Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Champions League 2022/23 - Referee Appointments - Round of 16 (First Leg, IV)

Appointments for the last two games of CL Round of 16 First Legs.



22 February 2023

21:00 CET - Leipzig (RB Arena)
RB Leipzig (GER) - Manchester City FC (ENG) 
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin E. J. Zeinstra (NED) 
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED) 
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij (NED)
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED) 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR) 
UEFA Delegate: Philippe Prudhon (FRA) 

21:00 CET - Milan (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza) 
FC Internazionale (ITA) - FC Porto (POR)
Referee: Srđan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marco Fritz (GER) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Mike Riley (ENG)
UEFA Delegate: Rotem Kamer (ISR)

76 comments:

  1. What a pleasure to read the name of Erwin E. J. Zeinstra!

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  2. Gözübüyük maybe not so expected after only one match in group stage. On the other hand, he had a QF last season, so also not that surprising.
    Jovanovic is a logical appointment.

    Only 1,5 WC referees (Oliver and Kovacs) used in the first legs, so not all of the remaining 9 can get a second leg. As this wasn't expected anyway for one of them (due to her previous CL games this season), we have 8 favourites for the 8 return leg games. Of course, some deviations are still possible.

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    1. One could easily say that this is a clear policy by committee to have all big names available for second legs, leaving room at moment for different names. Under this aspect, taking a look at all referees involved in the first legs, we have definitely something "new" if compared to past seasons, with some of the least (only if compared to the other big names) experienced Elite getting a chance. This radical change should have happened sooner or later.
      The Serbian is following a path and his appointment could have been expected, many times with Italian teams for him. Gozubuyuk a bit suprising after the troubles in group stage, indeed, but it seems that committee considered this as new start. Moreover, the problems for the Dutch this time were not for performance on the pitch, but different reasons, so not the same like Siebert, to make a comparison.
      F in the comment below mentioned some names, I can agree with Zwayer that could have got a game, but I disagree with Collum or Bastien, to me never at this level.
      Last remark about VARs, so far in all eight games of first legs we have seen all referees attending the Winter Course, unless Irrati who was not available at that time, but belongs to this circle of top VAR officials.

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    2. hi when they will post europea league and conference league refs? do the federation of referee country has noticed allready right?

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    3. Appointments for club competitions in such stage are always released two days before the games.
      The federations are informed earlier about the international appointment for a referee, but they don't know which game, only the day. The exact game is known only by involved officials.

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  3. Supposing that Orsato, Turpin, Mateu, Del Cerro, Makkelie, Marciniak, Vincic and Taylor will get for sure second leg, does Guzubujuk deserve a CL KO stage appointment more than Siebert, Zwayer, Bastien or Collum ? Personally I don't agree to appoint Massa and Guzubujuk despite Siebert and Zwayer

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    1. Between the 8 names you considered plus Siebert, it is interesting to see which name gets left out. Kind of a game of music chairs here. Of course, someone could always be appointed directly to Quarterfinal or beyond. Maybe they are saving Marciniak straight for the final, so as to not risk his current exceptional reputation.

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    2. Yeah marciniak will referee all the ucl, uel, uecl, and unl final.

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  4. I agree with uefa referees committee policy and chair man Roberto Rossetti to give the chance to new names in knockout matches in ucl as big names such as orsato and lahoz and del cerro and Taylor will retire nearly

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  5. hi there, when they will announce europa league and conference league ? chefren ?

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  6. BTW, Gözübüyük had the same pairing in the group stage last season, where he showed a good performance in an quite eventful game (e.g. penalty for ManCity and 2nd YC for Leipzig).

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  7. Does Gözübüyük have a new assistant? Zeinstra instead of van Zuilen?

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    Replies
    1. Zeinstra has been with Gözübüyük for a few weeks domestically. Joost van Zuilen was with Dennis Higler last weekend.

      Probably they broke, like happened with Makkelie and Diks in 2021?

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  8. Belgian FIFA referees in action (February 24-25-26).
    Lothar D'Hondt: February 25
    Erik Lambrechts: February 26
    Jonathan Lardot: February 26
    Bram Van Driessche: February 25
    Nathan Verboomen: February 26
    Jasper Vergoote: February 25
    Lawrence Visser: February 24


    Of the 3 referees who officiate in Belgium on Sunday, I think that both Erik Lambrechts and Nathan Verboomen would have the best chance of officiating in Europe this week.
    Jonathan Lardot has a lesser chance (does UEFA still have faith in him?)

    Jasper Vergoote, Lothar D'hondt and Bram Van Driessche will not play (too little time between Thursday and their Belgian match on Saturday). They can be fourth ref or VAR.

    Lawrence Visser who whistles on Friday will probably whistle a game in the next round. Can also act as VAR.

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    Replies
    1. I don't think there'll be Belgian referees in action this week:

      Lambrechts: Not invited to Winter Course (Pinheiro wasn't either and was appointed to JUVNAN, but still), I don't think he will be appointed for a club competition game in the rest of the season unless it's as FO/VAR/AVAR

      Visser: Game on Friday, no way to see him this week. Good chances for UE(C)L Round of 16.

      Verboomen: A referee I think should actually be Belgium's #1, but he isn't even in First Cat so the only club competition appointment he could receive as main referee should be in Youth League.

      The rest: See Verboomen.

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    2. For the Belgian referee it's finish for this season... Visser has a very small chance of getting a game... but I don't believe it after his performance in CL. He could have gotten a game for the first leg last Thursday but his wife gave birth to a boy last Friday. And de the other referees not in Cat. 1

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    3. And Visser whistle Wednesday 02/03 In Belgian Cup semi-final second leg with. Very poor chance to get one match in UE(C)L.

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  9. Does anyone know about when Serie A makes the ref appointments for the weekend's games!?

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    Replies
    1. AIA releases match official appointments for Serie A and B on Wednesday's through their website.
      https://www.aia-figc.it/

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  10. Women World Cup play-offs
    POR-CMR: Reibelt, Charaktis (both AUS), Misuk (KOR), Calderas (VEN) - Guzman (NCA), Chenard (CAN)
    CHI-HAI: Mukansanga (RWA), Victoire (MRI), Njoroge (KEN), Keighley (NZL) - Evans (AUS), de Vries (BEL)

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  11. Orsato has PSV v Seville
    Sanchez with Nantes v Juventus
    Kruzliak with Mityland v Sporting
    Hernandez in Monaco

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  12. Turpin in Manchester
    Steiler with Rennes v Shaktar
    Del Grande in Berlin
    Vincic with Roma v Salzburg

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  13. Collum has Gent v Qarabag
    Lahoz in Basel
    Dabanovic with Lech v Bodo/Glimt
    Bastien in Fiorentina v Braga

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  14. Wow, how can Irrati get a match like Liverpool - Real Madrid in the VAR room, after his horrible mistake in Nou Camp last thursday?

    BTW that foul on Nunez wasnt called!? Clear push agianst the player in the air from the defender that didnt even try to reach the ball.... For me thats a clear foul... Irrati was blind again...

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    Replies
    1. And that's why he is deemed the best VAR by UEFA ;)

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  15. Some quick HL from the Women's WC playoff series, thanks(!!) to HowardMaxi for his hard work.

    Emikar Calderas 🇻🇪 in Thailand vs. Senegal (centralised friendly)
    https://litter.catbox.moe/q0srq7.mkv

    Salima Mukansanga 🇷🇼 in Chile vs. Haiti (WC playoff final)
    https://litter.catbox.moe/zqwnvy.mkv

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    1. The most noteworthy clip from the games - Qatar 2022's Mukansanga is the ref here:
      https://streamff.co/v/4XCJJk82wk

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    2. And the penalty after OFR should be a clear and obvious mistake? Don't make me laugh, by far more expected interention for the SFP in 7'. This was a very blatant red card,if you ask me. Very, very late reaction by referee. YC not enough.

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    3. Do you have a video of that incident Chefren?

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    4. Just read the previous comments above by Mikael! :)

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    5. Wow, big moment that happened before I tuned in. Is there any evidence of the mode of contact there? I cannot quite tell she hit the opponent with the studs. I can understand Evans not intervening if the mode of contact was something like the side of the leg or the hip. Nevertheless it’s still a very reckless challenge at a minimum, and I agree the (lack of) urgency from Mukansanga there is underwhelming. i noticed during the game that she’s kind of like the anti-Concacaf in the sense that she never gets physically close to a flash point, never runs towards a foul.

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    6. I also cannot see point of contact from that clip.

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  16. 38' in Inter - Porto, penalty appeal by Inter, could have been whistled but I agree with VAR that it wasn't enough for intervention.
    A mass confrontation followed, difficult moments for the Serbian. It had been a quite calm game so far.

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    1. Calm but also difficult match for Jovanović with lots of theatre from both sides. Jovanović assessed the situations until now good but a strikter approach to both benches is imo needed

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    2. IMO weak display by Jovanovic in this situation. His body language was confusing and not confident at all. He was not in control of this situation.
      Speaking about the penalty incident, I did not see a clear contact to be honest. At least the player was totally exaggerating the intensity of a potential contact. From the replays that were shown, I did not see anything punishable.

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    3. Why did Jovanovic stop the game after the possible penalty when Porto released the ball?
      Confusion caused by him.
      Jovanovic doesn't know how to read the game, he's quite nervous, he whistles a lot in a game that became tense because of him, IMO.

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    4. I did not get it either. It looked like he waiting for something but before, he indicated that the VAR check was over.

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    5. Inter had played the ball out of play to allow treatment for their attacker. Therefore they expected Porto to return the ball to them and found it quite unfair by Otavio to try to score from the throw-in.
      So somehow clever by Jovanovic to stop the throw-in execution for whatever reason (wrong place?), so that at least no goal could be scored.

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    6. Clip: https://streamff.co/v/5tT7gNvFHz

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  17. Wrong YC by Jovanovic. Advantage after SPA is no longer cautionable as we all know

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    Replies
    1. It was more reckless foul,so YC is correct.

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  18. 2nd leg of Inter vs Porto will need strong name,someone like Marciniak,Taylor maybe...

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    Replies
    1. Taylor has history with Inter (Vidal). More than capable but Marciniak safer option

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  19. Any predictions for the second leg?

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    Replies
    1. Marciniak Inter Porto
      City RB Vincic

      Just like that 😀

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    2. Quite early and one should await tomorrow's performances, but as a first idea:
      Benfica-Brugge: Stieler
      Chelsea-Dortmund: Turpin
      Tottenham-Milan: Vincic
      Bayern-PSG: Orsato
      Real-Liverpool: Kruzliak
      Napoli-Frankfurt: Makkelie
      ManCity-Leipzig: del Cerro Grande
      Porto-Inter: Mateu
      (i.e. direct QFs for Marciniak and Taylor)

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  20. Jovanović's SYC will surely be judged as wrong by UEFA:

    - Many, many more reckless steps on foot were (hilariously) judged as five by them in their recent RAP, ie. a *potential* booking, not a mandatory

    - We all know what they mean when they demand "only clear offences should result in a second caution being shown"

    Very interesting to see how they assess Soares Dias / Jovanović reds internally (also 'subtly', like for Hategan's ITAWAL).

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    1. Clip: https://streamja.com/LpA2g

      Was their heart 'really' in these RAP5s? They picked out even ultra-reckless stamps tbh. I wonder. Anyway because a) it seems widely accepted, and, b) whisper it quietly but Roberto will be happy it wasn't other team being reduced to ten men, I think Jovanović will be fine regarding this episode. Soares Dias may be more interesting however...

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    2. Otavio for me was already on a tightrope due to his behaviour throughout the game (2 instances of dissent). 2nd YC absolutely deserved

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    3. IMO clear 2YC by Jovanovic. Well done!

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    4. I’ll have to review the RAP some more because I’m surprised there’s even a debate over this. He stamps with a sizable downward force, mostly straight leg, very far from the ball and stamps on the opponent’s foot with his studs.

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    5. Very clear second YC, it was the same as a step on foot but with a different action by player. UEFA shouldn't question this decision, is fully correct.

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  21. I don't know what to think. On Serbian TV after the game UEFA delegate Radojicic (former referee) praised Jovanovic for every decision, telling that it was correct second YC. Either Jovanovic and Rodojicic don't know the rules, or bloggers here.
    O national Serbian TV referee commentator said absolutely the same.

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    Replies
    1. I think, in most football communities a stamp on the foot is accepted as yellow card offence.
      But if UEFA thinks how Mikael writes above, this could still be a problem for Jovanovic.

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    2. I guess mr Radojicic is a bit biased in this case, there is a reason why in UEFA competitions referee observer and referee can't be from the same country. In my view Jovanovic looked nervous and was a bit inconsistent, second yc for Otavio wasn't the best decision if we keep in mind all the previous fouls without cards. At the same time, the match was really hard, too much play-acting from both sides so I wouldn't blame him too much

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  22. Next predictions:
    Benfica-Brugge: Zwayer
    Chelsea-Dortmund: Makkelie

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  23. Bad times if we start to question yellow cards for step on foot.

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    Replies
    1. +1. I couldn't believe the last RAP - madness.
      Jovanović's decision was 100% correct IMO.

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    2. To be fair, I think in recent years UEFA had been really draconian on this topic - almost any contact studs to foot was given yellow, even if the force was really minimal. Pretty much no other competition was as strict.

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  24. At the very end of Leipzig City, there seemed to be a handball by a Leipzig defender. The one view from the live feed is inconclusive as to whether it touched the hand or shoulder, I don't know if anyone has seen better clips? If it did touch the hand, it looked like a punishable handball. Other than that, an easy night for the Dutch team with two teams focussed on playing football

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    1. Did Gözübüyük / Van Boekel overlook a penalty for Manchester City in the last minute?

      https://files.catbox.moe/1o8p0l.mp4

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    2. Certainly the opinion of former EPL referee Peter Walton who is connected to UEFAs VAR output as referee consultant for BT Sport. Says there was nothing displayed on his screen to show a check taking place

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    3. New angle just given to BT Sport from Germany appears to show it hitting the shoulder so no PK

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    4. Good performance by Serdar Gözübüyük

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    5. Of course VAR check everything and of course no handball

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    6. Ah, thanks for reporting that SCOREREF. I went to bed after the highlights finished on Champions League Tonight :D. Will try to find a clip to clear everything up for blog readers too :).

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    7. NEW Clip: https://streamja.com/W4qGj

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    8. Good decision from Gözübüyük and the VAR

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    9. Huge mistake by the VAR room... but I think Gozobuyuk's performance was good! Maybe he should have seen Gvardiol's foul at the goal, but at the end it's the shame of the VAR room that the goal call stood....

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  25. 24 minutes into Paraguay vs Panama, it's a pretty competitive game, but notably the Panamanians are playing really physical, chippy, borderline dirty. Not quite to the extent of Senegal, but Monzul has a similar challenge on her hands again.

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    1. If anyone is a big fan of Concacaf (Ramos especially), you'll love Monzul's performance in this game :D

      Panama spent the first two thirds of this game simply kicking the Paraguayan players. Monzul missed a few obvious fouls, including ones that were even reckless (36' most notably), and continually passed up on opportunities to take disciplinary action against this style of play on many challenges that were reckless, borderline-reckless, or persistent (19', 32', 36', maybe 39', 54', 58'). The game never exploded into a match-control disaster, but the disciplinary line was disappointing.

      A few interesting individual moments:

      5' YC: whistle blown for offside, but a PAN attacker kicks the ball into the box late and strikes a defender squarely in the upper body. Good decision by Monzul.

      16': Monzul was very slow to stop play for the head injury, surprising given FIFA's emphasis on this stuff during the World Cup.

      90'+2': Fun throw in scenario. Paraguay were about to take the throw in from the wrong position, Monzul warned them to back up, but the thrower didn't back up as far as Monzul was gesturing for. Foul throw because the throw in was taken from the wrong position, Panama's ball.

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  26. Second leg predictions
    Benfica-Club Brugge: Halil Umut Meler
    Chelsea-Dortmund: Daniele Orsato
    Tottenham-Milan: Danny Makkelie
    Bayern-PSG: Szymon Marchinak
    Manchester City-Leipzig: Clement Turpin
    Porto-Inter: Anthony Taylor
    Real Madrid-Liverpool: Felix Zwayer
    Napoli-Frankfurt: Carlos del cerro Grande

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    Replies
    1. My predictions:

      Benfica - Club Brugge Letexier
      Chelsea - Dortmund Makkelie
      Tottenham - Milan Marciniak
      Bayern - PSG Orsato
      Manchester City - Leipzig Vincic
      Porto - Inter Taylor
      Real Madrid - Liverpool Turpin
      Napoli - Frankfurt Sanchez Martinez

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  27. @chefren But we still don't know the UEFA referee observers for the return matches (Champions)?

    ReplyDelete

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