The following referees have been appointed to handle the first legs of 2022/23 UEFA Europa League KO Play-offs.
16 February 2023
18:45 CET - Barcelona (Camp Nou)FC Barcelona (ESP) - Manchester United (ENG)
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Simone Sozza (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Simone Sozza (ITA)
Video Assistant Referee: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Luca Pairetto (ITA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB)
UEFA Delegate: Radenko Mijatović (SVN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB)
UEFA Delegate: Radenko Mijatović (SVN)
18:45 CET - Warsaw (Municipal Stadium of Legia Warszawa)
Shaktar Donetsk (UKR) - FC Rennes (FRA)
Shaktar Donetsk (UKR) - FC Rennes (FRA)
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrisimbegović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigovic (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrisimbegović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigovic (BIH)
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Matteo Simone Trefoloni (ITA)
UEFA Delegate: Balázs Makray (HUN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Matteo Simone Trefoloni (ITA)
UEFA Delegate: Balázs Makray (HUN)
18:45 CET Amsterdam (Johan Cruijff ArenA)
AFC Ajax (NED) - Union Berlin (GER)
AFC Ajax (NED) - Union Berlin (GER)
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Emre Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Cevdet Komurcuoglu (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Emre Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Cevdet Komurcuoglu (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
Video Assistant Referee: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)
UEFA Delegate: Thibault De Gendt (BEL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)
UEFA Delegate: Thibault De Gendt (BEL)
18:45 CET - Salzburg (Stadion Salzburg)
FC Salzburg (AUT) - AS Roma (ITA)
FC Salzburg (AUT) - AS Roma (ITA)
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE) Dennis Higler (NED)
Assistant Referee 1:Mahbod Beigi (SWE) Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist (SWE)
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1:
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist (SWE)
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck (SWE)
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED) Günter Perl (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: Mark Evans (WAL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: Mark Evans (WAL)
21:00 CET - Turin (Juventus Stadium)
Juventus (ITA) - FC Nantes (FRA)
Juventus (ITA) - FC Nantes (FRA)
Referee: João Pinheiro (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia (POR)
Fourth Official: António Nobre (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia (POR)
Fourth Official: António Nobre (POR)
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Luis Godinho (POR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: João Morais (POR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: João Morais (POR)
21:00 CET - Lisbon (Estádio José Alvalade)
Sporting CP (POR) - FC Midtjylland (DEN)
Sporting CP (POR) - FC Midtjylland (DEN)
Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Video Assistant Referee: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pierre Gaillouste (FRA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Milorad Mažić (SRB)
UEFA Delegate: Styrbjörn Oskarsson (FIN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Milorad Mažić (SRB)
UEFA Delegate: Styrbjörn Oskarsson (FIN)
21:00 CET - Leverkusen (BayArena)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) - AS Monaco (FRA)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) - AS Monaco (FRA)
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz (ISR)
Video Assistant Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: David Fuxman (ISR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)
UEFA Delegate: Adonis Procopiou (CYP)
UEFA Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)
UEFA Delegate: Adonis Procopiou (CYP)
21:00 CET - Seville (Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán)
Sevilla FC (ESP) - PSV (NED)
Sevilla FC (ESP) - PSV (NED)
Referee: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Mihail Grigoriu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marcel Birsan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Mihail Grigoriu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marcel Birsan (ROU)
Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert (GER)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
UEFA Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)
UEFA Delegate: David Pugh (ENG)
UEFA Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)
UEFA Delegate: David Pugh (ENG)
18:45 CET - Barcelona (Camp Nou)
ReplyDeleteFC Barcelona (ESP) - Manchester United (ENG)
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
😀 😀 😀
Absolutely unexpected appointment, not even Massa handled such big clash. We must underline that the fact game will be played for Europa League seems to be the factor, but for me still impossible to predict and I would say not deserved at moment. Choice made on the nationality of referee, he is having a so-so season in serie A, but clearly he is the Italian name for the future...
DeleteI like, that - contrary to last season - several promising First Group referees get a chance in this round. If someone is ready to work in CL GS, he should also be able to handle an EL KO game, I think.
ReplyDeleteNo Elite referee in Barcelona is surprising though...
Wow amazing appointment in the top top clash !!!!! with this assignment Mariani has overpassed even Massa. I didn't expect him. Many many many congratulation despite it is in Europe League Barcellona-Manchester UTD is a respectful match.
ReplyDeleteGood appointment to me also for Petrescu and Grenfeeld, while Letexier got the lower ranked match
This appointment clearly doesn’t put Mariani over Massa. Massa has a UCL Last 16 and Mariani UEL play off, it doesn’t matter the teams involved. Mariani is clearly chosen for this game because he’s Italian so will be respected more, even if he makes a few mistakes
ReplyDeletewhich mistakes?
DeleteFred's clear handball not a penalty?
DeleteSidiropoulos at first appointed in Juventus - Nantes but he is injured (bruised calf). Therefore Pinheiro appointed there.
ReplyDeleteDennis Higler to replace Glenn Nyberg in FC Salzburg - AS Roma. Nyberg's assistants stay appointed. Higler as AVAR replaced by Günter Perl (GER).
ReplyDeleteSource: KNVB (https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/scheidsrechters/aanstellingen/67332/dennis-higler-leidt-fc-salzburg-roma-europa-league)
Emergency appointment, at this time referee should be already in Salzburg, so something happened to him, either an injury or illness. In the first case he could have just switched his position with Higler, but I don't know how much Swedish officials are familiar with VAR.
DeleteAnd Perl lives in Munich (140km away), so probably the closest available substitute.
DeleteAnd assistant referee Mahbod Beigi (SWE) replaced by Eduard Beitinger (GER), according to UEFA.com.
DeleteSo this second replacement could suggest COVID issues...
DeleteKNVB has appointed Higler as the referee for Feyenoord - AZ on Saturday. This is an important match between1st and 2nd place at Eredivisie. Will he be able to blow the whistle again in 48 hours?
DeleteSo this will be Higler first EL match since his debut in 2018 and his second European game of the season after an ECL qualifier in August.
DeleteNot ideal, but there was probably no other alternative available.
And getting Brych (also from Munich) out of retirement might not have been an option. :)
Yesterday in Cypriot Cup (Quarter-Final, first leg)
ReplyDelete18:00 Omónia Lefkosías - APOEL Lefkosías
Giovanni Ayroldi (ITA) - Michális Sotiríou, Pétros Pétrou - Kyriákos Athanasíou
[Valerio Marini (ITA), Ioánnis Lazárou]
Today in Saudi League
18:30 Al-Ittifaq Ad-Dammam - Al-Ittihad Jiddah
Artur Soares Dias - Paulo Soares, Pedro Ribeiro (POR) - Majid Ash-Shamrani
[André Narciso (POR), Faisal Al-Qahtani]
On Sunday in Greek League
19:30 PAOK - AEK
Espen Andreas Eskås - Jan Erik Engan, Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin (NOR) - Evángelos Manoúchos
[Mikkel Redder (DEN), Michaíl Papadákis]
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - Round of 16
Delete21:00 CET - Frankfurt Am Main (Frankfurt Stadion)
Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) - SSC Napoli (ITA)
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Paulo Soares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Fábio Veríssimo (POR)
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: João Pinheiro (POR)
UEFA Referee Observer:
UEFA Delegate:
https://www.fpf.pt/pt/News/Todas-as-not%C3%ADcias/Not%C3%ADcia/news/38533
DeleteIndeed revealed by FPF, UEFA wont be happy...
Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)
All the big calls called correctly at the Nou Camp by the Italian team. In my opinion great job
ReplyDeleteSome suspicious decisions, but this was fantastic game! Football to enjoy!
DeleteExtremely poor performance in my opinion. Missed last defender foul on Rashford in 2nd half, missed pen for Barcelona at Fred's handball, dozens of missed/wrong foul calls and missed corner kicks.
DeleteAlso awful angry body language in the end, pushing players away with aggressive gestures. Mariani clearly seemed distressed, sorry but he seems like a very overrated ref who was completely out of place in an otherwise great entertaining game.
In my opinion the possible penalty for hanbdall had to be whistled, classic situation in which an Italian VAR would intervene, given the position of the arm. I'm trying to understand the reasons of irrati, but is is very difficult.
DeleteSorry, but to not award a penalty and YC for the (very) reckless tackle in 37' was scandalous. I can understand it in a game without VAR but Irrati should be held accountable.
DeleteI agree with Euro Soccer Ref about the 37' situation, penalty for me as well (a pretty clear reckless tackle worthy of a YC).
DeleteAs Wan-Bissaka plays the ball, it is not really a clear situation IMO. Furthermore (as a minor argument), the shot on goal had already happened without being influenced by the foul (only by the deflection).
DeleteYes, it still can be seen as a foul, but I support no intervention here.
On the handball, I would say, a clear penalty not only in Italy. Clear unnatural position and even a slight movement towards the ball. Hard to understand the decision by Irrati (and Mariani, if he saw it live).
DeleteOne explanation could be, if there were some instructions on the seminar, that there should be less handball penalties, i.e. a higher barrier. But this one probably surpasses nearly every barrier though...
I thought the days when playing the ball and (almost) breaking someone's leg meant "clear tackle" have gone but...
DeleteI thought Mariani's performance on the whole was good. I think the very short distance the ball travelled saved Man Utd for the potential penalty
ReplyDeleteMariani not even awarding a foul in 64' for the foul in a DOGSO situation was not great, then leading to two dissent cautions for Manchester United.
ReplyDeleteHe then missed a pretty strong reckless tackle by United #27, again not awarding a foul.
The players were very frustrated with his delayed whistles towards the end and there's obviously the question about the later handball which is probably expected by the Italians especially but maybe not in England.
Very interesting incident in Leverkusen, goal awarded by Grinfeeld after a challenge on keeper by attacker. The latter never touched ball, classic situation in which foul is always expected. VAR didn't intervene.
ReplyDeleteGrinfeeld off to a rough start in this match IMO. Usually a pretty reliable referee and I enjoy his demonstrative demeanor. Tough start here though.
DeleteVery poor first half for Grinfeeld no skills, no preventaion, no communication. I really hope he would recover in the second half.
DeleteClear foul on the keeper in the Leverkusen match, how can this Monaco goal be allowed???
ReplyDeletehttps://streamin.me/v/8a69ea14
DeleteFor me should be foul because forcing keeper to an own goal in such situation is very difficult to accept.
Keeper put himself in a tough spot with a bad touch but I agree, should've been whistled for a foul.
DeleteI don’t agree with the above comments. What is the foul? Both players are within playing distance of the ball and the goalkeeper was fairly charged. The contact was shoulder to shoulder, no extension of the arm, no tripping, no contact to the back. The attacker doesn’t do anything wrong there, the goalkeeper is just very weak and falls over under a normal charge.
DeleteNot a clear foul for me either.
DeleteGerman media also seems to blame more the goalkeeper than the referee.
Unbelievable first goal of Monaco was a clear foul on goalkeeper what was the referee and VAR thinking about ?
ReplyDeleteHow was Umut Meler in Ajax-Union Berlin game?
ReplyDeleteGood performance imo in a not very challenging match.
DeleteThere was a disallowed goal after OFR. Handball was difficult to detect live.
Potential penalty for Leverkusen in 12'/13' (arm to face).
DeleteI do not understand the nomination of referee Mariani for the match FC Barcelona vs Manchester United. If UEFA pushes him into the elite group, then congratulations. He absolutely did not manage the match.
ReplyDeleteBig controversy at the end of Juventus - Nantes and you can easily understand what's already happening with Pinheiro and Juventus fans...
ReplyDeleteBrave by the Portugal referee at Juventus. OFR on a Nantes Handball but opts for a drop ball for a push in the back. I fully agree as he's been pushed out of the way.
ReplyDeleteIn such situations, even in case of clearer fouls by attackers, penalty for handballs have been already whistled. I think that in this case foul for defender is quite soft, and the expected decision is penalty. Nevertheless, still with the "Italian eye" about handballs...
DeleteNot a drop ball, but a free kick for the defenders.
DeleteTBH, during the OFR, I was only thinking about the question of SPA or DOGSO and didn't notice an attacking foul.
But that probably was my mistake, if there was indeed a push.
End of match Penalty Area incident:
Deletehttps://streamable.com/ljcvs7
Looked like the defender was bringing his arm back down after jumping up but then once the attacker puts his arms on him, raised it up again to sort of exaggerate the contact in a falling back motion? Bit risky but I can understand the ref's decision.
DeleteThe commentary is quite funny in that clip :)
DeleteQuite soft decision to whistle an attacking foul there as there is no clear push - but not completely wrong, I think.
The question of a foul is subjective, I could see it called either way. Can’t fault the referee.
DeletePredictions for next week (ignoring the leak, VAR in brackets)
ReplyDeleteLiverpool - Real: Jovanovic (Fritz)
Frankfurt - Napoli: Kovacs (Kwiatkowski)
Leipzig - ManCity: Kruzliak (Irrati)
Inter - Porto: del Cerro Grande (Martinez)
ManUnited - Barcelona: Zwayer (Dankert)
Rennes - Donetsk: Ekberg (van Boekel)
Union - Ajax: Vincic (Jug)
Roma - Salzburg: Gözübüyük (Higler)
Nantes - Juventus: Frankowski (Lasyk)
Midtjylland - Sporting: Siebert (Dingert)
Monaco - Leverkusen: Hernandez (de Burgos)
Eindhoven - Sevilla: Visser (Turpin)
Gent - Qarabag: Brisard (Millot)
Basel - Trabzonspor: Collum (Coote)
Lech - Bodo: Jorgji (Attwell)
Fiorentina - Braga: Tohver (San)
Cluj - Lazio: Eskas (Osmers)
Dnipro - Larnaca: Frappart (Delajod)
Partizan - Sheriff: Kruashvili (Guida)
Anderlecht - Ludogorets: Aghayev (Valeri)
Higler referee in first match, ad VAR in the second, and twice Dutch team in Roma-Salzburg???? Uefa must lost their mind to do something like that i think
DeleteThe 2nd leg appointments were most likely made before today, i.e. when Nyberg was still on the match in Salzburg. So at that point, they could have appointed Gözübüyük. And Higler being AVAR in the first leg and VAR in the second leg wouldn't have been a problem, I think.
DeleteAnd as there didn't seem to be any controversies today, I don't think, it would be neccessary to make a change.
Having said that all that, it obviously remains a guess and there are several other options for the game.
Frankfurt - Napoli already leaked. Artur Dias. See above at 17:59 GO_REF comment.
DeleteMatei, Philipp wrote "ignoring the leak" (he is aware).
DeleteYes, I understand. But this is not a simply leak in media, it is an official announcement made by the Portuguese FA. So in my opinion, it's 100% true. Therefore I don't see the point in making other prediction for this game.
DeleteI don't want to discourage anyone making appointments predictions, personal I enjoy reading them a lot. Those made by Philipp seem very good for me, the only strange one would be Turpin as VAR but whatever. I'd rather see Brisard in this role, and other name for Gent-Qarabag, maybe Obrenovic. All the rest looks absolutely possibile.
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement.
DeleteMy predictions always are partly also "What would I do", so I kept Kovacs for Frankfurt-Napoli.
For PSV-Sevilla, I initially had Sidiropolous(Evangelou) and needed to change it due to his injury. And then I wanted to find a new VAR vor Visser without changing anything else. But on second thought, he could rather simply get a Belgian VAR.
https://www.abola.pt/nnh/2023-02-16/liga-europa-joao-pinheiro-a-arder-no-juventus-nantes-video/976845
ReplyDeleteFrankfurt x Napoli
ReplyDeleteArtur Soares Dias
Paulo Soares
Pedro Ribeiro
4A Fábio Verissimo
VAR Tiago Martins
AVAR João Pinheiro
Possible second YC in Juventus - Nantes:
ReplyDeletehttps://streamable.com/ig2mmr
Clear SPA in my opinion
DeleteFirst foul clearly by Vlahovic (holding)
DeleteTo me a consistent performance by Pinheiro in a not very challenging match until the last episode on possible penalty. During the match very good foul management and yellow cards distribution. The three strong interventions were correctly booked with an immediate yellow card. The match went soft until Nantes' score becoming a little bit nervous later. Concerning the final episode, It was a clear handball to me, if you look the image from the backside, it's clear how the trajectory of the ball changes after touching the arm of the defender, who has the arm really high. It is evident in the images reviewed at VAR. To me Pinheiro didn't have the brave to blow a decisive penalty at 96th minute. I don't see the reason to blow a foul of the attacker, the ball was in any case out. Not good final decision to me
ReplyDeleteHas anyone seen how Higler did on his unexpectedly big appointment?
ReplyDeleteLater I will post some clips with reported incidents from newspapers (I didn't watch game).
DeleteGrazie
Delete20' Possible YC for SPA, stopping a quick counter attack:
Deletehttps://streamja.com/BKpON
28' Foul or not?
https://streamja.com/GGK2e
30' Crucial incident: possible penalty for a challenge on Abraham, still replays are not 100% clear and it was difficult for Higler, given that it happened off the ball, according to some people clear penalty, I have doubts, should be correct the decision by van Boekel to support.
https://streamable.com/vr4u02
80'
Missed offside by AR1, in case of goal VAR would have intervened.
https://streamja.com/RJ71R
https://streamja.com/Eap6n
Difficult to properly assess that clip of Abraham but i think overall good choices by Higler
DeleteWWC play-offs tomorrow
ReplyDeleteSEN-HAI: Monzul, Striletska (both UKR), Baranowska (POL), Calderas (VEN) - Evans (AUS), de Vries (BEL)
CMR-THA: Borjas, Perello (HON), Ramirez (MEX), Keighley (NZL) - Chenard (CAN), Guzman (NCA)
Official?
DeleteYes
DeleteInteresting no handball decision in cameroon thailand. Borjas gave a goal kick on the field - it looked like the cameroon attacker had kicked the ball, but that was definitely wrong: the ball was last off the thai hand. Chenard called her to the screen, and we could see that the defender's arm was out a little, but then they looked at some other angles, which showed that it was actually the thai player who had kicked the ball (it was quite a long review). In the end, Borjas rejected the handball and restarted with a goal kick.
DeleteI think this was a very good job by Borjas. I assume Chenard wanted her to give a penalty originally, and I must assume that it was Borjas who raised the question about who actually kicked the ball and asked for angles that could answer that question.
Agree about the handball but:
Delete1) it should have been a corner not a goalkick!
2) Borjas never made the ‘square in the air’ signal and in general she should rethink about how she communicates the decision with gestures (or audio at the WWC! :))
Referees don't make the "TV screen" signal when not changing a decision, right? Has there been a change I haven't noticed?
DeleteYes, actually I think you are absolutely right. Of course if she had rightly given a corner, the signal would have been needed ;).
DeleteVery interesting OFR for a handball penalty rejected by Borjas in the Cameroon vs. Thailand playoff (70’). The Honduran official after many replays determined that the ball was kicked by the defender, not an attacker, onto the outstretched arm (which to me, only watching on my mobile phone having just woken up though :D, seemed right). So after many replays, we restarted with a goalkick - wrongly, it should have been a corner - and a very subpar communication of what was a correct no penalty call (IMO).
ReplyDeleteYou beat my comment to it :)
DeleteYou're absolutely right about the decision, no handball because the defender deliberately kicked it, but kicked it poorly into her own hand. Very difficult to find the only angle that could show that. I assume Borjas insisted on finding such an angle - if Chenard had found it at first, she would have never recommended a review.
The goal kick restart is interesting, I thought the referee could change it to a corner there. Or is that not allowed to change the decision unless the penalty is accepted?
Borjas seems very solid to me, good technical decision-maker, pretty good fitness and good interpersonal skills, it seems. But there have been some weird procedural moments, like the communication after the rejected review you mention. There was also an incident (a bit before the 60th minute, I think?) where a Thai player was injured by a foul and received attention, but it looked like the free kick was initially taken with the injured player still on the field; Borjas had to stop and order the player off and retake the free kick.
Extremmmmmmmely long check in additional time for a possible red card to the Cameroonian goalkeeper. DOGSO and maybe SFP in consideration? I would have to watch it again. I daresay this might be the longest check I've ever seen. Finally Borjas is called to the screen.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the Hennessey red card at the World Cup :) to me, it's only SPA because of lack of clear control of the ball. SFP is a sensible decision, but I think it's subjective, I'm surprised to see it reviewed unless there is some bad point/mode of contact that I'm missing.
DeleteThis game! :DDDDDD
DeleteWhy did it take so long?! What was the onfield decision, offside as the commentator reported? Many questions!
The red card is clearly correct. A goalkeeper wiping out an attacker as last (wo)man in a very heavy way is a sending off rightly expected by everybody in football. The Orwell quote about intellectuals comes to mind if ‘we’ as referees try to find a way to make it not 100% SFP, DOGSO etc (and I say that from a common-sense more than a anti-‘modern FIFA leniency!!’ pov).
Delete[I seem to be having trouble posting some replies, hopefully you aren't seeing 3 different comments saying the same thing!]
DeleteI have no idea why the review took so long. I wasn't timing, but I think it was close to 8 minutes spent only checking the play. Both players were injured for a bit, but even after they got up after a while, Borjas still stood around for a while as Chenard checked the play. Then the review itself wasn't short either.
Then after the decision, a field player had to go in goal, but she put the gloves on before the goalkeeper jersey! So they had to run a new kit out to her, and then she struggled for some time to put the kit on over the gloves... hilarious XD
We had initially had 8 minutes of added time, and they restarted with the free kick in the 14th minute added. Then some time later a Thai player got injured and needed to leave the game... All things told the game ended after nearly (!!!!!)TWENTY-FOUR(!!!!!) minutes of added time in the second half. I don't know how much was added in the first, but I think Borjas may have broken Claus's "record" tonight!
(Also, I compared to the Hennessey red card earlier... interestingly, also a Canadian VAR)
*I overestimated the length of the check, it was "only" checked for 5 minutes.
DeleteTPE-PAR: Mukansanga (RWA), Victoire (MRI), Njoroge (KEN), Borjas (HON) - Guzman (NCA), de Vries (BEL)
ReplyDeletePNG-PAN: Reibelt, Charaktis (both AUS), Misuk (KOR), Monzul (UKR) - di Iorio (ARG), Muniz (BRA)
If Monzul's Senegal 0-4 Haiti game was in the finals, the Ukranian would have tied the Women's WC record for number of cautions in a match (eight). The CAF team looked un-refereeable tbh... from skimming through, it looked like Monzul did quite well to me.
DeleteREFEREEING HIGHLIGHTS:
Deletehttps://litter.catbox.moe/8awm4d.mkv
- Probably only Argentina vs. Korea at WC1986 was a more blatant case of one team resorting to pure violence that I ever saw in a game (dear Sánchez Arminio was responsible for that :)); incredible what Senegal tried to do here
- Overall Monzul did well IMO but she began to lose it at the end and was lucky nobody got seriously injured
- Striletska ascertained my impression that she is an excellent AR
- It would have been nice to see replays of the +51' PAI...
There was another offside decision by Striletska in the 57th minute that was quite good, wasn't included in the highlights. But I agree, very very good game from her.
Delete84' Rings some bells of SFP, not enough to be reviewable but...
87' Senegal really did not care about anything anymore at this point. I would say the lack of a foul call (and accompanying SPA YC) would normally be inexplicable here, but perhaps Monzul thought it best, for the safety of the Haitian players, not to anger the Senegalese any more...
The fact that 11 minutes of added time were given in this game really shows the strength of FIFA's new commitment to accurate timekeeping! To be honest, I was expecting 0, *maybe* 1 at most, given the scoreline and the behavior of the players. There are certainly lots of high level referees and instructors who would be quite shocked by this figure! Considering this commitment, I'm actually surprised the match finished at +11:10, since there were substitutions in added time.
90'+5': Monzul has no solution anymore (who would!?). Also, the player is presumably wearing earrings under that tape? Definitely not allowed lol
I'm sure the Ukrainian was happy to get off that pitch and live to ref another day. And I'm sure the Chilean side watching from the stands was very relieved at the result as well!
After the first week of European Cups, the Italian sport newspapers have started again their "battle" against UEFA. They report that all referees assigned to Italian teams are a scandal, with one worse than the other and so on, and according to them this happens because Italy is not respected, not having credit today in European football.
ReplyDeleteAll names like Higler (even with kind of insults for him), Pawson (despite of a correct decision), Pinheiro and Del Cerro Grande as well have been reported in this list. Especially the Portuguese is strongly blamed. The journalist writing this article in one of the two most important Italian newspapers doesn't have any refereeing knowledge, like many others. The other newspaper is also holding the same battle but with less arrogant words. It has been years that there is this victim mentality in Italy, I don't know how this exactly originated but I really condemn that. I think that having always an Italian figure to blame (at first Collina, then Rosetti) doesn't help in being people more objective, because they think that an Italian will send on purpose poor referees to show that he is not influenced by the teams of his country.
My appeal to Rosetti, who will surely read my words, or at least somebody will read and report to him: go on without caring about that. It's time that this must be over. Appoint the referees you want without using always the same "big names" we saw in past for Italian teams, they must be treated like all the ones from other countries.
"...appeal to Rosetti, who will surely read my words, or at least somebody will read and report to him..."
DeleteIs this the reason why many users on this blog are glorifying some and bashing other referees without any particular reason?
If 20 accounts say "this referee was bad" and 20 accounts say "another referee was good" - does it affect people's mind?
Florian - examples?
DeleteItaly feel they are a victim, meanwhile the worst refereeing performance in this round was the one from an Italian referee....
Delete@Chefren You struck the nail on the head there!
Delete+1!
DeleteWhat a joke of a red card by Tobias Welz in Gladbach vs Bayern:
ReplyDeletehttps://streamin.me/v/79146645
I agree it's not a RC, but I can completely understand why Welz thought it was. For me, the blame is mostly on Tobias Stieler (VAR) here
DeleteStatements by Welz:
Delete"Long drive into the Bayern half, there is a sprint duel. The Gladbach player gets contact at the top of the shoulder and loses his balance and comes down - the Bayern player is responsible for this as the last player and that's why it came to the red card."
"Of course, I had consulted the video assistant. He also checked for a long time - the VAR could not have given me any other pictures than the ones I saw on the pitch. That's why I didn't go out."
"This is a decision that is in the grey area and thus absolutely nothing for VAR"
"Of course, this is a close call"
"The Gladbach player pushes in front of the Bayern player just outside the penalty area, gets the contact and thus comes off balance, although he still tries to run on"
"The striker wants to score the goal, he goes alone towards the goalkeeper. Why should he throw himself down?"
"For me, the grip on the shoulder was the decisive argument"
"The fans' wish is for the referees to make their own decisions on the pitch more often instead of being guided by the VAR. That's what I did."
Akhona Makalima and Bouchra Karboubi will participate in the U-20 African Cup that starts tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteGreat news
List of selected referees:
Deletehttps://www.cafonline.com/total-u20-africa-cup-of-nations/2023/news/list-of-match-officials-for-totalenergies-u20-africa-cup-of-nations-egypt-2023-a
FIFA: 'Pravda-ise' the selection list to even hide trios and give the general public the impression that selected female officials have been chosen according to pure merit and not modern tokenism
DeleteCAF: WOMEN REFEREES
😀
The CAF logic in that statement is: We use the tournament for the development of young (male) referees, but we also give two Women Elite referees the chance to use this tournament as preparation for the World Cup - which sounds a bit like the U20 tournament would be below the women's normal level.
DeleteMaybe Philipp - but they also did the same for CHAN, which is quite a prestigious continental competition.
DeleteIndeed, CAF writes always "Women referees" in the official lists.
DeleteStraight RC for VC by Sánchez Martínez in Mallorca-Villarreal.
ReplyDeletehttps://streamin.me/v/2dce9fe4
Forecast for tomorrow's designation for Liverpool - Real Madrid?
ReplyDeleteOrsato
DeleteTwo KMIs from today's Cameroon vs. Thailand playoff semifinal, reffed by Melissa Borjas [VAR: Chenard]:
ReplyDeletehttps://litter.catbox.moe/4aq1je.mp4
https://litter.catbox.moe/iq22al.mp4
(factoid: Borjas's uncle was a linesman at WC2010, in the crew of Carlos Batres :))
Thanks for the clips, very interesting!
DeleteAbout the possible penalty for handball, indeed I think you already said everything in the discussion above, VAR should have checked the origin of the ball before calling referee to OFR. It was Borjas to suggest this detailed analysis during OFR. Knowing Collina, he will absolutely praise this attitude, because not common, most of referees go to monitor just to "see" and whistle what reported by VAR. Nevertheless, poor communication after the OFR, she forgot the gesture of closing VAR procedure and the resume of game was wrong. But I think very good in terms of technical accuracy of the incident.
Second incident, possible RC for DOGSO. I agree with final decision, strange that they took a so long time in this case as well. Again, you have the feeling that Borjas suggested something to VAR during OFR, a very positive way of handling with an OFR, if you ask me all referees should learn from these clips (apart from the long time needed). One can even discuss about the SFP, but DOGSO is more an argument in this case.
Borjas did a very good job in the CMR-THA semifinal. Have to agee with Mikael and Chefren on her detailed analysis during OFR conversing with VAR Chenard. Collina will be very impressed with her, possible earmarking for future bigger matches.
DeleteChenard is a good VMO in her three years on the FIFA panel conducting Concacaf and MLS matches. But that handball review should have been checked with respect to the origin of the ball. She will have time to prepare more ahead of the 2023 WWC.
Okay, I'm confused on the praise for Borjas re: the handball OFR. The Thai defender has jumped into a challenge, less than six yards from her own goal, with her arm outstretched in an unnatural position. It's creating a barrier between the goal and the Cameroonian attacker. I am confused why everyone seems so certain that the ball hitting the Thai foot first excuses an otherwise punishable handball here. This isn't 2018 anymore. She is unnaturally bigger and took a risk. It's language direct from the LOTG.
ReplyDeleteSomeone tell me why I'm wrong.
Although the “deliberately plays the ball which then strikes his/her own hand” language is no longer explicitly in the LOTG, the teaching is still essentially the same about this point. Just instead of being listed separately, it’s contained within the logic for “unnatural position” now. Lots of video examples are still published showing handball incidents like this. To be clear, it’s not that the ball “hits her foot” and then deflects into her arm; she *deliberately plays* it with her foot, which causes the ball to bounce into her arm.
DeleteThere’s a reason why they spent so much time zooming in on the feet from that horizontal angle. Heck, the arm wasn’t even really in the shot from that angle.
I understand that, at the theoretical level, whether the ball first was played by the defender is still part of instruction and an underlining principle in making an assessment. But it's not the only factor or consideration. It isn't a blank check to excuse handball contact. It's a consideration.
DeleteIn this case, that arm is in an unnatural position. It has made the defender unnaturally bigger. She took a risk in having her arm in that position when she made a challenge. Add in, as a bonus, that it created a barrier between the ball and the goal.
Sorry, I'm not convinced here. It seems a very myopic focus to excuse an otherwise clearly punishable handball. The explicit language was removed from the LOTG and made more of a guiding principle for a reason. That was done for a reason. Again, it's a consideration. It's not a black and white or yes/no question that is determinative.
Probably it is really a matter of instructions here, whether deliberate play by the defender invalidates all "unnatural position" handballs or not.
DeleteThe underlying idea of this interpretation is, that non-deliberate handballs should only be punished if they give an advantage to the defending team, and that is hardly the case if a pass/shoot by themselves is blocked (Although in the actulal situation, she might prevent a corner with the handball..)
But of course, the LotG don't say anything like that anymore, so it is a quite stretching interpretation.
Apparently even a difference in interpretation inside CONCACAF between Canada and Honduras...
So clearly a task for the associations here to create more clearness to allow uniform decisions on those cases.
As for the red card against Cameroon, it appears the on-field decision was offside. So if the red card was for DOGSO, a reversal of the offside decision needed to happen first, which likely accounts for (but does not justify) the time it all took.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, that whole thing is a mess. And we probably won't learn the official answer publicly. Was the offside position correct? If it was, did an offside offence ("challenging") occur before the foul (I argue it did)? Was it SFP or DOGSO? Or, if the offside was actually correct, could it then be VC?
It's a very very interesting play from multiple angles. Too bad we likely won't get the true answer. No matter what, though, getting the answer here took way too long.
Does anybody know if there is a place I can watch these WWC Playoff matches after they happen?
ReplyDelete71'-72' from PNGvsPAN is a moment I find interesting. No protests for a penalty, but if the striker went down I'd have a very hard time finding any argument against whistling it... stuff like this frustrates me, players shouldn't be punished for staying on their feet.
ReplyDelete