Tuesday, 4 May 2021

Champions League 2020/21 - Daniele Orsato to complete semifinals appointments with Chelsea - Real Madrid

Daniele Orsato will officiate the last semifinal of 2020-21 Champions League, between Chelsea and Real Madrid. 

05.05.2021, 21:00 CET
Stamford Bridge, London (ENG) 
Chelsea FC (ENG) - Real Madrid CF (ESP)
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Davide Massa (ITA) 
Video Assistant Referee: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marco Guida (ITA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)
UEFA Delegate: Thibault De Gendt (BEL)

181 comments:

  1. Expected appointment and well deserved.
    So Cakir in England and Grinfeeld or Vincic in Rome

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    Replies
    1. Not so sure about Cakir. Refereed Arsenal twice already this season and the match in Rome seems already decided. I expect Grinfeld in Rome and Vincic in London.

      Delete
    2. I think you are right about Cakir;

      He is not amongst the favourites of UEFA anymore.

      He was long time top 3, but now is not top 5 anymore according to UEFA recent appointments. Top 3 today : 1) Kuipers 2) Makkelie (I am not a Dutchman) 3) Brych

      I am afraid his role in EURO 2020 will be very limited as well, because I still like his style very much. It has not changed much in comparison with the past, but competition is very hard in UEFA and FIFA.

      Appointing him for the Roma match of Thursday in EL would even be a blame for him given the 6-2 standing (and a waste of time for the development of his younger colleagues).

      Delete
    3. Taylor last year got three times PSG.

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  2. If no Real Madrid in final, this should be of Mateu.

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  3. Once again we see that Cakir's reputation inside UEFA isn't as high as in the past.

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    Replies
    1. I do not agree with you, let's wait and see the upcoming appointments in UEL and the EURO 2020

      Delete
  4. Strange the Guida is AVAR but he isn't going to Euro. Weird management by Rosetti.

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    Replies
    1. Only VAR were considered: As example Kamphuis and Higler, Attwell and Pawson, Guida and Mariani, Kwiatkowski, Stegemann, weren't considered because they only acted as AVAR in major competitions

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    2. The same already happened with Kamphuis and Higler in previous SFs. Apparently they prefer to use the established duos in CL and not to train the potential EURO duos van Boekel/Blom and Irrati/di Bello.

      Delete
    3. UEFA already paired Euro referees with their respective VAR: Kuipers/Van Boekel, Makkelie/Blom, Orsato/Irrati, Hategan/Di Bello. All Euro appointments will be made as referee teams REF, ARs, VAR.

      Delete
  5. Ich tippe auf brych oder siebert bei Arsenal gg Villareal

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  6. I think it’s very predictable based on appointments and referee performances this season.

    EL final will go for sure to Turpin. It will be his first big and deserved final.

    CL final goes to Lahoz or Makkelie. All depends on Real Madrid.

    For Lahoz it will be his last chance and it would be totally deserved. Especially when there are no Spanish teams in the final. He was great during Bayern - PSG.

    Makkelie was praised all over the media (Spain, England and outside) for his smoothless performance during RM - Chelsea. The same positive media attention for his match between Juventus and Barcelona.

    EL: Turpin
    CL: Lahoz, Makkelie

    UEFA should go for quality and without risk.

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    Replies
    1. Makkelie is not a good referee.

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  7. Expected appointments for Kuipers and Orsato. Good luck for both!

    IMO, there will be Cakir in Rome probably. If not so, he might be in UEL final this year.

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  8. Didn't he just whistle Galatasaray - Konyaspor last week?

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  9. Politically I expect these appointments:

    Roma-Manu. Daniel Siebert.
    Arsenal-Villareal. Slavko Vincic.

    Final EL. Clement Turpin / 4O Orel Grinfeld
    Final CL. Antonio Mateu Lahoz or Danny Makkelie / 4O Ovidiu Hategan

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    Replies
    1. Not too clever. Imagine headlines 4O Hategan. Paris, then CL final. Not good. I'd nominate Stieler as compensation for not going to EURO.

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    2. Hategan was already 4O in last year's CL final, therefore I would not expect him again.

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    3. If Lahoz will get the final, I expect a full spanish team with Del Cerro as 4th

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  10. Guys, I think we must get used to the feeling Cakir will get 2 group phase games and nothing more. He is politically "dead". Can't imagine Ceferin will accept his name in games with higher exposure.

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    Replies
    1. That would be the treatment he performance wise deserved 4 years ago but didnt get than (i remember Cakir was overused in 2016 due to other elites failing) But now Cakir IMO does get less than he deserves. Politics and UEFA.....

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  11. On the other hand: A Turkish Süper Lig top clash just two days after a UEL semifinal would also be a rather short period. If we expect Cakir on Saturday in the Turkish Süper Lig, I would rather NOT expect him on Thursday in the Europa League.

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  12. FYI...Vincic is not delegated for any domestic match this week so we can expect his appointment in EL.

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    Replies
    1. Vincic and Grinfeeld should be quite sure names for EL semifinals, if you ask me.

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  13. Makkelie and Hategan out Finals.

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  14. Deserved for Orsato. Now, is it only question of Chelsea or Real in final. Depending on that, Makkelie or Lahoz on Istanbul.

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  15. Ovidiu Hațegan and his AR go in Cyprius tomorrow for a very important game: AEK Larnaca - Omonia Nicosia. So no Europa League semifinal for him this year. Iy was a hard year for Hațegan but he will get some strong games at Euro. I wish him the best! He is a very good referee and he has good chances to get an european final until he retires.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marciniak has the other match in Cyprus.

      Delete
  16. In the Netherlands Danny Makkelie is appointed for Feyenoord-Ajax, earlier this season he also refereed the first game between those teams, so don't understand this appointment, personally for me it would been the perfect "classico" moment to try one off the "newer" internationals like Higler/Kamphuis/Lindhout.... Ajax is already champion..... Feyenoord only plays for Europa League, so not the most important match you can get in a "classico"
    Other opinions?

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    1. I didn't expect Kamphuis or Lindhout yet, but I agree that Gözübüyük or Higler could have been given the game. However, appointments are planned in advance (so referees don't have the same team over and over again), so I think at the moment the appointment was made it was still a possibility that this would be the title deciding game, and then you would need a referee like Kuipers or Makkelie, so I think that's why Makkelie was chosen.

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    2. Higler already had Feyenoord a week ago, so too short ago for the klassieker this weekend.
      Gozubuyuk just comes back from an injury, only had his first match yesterday Go Ahead Eagles - Helmond Sport. Straight into the Klassieker would have been too early.
      Kamphuis and Lindhout not ready for those matches, especially not before Higler will referee his first Klassieker

      Delete
  17. Bjorn Kuipers is free in this 7/9 may weekend, and also in the schedule for midweeks thursday 13 may he and Makkelie are free!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Van Boekel and Blom as well, because there is some kind of course for EURO referees and VARs.

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    2. The Euro preparation course is mid-May

      Delete
  18. No EL match for Grinfeeld.

    He is appointed as VAR on 2 Greek SL matches on Wednesday.

    Roi Reinshreiber has the Aris - Olympiakos match and Irfan Peljto has the AEK-PAOK clash. Grinfeeld is on both.

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    Replies
    1. As I said yesterday. Vincic should be a safe bet for one semi-final and Cakir will probably get another. That means Mateu Lahoz and Turpin should be top candidates for finals this year. But if any of the finals wont have Spanish teams, Lahoz will be appointed for sure.

      Delete
    2. So no Grinfeeld in Europa League, thanks for the info Edward, I was quite convinced about him, along with Vincic. So something must be changed, I think that last performances were not so much liked by committee, this should be reason, otherwise he would have got a semifinal, like Dias.
      I confirm Vincic in one of the two games as prediction and I put then Cakir in the other one, for an overall good form in recent times. Would make sense. Let's see tomorrow.

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    3. I would say Ekberg or Siebert.

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    4. How could you be convinced about Grinfield after his last EL outing at Ibrox? He totally lost control already in first half, was inconsistent throughout, missed a bunch of crystal clear yellow cards. Is it a quality that should be rewarded with a semi? Have you seen that game?

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    5. Dear Chefren : I already intervened on 12:03 about Cakir.

      Im am a Belgian and just (amongst others) an Elite and 1ste category UEAFA referee "follower", but I still like Cakir's style very much. However, as one of the other writers pointed out earlier today : he is indeed politically unacceptable for Ceferin who has a long memory and who is certainly in contact with Rosetti from time to time.

      So Chefren, I am not happy about it, but I am afraid that Cakir is out and will even not get an important game at Euro 2020 anymore, and this for purely "political" reasons. It is a hard job to be FIFA referee : the past and even recent performances are not taken into account by Rosetti when Ceferin is opposed. A pity, but that's the way I see it.

      Delete
  19. OT: Controversial situation yesterday in LaLiga match Granada-Cádiz, referee Díaz de Mera Escuderos and VAR Martínez Munuera.

    After a potential PK situation (IMO play-on is correct), GRA9 runs towards the referee and is sent off with 2 consecutive YCs (first one for dissent, second one for inappropriate touching on referee's hand while issuing the first one)

    Tbh I'm glad to see Roberto Soldado getting sent off at once (he's one of the most unsporting and disrespectful players in LaLiga, quite problematic for referees). He may even face a long suspension because while leaving the FoP he shouted "y'all are bullsh*t" to AR1 and kicked VAR monitor.

    Do you think that it might have been harsh/avoidable? It's said among the refereeing community in Spain that every young referee must have a very strict stance towards dissent/mobbing in their LaLiga debut season, I bet that Soldado wouldn't have done that to a referee like Del Cerro or Sánchez Martínez...

    https://streamable.com/j1v2ch

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    1. The official match report states that the second caution is for "retiring the referee's arm while he was cautioning the player, as a sign of disagreement". I can't see that in the video. The first YC is fully OK. The second one could be if it is for persistent dissent. However, with the reason given, the referee is to blame for not reporting things accurately.

      There is no penalty at all. At most, a foul by Fali, but not enough for me either.

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    2. George: I understand your point, because I had to look at this thoroughly to spot it. But take a closer look, at around 1:51, you see Soldado's left hand push the referee's hand downwards.

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    3. I saw that, but that movement is not what the referee reported. What I see there is a movement to open the arm to make a gesture, not to touch the referee. He's not deliberately trying to avoid the caution, specially given that the other arm moves in a similar way but towards the other direction.

      He makes a gesture that could be considered as a form of dissent. Ok, caution him for that and report it as such, but don't say he tried to retire the referee's arm because that doesn't happen.

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    4. There is nothing to judge the decision. Dissent deserved a yellow/red card depending on the specific behavior of the players. Touching referee's hand deserved a yellow. Great decision by the referee in this case.

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    5. Despite being unsure what the second YC was for, this sending off is deserved. Very, very unsporting behaviour by Soldado.

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    6. Diaz de Mera no good manegement of the situation. Is young and should learn to mannege hard players. In my opinion no RC

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  20. Mr. Cakir hasn't officiated a Europa League final yet. He would be a perfect candidate for the final.

    Here's the list of referees who have officiated the final before: https://www.dutchreferee.com/referees-europa-league-final/

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    Replies
    1. Yes this could be the reason for Cakir to get EL final this year. But IMO his performance this year was ok, but there is nothing to surprise me. Maybe the reason is that he did not get as many as appointment compared to some hot names. So I question if he is fully deserved to get EL final based on his performance and appointments throughout the entire season in UEFA.

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    2. Good shout, the only reason Rosetti deserves to choose Orsato over Cakir for a CL semi final is if Cakir is being saved for a big final.

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    3. Agree that! For me, he is the biggest candidate for the EL final after seeing the UCL semi final appointments. He is out of the UCL list because he has officiated a final before. Therefore, he would be a great choice for the EL final.

      Delete
  21. Scotland - Norway (László Vágner) and Brazil - Morocco (Nikolaj Levnikov) are today's games from FIFA World Cup 1998.

    wc98refs.blogspot.com

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  22. Clément Turpin has hot match again on Friday, Lens - Lille, so for sure no EL semi-final for him.

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  23. It's a very good news ! It's maybe a clue that he can be selected for the EL final... I hope so !

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  24. As potential Euro group games are being mentioned, who should be appointed to ENG v SCO?

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    Replies
    1. Maybe Orsato. He has never had one of the two teams before.

      Delete
    2. @Philipp: Might be auspicous for Daniele Orsato. In 1996, his countryman Pierluigi Pairetto whistled that British clash followed by the final Czech Republic - Germany. England - Scotland is one of the first games in the second half of the group stage and could be handled by the referee of the opening match Turkey - Italy.

      Delete
    3. Yes, the combination with the opening match is possible.
      My idea was, that Orsato could do it either after e.g. BEL-RUS or even as first game, followed by a group E or F match on MD3.
      UEFA doesn't have to divide the GS in equal halves, especially as there are 19 referees.

      Delete
  25. How many of you think Orsato is a better referee than Cakir?? Seriously!?!

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    Replies
    1. Cakir = past, Orsato = present.

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    2. For me Orsato is "good" but he mostly gets his clashes because he is the "Italian token" after Rocchi had to go Its not the "natural" world class like Kuipers, Brych and Cakir.

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    3. Is Orsato a good referee right now? He committed two major penalties and card errors in the Chelsea-Atletico match. He was not good at the PSG-Bayern match. But he is again assigned to big matches. Rosetti is protecting him, as Collina has protected Rizzoli in the past.

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    4. Orsato doesn’t even make the list of top 5 referees in Europe! Even Makkelie is better than him but also heavily favoured by Rosetti. Taylor isn’t even top 20 in my opinion, Oliver is better by far. All politics that exist in UEFA.

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    5. "Taylor isn’t even top 20 in my opinion, Oliver is better by far."

      Such comments make me laugh. Oliver is very lucky to still be an Elite referee.

      Delete
  26. I think the way Orsato, Makkelie or even Kuipers constantly get the best appointements is very disrespectful for Cüneyt Cakir.
    I mean, I have nothing against Orsato but look at his appointements in KO stage : Chelsea-Atletico, PSG-Bayern and now Chelsea-Real. All that after a very poor performance in ManUtd-PSG un December. His performance un CHE-ATL was debatable (although the RC was spot on), and I didn’t like the way he cut the game in PSG-BAY by whistling each and every contact.
    Kuipers and Makkelie are two excellent referees, everybody agrees on that, but what is the point of appointing them all the time ? I have the feeling that some people forget how awesome Cakir is. Based on perfomances this season he deserves a CL SF more than Orsato IMO.

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    1. Agree, and I want to add one of the most important qualities of referees: consistency. IMO Cakir is far more consistent than Orsato over the years.

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    2. Cakir was loved by Collina. Now we have Rosetti and his nepotism with Italian referees. The same Rosetti doesn't know the prestige of Cakir, but he is aware about Kuipers. Strange.

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    3. Not everyone shares your opinion that Orsato was poor in MU-PSG, so please do not make it sound like a general consensus.

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    4. I invite you to re-read the comments on this blog related to this match (2 December), there is actually a general consensus that it was a poor performance.

      Of course this can happen and I don’t blame him, but somehow I have the feeling that this kind of performance from another referee (e.g. Cakir) would have deprived this referee from the most sonorous appointments in KO stage.

      Delete
    5. The fact that the readers of this blog think that Orsato was poor in that match does not mean that the European refereeing community in general has the same opinion. There are many more referees who watched that match but did not comment on this blog, so let's keep it as your opinion or this blog's opinion rather than making a general statement.

      Delete
    6. WCReferee Absolutely SPOT ON!

      It is clear how much politics is behind this, certain referees get favoured by Rosetti just because they are who they are and it is so unfair!!

      We have to remember Cakir is still one of the best referees in the world, Collina thought so in UEFA and FIFA competitions but Rosetti has his favourites, for whatever reason we will never know.

      Delete
    7. "I have nothing against Orsato, but..." is the new "I am not racist,but...":D Many have not realized that Cakir, who has been the best in the world in the past, has now been declining for years.

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    8. By far! Cakir is not the referee we knew for years and years!
      Some users here still don't understand that!

      Delete
  27. Ok, it seems that Vincic is sure for EL SF
    I expected Hategan but since ge will be in Cyprus, I would say Cakir observed by V. SAJN. Rosetti has observed Brych, Batta observed Makkelie and Dallas will observe Orsato. All of them are names for big matches at Euro that's why commette is present. That"s just an idea...

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    Replies
    1. Why is Vincic sure and why you think Sajn will observe Cakir?

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  28. Stieler is appointed for the match Sandhausen-Kiel in the second German league today. So, we don‘t see him in the EL Thursaday

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  29. I feel the need to state my view given the (level of) debate taking place on this topic.

    Actually, I would genuinely say that Orsato is (my) UEFA no.1 at the moment - always a motivated, focused impression in his games, and genuine charisma which the players follow.

    Actually, the pushing of Orsato happened under COLLINA - his promotion to Elite was random, so was his CL debut.

    Sure, some Rosetti-Orsato appointments surprised me, not least last summer ('vs' Mateu), but in general Orsato always performed well.

    To read that Orsato is only appointed of Rosetti, and if not for him would get much worse appointments, is nonsensical. If my article last year led people to that conclusion, then I'm sorry, because that's not true at all.

    Orsato's performance in Paris - Bayern wasn't perfect (excellently summed up by a commenter who said he wasn't willing to "go deep" in foul detection), indeed.

    But the level of criticism was totally disproportionate on here, as it was in the reverse sense for ridiculously passive and poor performances by people's favourites Brych (RLMLIV, foul detection) and Kuipers (JUVPOR pre-ET, disciplinary measures). It seems for many, it's not about how well the referee does, but what his name is.

    It also seems that many users haven't bothered to watch a Cüneyt Çakır match in a long time, either.

    If they had, you would see a totally different referee to the man who was EXCELLENT in controlling his matches with his modest self-presentation and top class decisions for many, many years.

    Çakır's charisma has gone, and his technical accuracy is down too. His 1H in DORSEV was extremely average at the best, the second much easier. This is a TOTALLY different referee to yesteryear.

    It is with great sadness that I say that, because without doubt he is one of my favourite referees ever. How he managed to control matches despite being a small presence on the pitch was amazing, and he gave me personally so many brilliant memories with his officiating.

    Unfortunately, It's ridiculous to talk about this referee deserving a CL SF at the moment. But it's cool to attack Rosetti, so why not.

    Much of this is just childish, but it's the more neferious 'lobbying' purposes of some comments that are more dangerous in my view.

    As someone who is just extremely passionate about refereeing and loves discussing it with (other) experts, it pains me greatly to see many of the comments on our blog.

    But as I always say, thank you to the users who do comment respectfully and add value here, even if we can't always agree on everything (of course!)

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    1. I will try and be as impartial as possible here.

      I have nothing against Orsato but he isn’t even top 5 referees in Europe at the moment, and he would be lucky to make top 10.

      Unfortunately every big game he has handled he has made mistakes, certainly in the champions league (I don’t watch Italian football). The only game I recall that he wasn’t the centre of attention was Bayern/Liverpool few seasons ago.

      As for Cakir it is clear he is being massively overlooked by Rosetti at the moment, for no apparent reason. He is younger than Orsato and in his last appointments I cannot recall him making any mistakes.

      Refereeing at that level is about getting decisions right and Cakir has got decisions right, Orsato however has made many high profile mistakes and still gets the best appointments hence why people are suggesting Rosetti has nepotism, and rightly so.

      As for Charisma, if you don’t appoint a referee to games you simply don’t have an opportunity to ‘perform’ or get a big decision right or show off your abilities.

      Last season was the perfect opportunity for Lahoz to get the CL final, no Spanish teams in QF and he deserved it too. BUT Rosetti chose Orsato.

      Even Kuipers, arguably the best in Europe right now but is there need to appoint him (sometimes twice) in every round? Give other referees a chance. I must say his performance in JUVE/PORTO was exceptional, got every decision spot on and kept a game that was threatening to boil over under control.

      There are politics behind everything and I think Politics have taken over with UEFA after Roestti’s arrival.

      Delete
    2. "Refereeing at that level is about getting decisions right and Cakir has got decisions right";
      "hence why people are suggesting Rosetti has nepotism";
      "There are politics behind everything and I think Politics have taken over with UEFA after Roestti’s arrival"

      I'll leave it to readers to decide for themselves which of our two analyses is more coherent.

      Delete
    3. Fair enough bro. I am being as impartial as possible. I’m not saying Orsato is a bad referee at all, I just think he should be punished for his mistakes, just like any other referee. I also think Rosetti should give others an opportunity to referee big games, not just Orsato.

      Delete
    4. @Mikael W
      +1

      Excellent comment. Everything that you said is absolutely reasonable and correct.

      I would add Taylor here, who also is being critised without any arguments, although last season he had some fantastic (!) performances at the highest CL level. About Orsato, I wonder what those "terrible" mistakes are, and especially in comparison to other referees. From now on it would be good to ask for a game and a minute because this becomes ridiculous.

      As for Juve-Porto, saying that it was a great game for Kuipers for me tells enough about the person who writes the comment and his careful judging.

      Delete
  30. These accusations against Kuipers are simply unacceptable, after qhat players did during the game this can be even something expected, they acted in this way to "defend" themselves after the very poor behavior. UEFA should do something, it is time to stop that. Kuipers is the last refeere who could insult a player... the very last... I would put my hand on fire for sure!

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  31. https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1389695835630456835

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    1. Good job by Sidirooulos, one great referee.

      Delete
  32. So, with Manchester City now in the Final, Taylor is not more available for CL Final, if he was a candidate for the Final.
    Today is the deciding game for Mateu Lahoz, otherwise it will be difficult for Rosetti.
    Makkelie, Turpin, (Hategan?, Frappart?) or a 2nd CL Final for Kuipers, Brych, Cakir ...
    I think Makkelie will whistle the Final if Real Madrid reaches the Final.

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    Replies
    1. For me after yesterday its clear that we have at least one suitable possibility for the CL final in Turpin. Lets all hope that Real goes out tonight so that Mateu can get what he deserves.

      Delete
    2. Yes, I agree, let's hope that Real goes out.
      I really like Clément Turpin (he is my favourite referee), but Mateu Lahoz really deserves it.
      For Clément Turpin the EL Final is the best thing this year, CL Final for sure in one of the next years.

      Delete
    3. Apart of Mateu Lahoz is a certitude if Real is out, but fingers cross for his performance of tomorrow in Rome, my choice Nr 1 for CL Final is Brych.
      Turpin for EL Final.

      Delete
  33. OT : I wanted to apologize for some of my messages on this blog.

    I discovered this blog 3 years ago, and I check it every day because I find it extremely interesting. I was a football fan then, but I'm becoming more and more a referee fan and I wish the best to every referee in the world. I'm a referee myself, at a regional level in France, and I respect every referee.

    Some of my comments are not objective, and I will try and stop that. I realise that some of my comments discredit this blog and that is the last thing I want.

    Good luck to team Orsato tonight :)

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  34. As in the 1st round with Brych, do you have any videos with the Kuipers YC & RC videos please ?

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    Replies
    1. Also the situation in 19' (potential penalty PSG for foul against Kimpembe) would be quite interesting. There seemed to be no replays in the live broadcast though.

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    2. Hey Philipp, there were replays on the live broadcast (BT sport for sure). First they show the chance after the bad throw from Ederson, then they show Kimpembe still getting treatment, then they show the situation from two good angles.

      Delete
    3. Thanks for the hint, I found it now.
      Should be a penalty IMO.

      Delete
  35. For me personally the whole problem starts with Uefa... and money, money, money... nothing else seems to be important, not the spectators,but money! The Champions League has nothing to do with "Champions" anymore....You better call it the bigg country money league, because the time the champions where in is long gone!
    Iff uefa would make a statement.... they should go back to the real Champions League, wich only the "Champions" of all Europe country's will play, so also the "champion" for example Belarus, Luxemburg, Estonia and Albania..... and also the number 1 referees from that country's have chances to referee games in Champions League. back to basic! Way more fair for other country's in stead of having a Champions League with 4 teams from Spain, 4 from England, 4 from Italy, and 4 from Germany, who have the most money, and every single year can win it, while others don't have any chance anymore in champions League....Problem with appointments is to many Spanish, Italian, German,English and French teams, so if Italian Teams go out suddenly Orsato has advance off it, it should not bee like that, for me personally i would like an appointment system like in World Cup... if your country goes to 1/4 final, all referees from that country are out! And why in Champions League... no referees from other continents (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Japan???)

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  36. This sounds very, very interesting.
    (For us especially Nr.4)
    But i really can't imagine, that this will happen.

    For those, who don't wanna open the link, here i post the original part of the information from the UEFA.

    Special rules applicable to the EURO 2020 final tournament due to COVID-19

    4. If any member of the appointed referee team for a match tests positive for COVID-19,
    UEFA may exceptionally appoint replacement match officials who may be of the same
    nationality as one of the national associations concerned and/or may not be on the FIFA
    list.

    https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0269-122ffdf305da-5ed483f1d1a2-1000/special_rules_applicable_to_the_euro_2020_final_tournament_due_to_covid-19_20210503140511.pdf…

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    Replies
    1. Same rules as UCL and UEL in 2020-2021; nothing new.

      Delete
    2. Imagine Felix Brych whistle Germany, this is possible, also when it is very unlikely, i know.

      Delete
  37. This is my refereeing team for the Champions League final.

    Manchester City - Chelsea
    Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz
    Assistant referees 1: Pau Cebrián Devís
    Assistant referees 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez
    Fourt official: Felix Brych
    Reserve Assistent referee: Stefan Lupp
    Video assistant referee: Danny Makkelie
    Assistant video assistant referees: Massimiliano Irrati
    Offside video assistant referee: Mark Borsch
    Support video assistant referee: Felix Zwayer





    Manchester City - Real Madridd
    Referee: Danny Makkelie
    Assistant referees 1: Hessel Steegstra
    Assistant referees 2: Jan De Vries
    Fourt official: Clément Turpin
    Reserve Assistent referee: Nicolas Danos
    Video assistant referee: Massimiliano Irrati
    Assistant video assistant referees: Daniele Orsato
    Offside video assistant referee: Cyril Gringore
    Support video assistant referee: François Letexier

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In the VOR Irrati and Makkelie already had a final.
      Blom and Hernandez will be VAR in case.

      Delete
    2. Clement was 4th in UCL final in 2018. I think UEL is his this year

      Delete
  38. My Referees team will be:

    Manchester City - Chelsea
    Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
    AR1: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
    AR2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
    Fourth Official: Slavko vincic (SVN)
    AR Reserve: Tomasz Klancnik (SVN)
    VAR: Alejandro José Hdz Hdz (ESP)
    AVAR1: Javier Estrada Fdz (ESP)
    AVAR2: Iñigo Prieto López (ESP)
    AVAR3: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)

    Otherwise

    Manchester City - Real Madrid
    Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
    AR1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
    AR2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
    Fourth Official: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
    AR Reserve: Tomasz Klancnik (SVN)
    VAR: François Letexier (FRA)
    AVAR1: Jerome Brisard (FRA)
    AVAR2: Mario Diks (NED)
    AVAR3: Kevin Blom (NED)

    ReplyDelete
  39. My Referees team will be:

    Manchester City - Chelsea
    Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
    AR1: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
    AR2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
    Fourth Official: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
    AR Reserve: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
    VAR: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
    AVAR1: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
    AVAR2: Iñigo Prieto López (ESP)
    AVAR3: Tiago Martins (POR)

    Otherwise

    Manchester City - Real Madrid
    Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
    AR1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
    AR2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
    Fourth Official: Felix Zwayer (GER)
    AR Reserve: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
    VAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
    AVAR1: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
    AVAR2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
    AVAR3: Christian Dingert (GER)

    Villarreal - Manchester Utd.
    Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
    AR1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
    AR2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
    Fourth Official: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
    AR Reserve: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
    VAR: Francois Letexier (FRA)
    AVAR1: Jerome Brisard (FRA)
    AVAR2: Benjamin Pagès (FRA)
    AVAR3: Paolo Valeri (ITA)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Predictions CL Final

      Manchester City - Chelsea

      Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
      AR1: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
      AR2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
      FO: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
      AR Reserve: Tomasz Klancnik (SVN)
      VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
      AVAR1: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
      AVAR2: Iñigo Prieto López (ESP)
      AVAR3: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
      Otherwise :

      Manchester City - Real Madrid

      Referee : Danny Makkelie (NED)
      AR1 : Hessel Steegstra (NED)
      AR2 : Jan de Vries (NED)
      FO : Daniel Siebert (GER)
      AR-R : Jan Seidel (GER)
      VAR : Kevin Blom (NED)
      AVAR1 : Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
      AVAR2 : Johan Balder (NED)
      AVAR3 : Marco Fritz (GER)

      Delete
  40. South Africa - Denmark (John Toro Rendón) and France - Saudi Arabia (Arturo Brizio Carter) are today's games from FIFA World Cup 1998. Red Thursday!

    wc98refs.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Couldn't be a better combination of matches with Rendon and Brizio! :)

      Delete
  41. Some chances to issue an early YC for Orsato but nothing so far!

    ReplyDelete
  42. 2 clear YC's Orsato refuse to give.
    It's the early phase so you can understand him.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Orsato chose not to caution either a reckless challenge from Christensen, or a stamp from Havertz. Seems like the Italian is adopting a lenient line so far.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And rightly so, as in neither of the two offences it concerned mandatory sanctions.
      Now a correct and sensible YC for Jorginho. Good start of the Italian.

      Delete
    2. Stop joking anonymous. Both were clear yellow cards.

      Delete
    3. You obviously don’t understand top level refereeing, and I’m sorry for you. At grassroots level you’ll manage with those marginal skills though.

      Delete
  44. Correct YC for SPA to Jorginho.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Well enough was enough.

    After 3rd clear YC foul Orsato issued a YC.

    ReplyDelete
  46. This will be very stressful night for Antonio Mateu Lahoz🙂

    ReplyDelete
  47. Smart YC by Orsato

    ReplyDelete
  48. Goal correctly disallowed. Very good offside call from AR2.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Very good that Orsato waited a bit with showing YCs.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Lahoz - Turpin/Makkelie 1:0 :D

    ReplyDelete
  51. Correct YC for Ramos now. Orsato in shape tonight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another deserved YC for Christensen (stamp on foot).

      Delete
    2. Completely agree! Both Christensen’s fouls were a textbook example of the difference between optional (the first) and mandatory YC’s (the latter). The first not that intense and on the toe, the second with serious intensity and full on the foot.

      Delete
    3. Correction — the first being Havertz’ foul

      Delete
  52. Strange not to allow the corner before halftime. The ball went out of play at 44:35...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only penalty kicks must be executed even if time over.

      Delete
  53. Orsato with a very good 1st half. However one really small point for me. this corner for CHE should have been taken IMO.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agree. Christensen's early foul (advantage played) was reckless by the book, but in general perfect approach to sanctions, including yellow not red to Ramos.

      As a manager, Orsato is excellent and his foul detection is exactly "going deeper" so far! Hope he keeps this level in the 2H.

      Delete
    2. No need for complications; everyone on the field was ok with that. It is completely different story if the corner kick is for the losing team. Football understanding.

      Delete
  54. Excellent 1st half by the Italians. Orsato in full control of the game, zero protests and 100% accepted so far. Good luck for 2nd half

    ReplyDelete
  55. Orsato is an excellent referee Witherspoon a great personality and experience.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Brillant 1H from Orsato in my book.
    The Italian smartly delayed his card-opening, while two early challenges could've been cautionned, and wait for a textbook SPA offense to deliver a first booking. The two other YCs were fully correct. Furthermore, his approach in this game is what we could expect in a CL SF game: adaptating your refereeing depending on how the match goes.
    Good feeling of the game. He looks always confident and motivated.

    Well done to the whole Italian crew !

    ReplyDelete
  57. By the way, were there any changes made in the UEFA Referees Committee after their recent Congress? Was Damkova formally replaced? Usually, UEFA published the composition of their committees after every Congress, but this year I have not seen it on their website. Has anyone seen it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UEFA actually did publish it (updated as of 26 April 2021) and Damkova is still member of Ref Committee.

      Delete
  58. Come on, I'm sure if Orsato saw the tackle in 4' properly, he would've booked the offender. No need to defend the indefensible or to blame the referee too much (at least he warned the guilty player). Missed mandatory caution and that's all.

    Personally, I found the comment about 'football understanding' and 'grasroots level' very ignorant and extremely arrogant, completely missing the clue. Admin team, my suggestion to you would be to act strictly against such offensive and imbecile comments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not more arrogant then you defining what should be considered as indefensible. And as imbecile for that matter. Very polite choice of words :)

      Delete
  59. Correct YC for Kroos (Reckless challenge).

    ReplyDelete
  60. I don't see Orsato so positive tonight, some serious mistakes in foul detection. Missed YC ag. Havertz in the beginning. Around 70th min. he destroyed a brilliant counter chance for Chelsea that way, whistled a foul noone else saw . So for me just average performance so far. I like him, but these "minor" mistakes happen too often

    ReplyDelete
  61. Big happiness for Chelsea, for football, and for Mateu ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looks like it's finally his turn this year :D

      Delete
  62. Congratulations to Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz, Pau Cebrián Devís and Roberto Díaz Pérez Del Palomar for UEFA Champions League 2020/2021 Final appointment!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was going to say the same thing ! CONGRATULATIONS !

      Delete
  63. Correct YC to Mount (reckless challenge).

    ReplyDelete
  64. Well I remember last year, there were some comments that included Lahoz and champaign after therr were no Spanish teams in semi-finals and then a huge surprise happened when Lahoz got semi-final match. But nevertheless, I think it must be Lahoz this year :)

    ReplyDelete
  65. I'm very happy for Mateu. I think now is clear he will be the referee in the final. Very deserved.

    ReplyDelete
  66. If Mateu gets the CL the funny coincedince will be that the final is again in Istanbul, just like the last time we had a CL final with a spanish ref in the middle

    ReplyDelete
  67. Looks like Mateu Lahoz will get CL final, but one argument must be mentioned: last meeting Mateu Lahoz - Guardiola was in April 2018 then he never officiated again Manchester City after the controversial decision he took (wrong offside assessment and crucial for the final score). Guardiola had some negative comments against him. They never met again at UEFA level. Will committe ignore that, in case of Mateu appointment? We will see. But at moment is is quite difficult to think that they could miss again the chance for a Spanish referee.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But...but....but... if Mateu doesnt get it this year than he could as well quit refereeing at UEFA level at all. There is no one except maybe Makkelie who hasnt had the CL final yet and performance wise has showed the performances that warrant the final.

      Delete
  68. Orsato is doing a great job today. Really strong performance with visible clear approach. Nice to see a referee who can build up disciplinary control and executing perfectly. I think noone could expect from a referee in a CL second leg semifinal. Calm, composed and conscious refereeing. Well done! Also ARs with great performance.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Excellent Orsato, top class. His referees in the ko phase have been of a high level. In my opinion the current top 5 is: Kuipers, Brych, Mateu, Orsato, Makkelie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The disrespect to Cakir, Skomina, Etc

      Delete
    2. What disrespect? Is my opinion. I like a lot Skomina and Çakir, I am their big fan, but I think they are not at their best.

      Delete
  70. So Lahoz is for the final.

    Well deserved.

    ReplyDelete
  71. 100% penalty not given by Orsato just before the final whistle. Should have been a penalty to Chelsea.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Possible penalty situation in Madrid's PA, but it was juste before final whistle and no replays were shown. Irrelevant for the outcome of the game though.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Excellent refereeing tonight. Excellent management of the players. The comparison with yesterday's refereeing performance is clear cut.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The matches of yesterday and today are absolutely not comparable. The intensity of the game and yesterday the game was very tense and difficult !!! Be objective ... (Even though Kuipers had made some mistakes yesterday)

      Delete
    2. I said that Kuipers was not at his best yesterday, but I disagree with this comparison, you can't do that. Every game has its story. Orsato should have faced the exactly same background of Kuipers, to talk about this!

      Delete
    3. What you are saying is partially true. But sometimes players behave like children because they don't feel any control from the ref. There was only one mass confrontation tonight, and as soon as it started, players were scared to be booked by the ref. If Kuipers had used the same personality and built the same control as Orsato did tonight, players would have behaved much more better. I have nothing against Kuipers, his international experience cannot even be compared to that of Orsato, but if you just compare the two approaches of the referees in these SFs, you can clearly spot which one is the right way to manage such a hot atmosphere.

      Delete
  74. I can imagine smile on face of Mateu Lahoz!!!

    ReplyDelete
  75. UCL final: Mateu Lahoz
    UEL final: Turpin

    ReplyDelete
  76. I hope Anthony Taylor can host UCL final because the final is English derby(City vs Chelsea) and Oliver for the UEL final if the final is Rome vs Villareal or MU vs Arsenal and I hope UEFA can allow referee can officiate the matches which are involves BOTH clubs from same country not ONE club from same country

    ReplyDelete
  77. I really don't understand why he didn't whistle the end in 94:00. In 94:05 he missed PK for Chelsea. Totally unnecessary!
    Overall performance was really very good, but this is refereeing blog and I think we must discuss it. Sorry Daniele, but you have too much experience for such blatant mistakes.

    ReplyDelete
  78. All those comments were made last season too about Mateu... and then Rosetti decided to take another path. I really think that he has been holding his breath tonight because he knows he made a mistake last season. He's been lucky that the door has opened this season too.

    Chefren spoke before about Guardiola, Mateu and City. Yes, he made a mistake in a situation that was not that clear and easy... and there was no VAR. The mistake Kuipers made yesterday is far worse, IMO. Yet there was VAR and nothing happened. If that penalty had been given in 2018, would Guardiola have asked not to have Kuipers as a referee ever again?

    Guardiola and City are no one to determine the referees of their matches. They had sporting merits to qualify for the final. So has Mateu, so that should not mean nothing.

    However, if Rosetti really thinks about that and decides not to appoint Mateu Lahoz this season, he should resign tomorrow morning.

    ReplyDelete
  79. This year is too easy to predict botch CL and EL final referees in my opinion. Will committee shock us?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think in EL Turpin or Cakir are possible

      Delete
    2. To be honest I am not so sure about Europa League. I expect Turpin but, wouldn't be surprised if they appoint Cakir.

      Delete
    3. My opinion but it would be very hard for Turpin to be ignored once again... I don't know about Cakir, he certainly deserved it, but why was he not planned for 2020 EL final or 2018 instead of Kuipers?

      Delete
  80. Regarding Orsato's performance, good level for me. However, the last situation of the match is something to take into account. To me, it seemed like a penalty, and I'm not really sure VAR had time to check before he blew the final whistle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They can still check after the final whistle. They probably didn't want to say anything because it wouldn't matter.

      Delete
    2. Yes, I know, but I don't think anyone wants that. I think the procedure in Spain is better: the game is stopped but not finished until VAR says it is OK to finish the game. That way, you don't have to restart a finished game due to a mistake.

      Delete
  81. Lahoz simply has to get the final. He should’ve got it last year in my opinion and he is the one referee left beside Makkelie that deserves it and hasn’t had it. Been one of the best referees in Europe in recent times and to not give him the final now would be one of the biggest robberies ever.

    Any chance he won’t get the final because of no crowds?? Like the FA cup final last season.? Surely not !

    ReplyDelete