Friday 18 December 2020

EURO 2020 Selection - Have your say

Please have your say about the referees selection for the major tournament to be held on next year.


All the UEFA Elite referees have been added in the poll. Feel free to select the number of officials you think should be appropriate. We will discuss the results of the poll and then a more detailed analysis will follow on next days on the blog.

Who should officiate at EURO 2020?
Alexey Kulbakov (BLR)
Michael Oliver (ENG)
Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Stéphanie Frappart (FRA)
Clément Turpin (FRA)
Denyz Aytekin (GER)
Felix Brych (GER)
Tobias Stieler (GER)
Felix Zwayer (GER)
Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Björn Kuipers (NED)
Danny Makkelie (NED)
Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Artur Dias (POR)
Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
István Kovács (ROU)
Sergei Karasev (RUS)
William Collum (SCO)
Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Damir Skomina (SVN)
Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)
Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Created with QuizMaker

195 comments:

  1. IMO, it will be the Same situation as Euro 2016 two english referee:Taylor and Oliver

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    Replies
    1. And you can say the same for the Spanish contingent, and perhaps also the Slovenians.

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    2. And the Dutch. And unlike the Spanish, English and the Slovenians, Makkelie and Kuipers are both in the top 5 of Europe at the moment.
      However, I did vote for Cerro Grande, Mateu Lahoz, Oliver, Taylor, Skomina and Vincic. And Kuipers/Makkelie.

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  2. Do you want us to select the referees, who we think, should be selected? Or those, who we think, will be selected?

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    Replies
    1. The name of the poll is 'Who should officiate at EURO 2020?', so it's obvious - who should be selected in our opinion.

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    2. Indeed according to your opinion, Philipp. That's the most common poll one can make, regarding the "mere predictions", it is difficult - not all people want do that.

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  3. Is the number of referees (18) confirmed or only a guess?

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  4. My 18:

    Oliver
    Taylor
    del Cerro Grande
    Mateu Lahoz
    Bastien
    Turpin
    Brych
    Stieler
    Grinfeeld
    Orsato
    Kuipers
    Makkelie
    Marciniak
    Hategan
    Kruzliak
    Skomina
    Vincic
    Cakir

    2 reserves:
    Sidiropoulos
    Dias

    ReplyDelete
  5. Taylor, del Cerro, Mateu, Turpin, Brych, Orsato, Kuipers, Makkelie, Dias, Hategan and Vincic should be sure names due to last form/performances.

    Cakir should be there as a reward for his career, even though his last performances are not top level.

    I can't imagine two Slovenians and imo Vincic is a much better referee than Skomina who therefore should be out.

    I guess Frappart is already there because of good performances, acceptance of players and PR reasons.

    We have 13 names at the moment.

    Then, the five should be chosen out from the following names:
    Kulbakov, Oliver, Gil, Bastien, Aytekin, Stieler, Zwayer, Sidiropoulos, Grinfeld, Marciniak, Kovacs, Karasev, Collum and Kruzliak

    - Bastien and Gil Manzano should be out as we have already two French and two Spanish referees

    - two slots are most likely too much for Romania and Kovacs is still young, he will get his chance in the future

    - Aytekin will be out because we will have Brych and a winner of the Stieler v Zwayer duel

    - Oliver as the second Englishman is quite possible, a winner of the Stieler v Zwayer fight should join Brych too (15 at the moment)

    - Grinfeld and Marciniak have simply too good style / soft skills / management skills to be ommitted, they should be selected (we have 17 names)

    Well, we are left with the following names from which we should select only one:
    Kulbakov, Sidiropoulos, Karasev, Collum, Kruzliak

    I think Sidiropoulos has the weakest personality (too calm and not firm enough in easy games). Karasev is generally a good decision maker but lacks in soft skills what often makes players unhappy with him. Kruzliak is still young, he will get the chance in the future. So, Collum is most experienced from these five and he can handle games quite well. Kulbakov's laissez-faire approach works well in his games, so...

    Ufff, finally I get this lineup:
    Kulbakov/Collum, Oliver, Taylor, del Cerro, Mateu, Frappart, Turpin, Brych, Stieler/Zwayer, Grinfeld, Orsato, Kuipers, Makkelie, Marciniak, Dias, Hategan, Vincic, Cakir

    In my opinion, we are going to experience very interesting 'fights' for EURO:
    1. Kulbakov v Collum (v Karasev)
    2. Stieler v Zwayer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you think that Hategan team's chances will be affected by the recent incidents in Champions League?

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    2. Vincic better than Skomina? Hahaha

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  6. Two Dutch, two English, two French, two Germans, two Spanish, maybe two Slovenians. Too bad Italy does not have two Elite referees at this time. By the way, is it written anywhere in the UEFA rules and regulations that only Elite referees can be selected?

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    Replies
    1. No, but it would be particular to see Category 1 officiating at this tournament without having reached Elite Category before. What do you think? However, I think that for sure, considering the roles of fourth official and VAR, there will be many Category 1 as well.

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    2. I think that it will be a dedicated list of 12-16 VARs working remotely from UEFA Centre in Nyon. They will be selected from among those who did VAR roles in the 2020-21 Champions League.

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    3. just like Chefren says, I think we will see almost all Elite refeees in any duty in this tournament. We have seen it in the UCL/UEL tournaments with "mixed" teams, so maybe those who are not good vars will function as 4th official or so...

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  7. What about Srdjan Jovanovic, should we see any suprise?

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  8. My 'predictions' for EURO are the following:

    - I expect 2 referees from England, Spain, France and Germany and Netherlands each:
    Oliver (ENG), Taylor (ENG), del Cerro Grande (ESP), Lahoz (ESP), Turpin (FRA), Frappart (FRA), Brych (GER), Stieler (GER), Kuipers (NED), Makkelie (NED)

    - Then, I expect Orsato (ITA)

    - After a great season, I also expect Grinfeeld (ISR)

    - Marciniak (POL)

    - Dias (POR)

    - Hategan (ROU)

    - Skomina (SVN) and Cakir (TUR) as very experienced referees

    - Then, I expect a race between Kruzliak (SVK) and Karasev (RUS) (+ maybe Collum (SCO)):
    In the end I go for Karasev

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  9. Michael Oliver (ENG)
    Anthony Taylor (ENG)
    Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
    Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
    Clément Turpin (FRA)
    Denyz Aytekin (GER)
    Felix Brych (GER)
    Felix Zwayer (GER)
    Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
    Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
    Daniele Orsato (ITA)
    Björn Kuipers (NED)
    Danny Makkelie (NED)
    Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
    Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
    Damir Skomina (SVN)
    Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
    Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)

    Reserve officials:
    Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
    Artur Dias (POR)
    István Kovács (ROU)
    Stéphanie Frappart (FRA)
    William Collum (SCO)

    I think it's good to have a larger number of reserve officials. There will be loads of cities and countries, so if some travel can be prevented by having some reserve officials in some cities, it'd be nice. I think it may be an option to use Frist Group referees from some countries as well. Gozobuyuk could be 4th official in Amsterdam, Bastien in Paris, Collum in Glasgow, Karasev in Moscow, and so on. Or maybe teams of 4 will be made for each referee... In that case, Visser (BEL) may go with Kuipers.
    I have chosen some less experienced referees like Grinfeeld and Kruzliak, because I really like them as referees. Also, there will also be matches like Netherlands - North Macedonia. You don't need Brych for that. I think they deserve a chance.
    I ruled Kovacs out, since he has a country man who is clearly ahead of him. I left Vincic in, since he got really good matches and did well this year. He deserves a spot. Frappart and Monzul are not there yet, in my opinion.

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    Replies
    1. Very good explanation, just imo disagreed with Aytekin, it's will be unfair to select him to EURO

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    2. I would swap Aytekin with Marciniak and Sidiropoulos with Soares Dias.

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    3. Yeah, but I have taken my opinion. I like Aytekin as a referee. When I watch the Bundesliga, I always see good and safe performances. I agree that he doesn't have the trust of the UEFA, but the question was who I'd select...

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    4. RikB
      Like Aytekin, there are many in world football. Top performers in their local league on a weekly basis. Yet unable to replicate that level in international competitions. Few are the referee's who can seamlessly transition between local and international.

      Delete
  10. Appointments - Germany:

    Bundesliga Matchday 13
    19th December

    15:30 RB Leipzig - FC Köln
    Felix Brych - Mark Borsch - Stefan Lupp - Michael Bacher
    [Marco Fritz - Norbert Grudzinski]

    15:30 Mönchengladbach - TSG Hoffenheim
    Frank Willenborg - Arne Aarnink - Guido Kleve - Benedikt Kempkes
    [Tobias Stieler - Frederick Assmuth]

    15:30 FC Schalke - Arminia Bielefeld
    Bastian Dankert - René Rohde - Markus Häcker - Christian Dingert
    [Benjamin Brand - Mike Pickel]

    15:30 FSV Mainz - Werder Bremen
    Guido Winkmann - Christian Bandurski - Martin Thomsen - Markus Schmidt
    [Daniel Schlager - Michael Emmer]

    15:30 FC Augsburg - Eintracht Frankfurt
    Daniel Siebert - Lasse Koslowski - Jan Seidel - Patrick Alt
    [Bibiana Steinhaus - Marcel Pelgrim]

    18:30 Bayer Leverkusen - Bayern München
    Felix Zwayer - Thorsten Schiffner - Marco Achmüller - Sören Storks
    [Tobias Welz - Christian Fischer]

    2nd Bundesliga Matchday 13
    19th December

    13:00 SV Darmstadt - Würzburger Kickers
    Patrick Ittrich - Sascha Thielert - Fabian Porsch - Jonas Weickenmeier
    [Thorben Siewer - Eduard Beitinger]

    13:00 VfL Osnabrück - SC Paderborn
    Martin Petersen - Robert Wessel - Manuel Bergmann - Eric Müller
    [Sascha Stegemann - Christian Gittelmann]

    13:00 Braunschweig - Greuther Fürth
    Robert Hartmann - Christian Leicher - Tobias Schultes - Bastian Börner
    [Günter Perl - Jan Neitzel-Petersen]

    ReplyDelete
  11. My 18
    Michael Oliver (ENG)
    Anthony Taylor (ENG)
    Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
    Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
    Clément Turpin (FRA)
    Felix Brych (Ger)
    Felix Zwayer (Ger)
    Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
    Daniele Orsato (ITA)
    Björn Kuipers (NED)
    Danny Makkelie (NED)
    Szymon Marciniak (Pol)
    Artur Dias (POR)
    Ovidiu Hațegan (Rou)
    István Kovács (Rou)
    Damir Skomina (Svn)
    Slavko Vinčić (Svn)
    Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)

    ReplyDelete
  12. As I watch Al-Jassim in the ACL Champions League Final. I see how referee's have become overly reliant on VAR to "re-referee" the matches for them. Al-Jassim missed two very clear and obvious PK situations. In both cases he had unobstructed views of the incidents. And in both cases he erroneously overconfidently waived away the shouts for a PK. Fortunately for Al-Jassim, VAR was there to bail him out in both cases. I find it troubling how referee's are seemingly becoming lazy and over reliant on VAR to their job for them. VAR should definitely help the referee, but VAR should not "re-referee" the majority of the match for the referee.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was also watching that match. I left a much longer comment below, but I agree that Al-Jassim needs to improve in his independent decision-making. Even outside of VAR, I get the sense that his assistants sometimes bail him out of missed decisions / forgotten signals / etc.

      I was actually quite impressed by his soft skills today. A very nice improvement to his game that I don't recall seeing too much of in the 2019 CWC Final. Still, he has a lot of improvement to make to be truly good enough for 2022. FIFA shouldn't take him just because he is from the host nation, and at the moment, he isn't good enough to be picked (in my opinion). But, a lot can change in two years. IF he becomes more confident about taking big decisions by himself (and that's a very big "if"), I think he can become a very good referee.

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. Al-Jassim was selected as a VAR in 2018, not a 4th official. And he did not center any match there. In fact, I don't think he took part in any match at any position...

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    4. You're right. My mistake. I've deleted my erroneous and misleading post.
      But I am still of the mindset that Al-Jassim barring an unprecedented and catastrophic implosion of his referee career (like Fahad Al-Mirdasi). Has his slot guaranteed for 2022. It's highly beneficial to be a referee from the host nation.

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    5. Yes, he is guaranteed, since all host countries had a referee at their home World Cup in modern times, if not always.

      Delete
  13. Fiorentina vs Verona, minute 2. Attacker clearly sticks out his leg and trips the defender but still gets the penalty,even after VAR.

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  14. OT: Just watched the AFC Champions League Final refereed by Abdulrahman Al-Jassim of Qatar (VAR: Al-Marri, also of Qatar). Here are my thoughts:

    The match will be remembered for 3 on-field reviews for penalty kicks that were not originally awarded. The first two of incidents were overturned, and Al-Jassim upheld his decision on the third (after a very quick look). The first penalty was a careless kick that is probably an expected decision for the referee to take by himself; he looked as if he was about to whistle it but then decided not to. The second penalty was the world's most obvious handball, comparable to Umtiti vs Australia at the World Cup, definitely a very bad miss by Al-Jassim. I thought he also should have awarded a YC for SPA here. This procedure was also weird in that Al-Jassim seemingly forgot to signal for the OFR until he was almost at the monitor. The third situation is more interesting. There was contact with the legs of the attacker, but then a big pull of the defender's jersey by the attacker. Al-Jassim conducted an OFR, but very quickly concluded no penalty after just one look.

    I wasn't too impressed with his handling of these incidents, particularly the second one. He made the correct penalty decisions at the end of the day, and that is most important, but he still missed 2 pens on the field, missed (in my opinion) a YC on the second one even after OFR. He didn't inspire confidence in these situations due to his body language and signaling.

    I also want to mention a few yellow cards: in the 79' he showed a YC for a reckless foul. He allowed play to continue at first and let the attacker (who received the ball from the tackle) shoot immediately, and then upon the goal kick he booked the defender. I think YC was correct here, but it was strange because he didn't signal advantage and it was a bit delayed. Perhaps a teammate told me. Also, similar story on the 82' YC for a player delaying his substitution procedure. He was slightly closer to the far touchline than the near touchline, but Al-Jassim blocked his approach to the near touchline and made him march back to the far touchline, booking him about 10 seconds later when he was already most of the way there. While I personally like the YC here, the delay was strange, and on top of that I don't think FIFA really appreciate this sort of "pettiness" (unfortunately, IMO). There were a few similar moments where he insisted on the location of a free kick where such an approach wasn't really necessary.

    On the bright side, I was very impressed with the soft skills he showed in his management of players. Apart from the VAR incidents, his body language was terrific, very strong and confident. It's almost like there are two different Al-Jassims: one that lacks confidence when he has to make an important decision, and the other that has a strong personality/presence for most of the game. His small communications with the players looked really solid to me, very good usage of small private warnings and big public warnings to players as a management tactic. These soft skills were very strong, and if you were to take away the key match incidents, my lasting impression of Al-Jassim's performance would be quite good due to these skills.

    So, in summary, I think it's a similar (though perhaps slightly improved) Al-Jassim to who we saw in last year's CWC Final: not the steadiest in the biggest moments of a match, body language / signaling needs to inspire more confidence in these situations. But, in the small moments, I quite liked his personality and management skills; it's clear that he has a talent in that regard. He needs (I would say "more than a little") polishing, but he has some potential.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for this very detailed report about Al Jassim performance. I watched some higlights and I must say, based on the three crucial incidents, extremely poor performance by the referee from Qatar.
      He should have spotted the first two penalties by himself, regarding the third incident to be honest he looks at the monitor just for 3 seconds, and this should mean that he didn't want to whistle it even before the call by VAR. Absolutely poor attitude by referee, or at least wrong communication with VAR.
      You find all incidents here:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiaDgaoaCTg

      First incident:
      https://i.postimg.cc/RFzV79Lt/PER-ULS.jpg

      Second:
      https://i.postimg.cc/CK8xndkY/2.jpg

      However, I would say rather technical failures, and this would be "better" for him, than having an attitude to wait for VAR. He should have seen that by himself but he missed the incidents.

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    2. I’m curious what the story was on the third penalty... it’s very unusual. The commentators suggested that maybe the VAR had seen the shirt pull and mixed up which player was the attacker and which was the defender! I don’t think that’s very likely... For a more plausible theory, perhaps Al-Jassim initiated the review for management purposes? Either way, I don’t think any of these possibilities are very good outcomes.

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    3. If Al-Jassim's goal was to "sell" his no call on the 3rd VAR intervention. He should have done a much better job about it. He literally walked to monitor and promptly walked away after no more than a second or two. I personally think that there was something to see in the 3rd incident. But because Al-Jassim had already made his mind up and refused to look at any replays. We never truly saw what happened. Unlike the prior 2 incidents. That missed handball though. No words, no words.

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  15. Barcelona-Valencia IMO, very soft penalty given by Hernandez Hernandez

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    Replies
    1. Wrong penalty... and after being called by VAR. He cancelled the RC, which in case of a penalty I think that was right.

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    2. I think that PK is supportable, not for pushing but for the leg contact.

      What I don't understand is why did he downgrade it from RC to YC, if you call that penalty you must send off in all cases because there's no legitimate intention of playing the ball.

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  16. Pavel Královec isnt elite anymore?

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    Replies
    1. He has retired also domestically, so removed from FIFA list.

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  17. Just an interesting remark : Cyril Gringore is AVAR tonight for Nice - Lyon. Not usual to see an AR as this job in France : perhaps because of future EURO ´s job for Turpin regular assistant ?

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    Replies
    1. I think I saw Nicolas Danos’s name recently as AVAR too, so it’s probable that they are prepared for the EURO.

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    2. Danos is AVAR tomorrow on Nantes - Angers (referee Willy Delajod, VAR Stéphanie Frappart).

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    3. Frappant and Danos : hum hum ^^ !

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  18. Istvan Kovacs brother make his debut in Liga 1 at Chindia -Argeș 2-2, and his name is Szabolcs Kovacs. I had a feeling that he will referee in Liga 1. And I think is a premier for our country witho two refs brothers to whistle in the same matchday. Istvan will be at Botosani -Voluntari. By the way, Marius Avram retired at 41 years, because he was replaced in FIFA list.

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    Replies
    1. Retired because removed from FIFA list? Not professional behaviour.

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    2. Yes, he retired because he was removed from FIFA list.

      On the other hand, Hategan will lead the second game within 72h. He got his full team with Sovre and Gheorghe despite Sovre is under investigation. So he got full support from Romanian referee association.

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    3. Avram is 41, with almost 27 years as a referee and 250 games in Romania and close to 150 international at every level in different roles. How is this unprofessional? Perhaps he wants to know what life is like without refereeing.

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  19. OT

    Just a few words about Antony Gautier : I wanted to say it’s an absulute pleasure to see him every week-end in Ligue 1. Tonight he’s perfect as always. Honestly I can’t remember a bad match from him in the last seasons. Such a shame he didn’t have a better international career, he could’ve achieved great things IMO.

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  20. OT: Who do you guys think will referee the Concacaf Champions League Final on Tuesday between Tigres (MEX) and LAFC (USA)?

    I predict John Pitti.

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    Replies
    1. It can't be Pitti, he has to be someone from the list of refs sent to the tournament. My guess is Walter Lopez.

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    2. With the majority of referee's having worked at least one match. The Guatemalan MARIO ESCOBAR is the only "viable" candidate left who hasn't been in the middle yet. And I'm okay with him being selected. As long as he doesn't replicate his "must not show any cards" approach that he used in the 2019 Gold Cup Final.

      Today we saw with Calderon what can and does happen when as referee you want to talk your way through a match. It doesn't work and only leads to unpleasant and unsightly style of play from the players and in the end possibly more cards than if you would have taken the opposite approach.

      I've watched Ivan Barton on multiple occasions. In his local league, at FIFA events, and in CONCACAF competitions. And I am still not convinced by him. His petite body lends to him lacking any presence or authority on the field. It's like having a child among men. He looks insecure and nervous the majority of the time and seems to be easily intimidated by the players.

      All in all, having kept an eye on the current crop of "top" CONCACAF Referee's. The zone is not looking as good as it has in the past. The current crop is well below previous generations. But then again, referee's aren't made like they used to be.

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    3. Escobar was kept for the final. He is the Golden Boy of Concacaf and will have his second major continental final in two years. He is best known for his "no cards at all costs" approach.

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    4. I feel that this approach isn't going to work in this case with these teams. The Final could very easy end up looking like the unsightly disaster we saw with Calderon.
      L.A.F.C. tends to be overly physical, aggressive, and continuously foul as a tactic to destroy the more skilled opponent.
      On the other hand, the Tigres team has many players with strong personalities and attitudes. Who will become a nightmare for the referee to handle if they feel that their physical well being isn't being protected. The biggest antagonist being the Frenchman, Andre-Pierre Gignac.

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    5. Ah, I didn’t realize Pitti wasn’t sent to Orlando. Do you have a list of the referees who are there?

      I would like to see Walter Lopez if he is there... he’s an excellent referee in my opinion, but his career was derailed by the error in Panama. I don’t think he’s had the same trust since. I can’t even recall any matches he’s had since then.

      Escobar, if Pitti is unavailable, is my prediction, but I’m not as much of a fan of Escobar. Like Modern < By The Book mentioned, his VERY EXTREME leniency in the Gold Cup Final was not something I liked.

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    6. You do not have to make any prediction, just to understand that, once Barton and Calderon got the semis, Escobar is the only referee left for the final.

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    7. smala017,
      Here is a list of the referee's that are inside "the bubble" in Orlando.

      https://concacaf-cloudinary.corebine.com/concacaf-production/image/upload/v1607817381/championsleage-prod/assets/20_SCCL_List_of_Match_Officials.pdf

      Escobar and Reon Radix (GRN) are the only referee's on the list who haven't been assigned as center referee's. CONCACAF is know for boneheaded referee assignments. But is no way in **** that they do something so dumb as to assign Reon Radix for the Final. So that leaves Escobar.
      Furthermore Esocbar is exactly what this Ref Comm wants. A photogenic and athletic looking referee who is fully willing to be overly lenient, permissive, passive, and who tosses the LoTG out the window once he blows that initial whistle.

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    8. With this information, I agree, it's clear that the final is Escobar's.

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  21. OT
    Scottish Cup final
    23/12/2020, 2:15 pm
    Celtic v Heart of Midlothian
    Referee: John Beaton
    Assistant referee 1: Francis Connor
    Assistant referee 2: Graeme Leslie
    Fourth Official: Alan Muir
    Additional Referee 1: Kevin Clancy
    Additional Referee 2: Nick Walsh

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  22. Juan Gabriel Calderón's CCL semifinal game was completely nuts. This was a very difficult game to referee but he got thorough it. Not sure if anyone has highlights, lots of difficult situations.

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    Replies
    1. Too many to list.
      Mostly caused by his erroneous approach at the start of the match. Which unsurprisingly failed spectacularly.

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    2. Clear PK not given and then he sent off Atuesta due to big theater by Ochoa. Big mistakes in a challenging game - it showed his lack of experience.

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    3. The CONCACAF Referee Committee failed the teams and the competition by assigning Juan Gabriel Calderon to this match. He's a young and unexperienced referee and it showed throughout the match. The Ref Comm seems they want to "push" Calderon. But this match was too much too soon for him. A black mark in his young career.

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    4. It was obviously a very difficult, challenging game right from the start. High degree of difficulty for the referee. From the 8' YC incident (which was possibly violent conduct) there were issues. Perhaps he should show a red card here, perhaps not. Regardless, I don't think a red card here would have made the game significantly easier to referee.

      The incident just before halftime (https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1340514961475465217?s=20): There was a penalty appear in which Atuesta was kicked, missed call by Calderon in my opinion. Then, when Atuesta is on the ground, Ochoa got in his face, and then Atuesta made a headbutt motion towards Ochoa. I agree with the Atuesta red card, but there was a missed penalty and missed discipline to Club America players.

      There was an altercation just after the halftime whistle in which Calderon sent off at least the Club America manager, and possibly other team officials as well.

      In the second half there was also a red card for SFP, I think the correct decision.

      So, a difficult game to assess. Ultimately we do have a missed penalty and other missed discipline during the biggest moment of the match. But, we have to remember that it was a very challenging game, and he also got some things right. Not really a good performance, but very difficult match.

      As for Concacaf's management of referees, in 2019 we really saw an emergence, out of almost nowhere, of a bunch of these younger referees for the next generation. Besides Calderon (CRC), we have Said Martinez (HON), Mario Escobar (GUA), Ismail Cornejo (SLV), Ivan Barton (SLV), Oshane Nation (JAM), Adonai Escobedo (MEX). Definitely a lot of younger referees getting big matches in Concacaf recently.

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    5. Young referees yes, good not as much, since they make lots of mistakes. Hall only wants fitness and management; accuracy in decision-making became secondary... and there is no VAR to correct those mistakes...

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    6. It would have been more logical for Concacaf to appoint experienced Barton to the more challenging semi-final (LAFC-CA) and less experienced Calderon to the easier one (TIG-OLI). Never understood why Concacaf chose the other way? Unfortunately, Calderon paid for his lack of experience and that could have been avoided by a wiser appointment.

      Delete
    7. UEFA, CONMEBOL, AFC and CAF are using VAR in their top competitions. In spite of its members USA and Mexico having VAR in their national divisions, Concacaf is left behind the other 4 confederations... why?

      Delete
    8. Greed would be my answer.
      As a confederation, CONCACAF is unwilling to invest the time and MONEY to implement VAR throughout its region. At the very least CONCACAF could and should invest in ensuring that their top club competition has this system in use. This however means having to invest MONEY to ensure that all the stadiums in which matches are played in have the necessary infrastructure for VAR to be utilized.

      Delete
    9. This CCL mini tournament is being played in Orlando, where the VAR infrastructure was being used in all MLS matches. Since all teams are playing in the same stadium, under the same conditions, Why Concacaf is not using it? It cannot be that expensive to rent the existing VAR system for 8 days and PRO has enough qualified VARs.

      Delete
    10. Atuesta shown controversial red card in LAFC's Champions League game vs. Club America
      https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/12/19/eduard-atuesta-shown-controversial-red-card-lafcs-champions-league-game-vs-club

      Delete
    11. I posted a link below for a press release from CONCACAF in which they explain the reasoning for not using VAR.

      IMHO, I prefer no VAR than VAR with "PRO" referees.

      Delete
  23. Appointments - Germany:

    Bundesliga Matchday 13
    20th December

    15:30 SC Freiburg - Hertha BSC
    Tobias Reichel* - Thomas Stein - Arno Blos - Patrick Alt
    [Sascha Stegemann - Eduard Beitinger]

    18:00 VfL Wolfsburg - VfB Stuttgart
    Florian Badstübner - Markus Schüller - Christian Dietz - Benjamin Cortus
    [Günter Perl - Jan Neitzel-Petersen]

    2nd Bundesliga Matchday 13
    20th December

    13:30 SV Sandhausen - Holstein Kiel
    Matthias Jöllenbeck - Justus Zorn - Tim Skorczyk - Wolfgang Haslberger
    [Thorben Siewer - Norbert Grudzinski]

    13:30 FC St. Pauli - Fortuna Düsseldorf
    Robert Schröder - Philipp Hüwe - Oliver Lossius - Patrick Schwengers
    [Bibiana Steinhaus - Marcel Gasteier]

    13:30 FC Nürnberg - Erzgebirge Aue
    Florian Heft - Lukas Benen - Fynn Kohn - Johannes Huber
    [Johann Pfeifer - Franz Bokop]

    * Tobias Reichel (35 years old) is part of the "Refereeing perspective cadre". Those referees are appointed to 5 matches in the 1st division throughout the season in order to prove whether they are ready for an 'real' promotion or not.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Portuguese League
    Sporting vs Farense
    Referee: André Narciso

    What is your opinion on these incidents?

    1. Penalty?
    https://www.vsports.pt/vsports/vod/sc-farense-expulsao-rafael-defendi-86-62748?jwsource=cl

    2. YC or RC?
    https://www.vsports.pt/vsports/vod/sporting-cp-caso-s-coates-68-62746?jwsource=cl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IMO
      1 - no penalty, ball is hit.
      2 - Borderline, but rather RC.

      Delete
  25. German public broadcaster's sports show is reporting Stieler's promotion citing this blog. :)
    https://www.sportschau.de/fussball/allgemein/fussball-bundesliga-uefa-champions-league-schiedsrichter-tobias-stieler-rueckt-in-elite-gruppe-auf-100.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahah :D that is historic! Has is been cited before?

      Delete
  26. I'm watching Javier Alberola Rojas in Celta-Alavés and despite being already on his 4th LaLiga season I can't see any remarkable progress since his promotion in 2017. Hope he doesn't become Vicandi Garrido 2.0.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also watched the Alberola match. I saw a very focused referee handling two of the most unfair and foul teams in La Liga after Getafe. Match finished very well, no one will talk about the referee. Very mature Alberola and remarkable progress.

      Delete
  27. The results of the poll so far:

    Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)
    527

    Björn Kuipers (NED)
    494

    Damir Skomina (SVN)
    482

    Felix Brych (GER)
    481

    Danny Makkelie (NED)
    475

    Daniele Orsato (ITA)
    475

    Clément Turpin (FRA)
    469

    Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
    459

    Anthony Taylor (ENG)
    450

    Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
    419

    Szymon Marciniak (POL)
    418

    Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
    409

    Michael Oliver (ENG)
    392

    Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
    376

    Artur Dias (POR)
    256

    Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
    236

    Felix Zwayer (GER)
    215

    Stéphanie Frappart (FRA)
    201

    William Collum (SCO)
    159

    Tobias Stieler (GER)
    156

    Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
    127

    Sergei Karasev (RUS)
    111

    Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
    105

    Alexey Kulbakov (BLR)
    100

    Denyz Aytekin (GER)
    91

    István Kovács (ROU)
    88

    Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
    83

    Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
    78

    Benoît Bastien (FRA)
    61

    The most interesting thing is in my opinion the position of Slavko Vinčić, who seems to be a liked referee, despite of having officiated only a few very important UEFA games since his promotion to Elite.
    To follow, interesting to point out that Oliver is slightly ahead of del Cerro in terms of preference by readers.
    A remark about Cakir, as I experienced many times in past on the blog, for sure he deserves to be there among the first names, but there are for sure more votes than the "real ones", as many countrymen idolize him. This led to some fake results in past for our contests.
    At moment Stéphanie Frappart would be the 18th referee according to our readers, very interesting, indeed it is what we are discussing about, it seems she has a real chance, maybe also as fourth official. Would be excellent achievement for her.
    Big, big questions about Karasev. I'm really curious what committee will do with him, as he was planned to attend indeed EURO 2020 this year. The Russian in case would be a very lucky referee, he was at WC in Russia just because Russian and now maybe at EURO just because long-time preselected, but without having shown any real merit, in my opinion. What will happen?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OT

      Yesterday Cüneyt Cakir with a top performance in Turkish Süper Lig between Gaziantep - Fenerbahce.Correct penalty and YCs,only 1 missed YC for the handball let to the penalty.
      Also his performance was praised by Turkish media...

      Delete
    2. If you have a short look on table 5 of the poll results, you will recognize the disproportionately high number of votes from Slovenia. One also hardly can miss the many pro-Skomina, pro-Vincic and pro-Jug posts here - some kind of asymmetry that seems to be reflected by that nice geographical breakdown.

      Delete
    3. I believe you made a typo. Did you want to type "The Netherlands" instead of "Slovenia"?

      Delete
    4. No, I didn't make a typo: If you enlarge the map, you will see that Slovenia is also a "hotspot" reagrding the number of votes (as well as of some lobbyism here).

      Delete
    5. This and most of the other polls that have been offered have become nothing more than bona fide popularity contests. Much like the list France Football recently released. These poll results carry little weight or significance other than to show what referee is the most popular among the readers.

      Delete
    6. So we can guess that you didn't participate then? :D

      Chefren didn't set the poll up on the premise it would be a scientific analysis, I don't understand why you feel the need to 'trash' the idea. If you don't find the results relevant, you can just not read them!

      Delete
    7. Correct!
      I didn't participate in this popularity contest. I'll leave the popularity contests to the school aged children.

      Delete
  28. An incident from Germany VfL Wolfsburg - VfB Stuttgart (Ref: Florian Badstübner)

    https://streamable.com/nobtf1

    IMO bodycontact is no foul, but there is also a leg contact, where I doubt that it was noted by the ref. VAR didn‘t recomend any proof of the situation.
    Penalties like this have been called in the past, but is that a clear one?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Clear penalty and missing VAR intervention IMO. Defender blatantly walks into attacker who is in control of the ball with no attempt to play the ball. For what reason this is no penalty?

      Delete
    2. Clear impeding foul, penalty should be given.

      Surely a correct non-intervention without even much discussion for DFB and UEFA, even if IMO that's not the most agreeable track.

      Delete
    3. IMO rather penalty, gut correct non-intervention, never a clear mistake.

      Delete
    4. I am surprised by many no intervention opinion. What can be arguments for supporting no penalty? I don’t see no

      Delete
    5. penalty kick for me. Clear enough for VAR, I haven't seen anyone who said that it shouldn't be a PK.

      Delete
  29. Missed penalty in 82' by Munuera Montero in Eibar-Real Madrid IMO.

    I would like to know the opinion of Quilava.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Didn't watch it, sorry. Is there a clip?

      Delete
    2. https://as.com/futbol/2020/12/20/primera/1608490126_520820.html

      Second video

      Delete
  30. John Beaton in the Scottish Cup final had a good game, the most notable incident was the first ever goal awarded at Hampden courtesy of goal line technology.

    https://streamja.com/1jARv

    Once again just shows that the AARs are fairly useless! Though there was possibly a foul on the goalkeeper which prevented him getting the corner, more visible on replays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Michael, Agree with you on both points, biggest surprise of the day was that Douglas Ross did not feature in the final

      Delete
  31. My predictions:
    Oliver
    Taylor
    del Cerro Grande
    Lahoz
    Frappart
    Turpin
    Brych
    Zwayer
    Grinfeeld
    Orsato
    Kuipers
    Makkelie
    Hategan
    Skomina
    Cakir
    I believe these 15 refs are surely be there.
    Even their recent performances are not satisfactory Marciniak & Dias will be there. For last spot, it will be between Karasev, Collum & Vincic. I would select Vincic as he is in better form...

    ReplyDelete
  32. I have not seen such equipment in any of the TOP leagues. What to do? Is that irrelevant?

    https://bit.ly/3r88irg

    https://bit.ly/3nJnkSx

    https://bit.ly/3an5Nvf

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where i can live stream Prva Liga Slovenija?? Link please

      Delete
  33. Appointments - Germany:

    2nd Bundesliga Matchday 13
    21st December

    20:30 Karlsruher SC - Hamburger SV
    Christof Günsch - Florian Lechner - Julius Martenstein - Andreas Steffens
    [Pascal Müller - Katrin Rafalski]

    ReplyDelete
  34. 1 Olimpia Tegucigalpa - Montréal Impact, Ricardo Montero


    Key Match Incidents:

    25 - SPA vs. DOGSO? Yellow card given
    https://streamable.com/enieww

    29 - Reckless vs. Serious Foul Play? No foul given
    https://streamable.com/k2pqbx

    42 - Reckless vs. Serious Foul Play? Yellow card given
    https://streamable.com/446bm2

    69 - Reckless vs. Serious Foul Play? Yellow card given (presumably for the challenge, restart is a throw-in)
    https://streamable.com/5ab05w


    Injured out of Gold Cup 2019, this game didn't find Montero in the best form. He didn't seem very confident in his own perception (3', 29', 33', 49') and towards the end of the 1H, he couldn't really calm the players or the match down. Despite that I found his presence mostly convincing, and his disciplinary choices quite good / smart (warning at 15', YC at 73' after similar incident at 72'). So overall, a satisfactory performance by the Costa Rican I would say.

    I guess CONCACAF will support Montero in all of the KMIs as you can find some reason to back him in each case (wide + distance from goal; not loaded studs; no dangerous contact; seems to miss with the studs).


    Full incidents from the game are below, would be interested in other's thoughts :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 03 - referee and AR Juan Carlos Mora teamwork
      https://streamable.com/vvw7iq

      15 - verbal warning, challenge
      https://streamable.com/5mqaqb

      25 - SPA vs DOGSO? Yellow card given
      https://streamable.com/enieww

      27 - foul
      https://streamable.com/6m9v6p

      29 - reckless vs SFP? Montero has a zero angle but should be able to detect that on his own; no foul given
      https://streamable.com/k2pqbx

      33 - clear holding, late whistle
      https://streamable.com/bl2mgu

      34 - correct offside by Juan Carlos Mora
      https://streamable.com/pozxfo

      37 - foul, prevention
      https://streamable.com/2ouvip

      38 - foul call; manner?
      https://streamable.com/pfnfew

      40 - small penalty appeal
      https://streamable.com/gkk2n0

      42 - reckless vs SFP? Yellow card given
      https://streamable.com/446bm2

      +46' - striking, standing leg tackle?
      https://streamable.com/1vcb32

      Delete
    2. 49 - rather reckless kick, no card
      https://streamable.com/14t5de

      51 - more of a careless trip, bad intuitive guess by Montero
      https://streamable.com/xads2q

      62 - seems to be a wrong offside by AR Humberto Panjoj
      https://streamable.com/dqjkwa

      68 - is freekick only enough?
      https://streamable.com/2silc3

      69 - missed RC IMO, even if the studs contact isn't that dangerous of itself; Montero and Mora totally fail here
      https://streamable.com/5ab05w

      72 - poor DtR warning
      https://streamable.com/6wz3kl

      73 - now good card for PI/DtR, calming choice
      https://streamable.com/cnsxqt

      +92 - seems to be an excellent onside by Mora
      https://streamable.com/fjihcz

      +94 - not the best impression from Panjoj / Montero, missed foul or advantage?
      https://streamable.com/b1rbo9

      Delete
    3. Regarding KMIs,
      IMO:
      25' - YC for me, he is far away from goal and wide out on the wing. Not enough for a DOGSO situation.
      29' - Reckless tackle YC for me. However, I'm shocked that not even a FK is given.
      42' - YC fits the best, good choice.
      69' - That has to be a FK and a YC. Throw-in is wrong, if you ask me.

      Delete
    4. How can the restart (throw-in) in min. 69 be explained?

      Delete
    5. 69' seems completely unacceptable to me.

      First, it's closer to VC than SFP, in my opinion. It's an assault at the knee, disguised as a challenge for the ball. But it's a red card either way.

      Then there's just the lack of urgency in addressing the situation.

      And then you have the pedantic move to give the throw-in and not restart for the challenge... supposedly because the ball was already out of play when the challenge was made? But that idea, of course, makes the challenge even worse!

      Just incredibly poor all around.

      Delete
  35. Italy Serie A
    Matchweek 14

    Tuesday 22nd December

    18:30 Crotone - Parma
    Fabio Maresca - Pasquale Capaldo - Damiano Margani - Livio Marinelli
    [Fabrizio Pasqua - Matteo Passeri]

    20:45 Juventus - Fiorentina
    Federico La Penna - Alessandro Giallatini - Mauro Vivenzi - Michael Fabbri
    [Paolo Mazzoleni - Sergio Ranghetti]

    Wednesday 23rd December

    18:30 Hellas Verona - Inter
    Piero Giacomelli - Stefano Liberti - Mauro Galetto - Antonio Di Martino
    [Gianpaolo Calvarese - Luca Mondin]

    20:45 Bologna - Atalanta
    Daniele Chiffi - Damiano Di Iorio - Michele Lombardi - Rosario Abisso
    [Marco Guida - Stefano Del Giovane]

    20:45 Milan - Lazio
    Marco Di Bello - Giorgio Peretti - Valentino Fiorito - Juan Luca Sacchi
    [Massimiliano Irrati - Giacomo Paganessi]

    20:45 Napoli - Torino
    Paolo Valeri - Alessio Tolfo - Valerio Vecchi - Antonio Giua
    [Maurizio Mariani - Salvatore Longo]

    20:45 Roma - Cagliari
    Luca Pairetto - Emanuele Prenna - Oreste Muto - Eugenio Abbattista
    [Gianluca Manganiello - Alessandro Lo Cicero]

    20:45 Sampdoria - Sassuolo
    Giovanni Ayroldi - Niccolo Pagliardini - Alessio Saccenti - Marco Serra
    [Luca Banti - Dario Cecconi]

    20:45 Spezia - Genoa
    Davide Massa - Rodolfo Di Vuolo - Fabio Schirru - Marco Piccinini
    [Aleandro Di Paolo - Filippo Valeriani]

    20:45 Udinese - Benevento
    Manuel Volpi - Stefano Alassio - Robert Avalos - Riccardo Ros
    [Daniele Orsato - Daniele Bindoni]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Again no Prontera. Looks like the focus is on the others at the moment...

      Delete
  36. Italy Serie B
    Matchweek 14

    Monday 21st December

    21:00 Salernitana - Virtus Entella
    Davide Ghersini - Domenico Palermo - Alessandro Cipressa - Matteo Marchetti

    Tuesday 22nd December

    19:00 Cittadella - Frosinone
    Valerio Marini - Andrea Zingarelli - Marco Trinchieri - Lorenzo Maggioni

    19:00 Cosenza - Venezia
    Francesco Meraviglia - Ciro Carbone - Pasquale De Meo - Ivano Pezzuto

    19:00 LR Vicenza - Reggina
    Gianluca Aureliano - Michele Grossi - Francesca Di Monte - Giacomo Camplone

    19:00 Monza - Ascoli
    Antonio Rapuano - Filippo Bercigli - Antonio Vono - Matteo Gariglio

    19:00 Pescara - Brescia
    Alessandro Prontera - Giuseppe Macaddino - Gabriele Nuzzi - Daniele Paterna

    19:00 Pisa - Chievo Verona
    Alberto Santoro - Fabiano Preti - Valerio Colarossi - Federico Dionisi

    19:00 Pordenone - Cremonese
    Ivan Robilotta - Luigi Lanotte - Daniele Marchi - Daniel Amabile

    19:00 Spal - Lecce
    Daniele Doveri - Gaetano Massara - Davide Moro - Francesco Fourneau

    21:00 Empoli - Reggiana
    Simone Sozza - Marcello Rossi - Marco Della Croce - Luca Massimi

    ReplyDelete
  37. 2 Tigres Monterrey - New York City, Daneon Parchment

    No KMIs for the Jamaican referee (though AR Nicholas Anderson disallowed a goal for offside - no replay), but I was not convinced by his performance.

    Parchment could not connect with the players, work preventatively against DtR, or offer a coherent tactical approach. It is not enough simply to be a good athlete! Contrary to Montero, I do not see him as a talent (his age also suggests - 'token' Carribean ref).

    Clips below.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 8 - Parchment has the right idea to verbally warn the offender but doesn't seem to make his point effectively
      https://streamable.com/y5c226

      11 - potential YC (striking); why does he warn them together? (reminds me of a mother telling off siblings who are more interested in provoking each other :D)
      https://streamable.com/nlwkzh

      14, 19 - impeding fouls not punished
      https://streamable.com/1yqtu0

      25 - heavier careless charge from behind
      https://streamable.com/gvidkv

      29 - rather chaotic advantage, but it leads to a goal!
      https://streamable.com/87gm3b

      33 - all the players expect a foul, Parchment makes everyone more anxious by not giving it; good job that flying ball didn't hit the fouled player...
      https://streamable.com/70zfkm

      34 - reckless charge, decent opening YC
      https://streamable.com/drwgkq

      35 - weird confrontation after rather nothing; referee doesn't do much to calm everyone
      https://streamable.com/h91v7q

      37 - smart YC for a probably deliberate foul by a player involved two minutes earlier
      https://streamable.com/jrwakd

      39 - IMO clear YC, you can see that the perpetrator thinks that too! He is rather chuffed when Parchement only tells him "no more!"
      https://streamable.com/ohgkdx

      +46 - handling missed by fourth official Reon Radix, who should be more more alert
      https://streamable.com/zpgm68

      Delete
    2. 48 - two tactical fouls in quick succession by New York players go without admonishment
      https://streamable.com/00v9tc

      56 - another poor advantage / delayed whistle procedure
      https://streamable.com/zsyuxf

      58 - Tigres no.32 HAS(!) to be cautioned after this reckless SPA kick having been told, very clearly, "no more!" in the first half; poor
      https://streamable.com/amz9ta

      61 - correct YC for reckless play
      https://streamable.com/9fwckp

      68 - quite well-solved IMO, only antagonist New York no.19 was cautioned (trying to start a fight with anyone who would listen), Parchment stepped in effectively
      https://streamable.com/325qg3

      75 - correct YC, referee should act more strongly against being slightly mobbed
      https://streamable.com/hoensd

      82 - quite a nasty contact there if you look carefully! Nobody really reacted, freekick only given
      https://streamable.com/o3vfrn

      +91 - Nicholas Anderson disallows a consolation New York goal with the last kick of the match; no replay
      https://streamable.com/h4zqx2

      Delete
    3. +46 referee indicates advantage with his arm, so I do not think it was a missed handball, just a bad advantage...

      Delete
    4. Jamaica did not have a top referee since Prendergast (20 years ago!), so Concacaf is desperately trying now with Parchment and Nation, but they are not very convincing...

      Delete
    5. Prendergast wasn't anything special either. But I will admit that he was somewhat slightly better than these two gentlemen. However these two gentlemen "check off" most of the "boxes" for these Ref Comm's who are so enamored with the "modern way". Neither are necessarily good referee's. But they are athletic, look great in their uniform, and can aimlessly run around the entire length and width of the pitch for 90+ minutes.

      Delete
    6. re +46' - I think you are right, it explains better the frustration shown by the New York players, I had read Parchment's gesture as "carry on playing" - which I suppose wasn't wrong ;)

      I liked Prendergast, he was good in both his WC games (whatever Marc Wilmots says) even if he did benefit from being in the Jack Warner era. I watched both Parchment's games at the last Gold Cup and recalled him as a decent referee, so I was surprised how technically deficient he was.

      Delete
    7. In regards to Caribbean referees. I preferred Ramesh Ramdhan from Trinidad and Tobago. At France '98, he became the first Caribbean referee to handle a FIFA World Cup Match.

      Delete
  38. From serie A game Benevento - Genoa:
    https://streamja.com/B4XJl
    In my opinion missed VAR intervention.
    The VAR in charge of this game is missing from serie A next round.
    Clear penalty, no reasons for referee to play on.
    Unluckily Giua is still having some issues, after a very promising start in low categories and big hopes on him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IMO penalty, but I'm not sure about a VAR intervention. However, it would be the best decision to recommend an OFR, as the contact is quite significant.

      Delete
  39. https://www.championat.com/football/news-4222763-sudi-iz-brigady-ivanova-pered-matchem-tambov-ural-pili-vodku-v-saranske.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another Shmolik case???
      https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/video-you-must-be-blind-ref-blind-drunk-that-is-official-escorted-from-field-for-being-worse-for-6913213.html

      Delete

  40. Another scandal with the referees in Russia...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not positive to learn for the public image of the referees involved, but for sure that's nothing if compared to what happened some months ago...

      Delete
    2. It's very cold in Russia - they need to warm-up:)

      Delete
  41. Many have inquired as to why CONCACAF hasn't used and isn't VAR in its Champions League Competition. They have put out this press release explaining this decision.

    https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/article/concacaf-statement-position-on-var-and-disciplinary-matters-in-the-lafc-vs-club-america-2020-sccl-semifinal

    The press release also includes disciplinary information in regards to the incidents in the L.A. F.C. vs Club America match.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Every game played so far has had its fair share of controversial moments. CONCACAF being questioned about not using VAR. The heated rivalry (both on and off the field) between Liga MX and MLS. MLS's burning desire to no longer be looked at and considered inferior to Liga MX. And MLS's continued inability to win the title. Add this all up and you have quite a challenge for whatever referee crew is assigned.

      Delete
  42. CONCACAF has assigned the referee for the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League Final.

    MATCH: Tigres UANL (MEX) vs Los Angeles FC (USA)

    REFEREE: Mario ESCOBAR (Guatemala)
    ASSISTANT REFEREE 1: Humberto PANJOJ (Guatemala)
    ASSISTANT REFEREE 2: Gerson LOPEZ (Guatemala)
    FOURTH OFFICIAL: Daneon PARCHMENT (Jamaica)
    RESERVE ASSISTANT REFEREE: Nicholas ANDERSON (Jamaica)

    ReplyDelete
  43. 03 Atlanta United - Club Américo, Ismael Cornejo

    For the faults that his performance did have (in SPA, tactical foul prevention and sometimes of more concern, perception accuracy), I liked Cornejo as a referee. His verbal warnings were well-timed and well-delivered, and he aroused respect as a real leader on the pitch. A talent in my book!


    Key Match Incidents:

    27' Reckless vs. Serious Foul Play? Yellow Card given
    https://streamable.com/sx3a9r

    90' Reckless vs. Serious Foul Play? Yellow Card given + Red Card for Violent Conduct
    https://streamable.com/4wdd4k


    Full clips below.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 7 - nasty tackle determined as fair; SFP even?
      https://streamable.com/b5syj8

      14 - good verbal warning after a careless late charge
      https://streamable.com/fxtwd4

      17 - missed (reckless?) foul
      https://streamable.com/cbju3p

      19 - still okay to assess this sliding tackle as careless?
      https://streamable.com/t2cf2r

      22 - is the lack of contact enough to still call this careless?
      https://streamable.com/jkb64d

      27 - with no chance of playing the ball from behind, personally I would like to see a RC; given the lack of dangerous contact, Brian Hall would surely want YC there
      https://streamable.com/sx3a9r

      39 - lack of respect?
      https://streamable.com/16f8je

      41 - delay in whistling; shout in the comms from a teammate?
      https://streamable.com/50bnsx

      Delete
    2. 58 - dissent management
      https://streamable.com/67qzad

      60 - foul given, missed YC for recklessly treading on his opponent
      https://streamable.com/kop8qa

      63, 85 - lack of respect?
      https://streamable.com/yrmbvd

      69 - dissent?
      https://streamable.com/kt237g

      73 - deliberate tripping foul; sanction?
      https://streamable.com/bgztmj

      90 - IMO: SFP, very dangerous trapping foul from behind; correct RC for VC, well informed by teammates
      https://streamable.com/4wdd4k

      +93 - good no advantage and a YC, not enough for more IMO
      https://streamable.com/wiozem

      Delete
    3. Of course, that's Club América, not what I wrote :D

      Delete
    4. Regearding KMIs, IMO
      27' - I'm fine with YC here.
      90' - well handeled, correct RC for VC. The nasty tackle before the kick could have been a RC as well, I'm fine with YC here.

      Delete
  44. Appointments - Germany:

    DFB-Pokal (German Cup) 2nd round
    22nd December

    18:30 FC Augsburg - RB Leipzig
    Sascha Stegemann - Christian Gittelmann - Frederick Assmuth - Patrick Hanslbauer

    18:30 FC Köln - VfL Osnabrück
    Robert Hartmann - Christian Leicher - Markus Schüller - Patrick Alt

    18:30 TSG Hoffenheim - Greuther Fürth
    Sören Storks - Thorben Siewer - Philipp Hüwe - Tobias Fritsch

    18:30 SSV Ulm - FC Schalke
    Daniel Schlager - Martin Thomsen - Marcel Pelgrim - Florian Exner

    20:00 Braunschweig - Borussia Dortmund
    Benjamin Cortus - Florian Heft - Markus Häcker - Marcel Unger

    20:45 FC Union Berlin - SC Paderborn
    Frank Willenborg - Arne Aarnink - Thomas Gorniak - Jan Seidel

    20:45 SV Elversberg - Mönchengladbach
    Markus Schmidt - Rafael Foltyn - Dominik Schaal - Nicolas Winter

    20:45 Dynamo Dresden - SV Darmstadt
    Sven Jablonski - Norbert Grudzinski - Eduard Beitinger - Max Burda

    ReplyDelete
  45. LaLiga MD15 appointments:

    22nd December:

    17:30 Valencia - Sevilla
    Valentín Pizarro Gómez - José Antonio Garrido Romero, Iván Massó Granado - Fulgencio Madrid Martínez
    [José María Sánchez Martínez, Jorge Bueno Mateo]

    17:30 Elche - Osasuna
    Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea - Roberto Díaz Pérez del Palomar, Jon Núñez Fernández - Francisco José Fernández Cintas
    [César Soto Grado, Carlos Álvarez Fernández]

    19:45 Huesca - Levante
    Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos - Rubén Becerril Gómez, José Carlos Escuela Melo - Daniel Palencia Caballero
    [Adrián Cordero Vega, Aitor Villate Martínez]

    19:45 Real Sociedad - Atlético de Madrid
    Guillermo Cuadra Fernández - Diego Barbero Sevilla, Juan José López Mir - Mateo Busquets Ferrer
    [Jesús Gil Manzano, Javier Martínez Nicolás]

    22:00 Real Valladolid - Barcelona
    Mario Melero López - José Luis Martínez Serrato, José Alcoba Rodríguez - Francisco García Riesgo
    [José Luis Munuera Montero, Íñigo Prieto López de Ceráin]

    22:00 Villarreal - Athletic
    David Medié Jiménez - Juan Carlos Barranco Trejo, Joan Méndez Mateo - Jerónimo Montes García-Navas
    [Alejandro Hernández Hernández, José Enrique Naranjo Pérez]


    Wednesday 23rd December:

    17:30 Getafe - Celta
    Pablo González Fuertes - Alfredo Rodríguez Moreno, Israel Bárcena Rodríguez - Samir Amar Ahmed
    [Jorge Figueroa Vázquez, Álvaro Yeray Carreño Cabrera]

    19:45 Real Madrid - Granada
    Juan Martínez Munuera - Raúl Cabañero Martínez, Miguel Martínez Munuera - Álvaro Varón Aceitón
    [Santiago Jaime Latre, Fernando Tresaco Escabosa]

    22:00 Alavés - Eibar
    Carlos del Cerro Grande - Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez, Gonzalo García González - Guillermo Cueto Amigo
    [Xavier Estrada Fernández, Guadalupe Porras Ayuso]

    22:00 Betis - Cádiz
    Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz - Pau Cebrián Devís, Iker de Francisco Grijalba - Jayro Muñoz García
    [José Luis González González, Rubén Porras Rico]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a sonorous game for Pizarro Gómez

      Delete
    2. Is this the first Real or Barcelona game since El Clasico for Munuera? I remember lots of backlash and even newspapers exposing his 'Real Madrid background'

      Delete
    3. That 'Real Madrid background' was made up by 2 journalists from SPORT newspaper. Some days ago the newspaper had to publiclily rectify (probably because Martínez Munuera's father brought them to court and the sentence ordered it)

      Delete
    4. Yeah that's why I put it like that, I wasn't sure about the truth behind the story. Maybe not the best management to give him a Real Madrid game almost immediately after court?

      Delete
  46. ARGENTINA APPOINTMENTS


    Copa Diego Armando Maradona
    - Fase Campeón


    Grupo A: Boca, Huracán, Independiente, Arsenal, Argentinos Juniors, River

    Grupo B: Atlético Tucumán, San Lorenzo, Talleres, Banfield, Gimnasia, Colón


    -Fase Complementación


    Grupo A: Aldosivi, Rosario Central, Patronato, Lanús, Defensa y Justicia, Unión

    Grupo B: Newell's, Central Córdoba, Godoy Cruz, Estudiantes, Racing, Vélez



    Fecha 3



    Zona Campeón



    Domingo 27 de noviembre

    19.20 Boca – Huracán

    Árbitro: Ariel Penel

    Asistente 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky

    Asistente 2: Diego Romero

    Cuarto árbitro: Diego Abal



    21.30 River - Arsenal

    Árbitro: Fernando Espinoza

    Asistente 1: Javier Uziga

    Asistente 2: Marcelo Bistocco

    Cuarto árbitro: Ramiro López



    Lunes 28 de diciembre

    19.20 Argentinos - Independiente

    Árbitro: Fernando Echenique

    Asistente 1: Juan Belatti

    Asistente 2: Iván Núñez

    Cuarto árbitro: Julio Barraza



    21.30 Colón - Banfield

    Árbitro: Néstor Pitana

    Asistente 1: Facundo Rodríguez

    Asistente 2: José Castelli

    Cuarto árbitro: Maximiliano Macheroni



    21.30 Gimnasia - Talleres

    Árbitro: Silvio Trucco

    Asistente 1: Diego Bonfá

    Asistente 2: Lucas Germanotta

    Cuarto árbitro: Hernán Mastrángelo



    Martes 29 de diciembre

    21.30 Atlético Tucumán – San Lorenzo

    Árbitro: Pablo Echavarría

    Asistente 1: Gabriel Chade

    Asistente 2: Julio Fernández

    Cuarto árbitro: Francisco Acosta





    Zona Complementación

    Domingo 27 de diciembre

    17.10 Defensa y Justicia - Patronato

    Árbitro: Leandro Rey Hilfer

    Asistente 1: Alejo Castany

    Asistente 2: Juan Manuel Vázquez

    Cuarto árbitro: Franco Morón



    Domingo 27 de diciembre

    17.10 Racing - Godoy Cruz

    Árbitro: Nicolás Lamolina

    Asistente 1: Diego Verlotta

    Asistente 2: Hugo Páez

    Cuarto árbitro: Germán Delfino



    Lunes 28 de diciembre

    17.10 Vélez - Estudiantes

    Árbitro: Jorge Baliño

    Asistente 1: Hernán Maidana

    Asistente 2: Pablo Gualtieri

    Cuarto árbitro: Héctor Paletta



    Martes 29 de diciembre

    17.10 Aldosivi - Rosario Central

    Árbitro: Fernando Rapallini

    Asistente 1: Maximiliano Del Yesso

    Asistente 2: Miguel Savorani

    Cuarto árbitro: Marcos Fernando



    19.20 Unión - Lanús

    Árbitro: Darío Herrera

    Asistente 1: Pablo González

    Asistente 2: Eduardo Lucero

    Cuarto árbitro: Diego Abal



    19.20 Newell's - Central Córdoba

    Árbitro: Mauro Vigliano

    Asistente 1: Manuel Sánchez

    Asistente 2: Sebastián Raineri

    Cuarto árbitro: Nelson Sosa

    ReplyDelete
  47. Well, so far Pizarro Gómez's performance has left a lot to be desired. Not a clear line in fouls, but much worse with cards. That a team with 9 fouls, at least 3-4 or them by the same player and one of which was close to SPA has not received one but the other team has in a situation that was not mandatory and with half the fouls is an abysmal management that could give him trouble. He will need to book a Sevilla player, which probably won't be Ocampos and who will likely not deserve it in order to regain control. He's very close to losing it.

    ReplyDelete
  48. 20 minutes into the CONCACAF Champions League Final. And it is clear that CONCACAF and its Referee Committee were left embarrassed by that horrendous display by the referee and the teams in the LA.FC./America match. In the first 20 minutes ESCOBAR is keeping a tight grip on the match. Whistling multiple fouls and not allowing the players get away with much.

    However, in the 17th minute, the need for VAR in this competition became a talking point again. As LA.FC. had what looked like PK waived away by ESCOBAR. Upon seeing the TV replays. There was indeed more than enough for a PK to have been whistled. The TV commentators noted that ESCOBAR may have been swayed by the overly dramatic fall by the LA.FC. players. But that is IMO a poor excuse to use, because there was a foul committed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 36th minute
      A heavy and late challenge by a LA FC player. Great if not ideal time for the matches first caution. But unsurprisingly, ESCONBAR chooses to talk his way out.

      Not a minute later, the expected revenge foul by by Tigres happens. As a Tigres players goes through an LAFC players back in an aerial duel using his forearm into the LAFC players upper back.

      The game is heating up now 40 minutes in. The challenges are coming in more hand and heavy. ESCOBAR continues to act smugly and uninterested in actually calming things.

      Delete
    2. LAFC player Carlos Vela is fouled yet again in the 44th minute. He has been tactically fouled over and over throughout the entire 1st half. It is obvious that Tigres are targeting this player. But ESCOBAR seems either unaware of this or simply doesn't care.

      Delete
    3. The first half comes to an end. ESCO0BAR much like I feared, is going to do all he can to not show any cards. Call me "old school", but this type of referee makes my blood boil. It goes against everything I believe in. This is no longer fun, enjoyable, or attractive football. The talented players are unable to shine because they're hacked and beaten into submission by untalented goons and thugs posing as football players.

      I now understand why prior to todays match, the Tigres coach expressed his concern in regards to the officiating in CONCACAF. He wasn't worried about calls going for or against him. His fear was for the physical well-being of his players.

      Delete
    4. This was heard and reported by the TUDN sideline reporter. Who was near the players access tunnel as the players and referee crew walked off the pitch.

      Nahuel Guzman (Tigres GK) confronted and admonished ESCOBAR loudly in regards to LAFC players always interfering with his punts and/or throws. ESCOBAR told the Tigres GK he would pay closer attention in the 2nd half. To which the the Tigres GK replied, "I don't want you to play closer attention. I want you to enforce The Laws of the Game."

      Delete
    5. The 2nd half kicks off. Here were go with what hopefully will be a better ESCOBAR. My hopes are not high however.

      Delete
    6. I didn't watch the game, but as
      I read what you rely and quickly check the game stats (Fourty(!)fouls and zero(!!) cards), its seems that Mario Escobar has done it again with his 2019 Gold Cup final approach which almost made me sick at the time.

      Nothing personal to the referee (I don't watch his games enough to say how he's able to perform on a pitch), but this way of handling a game has IMHO nothing to be learnt for us referees. It's simply refusing giving cards, and overall stepping on to maintain authority and control on the match.

      I see a difference between a lenient approach and this one, which is just as passive and distant as possible. I'm not asking for a card festival, but simply to be able to enforce LOTG when needed and punish efficiently behaviors which are nothing but threats for the well-being of a football game and the safety of its players.

      Delete
    7. I have nothing further to add nor do I have anything to say about the 2nd. I made what in retrospect was a "smart" decision. I chose to not watch anymore of ESCOBAR as he elicits a level of anger, disgust, and frustration that ruins the football watching experience for me as a fan and referee.

      Delete
    8. He did it again! Escobar finished his second major continental final with no cards at all.

      Delete
    9. Besides the lack of cards, Escobar missed a penalty kick against Tigres, while the LAFC goal was offside.

      Delete
    10. Tonight I can confidently say that I am ashamed of my home confederation CONCACAF.
      In the past, I saw regrettable incidents happen in other confederations. I would always say, "glad that didn't happen in CONCACAF". After these games, CONCACAF is the one with the regrettable incidents.
      #ASHAMED #CONCACAF

      Delete
  49. My thoughts on Mario Escobar's performance in the Concacaf CL Final:

    By now, everyone is familiar with Escobar's performance in the 2019 Gold Cup Final: a very, very extreme implementation of the "manage the players without showing cards" philosophy. Numerous incidents where there was no disciplinary sanction when cards (of multiple colors) were absolutely deserved. It very quite a violent match, and the players absolutely took advantage of this leniency in an ugly way.

    After seeing 0 cards again tonight, some people might be tempted to think it was the exact same refereeing performance, and while it was similar in many respects, I think the story isn't quite that simple.

    The big difference to me: 25 fouls called in the first half tonight, and 40 in total (compared to 13 in the first half and 27 total last year). Without a doubt, his approach, especially in the first half, evolved in this significant way; he was able to maintain control of this game by whistling rather tightly from the very start of the match. A number of fouls on the softer side were called that definitely weren't eliciting a whistle last year. I think this adaptation helped him control the game.

    Many aspects of this performance were the same from last year: Escobar's style still includes sprinting hard to every foul when he whistles it, much like we've seen in the past. Most importantly, there is still an extreme (though not quite as extreme as before) reluctance to show cards on plays that would probably deserve it. I should note that none of the incidents tonight were quite as egregious as at the Gold Cup Final, but that is of course a very high bar. A number of incidents that others have pointed out that, on any other day or with any other referee, would have (and I think should have) received a card. Furthermore, Carlos Vela was fouled 5 times, all in the first half (by my count), so I think it was unfair to LAFC for Escobar not to show a card for persistent offenses.

    But despite the lack of disciplinary sanctions, and in stark contrast to last year's Gold Cup Final, the players' overall behavior and reception to this style was very acceptable. The players were happy to get on with the game, they didn't need the cards to be shown, really. Very very few (none, depending upon how you count) flashpoints / mass confrontations, which was very different from last year.

    So, in summary, this performance was the same as the Gold Cup final, with the following exceptions: a stricter foul selection from the opening whistle, and much more acceptance of Escobar's style by the players. If you only care about player management, you might say this was a really good performance by Escobar, I'm sure Concacaf is happy. But, if you (like me) think there is more to refereeing than how the players react to you, it still leaves a lot to be desired in terms of fairness and discipline.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you about fairness.
      Fair isn't allowing a player (Vela) to be brutalized over and over again till the point where he becomes ineffective on the pitch. That IMO goes against the true spirit of the "beautiful game".

      Delete
    2. It's not refereeing in CONCACAF. It's not lenient, not even overly lenient. It's a dumb and dangerous idea of 'officiating' by Brian Hall who should go away in disgrace.

      Delete
    3. I detested this type of football in the early 90's. But I didn't blame the referee's then.
      This era was followed by multiple changes made in order to protect the physical wellbeing and safety of the players. And the referee's did their part on the pitch to clean up the game. Yet here we are in 2020 and I once again see that type of football that I detested then and that I detest now. The only difference now, is that I DO blame the referee's. As they are now fully complicit in the proliferation of this ugly trend.

      Delete
    4. @smala: another difference is that last night he missed a penalty kick and a goal seemed offside.

      Delete
    5. I disagree Anonymous, the Vela goal is a very close decision but it is onside. Pause the video, you’ll see the far side defender holds him on. Actually a fantastic decision by the AR Gerson Lopez.

      As for the penalty appeal, we simply didn’t get any replay that clearly showed that there was contact. It’s possible, but I can’t say for sure it was a penalty from what we can see.

      Delete
    6. Eh, after looking again I’m not so confident about the offside. But I still don’t think it’s clear enough to say it was a wrong call.

      Delete
    7. Felipe Ramos Rizo painted the full image: "very low level of refereeing by Escobar, with a penalty kick not awarded against Tigres, an offside goal by LAFC, 39 fouls and not a single card issued."
      https://twitter.com/ramosrizo/status/1341609795657330688

      Delete
    8. Not surprised by his on point description of what we saw last night. I sure do miss referee's like him.

      Delete
  50. Thanks for the comments about the CONCACAF Champions League final, last night I thought "well, at least he can't give zero cards again", only to wake up this morning and realise he had.

    I don't really have the motivation to watch the remaining four matches of the tournament, having watched the first three, but if anybody wants to complete that then just email me and I'll send you the full matches.

    Even from Gold Cup 2019 on, it's clear that Brian Hall wanted to very aggressively push young referees on the road to future WCs. Of all the 2019 FIFA youth competitions, only Iván Barton left any kind of decent impression, but bizarrely Hall sees Escobar as the best of these referees.

    Having this year watched past World Cups, CONCACAF referees like Rodrigo Badilla and Carlos Batres WERE lenient, but cards aren't everything in refereeing, and they showed to be real leaders who could succeed in their games with a tactically proficient approach.

    Hall's vision, and let's hope this isn't FIFA's, can essentially be summarised as - referees in the right position to take poor decisions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What is sad about all this. Is that Brian Hall was not this type of referee when he was active. It is because of these drastic views they have adopted now that I am disheartened and disappointed in them as "leaders".

      Delete
    2. Indeed!
      https://wc02refs.blogspot.com/search/label/Hall

      I think we should be careful to criticise too much, as refereeing itself does not necessarily yield great riches, and former refs need to still work when they have 'hung up their whistle'. But indeed, I agree with you on this, it is certainly a shame.

      And Hall is not the most amiable or humble man in his role at CONCACAF, it must be said.

      Delete
    3. Mikael, I understand your lack of motivation; however, an analysis (with videos) of the KMIs from LAFC - Club America and Tigres - LAFC would be worthwhile. These were the most controversial/important matches.

      Delete
    4. Agreed on LAFC-Club America.

      Also agreed generally on CONCACAF and the style of officiating that is en vogue right now. Brian Hall is doing a great disservice to officiating in the region.

      I fear the next competitive USA-Mexico match. Eventually, things are going to boil over in an unacceptable way.

      I'd also note that the lack of VAR should be a gigantic warning sign. These are allegedly the top non-FMF and non-MLS referees in the region. If they are not ready to use VAR at a mini tournament with 7 matches, when will they be ready? CONCACAF's excuses on this point are a joke and laughable. The introduction of VAR into CONCACAF is going to be really bad. And it's going to be very unequitable because the MLS and Liga MX referees will know how to use it well, while the other referees... well, won't.

      As an aside, I wouldn't classify Batres as "lenient." He was or is my favorite CONCACAF referee over the last 20 years. Truthfully, he was the only referee I truly trusted for US matches outside Mexican referees (with the occasional exception of Walter Lopez, who I thought could be very good). Barton is the first referee who gives me any hope.

      Delete
    5. I agree that Barton seems to be the only Concacaf ref from the new generation that seems solid. I was wondering why he was assigned the easier of the last 3 matches instead of any of the other two that were expected to be more challenging?

      Delete
    6. I fully understand Mikael's lack of motivation and I support him not wanting to do a write up for any of these games. Just watching the games live was unbearable at times. I can't imagine what it would be like to dissect these games piece by piece.

      Delete
  51. Appointments - Germany:

    DFB-Pokal (German Cup) 2nd round
    23rd December

    18:30 VfL Wolfsburg - SV Sandhausen
    Guido Winkmann - Christian Bandurski - Arno Blos - Lasse Koslowski

    18:30 Rot-Weiss Essen - Düsseldorf
    Matthias Jöllenbeck - Justus Zorn - Tim Skorczyk - Mitja Stegemann

    20:45 VfB Stuttgart - SC Freiburg
    Felix Brych - Mark Borsch - Stefan Lupp - Michael Bacher

    20:45 Hannover - Werder Bremen
    Manuel Gräfe - Guido Kleve - Markus Sinn - Franz Bokop

    20:45 FSV Mainz - VfL Bochum
    Martin Petersen - Alexander Sather - Robert Wessel - Thomas Stein

    20:45 SV Wiesbaden - Jahn Regensburg
    Tobias Reichel - Asmir Osmanagic - Tobias Endriß - Patrick Kessel

    ReplyDelete
  52. To all readers of this beautiful blog : Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Boas Festas! Joyeux Noël! Zalig Kerstfeest! Frohliche Weihnachten! Buon Natale! Gézuar Krishlindjet! Sretan Bozic! Eftihismena Christougenna! Glaedelig Jul! Hauskaa Joulua! Wesolych Swiat! Craciun Fericit! Hristos Razdajetsja! Srecen Bozic

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The same to you and all readers!

      Delete
    2. Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Zorionak!

      Delete
    3. Joyeux Noël from France ! :) Thanks for your beautiful job and contributions here ! ;)

      Delete
    4. Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas!

      Delete
    5. Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo a todos.
      Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone.

      Delete
  53. With regards to Escobar, I should point out that history shows that he doesn’t always ref in this “no cards ever no matter what” style - just he opposite actually. In his other CCL game this year, he have 8 yellows and a red. In his domestic league, he has 4.2 yellows per game this year, and 5.6(!!) yellows per game the previous year. At the Gold Cup, he showed 9 yellows in his first two games before showing none in the final.

    I am not sure what to make of this. It seems his style in these big finals is very different from his normal style! I wish I had closely watched other games of his time get a better idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is indeed interesting and suggests that he followed some special Concacaf recommendations for the finals. One thing is sure: he was praised by Hall for managing these two finals without using his cards.

      Delete
    2. Having wacthed the CCL game and his Gold Cup games, don't let the data fool you. In his first group stage match, his disciplinary control was extremely lenient as well and in his second match had bolstered his number by giving two very late DtR cards.

      The CCL match in question was utter carnage, he was in no control at all and the players behaved like it.

      I can't speak for his domestic performances, but international Escobar (also counting U17 WC last year) is very much defined by an extreme relucatance to use cards.

      Delete
  54. DFB released FIFA lists: Video Match officials will be the 10 FIFA referees and Bibiana Steinhaus and Tobias Welz.

    Source: https://www.dfb.de/news/detail/dfb-fuehrend-vier-schiedsrichter-in-uefa-elite-kategorie-223184/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Full article:

      The German football association (DFB) recieves a special honour and appreciation, because Tobias Stieler is promoted to the Elite Category of UEFA.
      The Elite Category, the highest classification of European refereeing, will contain of four German referees as of 2021: Deniz Aytekin, Felix Brych, Tobias Stieler, Felix Zwayer. The DFB is the only association Europe-wide, who has four Elite-referees.

      Lutz Michael Fröhlich, head of refereeing, states: "Congratulations to Tobias Stieler, because that is something very special to be classified as Elite-refree. I keep my fingers crossed that he can continue his positive development and that he can stand out with great performances and good decisions also on this level.
      That we are represented by four Elite-Referees at the moment, also reflects the appreciation for our referees on the international level."

      Meanwhile, the nominations of Franziska Wildfeuer and Christian Dietz by the refereeing commitee were confirmed by FIFA.
      Wildfeuer will replace Bibiana Steinhaus, who finished her national and international career. Assistant Dietz replaces Mike Pickel, who leaves the FIFA-list for reasons of age.

      Deniz Aytekin, Felix Brych, Bastian Dankert, Christian Dingert, Marco Fritz, Harm Osmers, Daniel Siebert, Sascha Stegemann, Tobias Stieler and Felix Zwayer stay on the FIFA-list.
      Beside them, Bibiana Steinhaus, who is still active as VAR in Bundesliga, and Tobias Welz, who already was FIFA-referee from 2013 until 2019, were confirmed as Video Match Officials.
      This request is already consented.

      Delete
    2. Does that mean that the national FAs are able to nominate more than 10 VMOs or is this an exception granted to DFB?

      Delete
    3. Polish FA nominated

      9 VARs: Bartosz Frankowski, Paweł Gil, Krzysztof Jakubik, Tomasz Kwiatkowski (non-FIFA), Piotr Lasyk (non-FIFA), Szymon Marciniak, Tomasz Musiał, Paweł Raczkowski, Daniel Stefański

      5 AVARs-only (all of them FIFA-listed ARs): Marcin Boniek, Marcin Borkowski, Krzysztof Myrmus, Konrad Sapela, Radosław Siejka

      Delete
    4. Are you saying that Polish FA nominated 9+5=14 VMOs? In that case, maybe 2 of the 10 Germans are also AVARs? So far, no FIFA category allowed for more than 10 nominations (even for the "Big 5" federations), so it is hard to believe that they would accept more than 10 VARs (maybe 10 VARs + 5 AVARs?) I guess will find out the answer on 4 January 2021, when FIFA will update their online lists.

      Delete
    5. Is Sapela (born in 1971) still an active FIFA AR???

      Delete
    6. He bécame fifa in 1998-99

      Delete
  55. Offside or no?

    https://streamable.com/05to4f

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No offside since the Tigres attacker was not blocking the goalkeeper's line of vision.

      Could you please post a video of the LAFC goal? That one seemed offside.

      Delete