Thursday, 24 June 2021

UEFA EURO 2020 - Referee appointments - Round of 16 (26 June 2021)

The following referees will kick-off the KO stage at EURO 2020. Round of 16 games to be played on 26 June 2021. 


Round of 16
Amsterdam, 26 June 2021 18:00 CET
WALES - DENMARK
Referee: Daniel Siebert GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER) 
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (ROU)
Fifth Official: Sebastian Eugen Gheorghe (ROU)
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant  Video Assistant Referee 1: Christian Dingert (GER)
Assistant  Video Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER) 
Assistant  Video Assistant Referee 3: Marco Fritz (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)
UEFA Delegate: Milovan Đukanović (MNE)

Round of 16
London, 26 June 2021 21:00 CET
ITALY - AUSTRIA 
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)      
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Fifth Official: Stéphane de Almeida (SUI) 
Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Assistant  Video Assistant Referee 1: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
Assistant  Video Assistant Referee 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
Assistant  Video Assistant Referee 3: Pol van Boekel (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO) Darko Čeferin (SVN)
UEFA Delegate: Myrsini Psarropoulou (GRE)

117 comments:

  1. Siebert with Hategan as FO on WAL - DEN

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    1. Judging by his performance in the game,Siebert should count himself fortunate to be an accredited referee !

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  2. Two excellent choices, well done UEFA!

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    1. Perhaps if Taylor replicates the performance of his compatriot in 'this' game at WC 1998, he won't be rejected for being too lenient this time ;)

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    2. I think "his compatriot from 1998" or Byron Moreno four years later wouldn't even fulfil today's fitness standards.

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    3. You brought him up to the wrong man... :)

      Actually, I guess somewhat surprisingly, at least in my estimation, Byron Moreno was very fit. I would compare him on a physical profile level (insofar as it is tasteful to do so), to Farrugia Cann or Viljanen nowadays. They all move(d) very well around the FoP!

      Though there certainly were referees who were stuck rather in the centre of the pitch at eg. WC 2002 (two from CONCACAF come to mind), and so much has changed since then.

      (but now is neither the time, nor place for a discussion about Moreno or WC 2002! :))

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    4. Interesting that you mention Farrugia Cann and Viljanen. Viljanen is one hell of an athlete in terms of body mass, not a classic referee body but he was a former player.

      The only UEFA referees I can think of with a fitness that impedes them are Schuttengruber, Kehlet, Jug.

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    5. Ramos Rizo and Batres. I liked both as referees very much too!

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  3. Taylor in London. Siebert is a great choice, very deserved.

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  4. I just don't like the fact that a category 1 referee gets a EURO KO Match. It makes these referee categories useless. Let's hope he does well, but I still think it's just bad management by committee.

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    1. I like it instead, categories are references but they shouldn't be "watertight compartments". Well done, UEFA and Rosetti. Keep up the great work!

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    2. I think in this case Siebert is clearly treated as if he already is in the Elite Cat. He surely will be by the start of next season. The only reason why he is formally stil a Cat 1 ref is that Germany currently has 4 Elite refs (on paper).

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    3. I have a sneaky feeling that Siebert can look forward to a promotion to the Elite Category when the revisions are released after the EURO :)

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    4. I think it is ok, he deserves it based on his performances. He did better than some Elite group referees in group stage.

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    5. I'm not saying he didn't deserve it based on his performance, but referee categories are there for a reason. It is a way of putting faith in this group of referees and from a people management perspective I don't like the fact that the more experienced elite referees don't get the chance to show what they can do in a big tournament like this, because this is the podium that every ref wants to show what he's capable of.

      On the other hand, still, now that Siebert got the appointment, he deserves all our support. I sure hope he does well and he will become a great Elite referee!

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    6. Siebert, in my eyes, is being treated as an Elite official. That plus his performances justify the 3rd appointment.

      My real concern is if Rosetti will make real changes to the Elite this time. There are referees on the Elite group that don't belong there.

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  5. I must say, Siebert has broken all rules and he will be clearly Germany nr. 1 after Brych retirement. Very well done for him!
    On the other hand, a big name expected for Italy, good appointment for Taylor as well.

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  6. Wow! Siebert with a third match! Congratulations and fully deserved after two very good performances!
    Taylor also a great choice!
    What these appointments show is that UEFA do care about performance principle and that's a good sign imo!

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  7. Sensible choice to use two referees, who weren't in the middle on MD3 and therefore have a longer rest.
    Both also deserved appointments, Siebert's more surprising due to his category.
    Hategan's appointment probably means, he won't referee in R16. Whether this means a direct QF or no further game for him, seems quite open, because we don't know, how UEFA evaluated his two sending-offs.

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  8. Wow, didn't expect Siebert at all. Well if this is a sign that performances principle perhaps we won't see some big names in the latter stages!!

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  9. Also, interesting to see a reserve official in KO stage (Schärer), this could mean (but we can't know it for sure, of course) that all referees are still there, otherwise it would have been logical to start to send home the reserve referees and not the "main" names. But that's only speculation from me.

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    1. All referees there till quarter finals!

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    2. Maybe reserve referees will stay instead of the full referee teams of the main referees. It's easier, and it would increase the atmosphere as they won't complain about anythin

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  10. I point out that in Italy the age limit has been raised for this year to 46 years. For the best referees (15 out of 48) and assistants (28 out of 48) it is raised to 50 years. I remember that in Italy there is only one group of referees for Serie A and B.

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    1. Thanks for the info. We are returning to pre-WC 1990 days...

      There is no doubt that physically, referees are better prepared than thirty years ago, sure. On many levels though (natural progression, cognitive capacities) I strongly disagree with this trend. I guess VAR makes it possible somehow.

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    2. Mikael, in the Netherlands the agelimit is unlimited, i disagree with you about this is only now possible with VAR. I think as long as a referee is fysically/mental fit we should not ban him for matches! In the Netherlands we had before 2010 Roelof Luinge in professional football.... all players and coached loved him as a referee, even when he was 55, he passed his tests, and was one off the best referees in the country.... refeeeboard descided not te renew his contract.many people like players and coaches where angry about that...and Luinge continued at amateur level... and is still there at very high amateurlevel!

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    3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd_ITGKHjhY&t=346s
      In this docu he refereed his 500th match in highest league, and you can see in the dressingroom in 2008 a very young Danny Makkelie who is 4th official

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    4. The removal of age limits in Italy has been confirmed by AIA?
      Of course, referees are better prepared these days, but staying active until 50 will offer less opportunities to upcoming younger referees.

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    5. Personally i prefer some older refeees who showed already their quality's in stead off young 25/26 years old referees who got promoted to highes level and week after week show they have a lot to learn and screw up matches, then i prefer definetly Bjorn Kuipers and Roelof Luinge

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  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Sorry, guys. I would like to tell him something in our native language.
      Inca de la inceputul competitiei ai fost precum un fan boy al arbitrilor romani, ceea ce nu e rau daca o faci cu o anumita masura. Deja comentariile tale sunt mult prea partinitoare, incearca sa fii putin mai obiectiv si sa nu cazi mereu in plasa teoriei conspiratiilor. Faptul ca Ovidiu a fost desemnat FO nu inseamna ca cei de la UEFA au considerat gresite deciziile pe care el le-a luat. Din contra, e foarte posibil sa aiba un meci intr-una dintre ultimele 2 zile de optimi, avand in vedere ca sunt distante relativ mici intre locatii, sau in sferturi.
      Repet, incearca sa fii obiectiv. Comentariile tale cred ca ii deranjeaza pe unii, lucrul acesta putand fi observat din lipsa raspunsurilor.
      Salutare si sa ne auzim cu bine si cu prestatii cat mai bune ale tuturor arbitrilor, nu doar ale romanilor.

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    2. Vad ca suntem multi pe aici.. dar ce a spus matei??

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  12. Performance principle! I was sure Siebert will get a game in KO stage having seen his two games. He got what he worked hard for and what he deserved. Well done, Roberto!

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  13. For assistants 50 years is for 28/82 elements.

    For ELITE UEFA referees we don't have age limits.

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  14. BTW, Taylor is the first referee with a home game in the tournament.

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  15. UPDATE : Grinfeld was bid farewell at EURO 2020 and is now focused on Olmypia in Tokyo

    Here on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/p/CQf6p3QJTS3/?utm_medium=copy_link

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  16. Impressive championship by Siebert; three matches, one of them in the 16th KO stage. Not so bad for a Cat 1 referee who was, till few months ago, behind Brych, Stieler and Zwayer.
    Personally I do not agree with the appointment of Taylor; I guess that he should have been dedicated for high top clash. I'm suspecting that Italy is treated by Rosetti with particular attention. I'm italian but ITA-AUT doesn't need Taylor. I would appointed him for Belgium_Portugal even if he already had Portugal

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    1. agreed. however i think belgium portugal will go to brych, orsato or kuipers...

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  17. Well deserved appointements.

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  18. This tournament showed us once again, the key for the next appointment is performance. Well deserved, bravo!

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  19. Wait.. Did I actually get this right?
    Updates please

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  20. Well until now we can say we are in general all happy with ref performances during this Euro. So if Rosetti is confident about Siebert for a round16 we have to support his choice. BTW it seems to my eyes that Siebert showed much more during this EURO than what both Stieler and Zwayer showed in last Champions League and Europa League season

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  21. @Marko23,

    I TOTALLY disagree with your assertion that only Elite referees should be appointed for KO games. I think that defeats the concept of MERITOCRACY!!!!

    I think everyone from Category 1 to Elite referees should all be assessed and appointed based on their previous performance(s) in this tournament so far. Like @Daniele mentioned, ref categories are there for guidance and for appreciation of referee's previous performances prior to the Euros, but it should NOT be the only criteria used in appointing referees for matches at the Euros.

    Also remember that Elite referees such as Brych, Kuipers, Orsato etc were previously category 1 referees themselves in the past. They rose up the ranks because they were given top matches to gain experience and to grow.

    As such, I am in full support of Siebert's appointment for Wales-Den. It's more of a low profile KO game that fits Sieberts perfectly. Promising referees should be given the opportunity to also prove themselves and to develop into elite referees

    Let's all hope he gives a good performance.

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  22. Hugh Dallas to observe Taylor in Wembley.

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  23. Two excellent appointments! They are based on the performance principle and the appointed officials suit the character of the duels very well.

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  24. Regarding Grinfeld reporting earlier the following referees be sent home: Grinfeld, Ekberg, Kovacs, Dias, Turpin and Lahoz. With Turpin and Lahoz we have the two final referees (EL & CL) leaving the tournament. Support referees go home after the RO16. This brings the group back to 13 referees. Some of these will probably only be 4th official.

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    1. PolskieRadio (Poland)

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    2. How trustworthy is this source? ^^

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    3. I hope its trustworthy, but my feeling is its not. :)

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  25. if Grinfeeld & Dias go due to Olympics at this stage then surely Frappart, Kabakov & Jovanovic leave too?

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    1. They should since they need rest and preparation for the Olympics.

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  26. Serbian referee expert Igor Radojcic (AR of Milorad Mazic before retirement) said that he expect Lahoz in round of 16.

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  27. Interesting games for Kamphuis, Saggi and Nuza.

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  28. I think that Lahoz most probably disqualified himself from (semi)final, but he still deserves KO phase for sure. It was a really challenging game, and VAR should also take responsibility if the committee decides 2nd and 4th penalty as mistakes.

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  29. To complete the group stage VAR interventions:

    GROUP STAGE

    MD1
    WALES - SWITZERLAND OFFSIDE OVERRULE, DISALLOWED GOAL
    FRANCE - GERMANY OFFSIDE OVERRULE, DISALLOWED GOAL

    MD2
    FINLAND - RUSSIA OFFSIDE OVERRULE, DISALLOWED GOAL
    ITALY - SWITZERLAND NO OFR, HANDBALL BEFORE SCORING, DISALLOWED GOAL
    UKRAINE - NORTH MACEDONIA OFR HANDBALL PENALTY
    NETHERLANDS - AUSTRIA OFR STEP ON FOOT PENALTY
    CROATIA - CZECH REPUBLIC OFR RECKLESS ELBOW PENALTY
    SPAIN - POLAND OFFSIDE OVERRULE, ALLOWED GOAL
    SPAIN - POLAND OFR STEP ON FOOT PENALTY

    MD3
    FINLAND - BELGIUM OFFSIDE OVERRULE, DISALLOWED GOAL
    SLOVAVKIA - SPAIN OFR RECKLESS CHALLENGE, PENALTY
    PORTUGAL - FRANCE OFFSIDE OVERRULE, ALLOWED GOAL

    Hopefully I didn't miss any other intervention, in case please add!
    These should be all the VAR corrections of group stage.
    Matchday 2 was the most "problematic", on MD3 we had less interventions, but for sure more controversial decisions on the pitch.
    The average of intervention per game after 36 matches is 0.333, that is one intervention every 3 games.

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    1. That one intervention every three games is pretty much the average almost everywhere in the world if I'm not mistaken.

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  30. https://twitter.com/cwilkinson0/status/1407887165141495810?s=24

    What do we think about this Goal that was allowed to stand!! I for one believe it’s just unfortunate the goal was scored after it touched the ref and I feel it was valid enough but they are so many interpretations to it as regards to when or if a promising attack started

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    1. My doubt is. If the Brazilian pass attempt doesn't hit Pitana. Is it intercepted by the Colombian player who is directly behind Pitana?

      The fact that Pitana disconnects from active play by turning his back on the play and that he overtly gestures as if he's going to blow his whistle. Add these two together and he unfortunately had Colombian's who lost focus and relaxed.

      But I'm not surprised that Pitana was eventually struck by the ball. He adopted a lazy approach throughout the match by mostly staying central. It was bound to happen and it happened at the worst possible moment and in the worst possible location.

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    2. This clearly shows why World Cup final referees should retire right after that, so people will remember them for the World Cup final, not such incidents. If I recall correctly, no WC final referee who continued their career achieved anything meaningful afterwards, except for Collina, who got Euro 2004 semi-final after WC 2002 final.

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    3. Rizzoli also did the Euro semifinal two years after his WC Final.

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    4. Correct. The two Italians are the exceptions that confirm the rule:)

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    5. Sandor Puhl also refereed the Euro semi-final and the Champions League final.

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    6. Let's see what Pitana gets at 46?

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  31. With respect to the questions if there are already referees being send on holiday. Before the tournament Makkelie and Kuipers had a media day in cooperation with the KNVB about their EURO2020.

    They mentioned there that referees stay in Turkey until the QF are played. After that the teams who make a change on the SF and Final will travel to London to stay there for the last part of the tournament.

    So after the QF there will be a selection made and some teams have to leave the tournament.

    They didn’t mention something about a leave moment after the GS.

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    1. Grinfeeld has officially left (source his instagram).

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    2. That is correct that referees stay in Turkey until the QF, but, attention, it does not say whether all referees until QF or those retained after group stage. Since Grinfeld is confirmed out, it cannot be only one referee sent home, so yes the retained referees will stay in Istanbul until QF, when a second cut-off will take place.

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    3. The interesting question is whether referees appointed as FO in the first R16 matches (ie Hategan) can get another R16 game as referee or that FO will be his only R16 appointment?

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    4. Maybe you can read the appointment of Hategan fourth official to Siebert to ensure experience to a Category 1 referee who is about to officiate in the KO stage of EURO! For sure getting a reserve as fourth official for Sibert would have meant less overall experience among the appointed officials for such an important game.
      We can only wait to know more with the next choices by commmittee.

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    5. At Euro 2016, Atkinson and Velasco did both referee and FO in Round of 16. If Rosetti follows Collina's approach, it is possible to see Hartigan as referee in R16 on Monday or Tuesday or maybe in QF.

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    6. But in 2016, Velasco and Atkinson had whistles and THEN worked as FOs.

      The analogous comparison, if one wants to make it, is to Brych. Brych was FO to Atkinson on the first day of R16 and then worked the QFs with a whistle. I suspect that's what you'll see with Hategan here, too, though maybe he is slated for Baku.

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    7. Or maybe on Monday in Bucharest, in his home country?

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    8. With only one day for travel in between? It doesn't seem wise. There'd be no need for him to have this FO. They could have just appointed him directly to Bucharest so he could focus on that match.

      An assignment here, to me, indicates a QF. Maybe--maybe--a match on Tuesday is possible. But if a Monday whistle was being assigned, there'd be no need for a Saturday FO.

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  32. OT:
    For last few tournaments I always found information about referee wages for EURO/WC. This time I missed this kind of information. Does anyone know?

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    1. The last thing I can think about at moment :)

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  33. Wow, Siebert! I am surprised. Form is important, sure, but I think experience also should matter. If UEFA rated him this highly, why didn’t his assignments reflect that over the past season? He is in a similar boat, for me, as Karasev: I think both referees have performed well recently (unpopular opinion here regarding Karasev, I know) but their recent resumes are too short… if a referee doesn’t have any big games, of course he won’t have any major screw ups!

    Again, if UEFA trusts these guys so much, why aren’t they normally appointed at this level?

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    1. To elaborate, my view is that two good games don’t mean someone is a good referee. I’m not saying Siebert isn’t a good enough referee for this match, but I don’t think he’s done enough to prove it over the past year. Give him a full season of elite-level matches and then we can evaluate how he is at this level. The two matches look good, to be sure. But they alone are not enough to convince me that he is the next great thing when he’s been mostly stuck in Europa League all year. It feels rushed to me, maybe they want a successor to Brych to prove himself quickly.

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    2. Hmm i wouldnt call GER NMA a good performance. However this EURO Karasev is performing better than I expected. A futher perormance would be deserved. Siebert got this least sonorous 1/8final based on his tournament and its as deserved as it would be if Grinfeeld, Ekberg, Mateu, Turpin, Cerro, Dias and Orsato were leaving due to unconvincing performances

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    3. I agree that both Ekberg and Siebert shouldn't have been chosen for EURO over many elite referees. But as they are there already and Siebert performed better than many other referees (honestly he was one of the best if not even the best referee in the group stage) there is no argument to not give him another game in KO stage. It's rather an evidence of poor form of current elite referees. In the past, such great management as of Siebert in his games was something usual at such tournaments. At this EURO Siebert was (one of) the best due to that. That says it all.

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    4. Karasev already refereed at Euro 2016 and WC 2018, so he has plenty of experience.
      Siebert is a newcomer who proved his selection with great performances.

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    5. @ Anonymous 18:59
      I agree largely on what you wrote, and while I don’t mean to discount anything on both performances of Siebert, I think you should not exaggerate. Considering him ‘maybe the best in group stage’ and speaking of poor form of current elite referees diminishes the general level of refereeing during this tournament. Let’s be honest, Siebert didn’t handle the most challenging or feisty games in the tournament.
      It’s up to him to prove his elite skills during the RO16 appointment, but even more in the upcoming CL season.

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    6. Yes, I know Karasev has those two big tournaments. But let’s be honest, a lot of that was probably due to the fact that he was being pushed for the 2018 World Cup as the host referee. His assignments after 2018 have not been at as high of a level as everyone else until this spring, really.

      Not the same situation as Siebert exactly, but both have performed well in taking chances that I don’t think really were deserved at the time. More so for Siebert than Karasev. That’s all.

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  34. UEFA officially abolled the rule of away goal at UEFA club competitions
    Source: https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/mediaservices/mediareleases/news/026a-1298aeb73a7a-5b64cb68d920-1000--abolition-of-the-away-goals-rule-in-all-uefa-club-competitions/

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  35. And to crown it all for Daniel Siebert: His wife gave birth to his first child two days ago.

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    1. What a month! Hopefully UEFA let him leave the tournament momentarily to witness that.

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  36. OT:
    UEFA has approved a proposal to remove the so-called away goals rule from all UEFA club competitions (men, women and youth) as of the qualifying phases of the 2021/22 competitions.

    I like it!

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    1. My mistake. I didn't see the comment above. Apologies.

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    2. This is the most terrible decision I have ever seen

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    3. Goals are goals.
      One goal shouldn't have more value than another goal.

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  37. Isn’t the fatigue of the Elite referees mentioned here due in a way to fatigue on their part? who can understand it! International matches, CL, EL etc... Let’s be a little human. They are the best but not immune to mistakes... On each mistake, on this blog, many say "such a referee must go home immediately!". Calm down, let’s see!

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  38. In an unprecedented move. Less than 24 hours later, CONMEBOL has released the VAR Audio of the "Pitana goal" incident.

    The Audio can be found on various YouTube videos. However the Audio in entirely in Spanish.

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    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6eSgLrWj4

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    2. One can certainly debate, whether this initiates a promising attack. But I don't think, the situation after the contact (BRA can create a new attack over the wing) is more promising than the potential situation without the contact (sharp ball into towards the penalty area, which could be reached by #21).
      Therefore I think a correct decision to play on and surely no room for VAR intervention.

      One point for improvement though: VAR already confirms the goal (2:17) and only realizes 25 seconds later, that they still need to check the offside.
      The whole VAR check therefore takes too long and that probably doesn't help with the acceptance by the Colombians.

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    3. I think that this rule should be changed, players don't want to accept that, it is very common that after a referee touch, game is always stopped. I agree that this was not a promising attack after the touch by Pitana, but the absurd thing is that without the touch, Brazil maybe wouldn't have scored. In other words, I think that talking about a promising attack is very vague because there are too many factors, when you are so close to penalty area, you can score in many situations. It is different when you have to assess a promising attack for issuing YC, this is quite clear, but not in such situation, after a toucg by referee. Basically, players should accept that, but to avoid protests, something must change in my opinion. Colombia made an official statement against CONMEBOL asking for the suspension of the officials involved because according to them this was a promising attack. Can you deny that? A goal was scored a few seconds later... that's the problem.

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    4. I agree here with Chefren. And also at Philipp S - 1. You are making an enormous mistake IMO by COMPARING the the first and the second phase of the attack - nowhere is written that the situation after the contact should be MORE promising; it is enough to be just PROMISING; 2. Without any intention of insulting but by reading your opinion I am completely sure that you have never played football. Because when such a contact occurs it changes the whole defensive focus and shape of the defence. And that's why this rule actually exists. So, once again I strongly recommend any referee not just to read the rules but also to try to understand their football meaning.

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    5. Fully agree with Chefren.
      As for Pitana, he had a good season right after WC 2018 and that's all. Like anonymous, I'm not surprised that this incident happened to him. He's lacking focus and fitness for quite a long time now. Time has come for Rappalini to take over as #1 in Argentina.

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    6. @Anonymous: But the laws says "A team STARTS a promising attack". If the team was already having a promising attack, which just continues, the condition is not fulfilled. Therefore I think, it's logical that the situation / the attack after the contact has to be MORE promising than before.
      I understand and agree with your comment regarding the influence on the defenders. If this is the main point of the rule, it should be made clearer by the text, I think.
      The counterargument would be, that the existing promising attack is already interfered by the referee (imagine a handball by a defender in that position - a clear SPA YC). So why would you additionally punish the attacking team by also stopping their next attempt to attack?
      One certainly can have different opinions on this, but I still don't see, how this can be a clear error to play on.

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    7. Because the contact actually gives an advantage to the attacking side, i.e. change the point of the attack from a zone against which the defence does not have a good shape. And also don't forget that the defence has not break any rule here. That's why the defence should not be punnished to be in a disavantageous situation.

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    8. "it is very common that after a referee touch, game is always stopped"
      Yes, I observed that as well and it is part of the problem. Many referees - also at top level - didn't execute the LotG correctly and stopped the match for every touch without considering the conditions from the Law. This surely didn't help the general understanding.
      Some situations at the EURO (e.g. in the opening game) indicated, that UEFA wants a more correct interpretation of the rule, so I hope we will see improvement.

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    9. Pitana is one of the greatest active world referees, not a single good season after the world championship as some say. let's not joke. To have it in UEFA

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    10. A wise referee would stop play to avoid any potential controversy. The solution is easy and would be accepted by everyone: stop play every time the ball hits the referee. No one in football will have an issue with that.

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    11. Even if he gives a dropped ball there; is this really any more guaranteed to avoid controversy than the solution Pitana took? Brazil could make one pass and then score a goal from that spot; the risk is about the same. I think dropped ball would have been the technically correct restart, but certainly the risk of controversy would be the same. The bottom line: don’t get in the way of the ball in that spot.

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    12. There would be no controversy once play is stopped and there is no goal after the ball hit the referee.

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    13. Marco Antonio Rodriguez is of the opinion that Pitana should have stopped play after being struck by the ball. He correctly states that Pitana denied the Colombian player (who was directly behind him) the opportunity to intercept and or kick away the ball.
      Rodriguez further states that it is an unacceptable mistake for a referee of Pitana's caliber.

      https://twitter.com/i/status/1407917897050038276

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    14. What Rodriguez says is my rationale for why I believe that Brazil's goal should not have been confirmed. Based on what Pitana prevents and causes.
      All the referee's involved fell short of applying the rule and discerning the essence of football from the impact of the error that had been committed.

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    15. The CONMENBOL Ref Comm did itself no favors by assigning Pitana to two (2) Colombia group stage matches. That's just poor personnel management by Seneme and his assistants. And this has unsurprisingly led to a slew of theories as to why the Ref Comm Pitana assigned to this match.

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    16. Listening to the VAR Audio. I hear the AVAR (Facundo Tello) in a very shy and not authoritative manner. Make the comment that a Colombian player was possibly going to intercept the initial pass, had it not hit Pitana. He mentions it once and never brings it up again. He simple goes along with Mauro Vigliano who commands and takes control without seeking any input from his VAR assistant.

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  39. Is it already known which referees have to leave the European Championship? Or does that selection only come after the round of 16?

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  40. Hugh Dallas removed from ITA - AUT, new observer for Taylor is Darko Čeferin.

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    Replies
    1. Is he related to UEFA president Alexandar Ceferin?

      Delete
  41. Anthony Taylor can not deserve to officiate round 16 of Euro, England Referees do not have quality of this level, such high quality referees like Damir Skomina, Jonas Ereksen, Mateu Lahoz, Danny Mekelle,

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    Replies
    1. Sorry but you’re talking nonsense.

      England has always contributed some excellent referees at FIFA level and the England FA has always been too slow to get referees to FIFA level (meaning until recently that we ridiculously didn’t fill our allocation of 10 FIFA referees for a long time).

      As for Taylor, if you think he (& Oliver actually) doesn’t deserve at least a Last 16 game, then you’ve been watching a different tournament to the rest of us …

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    2. Personally I can't remember high quality referees named Ereksen or Mekelle (Me ke ke?) ...

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