside.

      30' I disagree with Philipp here, too soft for a penalty, also, I don't perceive a very clear "trip", in my opinion defender puts leg, yes, but attacker seems already ready to fall. I don't perceive a 100% clear foul there. Fully support to referee.

      35' All is about the fact that ball has been already played, so this makes the call a grey area and not a black or white. VAR support is absolutely correct. Personally I would have liked to see penalty, but not a clear mistake, as said.

      39' very interesting under a didactic point of view. Offside. AR1 would have made a very good call by raising the flag in that case. However, VAR is there for that.

      46' Small arguments for backing referee in this case, we can see a different use of VAR FIFA - UEFA, as explained in the interview by Treimanis. In this case I think it was given a second opportunity to Ghorbal to watch this situation. Once rewatched, best decision is play on and then goal. Foul could have been confirmed, but in that case very, very soft. With "UEFA VAR protocol" we wouldn't have had this call. For Ghorbal, it would have been better to play on from the beginning.

      66' This is absolutely impossible for all assistant referees. Never a fault there. One must only trust technology. As Philipp said, very rare situation in which attacker playing ball is ahead than temmate but the latter is in offside.

      84' It is not clear in my opinion, I would support referee there.

      98' I don't like this tendency to whistle such situations as deliberate backpass, in my opinion this was just a control of ball and then player didn't realize that keeper could have controlled ball. But having watched many similar situations in different games, I can confirm that this decision is nowadays accepted. I would like to see more clear situations, when backpass is fully intentional and keeper uses hands. This was not the case.

      Trying a full and "desperate" support to referee, one could say that the only clear mistake was the first offside correction for disallowing the goal, I can't consider the second one, given the extreme difficulty for AR2, on same level. But overall too many controversial situation and VAR interventions, I think that Ghorbal could have made better by being more decision-maker.

      Delete
  7. Philipp S14 December 2019 at 20:55

    After the QFs, it seems clear that Al Jassim will get the Monterrey-Liverpool SF (5th place match is impossible and the Al-Hilal SF seems quite unlikely).
    For the other SF it should be Elfath or Hategan. I think, it will be the Romanian and Elfath gets the 5th place match and then one of the last 2. Otherwise for Al-Sadd - Esperance, one would have an Algerian for the Tunisian team or one of the QF referees having a team twice in a row - both not optimal.
    For a Liverpool-Flamengo final, then Elfath seems the first option, although Marrufo had it last year. Ghorbal had too many problems in his first match (maybe he gets the 3rd place match though) and Al Jassim or Hategan would be unusual after a SF. So Tobar would be the only alternative, breaking confederation neutrality.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Osborne15 December 2019 at 21:50

    CF Monterrey (MEX) - Al Sadd Sports Club (QAT)

    Referee: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (ROU)
    Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Sovre (ROU)
    Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
    Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)
    Reserve Assistant Referee: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
    Video Assistant Referee: Alan Kelly (IRL)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud Abu Elregal (EGY)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Fù Míng (CHN)

    The earliest 10 minutes are IMO a textbook example of good prevention. Players from both sides tried to get advantage by not respecting distances, dissenting on fouls and looking for easy free kicks. Hațegan showed the required firmness but kept communication on a positive and relaxed level as well. At 6’ he gave a stern warning to the players in the penalty box and in the barrier. The procedure lasted about 30-40 seconds, but he didn’t have to repeat that again throughout the game. That was a very effective warning for everybody, and made the game easier from that point onwards, so it was justified. The only major exception was a clear simulation by ALS #11 on 31’, very easy to spot and correctly punished with a YC.

    The referee had a good foul detection, including some good play-on decisions such as at 51’. A soft foul was whistled at 53’, everything else was supportable.
    Disciplinary control was the only area where I could spot some inconsistencies. Besides the simulation, YCs were shown at 36’ (soft, live perception suggested a harder foot contact than it actually was), 41’ (SPA, correct), 55’ (see next paragraph), 61’ (reckless, correct) and 74’ (SPA, rather soft as contact was minimal, but the player’s intention was to stop the opponent, no interest in playing the ball). A clear YC was missed at 39’. Hațegan must have understood it as VAR quickly checked for a possible RC, which nevertheless would have been harsh.

    Let’s go back to the foul and YC at 55’, this was an interesting situation. MON #25 almost kicked his opponent on the thigh trying to reach the ball. It’s not 100% clear whether there was actually a contact, but the replay clearly shows that Gonzalez bent the knee in order to avoid contact with his opponent. Therefore correct IMO not to issue a straight RC anyway. VAR had a silent check and quickly confirmed the booking.

    Lastly, I appreciated the referee’s proactiveness on a head clash at 33’, he stopped the game and quickly approached the injured player and called for the doctors. Possibly his medical competence helped him here, anyway he gave a very good impression in this particular episode.

    ARs worked very well, I can’t remember any wrong decision regarding offsides. A brilliant one was correctly spotted by AR1 at 36’.

    Overall a solid performance for the Romanian trio, showing a mature and alert attitude on the pitch.

    ReplyDelete
  9. DutchRedREF16 December 2019 at 12:52

    Early predictions
    • Borussia Dortmund - Paris Saint-Germain: Del Cerro Grande/ Taylor
    • Real Madrid - Manchester City: Skomina/Turpin
    • Atalanta - Valencia: Kassai/Oliver
    • Atlético Madrid - Liverpool: Zwayer/Kuipers
    • Chelsea - Bayern München: Makkelie/ Lahoz
    • Olympique Lyon - Juventus: Cakir/ Arthur Dias
    • Tottenham Hotspur - RB Leipzig: Orsato/ Kulbakov
    • Napoli - FC Barcelona: Brych/Hategan

    ReplyDelete
  10. Referee 1216 December 2019 at 12:54

    So, Zitouni is appointed with Hategan's assisstants to 5th place match.
    I must say this is very interesting if you remember that previously, OFCs referees would be appointed as referees for CWC but never would get a match. This time, OFC's referee is appointed as support and get a match as referee... very strange

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren16 December 2019 at 12:59

      Very strange from FIFA.

      Delete
    2. Philipp S16 December 2019 at 16:55

      Al Jassim is completely missing from the appointments so far, so maybe that's the reason.
      Of course, there were not many options for him, but one could have expected him in some role in Monterrey-Liverpool.
      So either he is injured or directly planned for the final.

      Delete
    3. usaref17 December 2019 at 18:52

      I imagine he was planned directly for the 5th place match and the Final. A Qatari team qualifying for the 5th place match upset the plans.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous16 December 2019 at 14:12

    • Borussia Dortmund - Paris Saint-Germain: Taylor / Del Cerro Grande
    • Real Madrid - Manchester City: Hategan / Skomina
    • Atalanta - Valencia: Kruzliak / Kassai
    • Atlético Madrid - Liverpool: Orsato / Makkelie
    • Chelsea - Bayern München: Marciniak / Mateu Lahoz
    • Olympique Lyon - Juventus: Zwayer / Oliver
    Tottenham Hotspur - RB Leipzig: Vincic / Gil Manzano
    • Napoli - FC Barcelona: Kuipers / Brych

    I only don't really know where to fit KAVANAH

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. usareferee16 December 2019 at 15:16

      I'm not sure if Oliver will be on Juventus just yet

      Delete
    2. Chefren16 December 2019 at 18:37

      Oliver - Juventus, impossible.
      Also, I think that UEFA will avoid Italian teams and Real Madrid for him, in case of appointments in KO stage.

      Delete
  12. Mikael W17 December 2019 at 10:06

    A couple of interesting incidents from the Crystal Palace - Brighton and Hove Albion (derby) match handled by Craig Pawson (VAR: Martin Atkinson).

    => 20' Penalty (tripping)? Offside? VAR supported play on
    https://streamable.com/a358j

    => 35' YC to PAL No.17 for reckless elbow; Violent Conduct?
    https://streamable.com/5i7l2

    ReplyDelete
  13. Theref17 December 2019 at 12:37

    I don't really get it, how this is not a penalty actually. Not the biggest tripping, but clearly effects the players further move and therefore he falls down.

    Second video is a perfect example of reckless use of arm. I think perfect decision to give Yellow Card. No excessive force, no high intensity.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous17 December 2019 at 13:07

    We approach end of year so my Europe referee awards;)

    Winners(Elite,5)

    Makkelie, Taylor, Hategan, Turpin, Del Cerro Grande

    Hopes for future(5)

    Kovacs, Raczkowski, Kabakov, Palabiyik, Peljto

    What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quilava17 December 2019 at 15:19

      5 winners: Same, maybe Marciniak with his "comeback" could also be added.

      5 hopes for future: Treimanis, Kabakov, Ekberg, Schärer, Peljto.

      Kovács is not a "hope" anymore since he's already in Elite.

      Delete
    2. pita falta17 December 2019 at 20:34

      How much I like these things !!!
      5 Elite : Del Cerro Grande, Turpin, Makkelie, Skomina, Soares Dias.
      5 Hopes : Sanchez Martinez, Guida, Petrescu, Maresca, Obrenovic.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous17 December 2019 at 21:42

    Chefren or Mikael, will there be a poll added soon in which we can vote for the best performing elite referee 2019?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren18 December 2019 at 13:29

      Let's wait for the end of FIFA Club World Cup, I think it is fair.

      Delete
  16. The Referee18 December 2019 at 16:48

    OT
    Matchweek 16 of the Premier League featured 2 VAR reviews (both of them VAR-only, of course) (sorry for the delay). Matchweek 17 of the Premier League featured 4 VAR reviews (all of them VAR-only, of course). Go to the following link to watch a full video of every review, get all information about each of them and get statistics about VAR in the league. https://thefref.weebly.com/var-at-premier-league.html

    ReplyDelete
  17. pita falta18 December 2019 at 19:54

    19,54 : Buena suerte HDZ HDZ !!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. greek ref18 December 2019 at 20:14

    Al Hilal Saudi FC (KSA) - Espérance Sportive de Tunis (TUN)
    Referee: Roberto Andrés Tobar Vargas (CHI)

    Roberto Tobar faced an interesting match with some difficulties. He had to evaluate 2 penalty area situations at the first 12’ and a scene at min 33’. The match, however, was played on a fair manner and most of the tackles weren’t harsh. Players from both teams behaved on an adequate manner and thus there wasn’t much dissent.
    The referee had a good application of the LOTG. He chose to let the match flow and mostly stayed in the background and intervened when it was absolutely necessary. This approach was suitable for the match. He had a fair and consistent line in foul detection. He avoided whistling every small contact and as a result he awarded 18 fouls (10-8). He used the advantage rule on an excellent way (06’, 09’, 22’). Special mention should be made about 09’. There is a foul near the half-line. The referee sees the infraction but when another attacker from Al Hilal gains possession of the ball, he gives the advantage and a promising attack unfolds.

    Crucial scenes:

    03’ N3 HIL and N38 EST challenge for the ball inside the penalty area. The HIL player falls into the ground asking for a penalty (pushing). The referee is well positioned and sees the scene. He waives play-on. I don’t see an infraction. Good decision.

    12’ After a wrong back-pass by a HIL defender, the ball goes to the GK. N8 of EST challenges him for the ball. The GK can’t control the ball and tries to kick it away. During that time he slips and falls. The EST attacker, after a contact with the GK’s body, also fells. The contact is natural since both players are chasing the ball. Referee waives play-on. Correct decision.

    27’ N3 HIL gets inside the penalty area and tries to shoot. N32 EST pushes him and throws him to the ground. The referee points to the penalty spot. AR2 has raised his flag for an offside offence. VAR confirms the offside decision. Correct.

    33’ N77 HIL tries to get inside EST penalty area but a defender tries to stop him. There is a small contact between the 2 players and the HIL attacker tries to gain advantage from it and fells inside the penalty area. The referee decides for a play-on. But he should have awarded an IFK to EST and punish N77 with a YC for simulation.

    Disciplinary control/Management.

    The referee managed the match mostly with small verbal warnings. His tried to keep cautions at a minimum since the match wasn’t that difficult. Both cautions to N28 HIL are correct. Apart from the missed caution at 27’, he should caution N2 of HIL for UB at 87’. At the time of his substitution N2 ignores the FO when telling him to leave the field of play at the nearest moment. His intention is to delay the restart of the match. Moreover the referee makes a warning at min. 67’ for usage of arm. Acceptable decision even though I would prefer a caution.
    A couple of words about the caution at min. 60’. The referee initially calls the player (N22 EST) to him to show the card. The player ignores the referee. After about 20’ the referee (who has the card on his hand the whole time) goes to the player and shows him the YC. Not the best management.

    Additional time.
    This is an area that needs improvement. The referee correctly decides for 2’ at the first half. But during that time, EST GK is injured and the doctor is called. Match stops for 1’. The referee keeps only 30” and whistles at 2:28. The same thing happens at the 2nd half. The referee decides for 3’. Given that we have 6 substitutions and HIL GK is injured for 1:30’, additional time should have been at least 5’.

    Both AR’s weren’t challenged that much. 2 offside calls each. The one at 90+3’ from AR2 seems incorrect.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Chefren18 December 2019 at 20:20

    Good performance by Alejandro Hernández Hernández so far.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Quilava18 December 2019 at 20:23

    IMO missed penalty on Varane by Lenglet. Almost impossible for Hernández² but VAR should have recommended an OFR.

    ReplyDelete
  21. M18 December 2019 at 20:28

    Clear penalty missed, orange card challenge by Rakitic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. M18 December 2019 at 20:28

      https://scontent.fzag1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/80402581_1667158420093013_6158133364659322880_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=0dGjUEeicBEAQlypDqx_g4uGV30ozsjIIcXqqYwL750bB74-Z-Dc41arw&_nc_ht=scontent.fzag1-1.fna&oh=0b39a6e843bd1fb238b5d17d1dda3531&oe=5E757B45

      Delete
    2. BiH ref18 December 2019 at 23:27

      Bad decision, clear penalty

      Delete
  22. pita falta18 December 2019 at 20:51

    All under control by HDZ.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Osborne18 December 2019 at 21:35

    Now excellent offside decision by AR1

    ReplyDelete
  24. Mikael W18 December 2019 at 22:17

    On the whole very good refereeing by Alejandro Hernández Hernández in a (only) quite challenging Clásico. As we know him, high technical accuracy - faultless disciplinary control - and good soft skills.

    Lenglet on Varane HAD to be recommended as an OFR by de Burgos Bengoetxea (YC only - Lenglet pulls his leg away; I guess why VAR supported play on). I am fine with no penalty for the tugging some minutes later.

    Shame that missed intervention tarnishes a positive impression of the officiating.

    ReplyDelete
  25. pita falta18 December 2019 at 22:36

    HDZ HDZ top ref

    ReplyDelete
  26. BiH ref18 December 2019 at 22:54

    So bad Hernández

    ReplyDelete
  27. Howard Maxi18 December 2019 at 23:38

    Al-Sadd (QAT) - Espérance Sportive de Tunis (TUN)
    Referee: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)

    With a multitude of people arguing that 3rd place matches are useless, what would they say about 5th place matches? I don't really care, since this match gave the fans two teams willing to play football and an unexpected, yet highly appreciated appointment for Tahitian referee Abdelkader Zitouni.

    Crucial decisions

    Three penalties were given in this match:

    - 21': ALS #3 blocks a goal-bound shot with his outstretched arm shortly before the ball crosses the goal-line. Zitouni decided on a corner kick. A mistake, but one I would not blame him at all for. Despite having a very good position, his view is obstructed by several players and the handball is almost impossible to evaluate. After a lengthy OFR - no doubt also to decide if it should be a RC for DOGSO or if they keeper could have intervened - Zitouni decides on penalty kick and RC. Fully correct decision taken.

    - 31': EST #22 trips ALS #45 inside the penalty area. I had some doubts in real-time, but replays made it very clear, that this was a decision that could not have been more correct. Zitouni immediately evaluated the scene and pointed to the spot. Very well done.

    - 48': After falling to the ground after a small barge by EST #30, ALS #45 gets back up on his feet and is tripped by his opponent. Again, Zitouni has an excellent view on the scene, again he immediately points to the spot. Once more: Very well done!

    - 63': penalty appeal by EST, once again spot-on, immediate evaluation: The ALS player clearly got the ball.

    Disciplinary management:

    The match ended with zero cards apart from the RC for DOGSO. It should be said that the intensity was quite low most of the time (21 fouls overall). That said, there were some scenes were YCs were in the realm of possibility (27', 28', 44', 56', 72', 83'). None of these cautions were mandatory ones though, despite both 28' and 83' were very late fouls and I would have preferred cards here. I never had the feeling that things would get out of hand though, so this style and line was well-chosen for the match. In parts of the second half, it felt a bit too much like he just whistled and was eager for play to continue instead of being more preventive (compare to the verbal warnings in 27', 28', 56'). But this is only a minor point.

    Player management and positioning, etc.:

    Zitouni's fitness is outstanding. I find it hard to describe his positioning, with is close to play and therefore risky at times (hit by the ball at 71'), but I feel like the scene in 40' sums him up perfectly: he is close to play and has to turn away to avoid getting hit, but while turning still manages to get his head around to spot a foul.

    Generally, I admire Zitouni's decision-making, his absolute confidence he displays and the calmness of his player management. Added to that, have a look at the scene in 27': Zitouni's intervention is not by the book, but I feel like this intervention, getting up close and calming things down, even at the cost of stopping a possible restart, is something I couldn't imagine seeing done in UEFA. More importantly, I felt like in this scene he clearly got the respect of the players. Overall, he has the ability to appear in the midst of potential heated scenes as if he teleports. I saw this management at the U20 WC and was very much impressed by it.

    As for player management, 27' and the management of all the penalty scenes give a good impression which I have written about above.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Howard Maxi18 December 2019 at 23:38

      OVERALL:

      Abdelkader Zitouni is a fascinating referee with a style that is unique and combines his strengths: Risky but rewarding positioning; excellent decision-making; a unique player management and a physical condition that is top class. His elegance and self-confidence make it a pleasure to watch him whistle games.

      Therefore, I can only express my sincere hope that the Tahitian gets supported. OFC with its limited number of games is not big enough a stage for him to develop. I strongly hope he will get the chance to referee league games in France's top division and I'm not at all exaggerating when I say that he would make an excellent Ligue 1 referee with potential for regular international appointments. Good luck to you, Sir, it is a pleasure to watch!

      Delete
    2. Stake18 December 2019 at 23:54

      Abdelkader Zitouni actually is currently refereeing in France this season, however he's a referee in the National 3 championship (5th tier of French football). His brother Djemel is listed as an assistant referee though in Ligue 1 for a couple of seasons.

      Delete
    3. Quilava19 December 2019 at 02:30

      I'd love to see Zitouni as a referee in 2020 Olympic Games, for example.

      Delete
    4. Osborne20 December 2019 at 23:21

      Based on the replays, I definitely agree with this summary. Quite unique refereeing by Zitouni, empathic management and remarkable sprinting. Would be interested in watching him again appointed for more important games

      Delete
  28. Jackson19 December 2019 at 05:32

    OT: Australia referees
    Hyundai A-League referee appointments match day 11 -

    Western Sydney Wanderers v Western United FC -
    Friday, 20 December 2019
    Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta
    Kick-Off: 7:30pm (Local) (7:30pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Alireza Faghani (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 1: Andrew Lindsay (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 2: Lance Greenshields (FIFA)
    Fourth Official: Stephen Lucas
    VAR: Kris Griffiths-Jones

    Wellington Phoenix v Sydney FC -
    Saturday, 21 December 2019
    Westpac Stadium, Wellington
    Kick-Off: 4:45pm (Local) (2:45pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Chris Beath (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 2: Ashley Beecham (FIFA)
    Fourth Official: Ben Abraham
    VAR: Nick Waldron (FIFA)

    Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory (Melbourne derby) -
    Saturday, 21 December 2019
    AAMI Park, Melbourne
    Kick-Off: 5:00pm (Local) (5:00pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Alex King
    Assistant Referee 1: David Walsh
    Assistant Referee 2: Wilson Brown
    Fourth Official: Lachlan Keevers
    VAR: Kris Griffiths-Jones

    Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets -
    Saturday, 21 December 2019
    HBF Park, Perth
    Kick-Off: 4:30pm (Local) (7:30pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Adam Kersey
    Assistant Referee 1: Josh Mannella
    Assistant Referee 2: Matthew Southern
    Fourth Official: Shane Skinner
    VAR: Kate Jacewicz (FIFA)

    Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United -
    Sunday, 22 December 2019
    Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
    Kick-Off: 6:00pm (Local) (6:00pm (AEDT))
    Referee: Adam Fielding
    Assistant Referee 1: Nathan MacDonald (FIFA)
    Assistant Referee 2: Ryan Gallagher (FIFA)
    Fourth Official: Tim Danaskos
    VAR: Kurt Ams (FIFA)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Matio19 December 2019 at 09:56

    After El Clasico: Good decision on AR1 for offside, but 2 crucial mistake for No penalty given for 2 fouls to Varane, I dont know why VAR didnt intervene :o

    ReplyDelete
  30. M19 December 2019 at 15:55

    OT:
    Designations for Serie A this weekend.

    FIORENTINA – ROMA venerdì 20/12 h. 20.45

    ORSATO

    TEGONI – DEL GIOVANE

    IV: MANGANIELLO

    VAR: AURELIANO

    AVAR: SCHENONE

    UDINESE – CAGLIARI sabato 21/12 h. 15.00

    PICCININI

    GALETTO – PRENNA

    IV: SERRA

    VAR: NASCA

    AVAR: DI VUOLO

    INTER – GENOA sabato 21/12 h. 18.00

    PAIRETTO

    COLAROSSI – GORI

    IV: ABBATTISTA

    VAR: DI BELLO

    AVAR: DE MEO

    TORINO – SPAL sabato 21/12 h. 20.45

    FABBRI

    DI IORIO – SCATRAGLI

    IV: SACCHI

    VAR: MASSA

    AVAR: LONGO

    ATALANTA – MILAN domenica 22/12 h. 12.30

    LA PENNA

    MELI – FIORITO

    IV: MARIANI

    VAR: IRRATI

    AVAR: DI PAOLO

    LECCE – BOLOGNA domenica 22/12 h. 15.00

    ABISSO

    CARBONE – BACCINI

    IV: BARONI

    VAR: PASQUA

    AVAR: PRETI

    PARMA – BRESCIA

    FOURNEAU

    BINDONI – VALERIANI

    IV: ROS

    VAR: GUIDA

    AVAR: TOLFO

    SASSUOLO – NAPOLI domenica 22/12 h. 20.45

    CHIFFI

    LIBERTI – BRESMES

    IV: DIONISI

    VAR: VALERI

    AVAR: VIVENZI

    ReplyDelete
  31. Mikael W19 December 2019 at 23:12

    Clube de Regatas do Flamengo - Al Hilal Saudi FC, Ismail Elfath

    Video Clips:

    => 57’ Reckless vs. Serious Foul Play (Al Hilal No.9)? Al Hilal No.9, already cautioned, did not receive any sanction. Foul by Flamengo No. 8? Play restarted with a freekick to Al Hilal. Management of trainers / players re-entering the Field of Play?
    https://streamable.com/f1or8

    => 84’ Red Card for Serious Foul Play, Al Hilal No.19; management (violent conduct against referee? dissent?), no further cards sorted out.
    https://streamable.com/6sdh2

    Quite interesting game for Ismail Elfath. Despite showing some good skills, this game pointed towards serious shortcomings in the young American pushed by FIFA.

    => In general, referee presented the impression of someone who had prepared for an Arab-Sudamerican duel. His disciplinary control was on the whole good (missed caution at 38’ for unsporting behaviour but I guess the referee determined that giving that would inflame the game and AR1 stepped in with prevention to prevent further conflicts; I would have given another at +92’ but to assess that as careless is okay). His foul detection was good with a few mistakes (45’, 64’ eg.). Very good decision to send off Al Hilal No.19 for Serious Foul Play – well done. He also issued a couple of good verbal warnings, for a late careless tackle (10’) and for persistent infringement (37’). For his frame his fitness is good, he could improve his dynamic sprints though.

    He showed a lot of competencies needed to handle games at an international level, yet this game revealed some serious weaknesses:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mikael W19 December 2019 at 23:16

      - His management of dissent was terrible in a couple of scenes (20’, 84’). We can even talk about a violent conduct against the referee at 84’! I didn’t watch him handle any domestic matches so maybe it is a FIFA phenomenon, but even so…

      - Above point fits into a wider discourse about his soft skills. Despite having good mimics and gestures, he was really limited in the way he spoke to players. I mean, speaking from my own matches even, there is a time where sometimes you do not know what to say so you just smile emptily at players – but this was modus operandi for Elfath. My feeling is that Elfath has the idea that he can actually ‘reach’ players each time, when a lot of the time he just made the players angrier having conversed with him.
      ** Not every referee is Mateu Lahoz, I am not advocating that, but his lacks were something I would expect to see at a lower national level, he was not even regularly able to have normal talks with the players that were successful. I guess as MLS football paradigm is similar to here (England), I saw so many referees struggle to practically realise that players from eg. Arab World or South America are not really interested in empathic talks and being referees' friend which is status quo for us.

      - There are many things to unpack from 57' so I try to do that:
      * Good decision not to intervene (SFP) by Kelly, player pulls his leg away, YC is the correct outcome.
      * Clear Second Yellow Card missed, then. The location of this tackle is unfortunate – it is on Elfath’s blindside, Ghorbal cannot see the contact point, and Atkins is perhaps too far away. Especially in the case of the first two, I would still expect them to pick out the recklessness of the tackle though.
      * Such double-tackles are a real nightmare for referees so I have some sympathy with Elfath, but he totally misread this tackle to the point of being beyond understanding. He gestures as if it has been a classic double-tackle with both players attacking the ball frontally – it was just late tackle by Al Hilal No.9 who reached his opponent too late. You can justify whistling the foul for Al Hilal and Flamengo No.8 playing the ball irregularly; you cannot justify not issuing Al Hilal No.9 a second caution. I cannot understand what Elfath thought here.
      * Afterwards, Elfath violates the LotG by restarting with Flamengo No.8 having received treatment still being on the pitch. He didn’t allow Ghorbal enough time to encourage him to leave the pitch. No evidence to say if Al Hilal No.9 was treated on the pitch, but trainers were called on by the referee and he remained on the pitch.

      I found it very hard to decide how to report this game – Elfath did show some good skills, but he also did some very weird things that I would not expect to see from a FIFA-level referee. It is hard to point him in the direction of any particular area to improve, I just got the feeling of referee who hugely lacked even regular experience.

      -> Such weird things are typical of a referee who got too much too soon. I am used to seeing them at grassroots level, not on the television!
      Elfath was pushed too fast by USSF, CONCACAF and now FIFA; he should not reach any more until he can improve which he can do only by gaining further experience.

      Delete
    2. Soccer Guy21 December 2019 at 02:58

      I can chime in as someone who has seen a lot of Elfath in MLS. You mention some "weird" qualities about the way he manages a game, in particular his insistence on always dealing with things ultra-calmly and trying to "be a friend" of all the players. I agree that this is his style in MLS also: he doesn't use a stern personality at all, and always tries to deal with problems by smiling and trying to be a calm presence near the players. It's a style that I haven't been very fond of in the past, but I've come around to it over the last year or so; because clearly it's working for him. I think the style is unorthodox and looks a bit funny at times; but if it works, who are we to criticize him for it?

      On a related note, I agree that the "paradigm" of refereeing in the US and in England seems to revolve around trying to make friends with the players, and this bothers me in general; players who deserve a card should not be coddled because the referee wants to try to keep their friendship going.

      I also agree with your criticisms of some incidents in this game, namely the non-showing of a second yellow card to Giovinco in the 57' (though this, it must be said, is a very challenging call for any referee), and in particular the lack of disciplinary sanction for the Al Hilal players following the (correct and otherwise well-handled) showing of a red card to Al Hilal's Carrillo in the 84'. At a bare minimum, the Al Hilal #2 had to be cautioned for dissent. In MLS, it would not be unusual to see that player sent off for violent conduct; there were two similar red cards in MLS this past year (not by Elfath in particular but in the league as a whole) for players making contact with the referee in a manner much less aggressive than what we saw here in Doha... and Elfath in MLS has never had (at least not more than any other referees) a problem dealing with dissent or abusive language. Whether FIFA has asked their referees to set a high bar for this kind of misconduct or if Elfath made the decision on his own to not sanction anyone else in this incident, that sets a terrible example for the game around the world.

      Where I will disagree with you is your categorization of Elfath's career progress. At age 37 he is not really a "young" referee anymore. And I don't think you can say he was pushed too fast into international matches; he's been refereeing in MLS for 8 years and a FIFA for 4 years. He showed really well in the U20 World Cup (his first FIFA tournament) and was rewarded for that performance with the final, and with another shot here in December. I don't think he's been "pushed too fast," he got a fair opportunity in Poland and did well enough to earn another one. Of course, he is by no means a lock for 2022, I think Marrufo is still ahead of him on the US list, but perhaps he can go as a second referee from the US like Marrufo did in 2018.

      Delete
  32. Referee 1220 December 2019 at 09:39

    Al Jassim directly into final match, Hategan for the third place.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Mikael W20 December 2019 at 10:49

    Wow, what an amazing year for Abdulrahman Al-Jassim! His first appearance in any role of this Club World Cup (inc. FO / VAR) is to whistle the final.

    Of course hence we cannot speak about a performance principle in this competition, but based on his refereeing holistically in 2019 it is fully deserved.

    He showed excellent performances at both AFC Asian Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he was (among) the best. If he went under your radar, I will try to retrospect his year now.


    AFC ASIAN CUP

    Iraq - Vietnam
    law5-theref.blogspot.com/2019/01/2019-afc-asian-cup-referee-appointments.html?showComment=1546994484547#c3437555440418532174

    Korea Republic - China
    law5-theref.blogspot.com/2019/01/2019-afc-asian-cup-referee-appointments_14.html?showComment=1547710875701#c7339172858647974252

    Australia - Uzbekistan
    streamable.com/h33js

    China - Iran
    streamable.com/mzrax


    CONCACAF Gold Cup

    Cuba - Martinique
    ok.ru/video/1158121064995

    United States - Panama
    Good performance in an unremarkable game

    Mexico - Haiti
    Excellent penalty decision, technically weak game
    https://youtu.be/SkNGtnDfrgM?t=62


    And even he showed to be in good form in his last international match, in a very challenging former-SSR Derby game.

    Krygyz Republic - Tajikistan
    law5-theref.blogspot.com/2019/11/201920-european-qualifiers-referee_16.html?showComment=1574450131621#c2885131770268668782


    If you ask me fully deserved appointment, nice for Al-Jassim that it is on home soil too.
    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Chefren20 December 2019 at 11:52

    Nothing against Al Jassim but this is in my opinion another moment of very shocking management by FIFA. They have everything planned and they don't want to change it. So, Zitouni officiated fifth place game only because there was a team from Qatar there. otherwise Al Jassim would have got it. They use referees as they want, of course this can be partially right, but in my opinion there isn't respect for the people. I think that everything in every moment of a career should be always decided based on performance. Luckily, UEFA is a very different world. Again, let me specify, nothing against Al Jassim but you can't select a referee for a tournement and then appoint him only for the final, there is no respect for the other officials involved.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter20 December 2019 at 14:20

      I don't have that much a problem with Al Jassim's appointment directly for the final. I even doubt that he was originally planned for the 5th place match: One could have expected exactly those games for the 1st, 3rd and 5th place and thus have anticipated that he would not be an option for that game. A logical appointment for Al Jassim would have been the semi-final Monterrey - Liverpool instead. His direct appointment for the final without even having been considered as fourth official before could indicate that he shall be "made ready" for the World Cup 2022 in his home country with a major appointment without "wasting" too many spots (second appointment or one/more as fourth official).

      Delete
    2. Soccer Guy21 December 2019 at 03:09

      Agreed. I haven't watched him very much but the way FIFA and AFC have managed him since at least 2018 very strongly seems to suggest that they are really trying to groom him for 2022 so they can have a Qatari ref at the World Cup.

      He may well be performing well enough to deserve it, but it feels like he is being given every opportunity that could come his way.

      Delete
    3. Mikael W21 December 2019 at 10:41

      1) There can be absolutely zero doubt that starting from December 2010 Al-Jassim was being specially pushed. I guess it's another question whether you think how eg. Turpin was treated was/is fair, but there can be little doubt that he both proved himself in the end once he reached Elite.

      2) I get why what Al-Jassim reached think this is 'just' political pressure, again that is a speciality of FIFA, but this time it is not the case. If you watch the series of videos / reports that I posted above, I hope that is self-evident. This is an example of the inference-observation confusion, I think :)

      3) Peter I really disagree with you - on his current trend, Al-Jassim could go really far at his home WC, and it would be meritocratic!

      Delete
    4. Peter21 December 2019 at 12:08

      @Mikael: But that's exactly what I wanted to express by writing "making him ready for the World Cup 2022". ;-) I did not mean that he is currently not at the expected level. What I rather intended to say is that World Cup matches between CONMEBOL and UEFA very often are handled by Mexican referees (2018: BRA-SUI/Ramos, COL-POL/Ramos, URU-POR/Ramos, 2014: URU-ITA/Rodriguez, BRA-GER/Rodriguez, 2010: PAR-ITA/Archundia, BRA-POR/Archundia, URU-GER/Archundia, CHI-ESP/Rodriguez, etc.).

      Al-Jassim did not gain so much experience with such teams so far (apart from U17, U20 and U23 tournaments). Given that the 8 matches during the Club World Cup are handled by 6 referees, I think it is a fair decision to appoint the final referee only for that sole match. Such an appointment should not depend on one match earlier in that competition but on long-term performances - that's why I consider his appointment as fully justified. In my opinion, he is very promising outside UEFA, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF.

      Delete
    5. Mikael W21 December 2019 at 13:48

      Ah sorry Peter - I see what you mean :)

      We agree!

      Delete
  35. Chefren20 December 2019 at 12:09

    https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/11891061/infantino-refs-should-use-pitch-monitors

    Wise words by Infantino, hopefully something will change in Premier League.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Referee20 December 2019 at 14:36

      Let's hope so.
      Also, at the end he says that 'of course VAR will improve, we will develop, WE WILL HAVE AUTOMATIZED OFFSIDES and all this kind of things'. That's interesting, he probably means the placement of VOLs will be automatic at some point...

      Delete
  36. Chefren20 December 2019 at 16:50

    No significant changes for FIFA badge in 2020, it will be the 11th year in a row with this design (it started in 2010). There was only a switch between "FIFA" and "referee" a few ago.
    https://ibb.co/XjwrcSC

    ReplyDelete
  37. Chefren20 December 2019 at 19:58

    After having been confirmed on FIFA list since 1997 until the end of this year, Kyrgyz assistant referee Bakhadyr Kochkarov has decided to end his international career at the age of 49 (1970 born).
    He had set a record of the oldest official on FIFA list in 2019.
    I also think that 23 consecutive years on FIFA list is another record for him, despite of age limits abolishment this will last very long.

    http://t-media.kg/2019/11/26/bahadyr-kochkarov-fifadagy-kareramdy-toktotuu-o-oj-bolgon-zhok/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter20 December 2019 at 20:35

      I don't know whether Konrad Sapela will continue his international career, but he started in 1998 and could equalize Kochkarov's record in 2020.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20 December 2019 at 23:15

      He will continue. Borkowski and Myrmus out, Heinig and Kupsik in.

      Delete
  38. Anonymous20 December 2019 at 20:10

    When EURO names?

    ReplyDelete
  39. Osborne20 December 2019 at 23:12

    CF Monterrey (MEX) - Liverpool FC (ENG)

    Referee: Roberto Andrés Tobar Vargas (CHI)
    Assistant Referee 1: Christian Rodolfo Schiemann Alonso (CHI)
    Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Alejandro Ríos Ortiz (CHI)
    Fourth Official: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (ROU)
    Reserve Assistant Referee: Saoud Ahmed Almaqaleh (QAT)
    Video Assistant Referee: Esteban Daniel Ostojich Vega (URU)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Salem Al Marri (QAT)
    Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)

    Roberto Tobar is currently the most trusted and successful referee from CONMEBOL, after having been appointed this year for Copa America and Copa Libertadores Finals. This game was way easier, especially in the first half, with both teams interested in playing fair - 21 fouls whistled only. Nevertheless he performed with his usual confidence and firmness, still showing a few weaknesses in foul detection I already spotted in the big games mentioned above. In particular, his foul selection was not fully accurate in a few occasions (soft free kick call at 49’ and 60’, advantage not applied at 85’, missed clear foul at 53’). Disciplinary control was faultless (47’, 58’ 78’), although I would have liked to see a verbal warning for the foul at 13’ which was borderline to SPA for LIV #7 (late tackle with no tangible chance of hitting the ball).

    ARs also had a quiet evening, signalling 4 offsides, all correct based on the available replays. In addition, at 14’ LIV goal was allowed after a quick silent check, onside call by AR2 was confirmed.

    A few interesting episodes are commented below:

    58’: on a counter attack, MON #7 is held by LIV #12, the latter is booked - correct SPA, no DOGSO given the far distance to the goal and the presence of another LIV player in a good defending position

    64’: two balls on the pitch, the game is not stopped as the second ball does not interfere - correct decision

    76’: both trainers are booked for dissent, MON has a rapid conversation with Tobar whereas LIV is shown a YC from a far distance - in this episode, I would have liked to see the referee have the same quick chat he had with Mohamed with Klopp, this would have given a better impression of neutrality. Calling the two together to come closer and be warned/booked together would also have been a better option.

    Overall Roberto Tobar presents himself in a very positive way, showing excellent authority together with satisfactory player management skills and fitness. He was always in full control. He should work on alertness and more accuracy on tackles/challenges to avoid any controversy - especially when those happen in the penalty box, which luckily did not happen in this game

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mikael W21 December 2019 at 10:46

      Thanks to Osborne, below some clips from the Monterrey - Liverpool game.

      => 58' SPA vs. DOGSO (tugging)? YC given to LIV No.12
      https://streamable.com/7i43a

      => 76' Second YC (SPA / LoR)? Both coaches cautioned (UB)
      https://streamable.com/0jqoj


      Other Clips:

      => 13' Missed verbal warning / YC (Reckless)?
      https://streamable.com/qfa41

      => 47' YC (Reckless)
      https://streamable.com/isl9m

      => 49' Foul?
      https://streamable.com/r7asp

      => 62' Goal correctly disallowed by Christian Rodolfo Schiemann Alonso for offside
      https://streamable.com/tc8ea

      => 64' Regular to allow play to continue?
      https://streamable.com/47tfb

      Delete
    2. Osborne21 December 2019 at 11:39

      I forgot to specify that the YC to LIV coach has very likely been suggested by 4th official Hațegan, who was very active in those minutes. No major complaints from the benches except from 76'

      Delete
    3. Mikael W21 December 2019 at 13:51

      Indeed, I cut the wrong clip for 64' (so, indeed, it was correct to play to continue there :D)

      => 64' Regular to allow play to continue?
      https://streamable.com/vz122

      Delete
    4. Philipp S21 December 2019 at 14:15

      IMO 76' is pretty clearly SPA, once you punish the handball itself, because without the handball the ball would come to attacker with a free way towards goal.

      Delete
  40. Chefren21 December 2019 at 18:43

    Barcelona - Deportivo Alaves, referee Mario Melero López.
    Simultaneous infringment by two opponents, both are booked then dropped ball. Very rare to see. VAR checked for a possible RC for SFP as well.

    https://streamable.com/zaiej

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S21 December 2019 at 19:39

      Very interesting, but wrong IMO. The Alaves player is there first, so I think, it is only a foul by the Barca player. Maybe still reckless by the Alaves player, so the YC is acceptable, but the game should continiue with free kick for Alaves.

      Also the 4 metres were not respected at the dropped ball.

      Delete
    2. Soccer Guy22 December 2019 at 04:06

      Very weird play. Is a dropped ball even permissable by the LotG anymore? Interested to here others' thoughts on this.

      I thought this was more of a foul on Umtiti than on the other player but I think a yellow for each is fair enough.

      Delete
  41. chris bramis21 December 2019 at 19:23

    Oof I think Al-Jassim had a quite odd first half. Not the refereeing an English and an Brazilian team would expect. Very soft fouls whistled and some more quite blatant missed. imo totally wrong to YC only Mane at 45'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. chris bramis21 December 2019 at 19:25

      I almost forgot the offensive foul on Henderson inside the PA which was more of a penalty, var checked and no intervention

      Delete
  42. Daniel Bailey21 December 2019 at 20:28

    Very interesting VAR decision. Fifa graphic suggests OFR outcome has changed decision from penalty to free kick, although drop ball given. I am struggling with that one, looks like a foul and DOGSO/Red Card 90+2'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. usareferee21 December 2019 at 20:30

      Agreed. For me it looks like a foul outside the penalty area and DOGSO red. That's what the TV graphic indicated as well.

      Delete
    2. The Referee21 December 2019 at 20:34

      FIFA graphics are unfortunately often wrong, referee showed 'dropped ball' with his gestures.

      Delete
  43. Michael21 December 2019 at 20:29

    So has the referee decided it was not a foul, or has the defender got away with a fk + DOGSO RC because the VAR review means it's a drop ball?

    ReplyDelete
  44. Mikael W21 December 2019 at 21:18

    https://streamable.com/n41dn

    If you ask me the correct resolution was Freekick + RC:DOGSO

    LIV No.18 wins the position and is impeded by the defender as he tries to shoot the ball. The best view is the frame-by-frame at 1:00 in my video.

    VAR Procedure is very interesting here and quite multi-faceted, I will offer my thoughts on that below:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mikael W21 December 2019 at 21:27

      At the most basic theoretical level there is no need for an On-Field Review; the foul is evident and the referee needs to change from Penalty + YC:DOGSO to Freekick + RC:DOGSO. But!

      * As is outlined in the VAR protocol, it would be useful to 'sell' the decision by going to an On-Field Review considering the holistic context (1 - not the clearest foul for 'everyone', it would be helpful to confirm that; 2 - such a crucial decision, appeasing 'football'; 3 - Infantino's interview vis-a-vis OFRs, but I hope that was an irrelevance).

      It felt, as much as refereeing should be about feeling and not facts, commonsensical to have an On-Field Review there.

      I think that Martínez Munuera called Al-Jassim over in order to 'sell' the decision to give a freekick. Interestingly, I don't think cancelling the foul altogether was part of the plan (hence television graphic that was also shown in the stadium).

      If that is the case, terrible selection of replays by the VAR team to allow Al-Jassim to take that decision; if understandable, as their main focus was on a very tight inside vs. outside decision.

      Very complex situation! But I think Al-Jassim made a crucial mistake there.

      Delete
    2. Philipp S21 December 2019 at 22:35

      Yes, I agree. Normally no need for an OFR, because the foul decision is not a clear and obvious mistake and VAR should be able to take the decision himself.
      But as you describe it, there are some reasons to use the OFR in this special circumstances.
      (Actually I would prefer to cancel those reasons from the protocol to ensure more consistency, when an OFR is used and when not).
      And there probably needed to be more communication once Al-Jassim was tending towards "no foul", so that other angles could be shown to him.

      Much less critical, but I think, the ball was already out of play, when he whistled - therefore it should have been a goal kick, not a dropped ball.
      (I also shortly considered, whether the dropped ball needed to be outside the penalty area and then for Liverpool, because the "no foul" occurred outside and Liverpool was in possession. But of course, only the position of the ball is relevant.)

      Delete
    3. The Referee21 December 2019 at 22:51

      Thanks for the video, Mikael W! I watched all the situation once again and here are my thoughts.
      Can't blame referee too much for the WRONG decision live because it was a fast counter attack and very close to the penalty area line, so also hard for AR to evaluate.
      Actually for some miliseconds at first the referee signaled for free kick but after that he pointed to the spot. Probably just a small undependent mistake (comparable to ocasions such as when a referee shows the 'TV signal' when not needed), but, who knows, maybe some info from AR...
      Plenty of dissent from the Brazilians, mass mobing with 3 and more players, so I would have liked a YC there (probably 2nd yellow to #13).
      I am strongly against OFRs for 'selling decisions'. But, as Andris Treimanis told us in the interview I shared a few weeks ago, FIFA likes 'to give the referee a second chance', and I feel like this may have been a case of that in one way.

      My rethorics is that if Al-Jassim had given no foul at all, VAR would have no legal rights to intervene. So IMO the VAR shouldn't recommen a VAR review also in situations like this (if it's fully determined outside the penalty area) (although there are legal rights) because there are no normal reasons to do that. Unneeded and incorrect intervention (can be supported if one wants very much).

      But the biggest mistakes by the video match officials and ROs start when the referee is at the RRA...
      1) Al-Jassim had to wait 6 seconds in the RRA before something eventualy appeared on the screen (prior to that he even walked a quite large distance of his travel, giving the the ones in the VOR more time to prepare).
      2) If referee hadn't specially asked, there is no need at all to show the camera angles that were show (they're all for determining inside/outside). If the referee asked for that, I critisise him for doing that. IMO he also took a bit too long time for making that decision.
      (To hear the communications would be very helpful in making all these verdicts for me and many others, I think. ;))
      3) I am not sure what happens at 2:37 in Mikael's video. That should be the point at which Al-Jassim starts to make the foul/no foul decision. Although it is hard to believe that based on the angles shown, it probably is that point because at the end the referee changed his foul/no foul decison and there must be some reason for that. THE ANGLES SHOWN BY THE VAR ARE RIDICULOUS. It could be that Al-Jassim's request for foul/no foul was a bit unexpected but the VAR had to be ready for that or take a bit time to find a normal angle. The referee should have requested a better angle if the VAR didn't provide one. He shouldn't have changed his foul/no foul decision without appropriate evidence. In the angles that were shown you could no way see a clear and obvious error in giving a foul. Also, there are 3 video match officials but it may be that no one had seen the 0:51 to 1:05 replays, and that's not good. Maybe they had but in that case they should have suggested it for showing on the RRA monitor...
      Without hearing the match officials' communications we can't say precisely what but something went terribly wrong in the whole process and that led to a wrong decision.

      The correct decision would have been a direct free kick and a RC for DOGSO to #13 + YC for dissent/mobbing also to #13 before the review. (If the RC would have be shown only after the review, that would mean #13 should be called back from the tunnel, his first YC would be canceled and a RC would be shown...'you can leave again'. :D) Referee performed well below average in this situation while the VAR's actions where completely unacceptable, terrible.

      Delete
    4. Mikael W21 December 2019 at 23:44

      Thank you Philipp and 'The Referee' (do you have a given name you would rather?) for very nuanced comments!

      I don't imagine FIFA's internal evaluation will be (much) better than that :)

      Delete
    5. Soccer Guy22 December 2019 at 04:19

      I would like to echo a lot of the other thoughts here. The correct decision, in my opinion, was free kick and red card for DOGSO. I don't mind the OFR because there is a lot to consider here, it is more than "just" a simple in-out decision. They need to decide on a sanction, and indeed if there is a foul at all. I think the correct decision is clear (free kick and red for DOGSO because the contact severely interferes with the attacker's shot), but because there are other facets to the decision besides just the location, I don't mind the OFR.

      I agree that the angles shown to Al Jassim were very poor. The best angle was the one shown to TV viewers at 0:55 of the video. From the angles Al Jassim was shown, I'm not sure he could see much evidence of contact and this is why he went with no foul ultimately.

      And I don't really mind him taking so much time with this decision. Correctness is more important than speed; and especially considering it's the 90th minute it is worth taking a few more moments to make sure to get it right (although, again, I think he still got it wrong).

      Delete
    6. Mlacko22 December 2019 at 10:45

      And what happend with YC for DOGSO with attept to play the ball which happend here. Correct decision to go with YC.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous22 December 2019 at 18:26

      Mlacko, please update your knowledge with the laws of the game. Dogso outside the penalty area is always a red card.

      Delete
  45. Mikael W21 December 2019 at 21:34

    Another interesting situation from the Final

    => 112' Reckless vs. Serious Foul Play; YC given
    https://streamable.com/48tfj

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S21 December 2019 at 22:19

      The two-leg flying "tackle" is not aimed at the opponent, but at blocking the ball, therefore no SFP for me.
      I think there was no actual danger, that he hit him with this legs.

      Delete
    2. Soccer Guy22 December 2019 at 04:20

      I agree with Philip, SFP here would have been clearly wrong.

      Delete
  46. Chefren22 December 2019 at 10:13

    It seems as FIFA has removed from the site all the pages with the lists of officials country by country, replacing everything by a PDF:
    https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/what-we-do/education-and-technical/referees/
    https://resources.fifa.com/image/upload/2017-refereeing-international-lists-2904162.pdf

    I can guess this has been done because nowadays age limits have been abolished, so there isn't need to know the date of birth, and maybe also for privacy. Not anymore a necessary info.

    ReplyDelete
  47. SZ22 December 2019 at 11:12

    what about 2020 referees list?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quilava22 December 2019 at 16:39

      UEFA referee list for 2020 has already been published on this blog.

      Delete
    2. MARIO23 December 2019 at 11:04

      ??????? I don't think so

      Delete
    3. Chefren23 December 2019 at 12:55

      "2020 UEFA Referees list" means NEW UEFA REFEREES FOR 2020:
      http://law5-theref.blogspot.com/2019/12/new-uefa-referees-for-2020.html

      About referees for EURO 2020, still no info.

      No info as well about new ASSISTANT REFEREES for 2020.

      Delete
  48. Chiagozie22 December 2019 at 18:35

    What was Anthony Taylor thinking not awarding a penalty and even gave the free kick to Tottenham. He is one to make the bold decisions but chickened out there which he shouldn't because he has VAR

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ref3122 December 2019 at 18:45

      There was a similar call in Leipzig-Lyon where he needed an OFR to give the penalty and Mike Dean didn't give one in Man City-Leicester that probably should have been given or at least properly looked at. This one was by far the most blatant though and he was in a good position - no idea what was going through his head.

      Delete
    2. Nole22 December 2019 at 19:11

      Taylor was in a great form until month ago. Then he started to make so clear and obvious mistakes. So clear penalty for Chelsea, incredible that he gave free kick for Tottenham. And new problem with RC for Son. Taylor had clear line of sight, he saw everything, was very close, so for me no need for any VAR. He thought it's not worth of RC and he saw the incident. You can't allow to some VAR ref who is sitting somewhere in the city, who doesn't feel the match, atmosphere in one derby match, to make FINAL DECISION and decide for straight RC. For me, no clear RCbecause there was lot of acting from Rudiger. Crowd gone crazy of course, Taylor lost concentration and make several more mistakes (one of them for me blatant pulling in Chelsea PK area, and VAR did nothing). Making final decision from some room in the city without OFR makes English VAR a real, real JOKE!

      Delete
    3. Nole22 December 2019 at 19:18

      And now foul on the LINE VAR decided as NO PENALTY. Oh come oooon! Disgrace.

      Delete
    4. Chiagozie22 December 2019 at 19:28

      It was even an offside so either way it was no penalty

      Delete
    5. petschovschi23 December 2019 at 09:02

      In last period I saw some unacceptable mistakes from Anthony Taylor (like the one from Spurs- Chelsea, when he whistled foul against Gazzaniga !!!). Some of his mistakes were corrected by VAR, that's true, but a mistake remain a mistake. Honestly, I don't understand why he is rated so high by UEFA. All these mistakes reinforced my opinion that he's not a top referee. He was pushed forward after the retirements of Webb, Clattenburg and Atkinson, but he's not same material. Sorry for these words, but some mistakes are too big.

      Delete
  49. AlexD22 December 2019 at 19:00

    OT
    Italian Supercup
    Juventus vs Lazio
    REF Calvarese (not FIFA)
    VAR Mazzoleni (former FIFA ref, UEFA 1st UEFA)
    10' YC to Matuidi but it seemed a clear SFP.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Ref Fot22 December 2019 at 20:11

    One question for all,when this season begun, somebody informed us that Adidas will not supply La Liga referees kits, so are they cointinue with contract or what

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. George22 December 2019 at 21:02

      I think nobody said so officially, but some of us had doubts, because RFEF tried to break the contract for the national team. But so far, both the national team and the referees are using Adidas kits. Moreover, grassroot referees are also using Adidas from this season.

      Delete
  51. Anonymous22 December 2019 at 20:44

    do you know anything about a referee named siemen mulder

    ReplyDelete
  52. M22 December 2019 at 22:18

    Level of leniency from Cordero Vega is unbelievable.
    Looks like we have that in Spain;either they give cards too much or not at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KL23 December 2019 at 14:36

      It is just unbelievable how many cards he missed especially in the las 25 minutes. Having seen how he usually referees I dare to say that this kind of leniency is reserved only for the games of Real Madrid and Barcelona... and not only by Cordero Vega.

      Delete
    2. M23 December 2019 at 17:44

      Atleast 5 he needed to show:timewasting by Bilbao GK and players, hand to the face which resulted in Militao's injury, SPA on Modric and I dont know, it was like he didnt want to book anyone.

      Delete
  53. Mikael W22 December 2019 at 22:50

    Can any readers (from Turkey) report how Cüneyt Çakır performed in the Istanbul Derby game Fenerbahçe - Beşiktaş today?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. cagatay_iris23 December 2019 at 11:48

      I have seen the game. I would say that it was a very challenging game. To me, he did ok with a correct penalty (thanks to var intervention), good foul and card management (maybe an earlier yc card for serdar Aziz of fenerbahce could be issued). But He should have whistled a penalty for Besiktas.

      Delete
    2. Mikael W23 December 2019 at 22:04

      Thanks Cagatay (welcome back!) :)

      Delete
  54. Jackson23 December 2019 at 10:55

    Not a good performance by Taylor with two VAR interventions for what should have been simple decisions for the referee. Of course still no OFR despite the fact Taylor had a pretty clear view of both incidents. Plus imo a missed penalty to Tottenham with no VAR intervention.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VG23 December 2019 at 13:14

      And both situations would have been solved quicker if he went to the screen by himself instead of just standing there and waiting for an answer.

      Delete
    2. Jackson23 December 2019 at 22:16

      Exactly! The Premier League says not going to the screen is to save time but what it's really doing is taking more time and frustrating the hell out of players and fans.

      Delete
  55. Addhunters18 June 2020 at 14:14

    Great looking web site. This has been quite helpful .Thank you so very much for this valuable information Still continue your web page and good luck .We at Property Hunters shifted this service to a level much higher than the broker concept. you can see more details like this article Properties For Sale in Thepearlqatar - the pearls doha

    ReplyDelete
  56. Unknown24 August 2021 at 21:51

    Today, an airport symbolizes everything that is unique about a country's identity and progress, as well as the nature of the country's international ties.
    As a result, countries have constructed airports that can accommodate both modern aircraft and larger flights capable of transporting thousands of passengers at once, among other things.
    Qatar has a global network of links that reaches both east and west, in addition to a well-established global reputation.
    As a result, Qatar constructed a modern airport that meets all of the requirements for one of the world's busiest and largest international airports.
    Hamad International Airport is located in Doha, Qatar's capital.
    Qatar's new airport will propel the country to the forefront of growing nations with technologically superior airports.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Unknown27 August 2021 at 11:58

    Emergency Cash Loans Hello Everybody, My name is Mrs. Phyllis Sue South. I live in UK London and i am a happy woman today? and i told my self that any lender that rescue my family from our poor situation, i will refer any person that is looking for loan to him, he gave me happiness to me and my family, i was in need of a loan of $350,000.00 to start my life all over as i am a single mother with 2 kids I met this honest and GOD fearing man loan lender that help me with a loan of $350,000.00 U.S. Dollar, he is a GOD fearing man, if you are in need of loan and you will pay back the loan please contact him tell him that is Mrs. Phyllis Sue South that refer you to him. contact Dr. James Eric via email: financialserviceoffer876@gmail.com Whats-App +918929509036

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for writing a comment on our blog!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)