Monday, 22 May 2023

Referee teams appointed for 2023 UEFA club competition finals

The UEFA Referees Committee announces four referee teams for this season’s club finals.



In chronological order of the date of the matches, the UEFA Referees Committee has today announced the following referee team appointments for the 2023 UEFA club competition finals.

Anthony Taylor will referee the 2023 UEFA Europa League final between Sevilla FC and AS Roma, to be played at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday 31 May at 21:00 CET.

An international referee since 2013, the 44-year-old English referee has taken charge of six UEFA Champions League matches and one UEFA Europa League match this season,. Taylor refereed the 2020 UEFA Super Cup which took place in the same stadium in Budapest between FC Bayern München and Sevilla FC, as well as the 2021 UEFA Nations League final between Spain and France.

Taylor will be assisted by compatriots Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn. The fourth official, Michael Oliver, and the reserve assistant referee Stuart Burt are also from England. The VAR role has been assigned to Stuart Atwell (England), and he will be aided by Christopher Kavanagh from England and Bastian Dankert from Germany.


2023 UEFA Europa League Final refereeing team
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistants: Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn (ENG)
4th Official: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Reserve AR: Stuart Burt (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Atwell (ENG)
Assistant VAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
VAR Support: Bastian Dankert (GER)


The UEFA Referees Committee has also announced that Cheryl Foster will referee the 2023 UEFA Women’s Champions League final between FC Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg, to be played at Eindhoven's PSV Stadium, in the Netherlands, on Saturday 3 June at 16:00 CET.

An international referee since 2015, the 42-year-old Welsh will take charge of her first UEFA Women’s Champions League final. This season, she has refereed three UEFA Women’s Champions League matches, including the quarter-final second leg between VfL Wolfsburg and Paris Saint-Germain. She also officiated three matches at last year’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 in England.

Foster will be assisted by Ireland’s Michelle O’Neill and Dutch Franca Overtoom, with Natalie Anne Aspinall from England acting as reserve assistant referee. The fourth official is Rebecca Welch (England). The VAR role has been assigned to Italian Massimiliano Irrati, and he will be accompanied by Sian Massey-Ellis from England and Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi from Italy.


2023 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final refereeing team
Referee: Cheryl Foster (WAL)
Assistants: Michelle O’Neill (IRL) and Franca Overtoom (NED)
4th Official: Rebecca Welch (ENG)
Reserve AR: Natalie Anne Aspinall (ENG)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)
VAR Support: Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi (ITA)


The UEFA Referees Committee has revealed that Spaniard Carlos del Cerro Grande will referee the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final between ACF Fiorentina and West Ham United FC, to be played at Eden Arena in Prague, Czechia, on Wednesday 7 June at 21:00 CET.

Del Cerro Grande has been an international referee since 2013, and will be taking charge of his first UEFA club competition final. This season, the 47-year-old has officiated five UEFA Champions League matches and one UEFA Europa Conference League match, including the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg between FC Internazionale Milano and SL Benfica.

Del Cerro will be assisted by compatriots Pau Cebrian Debis and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso, with Diego Barbero Sevilla acting as reserve assistant referee. The fourth official, Jesús Gil Manzano, is also from Spain. The VAR role has been assigned to Juan Martínez Munuera (Spain), and he will be aided by Alejandro José Hernández Hernández (Spain) and Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins (Portugal).


2023 UEFA Europa Conference League Final refereeing team
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande
Assistants: Pau Cebrián Devis and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
4th Official: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Reserve AR: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
VAR: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant VAR: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández (ESP)
VAR Support: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins (POR)

The UEFA Referees Committee has appointed Szymon Marciniak to referee the 2023 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City FC and FC Internazionale Milano, which takes place at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Saturday 10 June at 21:00 CET.

The 42-year-old Polish national, an international referee since 2011, will be officiating his first UEFA Champions League final, after serving as fourth official in the 2018 final. He has refereed eight UEFA Champions League matches this season as of the play-off round, including the semi-final second leg between Manchester City FC and Real Madrid CF. Last December, he refereed the 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France in Qatar.

Marciniak will be assisted by his compatriots Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz, with Vasile Florin Marinescu from Romania acting as reserve assistant referee. Istvan Kovacs (Romania) will be fourth official. The VAR role has been assigned to Tomasz Kwiatowski (Poland), and he will be assisted by compatriot Bartosz Frankowski and Marco Fritz from Germany.


2022 UEFA Champions League Final refereeing team
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistants: Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
4th Official: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Reserve AR: Vasile Florin Marinescu (ROU)
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatowski (POL)
Assistant VAR: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
VAR Support: Marco Fritz (GER)

166 comments:

  1. No surprises apart from Attwell as VAR

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  2. Fully deserved for Marciniak, shows the lack of options for UEFA

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  3. Pretty unsurprising appointments. Crazy six month for Marciniak, I hope he can keep motivated because he is one of the best names for hot matches at the moment. Hard for Makkelie but he has plenty of time...
    Good for Taylor to have at least one big club final. Well deserved and I hope Oliver will soonly get one too.

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  4. Here the unexpected solution...we are back to 2016 with Collina's management of Clattenburg, but as first thing we must say that committee had a clear lack of options if they assigned the same referee to CL semifinal (the most sonorous one) and then the final. This also means, before Manchester City - Real Madrid the name was not still decided... (Marciniak could have performed poorly).
    So, well deserved for him after WC final and I must say that the factor he hadn't officiated any UEFA final (unless Super Cup) at the end was considered.

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    1. Slight error in the post. Third paragraph down Roma vs Feyenoord was the R16 2nd leg not the semi final

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    2. Roma vs Feyenoord was the QF 2nd leg.

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  5. Expected appointments, but even if he deserved it the most, Marciniak's appointment looks like 'damage control' by UEFA due to lack of options, 'wasting' him on a possibly one-sided final and giving him no motivation to continue beyond EURO 2024. Like Collina/Clattenburg in 2016.

    Also, congrats to my countryman Del Cerro Grande. Nice farewell game!

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  6. Fully deserved. Marciniak was better this year than the other refs. Congrats

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  7. No Assistant Referee in the VAR team now?

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  8. OT: Croatian Football Federation published today on their website that Duje Strukan will officiate in U21 EURO. Is there an official final list published somewhere? I remember we commented it on the blog before, but if I remember, those were predictions...

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    1. Yep, only referees for U21 EURO officially confirmed by their national federation so far are Eskås, Krogh & Pinheiro (& Strukan)

      Btw, quite deserved nomination for Strukan IMO.

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    2. Allard Lindhout (NED) will officiate during EURO Under 21.

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  9. So maybe we can say that Del Cerro Grande was not ranked, at least in recent times, at the same level of Mateu Lahoz, that's very interesting, in my opinion we can say that the referee from Madrid was maybe Spain nr.2 in the last years.
    Also, the appointment of Attwell is something remarkable after all the treatments he got in recent times by committee, I must say very good in the last period, but still if you ask me, said with all respect, for such a game, I wouldn't have trusted an English VAR. Hopefully he will prove me I'm wrong, and I will apologize after the game!

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    1. Though are any of them reliable?

      Dankert seems reliable in UEFA but called a bad OFR at world cup
      Fritz called a ridiculous OFR in Liverpool vs Real Madrid
      No Spanish and Italians possible
      Van Boekel- no need to comment (Especially after semi final)
      Kwiatkowski on UCL final

      Brisard would be the only other option and he missed a red card in AC vs Inter.


      Other than Ajax vs Dortmund has Attwell been that bad?

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    2. I must admit you are right. Indeed we saw also mistakes from other VARs in recent times, so just let's wait and see.

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    3. Chefren I think for La Liga, Mateu Lahoz is their no 1 ref. But I think Carlos del Cerro Grande is liked much by Rosetti and left for him could have been Spain number 1 these past years. You can tell with the series of sonorous games CDCG always gets in recent years, both in Champions league and even international games. Including being the FO in Euros 2021 final. I believed Rosetti could have done more for him but his hands were a little bit tied I guess.

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  10. Expected appointment, Marciniak ahs been consistent and fantastic, but I just pray he doesn't loose motivation after Euro 2024

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  11. Wow, as deserved as this appointment might be for Marciniak, you have to feel for Danny Makkelie. Undeservedly missed out on UCL final last year, then left out of the KO stage during the World Cup after two spotless performances and now this. I like Marciniak, he's the best for me, but I have to say, I hate the way Makkelie is managed.

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    1. If you hate makkelie's management imagine me with Zwayer's management....

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    2. With all the respect, when Zwayer is the best German FIFA referee, then something must be wrong in German referee organisation.

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    3. Who is the best then? Siebert? Come on... hahaha

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    4. Certainly Aitekin, who was let down after the PSG debacle.

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  12. Congratulation and warmest wishes to all appointed referees. Well done great achievement !!!! I guess that all appointments are fully deserved and driven by meritocracy and not by geopolitical reasons. Vincic is neither 4official so no big influence from Ceferin; good reward to Del Cerro for his carrier. Quite strange to have the same man for SF return leg and final match but this is the safest and deserved choice even if demonstrates that on 28 elite referees only few on them are very trusted. So Makkelie lost once again a great opportunity.......

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  13. Where's Makkelie fan at? Sadly no Makkelie :(

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  14. Szymon Marciniak was appointed to officiate the final of the Cyprus Cup between AE Limassol and Omonoia that Wednesday 24/05.

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  15. On the positive side for Makkelie,he's got 5 more years of referreeing,so he can get another CL Final .

    Of course,not performing like this year,he needs to be motivated and focused.

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  16. Congratulations to all referees for the final ! Good luck :)

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  17. Marcinak is 2nd referee which officiate UCL and World Cup in same year or season, Howard Webb UCL and World Cup 2010 final, and Marcinak refreeing 2022 World Cup final and 2023 UEFA Champions League final(different year but same season since World Cup 2022 pushed back to winter)

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    1. Yes but World Cup final before CL final is sometihng you would never guess, on paper, without knowing Marciniak's case, really impossible to think, if you ask me...

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    2. Sándor Puhl is the most famous that comes to mind. He refereed the WC final in 1994 and the CL final in 1997.

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  18. One big BRAVO for all officiating teams that are appointed. They deserved it!!!

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  19. Not so surprising appointments. Marciniak finished up an incredible year. I guess committee was forced to do this because of limited options, but also as a means to balance the international achievement of Marciniak with European achievement and also to 'strike the iron while it is hot' avoid ing the risk of having another Makkelie situation next year where Marciniak might suffer a dip after being the best ref but not getting the final.

    Expected appointment for Taylor in what could prove the hottest and most balanced of the three finals.

    For Carlos del Cerro Grande, a good way to end his career after being a good servant to UEFA. I think he is likef by Rosetti but could not get much due to Lahoz presence.

    Good luck to all.

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    1. Agree with what you said about Taylor and that match.

      Both teams can be fiery and have players that can explode.

      Only thing missing is Sampaoli as Sevilla manager and we would have both temperamental managers.

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  20. During this season's KO stage, the committee applied performance principle to keep referees motivated. But, surprisingly, at least for me, they didn't change it at the end and therefore showed consistent approach. Well done, UEFA RefCom!

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  21. Newcastle-Leicester

    8'

    Bruno gets YC,but to me,clear RC offence,why did they not invite ref to go to the monitor?

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  22. If we close the eyes regarding that Marciniak has also the UCL SF second leg before, and I think we can make an exception this year, then these are indeed the best appointments. All of them are fully deserved. Marciniak, by far the best referee in the world in the last two seasons, great to see him there. Taylor, absolutely expected, no surprise, I am sure he will handle successfully a hot game played on a hot stadium by teams with hot fans. And Carlos del Cerro Grande, a deserved appointment, obviously in UECL final, as a last game; UCL was impossible, at least from my perspective. Congratulations and good luck! All of them deserve these appointments and I am sure that will not dissapoint us.

    With this (or who knows, maybe he will appear also in Nations League in June), Marciniak ends an absolutely incredible season. I would dare to say that this was the best season in both games received and performances that a referee ever had. Let’s look again at them:
    Atletico Madrid – FC Porto – UCL GS
    Barcelona – Inter – UCL GS
    Dinamo Zagreb – AC Milan – UCL GS
    Marseille – Tottenham - UCL GS
    FC Porto – Inter – UCL last 16 second leg
    Napoli – AC Milan – UCL QF second leg
    Man City – Real Madrid – UCL SF second leg
    + WC FINAL + Some finals in UAE,KSA,CYP
    All of that are on paper among the most challenging games and he delivered great.
    Simply AMAZING. Congratulations!

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  23. Chefren what's the update on Daniele Orsato who turns 48 in November? I remember Gianluca Rocchi retired at a similar age in 2021. Will he retire or continue next year and have a chance to officiate the Euros 2024 final?
    If the event that he retires, which other Italian referees are ready to join Davide Massa at the elite class? Davide Massa himself has not quite made the leap we expected this season, just like Gil Manzano
    Maurizio Mariani has been unconvincing in recent times and Marco Guida is just returning from long injury and has a lot of making up for lost time to do. We discussed last time about there's a lack of options for English referees at the top. However, it seems as though it's a similar situation for Serie A. I might be wrong though.

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    1. It has been reported that Orsato will continue until EURO 2024 and after that maybe he will retire, so for the big tournament on next year he will be still Italy nr. 1. I think he would like to officiate a final, so this is the motivation that keeps him still active. With Orsato, I must say, low chances for Massa, but in case of good performances to follow, he could be called. Of course, without Orsato no doubts that Massa would have turned into Italy nr.1 with a sure selection for a big tournament, but with Orsato still active, his reputation is different. Also, what I didn't understand about Orsato, is the management by committee, he rather got low profile games in this KO stage, given that he was called as reserve referee for previous EURO he should be a name for next year, but for some reasons the focus was more on Mariani, after Orsato. About Mariani: to me not a referee of very top level, every now and then he has many controversial performances, with too many crucial mistakes, so I don't expect too much t be honest. In the decisive moment of serie A Mariani was out due to two or three poor performances in a row that stopped him from getting big assignments. My idea is that he is not at the very top level. Guida is limited due to the many injures and it is impossible to think about a certain career only for this reason (really unlucky). So, coming to a conclusion, in a way you are right, Orsato saved Italy as only referee from the country at 2022 WC and more generally if we compare recent times with the past (Italy with 3 or 4 Elite) we must indeed admit that there are big problems. The hopes are for the future, with some referees that are now developing, but the times will be extremely long. To conclude, I expect an acceleration by committee on Massa to be honest, at moment not so much apart from that.

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    2. Great stuff. I watch serie a and I see some young exciting referees developing. Like G. Aureliano, A. Rapuano, L. Marinelli, D. Chiffi. A. Colombo. I hope they develop quickly to save the situation.

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    3. ". Also, what I didn't understand about Orsato,"
      of course I meant Massa, sorry :)

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  24. 'Taking to social media after the game, Vinicius posted a powerful statement condemning the actions of supporters and the lack of action from La Liga.

    And now it seems they have taken note, firing six La Liga officials, including Iglesias Villanueva, who was responsible for VAR during Real Madrid's defeat to Valencia, according to Marca.



    Now interesting to see refs who are appointed for Tuesday and Wednesdqy and I see that De Burgos will oficiate Betis vs Getafe,important match for both teams.

    The fact that RFEF did this according to Marca,it is surprising to see any of referees to be appointed for this season.

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  25. VAR appointments in this CL season
    14 - Kwiatkowski
    12 - Martinez
    11 - Irrati
    9 - van Boekel, Dankert
    8 - Fritz
    7 - Valeri, Hernandez
    6 - Higler, Brisard
    5 - Attwell, Martins
    4 - San, Dingert, di Bello
    3 - Kavanagh
    2 - Delajod, Millot
    1 - Guida, Evangelou, Osmers, Jug, de Burgos, Bitigen, Reinshreiber

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  26. I was waching the Nigera vs Dominican Republic U20 match. Two video reviews in the first half for Yusuke Araki.

    First one for a pretty clear penalty foul, though I would have expected a yellow card for the reckless challenge also.

    The second one is very interesting, in the 42nd minute. The review is for a red card for DOGSO handball by the defender, but honestly I don't even think the ball ever hits the defender's arm, it looks like chest to me. Nevertheless, Araki goes to the screen and sees that the ball hit the attacker's arm twice beforehand anyways, and he decides on a direct free kick coming out anyways. To be honest, I don't see either touch as a punishable handball offense (the first one is way too high in the "green zone" on the shoulder, and the second seems like pretty natural position with no time to react to a prior deflection off the opponent, but you could make a case for it).

    The verbal announcement seems actually rather helpful here to communicate the decision to viewers who may not have noticed the potential handball by the attacker.

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    1. One more thing to note on that second review, he also announces that the defender committed a handball as well. I don't see it personally, but it's interesting to know how he decided.

      I think some work still needs to be done on the logistics of the review announcements. The quality of the microphone is quite poor, the referees' body language is always weird when doing it as if they don't know where to look or where to walk, and Araki in particular seemed to not remember to turn off his mic (on the first review most noticeably)!

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    2. First incident: how it is possible to miss such penalty having the full view on it with a perfect positioning?
      Extremely poor level of officiating by most of the officials at such tournaments, I think that some referees from lower categories, said with all the respect, are beter than the ones called by FIFA.
      More generally, instead of a real training for possible WC, this looks rather calling some random referees... and in recent times the trend is even more worrying.
      Second incident: to me, wrong OFR. There isn't any handball by defender, but the movement of arm can deceive. More expected to whislt in favor of defender for the subsequent double touch by attacker, but also in this case, one can't say very clear handball. Again we have a classic FIFA OFR, out of protocol, with referee unsure about what to do.
      Please tell me if this is what you can expect...

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  27. ΟΤ
    Greek Cup Final
    Referee: Felix Brych
    AR1: Mark Borsch
    AR2: Stephan Lupp
    4th: Aggelos Evangelou
    VAR: Günter Perl
    AVAR: Vasileios Nikolakakis

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    1. Well, UEFA's holding true to their word: they really aren't appointing their Elite or Category 1 officials to Greek matches! XD

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    2. how did Brych?

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    3. Very good performance.To be noticed, 1st card of the game was a RC correctly given for DOGSO.

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  28. Congratulations to all the final officials. No Irrati, no party? ;)

    I like it a lot that the ‘performance principle’ prevailed. Having said that, meritocracy must always prevail, to prevent that certain referees are being unmotivated and don't believe in their fair chances.
    In the 2021/2022 season, Danny Makkelie was the best referee and we all know how the story ended.

    There are some urgent choices to be made within the Dutch team:

    - VAR: Should they keep backing Pol van Boekel? Of course, he is a friend of Bjorn Kuipers, the committee member. However, they have to be neutral, make sensible choices and admit that is was mainly due to VAN BOEKEL’s poor performances that Makkelie’s team missed out on a final this year. And besides, Pol van Boekel’s name triggers already a lot of controversy before a kick-off. You can't say that about a Brisard or Kwiatkowski. When do they wake up in the Netherlands? This is TOP SPORT and sometimes hard choices have to be made.

    - MOTIVATION; Is Makkelie unmotivated? And if so, what's the role of UEFA/Rosetti? Can they do something about this, motivate him and let him believe in a fair 2023/2024 chance? Otherwise they will lose a reliable pair of hands for the hottest matches. Is Makkelie surrounded by coaches that help him to perform better? Some stuff to think about.

    - Fitness; what's up with Makkelie's fitness level? He used to be a top fit referee. Is he injured or unmotivated? That's quite a difference. He has to be top fit again to make a good chance.

    For next season there are only 3 "logical" candidates for the UCL final if an English team is in the final: Makkelie, Vincic and Kovacs. Although you could argue the latter should first work on the UEL final. If Makkelie manages to find his 2020-2022 top form again, he should be the #1 candidate, head and shoulders above the rest. I just hope he will realise that, is resilient and still hungry to fight for it, after two dissapointing seasons.

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    1. He just congratulates all four referees in charge of the finals on his linkedin. Such a kind and big hearted person. I hope he will get it next year.

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    2. That's amazing! After his career he will be a great referee chief and coach

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  29. Fellas what happened to Pairetto in Lazio-Udinese? Gazetta say he will not refereeing again next season in Serie A.

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    1. He whistled a very soft penalty, the kind of penalty that Rocchi hates (but in the last part of his career he was very happy to whistle them, that's weird...).
      VAR couldn't intervene due to protocol, so this was assessed as crucial mistake for referee on the pitch.
      What I can say is that Pairetto, despite being always a mediocre referee, gets always something. Try to wonder why...

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    2. Did He do the same mistake too? In UYL last season but i forget the match

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    3. And this was for one of the CL spot,very crucial match and decision .

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  30. I'm watching the last 20 minutes of USA vs Fiji, refereed by Mohamed Marouf of Egypt. There are so many clashes between players, the referee has missed some simple fouls. I don't like to speak with much certainty when I'm only watching the last few minutes but I definitely don't get the impression that Marouf has control of this game, which should have been a simple match especially after the 2-0 goal.

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    1. On the contrary, I watched the whole second half of UZB-NZL, and it seemed an easygoing match despite the progression of the scoreline for Oshane Nation (JAM). Apparently he gave some yellow cards very early, maybe they helped ensure his full control.

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    2. Good second yellow by Meler. His style reminds me of Milorad Mazic for some reason.

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    3. His signals are weird though, his arm pointed actually downwards when signalling for a foul. This caused some confusion on the second second-yellow of the game, when he is whistling a handball outside the penalty area rather than a foul inside. Interesting SPA vs DOGSO decision. Straight red for DOGSO certainly would have been credible too.

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  31. I have seen Meler at Argentina vs Guatemala U20. All YCs and resulting two RCs were very well spotted. There were spot on no penalty decisions as well. Big decisions all good to me. To my taste, he missed some fouls. His ARs helped with foul detection too. The match heated a couple of times and he took a Low key approach. Certainly a challenging game despite the score.

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  32. Here two RC incidents from Umut Meler game (if you know the minute of penalty appeals, I can add):
    57' https://streamable.com/rtlx2v
    82' https://streamable.com/8c2nfx
    Both correct decisions, excellent spot the second one.
    I think SPA is OK and maybe more appropriate, but VAR would have supported RC for DOGSO.
    About the first sending off, in 57', indeed he looked like Mazic, I agree. The way of taking the decision: very composed, delayed, but natural. You have the feeling this comes from nothing, difficult to explain in another language but I'm sure you understand!

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  33. IMO unprecedented and hardly justifiable situation in Spain, with VAR referees suspended and Vinicius RC from Valencia-Real Madrid annuled for incomplete scene showed during the OFR. Yes, some other players could have received some cards, including the player that was slapped by Vinicius, but it would be impossible to rewatch everything. Instead, the most clear situations are showed, and to remove a RC for this reason is for me unacceptable.

    I cannot imagine this happening in a situation where Vinicius was not a victim of racist insults, obviously the whole system does not know how to deal with neither the situation nor the pressure and unacceptable accusations from Vinicius (saying that a Spain as a country and the league is racist).

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    1. Completely agree, Forlan. Unacceptable

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    2. It's not only unacceptable. It's a **** disgrace. If I were a LaLiga referee I'd consider resigning.

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    3. Unacceptable is allowing racist abuse. And not showing the referee the whole sequence of events.

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    4. And de Burgos witnessing it and not doing anything about it: https://twitter.com/PatriFdez18/status/1661094414071091201. Heard it and still tried his best to include it in match incidents and when he did he downplayed it. Smh

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    5. And De Burgos has an important match today,clash Betis vs Getafe,important match for both of them...

      Little too soon isn't it?

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    6. Depends on the referee. I don’t think it is too soon, for me personally when I have a tough day I like to get back out on the field as soon as possible to put it behind me. But every referee is different.

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  34. Sorry, unrelated question. For friendly international match, who's the most likely referee to be appointed? Refs from home country, refs from different country but still on the same confederation, or refs from another confederation?

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    1. I'd say the standard/most common procedure is
      -Referee from the same confederation but different country
      -Local 4th official

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  35. Prior to this Coppa Italia Final,Irrati's last Coppa match as main ref was 2017,derby Lazio vs Roma...

    6 years!?!Just wow...For some experienced and reliable ref...Too much time without Coppa match...

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  36. Elche - Sevilla just now. When you make such a hard tackle that your own bench is horrified after watching the replay :D

    https://streamin.me/v/31534846

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    1. Horror tackle, perfect positioning by referee to see the point of impact.

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  37. Interesting review in the first half (36th minute or something similar) in ITA-NGA, the missed handball in the penalty area is clear and obvious, but the VAR also shows Maza a handball by the attacker in the APP. This second one I don’t think it is totally clear whether the ball touches the position of the arm that counts as a handball. It probably does but I don’t think clear and obvious.

    Question: for a video review that is ongoing for the penalty kick error, does the incident in the APP need to be “clear and obvious” to overturn? I’m not sure how the VAR protocol works in this situation.

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    1. If you follow protocol word for word I think it should, but as the referee has already made his way over to check something else you might as well show him the other situation as it doesn't really stop the game

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  38. U20 WC MD3 appointments:

    ECUFIJ: Araki (JPN)
    SVKUSA: Abatti (BRA)
    NZLARG: Falahi (QAT)
    UZBGUA: Marouf (EGY)

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  39. Here the incident from Italy - Nigeria reported by Smala017:
    https://streamable.com/pvs7mg
    To be honest the previous possible handball is nevre handball, in my opinion clear touch by chest. Not clear and obvious mistake.
    A similar decision with the other game of Nigeria discussed above, there seem to be certain guidelines on handballs by Collina in this tournament (more focus) but I think that such calles are wrong. This was just an easy penalty without something more. And about that, terrible miss by both referee and especially AR1.
    You can see in the live scene that referee is guilty of looking already at the middle of penalty area, without following carefully the action close to ball, then he turns when incident has already happened, but the one to be blamed more, even if focused on offside, must be AR1, totally frontal view... difficult to accept. More generally, the extremely poor performances are going on at this tournament. We are far away from the quality of the past in FIFA.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you about the previous handball: never a clear and obvious mistake; also not a mistake for me, I'm still trying to figure out what made the referee crew to be sure that this was a punishable handball. Personally, there wasn't any. About the missed handball penalty: a very serious mistake by both the referee and AR1.

      Delete
  40. Brazil - Dominican Republic
    Letexier
    Second YC: https://streamable.com/84n1f8
    OFR for possible SFP: https://streamable.com/jtivnu
    The OFR is clearly wrong, called only because referee didn't whistle foul, but this was never a possible red card. Starting from the frame shown at the beginning of the video analysis, the tackle was always low and on the ground. Only small argument for possible RC, the medium (but not high) intensity of the challenge.
    I was surprised to see Letexier, a French called for that, but indeed VAR was not a French, so this explains everything.
    Again, I would like to know whether the UEFA VARs must change their style in such FIFA tournaments, or the problem is from the others that call OFRs for everything... you can see how much Letexier was surprised, trying to understand why he was called to monitor.
    I really would like to hear some opinions from Collina and Busacca about this management, that is in my opinion absolutely poor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely pointless OFR, indeed. At least Letexier gave YC.

      Delete
    2. Agree with both of you, unnecessary (and wrong IMO) OFR, I can see no arguments for SFP here. The use of VAR at this tournament leaves a lot of questions unanswered, at least for me. On the other hand, at least a foul and YC were correctly given in the end, but that is not how VAR should be used, at least for my taste.

      Delete
  41. Two OFRs for Abongile Tom in the 1st half of KORHON. Maybe Chefren could post later the full clips with better quality, but here we go.

    20' Penalty given (careless tripping): https://streamja.com/QoBEd

    26' YC upgraded to RC for VC, the situation happened just in front of the 4th official: https://streamja.com/kgpoo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the clips and the reported incidents. You must tell me how it is pòossible on earth that FO is there and he didn't report to referee the RC for violent conduct, game after game even more embarrassing, even the first incident, one very clear penalty, close to AR, I need to watch full sequence, will do that later, but also referee taking so long time at monitor... refereeing at this tournament is shocking TBH.

      Delete
    2. 20': Clear penalty, with the defender "clearing" the attacker instead of the ball. Even without knowing the exact position of the referee in the moment of the foul, this seems to be a pretty bad and evident mistake.

      26': Let me agree with Chefren and say that I'm completely baffled by the FO and his dealing with this scene. Unacceptable and even embarrassing. However, let's not excuse the referee either: he had a clear view on the incident IMO and should have reached the correct decision without the need for OFR. A big mistake by both of them for me.

      Unfortunately, I have to agree with Chefren again: the level of refereeing in this tournament is absolutely worrying in the context of the future of refereeing as a whole.

      Delete
    3. For the fourth official, I think we can say he is perhaps too close to the incident to truly perceive it. His eyes might be at the feet, and the rest of the action only seen in his peripheral vision. That’s the only thing I can think of.

      Delete
  42. OT

    Participants of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League Preliminary Round:

    🇲🇪 Budućnost Podgorica
    🇮🇸 Breidablik
    🇸🇲 Tre Penne
    🇦🇩 Atlètic Club d'Escaldes

    The Preliminary Rd will follow former season formats (semifinals and final) between Jume 27-30 in Kópavogur, Iceland. It was also confirmed that VAR will be employed in the Preliminary Round for the first time.

    https://twitter.com/interescaldes/status/1640751158804316168?t=ogZoxX-H9MQCp_KI93YFmQ&s=19

    ReplyDelete
  43. Incident in IRQTUN (referee Ospina, VAR Godinho), RC for VC for TUN14 by after OFR.

    Tbh, I don't understand why there wasn't any card for IRQ4. At worst he should have been given a YC if your interpretation is VC with negliglible force; but IMO he should have been sent off as well, no card at all is almost bewildering...

    https://streamable.com/ensaku

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RC for VC for both of them, at least for my "old-fashioned" taste. How the IRQ player managed to get away without a card is completely beyond me. And all of this after watching the footage on the monitor... My God...

      Delete
  44. Uruguay - England.
    https://streamable.com/n298wh
    In my opinion clear RC for violent conduct, no intention / possibility to play ball, but even if you want to issue YC for reckless reason, you should wait for this extremely clear advantage. Stopping game in this case is only for showing RC (the expected decision), while hre you have a middle way that is totally wrong. Also, out of context, taking the decision for the challenge, but then ignoring how play is developing... really poor officiating from almost all referees in Argentina.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not to mention the need of an OFR, of course...

      Delete
    2. Disagree. Where Letexier was bad in your opinion ? Two good matches IMO.

      Delete
    3. Of course I save UEFA officials :)

      Delete
    4. I agree with Chefren completely regarding everything written: a RC for VC IMO, but a very poor reading of the situation by the referee as well. What's even more worrying: how can we understand the lack of VAR intervention in this scene if we compare it to the OFR for a possible SFP in Brazil - Dominican Republic, shown to Letexier? What's the threshold for VAR intervention in this tournament? What is their interpretation of a clear and obvious mistake? I'm still trying to figure that out (to no avail, unfortunately).

      Delete
    5. Abatti from Brazil is being pretty good so far. I think of course still a lot to improve but so far good match

      Delete
  45. Anyone know who will be in charge in matchday 29 KSA Pro League?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SPL appointments are officially released by Saudi FA in the morning, around 8h before the match.

      However, sometimes appointments of foreign referees get leaked to the local press.

      Delete
    2. Al-Fayha - Al-Ittihad Jeddah

      Fabio Verissimo (POR) - Pedro Martins (POR), Tiago Costa (POR) - ? (KSA)
      [? (POR), ? (KSA)]

      Delete
  46. Do we know when UEFA will publish Referees Categories for the 2023-24 season?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The current categories are valid until 30 June, so I think we must wait at least another month. The specific date has always changed in the years.

      Delete
  47. U20 WC MD3 appointments (3):

    TUNURU: Sánchez Martínez (ESP)
    IRQENG: Kawana-Waugh (NZL)
    KORGAM: Nation (JAM)
    HONFRA: Sy (SEN)

    Falcón & Nyberg are the only referees with only one GS appointment.

    ReplyDelete
  48. J-League: Sanfrecce Hiroshima - Shonan Bellmare
    https://youtu.be/5JNRSUqcOdo
    0:40
    I think it’s very harsh RC, what do you think?

    ReplyDelete
  49. Aranovskii from Ukraine finished his career because of punishment in Ukrainian match 2 weeks ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What happened to him? Do you have the source?

      Delete
    2. He was as VAR. Terrible mistake.

      Delete
    3. Dnipro-1 - Voskla. Because of him dnipro -1 now is quite impossible to be a chempion in Ukrainian premier league

      Delete
    4. Well, I just watch that incident you mentioned it, so terrible but very unfortunate for him to end his career like that. Anyone know how about Serhiy Boyko? Is he still refereeing in MLS?

      Delete
    5. Boiko at this time under punishment olso. Because of poor refereeing

      Delete
    6. In which match?

      Delete
    7. Not one. Poor in common

      Delete
    8. #RefereeAccountability

      Delete
  50. I don’t know why after such very poor call from Tim Ford, he was appointed as VAR in “big game” South Korea - Gambia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe because he got political support and this tournament has become very low level stage of refereeing and also not get enough spotlight to spread the controversy about how many referees showing “very poor” or not world cup standard performances in this tournament.

      Delete
    2. To be honest, I start to think that even Collina is enjoying this circus, or at least he is happy with that... definitely no explanations!

      Delete
    3. I don't regard South Korea - Gambia a "big game": Both teams already qualified for the knockout stage. Although they lead the current table standings, the other game in that group between Honduras (position 3) and France (position 4) seems much more important with one of them having the chance to still qualify for the next round.

      Delete
    4. One could say like that but I think still on paper 1st placement contestation is one of the best game you could have (more important), rather than big game involving “big country” like France.

      Delete
  51. Erik Lambrechtsis now refereeing a title match between Antwerp and Union in Belgium. The home team can become the official champion with a win.

    Erik Lambrechts is assisted by a team that all wear a FIFA badge. The assistants are Jo De Weirdt and Kevin Monteny, the fourth ref is Lothar D'hondt and the VAR is Jasper Vergoote with Ella De Vries as A-VAR.

    Good luck to the entire team.

    ReplyDelete
  52. No new analysis for wc u 20 in Argentina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Today I will see Sanchez Martinez and Nation so with great pleasure, I will report their performance

      Delete
  53. How about Aleandro Di Paolo? How about his performance? Is he involved in recent controversy or still had didn’t make any intervention?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I'm not wrong, he hasn't intervened.
      In GUA-NZL there were no interventions, in ARG-GUA I think neither and we will see today in TUN-URU how he is doing with Sanchez Martinez

      Delete
  54. NZL - ARG
    Salman Falahi (QAT)
    OFR for handball
    https://streamable.com/aq9g0d
    In this case I can't blame referee, always difficult to spot.

    ReplyDelete
  55. https://youtu.be/dSty8T3k4co
    1:45:20 failed kungfu :))
    Wow what an end in Shaktar Donetsk vs Dnipro-1
    Referee: Kateryna Monzul

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Should whistle at 90:00 and avoid this ugly scenes.

      Delete
    2. When a referee is incapable of "reading the room" and shows a complete and total lack of common sense.

      A benches clearing mass confrontation/brawl. In which all personnel were on the pitch. And only 6 total Red Cards were shown. What a joke and total **** show.

      Lastly, you mean to tell me that her incessant whistle blowing failed to calm the situation? What a shocker! ;)

      Delete
  56. What happened in Valencia-Espanyol and previous match? Everyone in twitter says, that Espanyol's relegation was made by referees

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From spanish media:"First with what would have been César Montes' second goal, which was disallowed by the referee for an alleged foul by the Mexican on the che goalkeeper. Secondly, a possible foul by Gayà on Braithwaite at the start of the play that led to Lino's goal. And lastly, a penalty could have been called on the Danish striker in the last play of the game when he was going in with his soul to shoot and was blocked."

      Delete
  57. Sánchez Martínez: master class

    ReplyDelete
  58. OT: Ivan Bebek blew his final whistle today. Long and remarkable career, even though he had his ups and downs.

    He ended his career with style, having almost flawless performances last few months.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Will he continue his career as VAR specialist in Croatia and UEFA?

      Delete
    2. So far the best ref that came out from Croatia.

      Only ref from Croatia that had CL matches in group stage and in KO round.

      He whistled rivalry match Dinamo vs Hajduk 21 times,absolute record.

      Of course we can all remember his bad nights in Madrid and Braga,but he was a ref who promised a lot and had a great style of referreeing.

      Unfortunately,he had his style and he was not adabtable enough to rise and be in Elite group for some years.

      VAR in Croatia for sure,I dont know for UEFA in future.

      Delete
  59. PK for handball by Sánchez Martínez in TUNURU (90+1')

    https://streamja.com/kgVPA

    RC for DOGSO after OFR by Sy in FRAHON (initial decision was play on)

    https://streamja.com/w3zro

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Handball HON extremely well spotted.
      IMO, DOGSO not very clear to me

      Delete
    2. Average perf from Sy,too much inconsitency,no clear line,even being lenient too much.

      Delete
  60. U20 WC Round of 16 appointments (30th May)

    UZBISR: Falcón (ARG)
    USANZL: Marouf (EGY)

    ReplyDelete
  61. Not sure if already posted before, but these are the observer and delegate appointments for the European finals:

    Europa League:
    Sevilla-AS Roma
    Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers (NED)
    UEFA Delegate: Artur Azaryan (ARM)

    Women Champions League:
    Barcelona-VfL Wolfsburg
    Referee Observer: Dagmar Dankova (CZE)
    UEFA Delegate: Iveta Bankova (BUL)

    Conference League:
    Fiorentina-West Ham United
    Referee Observer: Vladimir Sajn (SVN)
    UEFA Delegate: Peter Palencik (SVK)

    Champions League:
    Manchester City-Inter
    Referee Observer: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
    UEFA Delegate: Jacques Antenen (SUI)

    ReplyDelete
  62. https://instagram.com/stories/deolhonoapito/3113716255252525480?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

    Abatti Abel to England X Italy.

    ReplyDelete
  63. U20WC Round of 16 appointments (May 31)

    COLSVK: Al-Hoaish (KSA)
    BRATUN: Meler (TUR)
    ARGNGA: Nyberg (SWE)
    ITAENG: Abatti (BRA)

    ReplyDelete
  64. +9 mins in a 4-0 knockout stage game... where has common sense gone?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It’s easy to say common sense until one team scores 4 goals in those 9 minutes… it is possible and has happened before.

      Delete
  65. U20 WC Round of 16 appointments (June 1st)

    GAMURU: Letexier (FRA)
    ECUKOR: Nation (JAM)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This round of 16 we had three support referees as FOs (Rumsas, López, Al-Ali) and five 'main' referees (Araki, Tom, Ospina, Sy & Kawana-Waugh)

      Considering that most of them were mentioned in this post with clips of some significant mistakes, I guess these five names are the first 'cut' referees.

      Delete
    2. 2 of 3 games, Letexier does not work with VAR Delajod. What happened?

      Delete
    3. They seem to mix the referee/VAR pairings quite a lot in the tournament. Nation, Al-Hoaish and Maarouf also have three different VARs so far. And Sanchez didn't work with Cuadra in his second game.

      Another observation: 5 out of 8 R16 referees are repeating a team from the GS.

      Delete
    4. And 5/8 referees in R16 are from UEFA & Conmebol.

      I expect Sánchez Martínez to have the Argentina QF game unless Nigeria beats them. And maybe a Concacaf referee (Ortiz/Calderón) for the potential UEFA vs Conmebol clashes.

      Delete
    5. Could anyone report how about Al Hoaish performances? Is it average, poor, or maybe quite interesting to follow him for AFC enthusiast.

      Delete
    6. The tournament is almost at quarterfinal stage. Do admins consider a post on appointments from this point forward?

      Delete
  66. Andre Marriner retired, how about Graham Scott? He almost regularly only served as FO, I don’t know why.

    ReplyDelete
  67. OT: Beside Peljto, Nyberg, Kovacs, maybe Jovanovic, Meler, Kruzliak, and Schaerer who are referees in Cat. 1 or 2 came up from the “third world countries” in football that do you think have potentiality for becoming very trusted referee like Cakir, Kassai in near future, maybe for contestation to Euro 2024 and WC 2026 (UEFA will get extra quota for sure)?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pinheiro (POR)

      Delete
    2. Come on Portugal still a big country

      Delete
  68. Who are the referees dir Under 21 EC 2023?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not revealed by UEFA yet.

      We still only know 4 out of 12, confirmed by their own national federations: Eskås, Krogh, Pinheiro & Strukan.

      Other names that I expect to attend the tournament: Rumsas, Obrenovič, Aghayev, Lindhout, Al-Hakim...

      Delete
  69. Observers for upcoming EURO qualifiers

    Group A
    NORSCO - David Fernández Borbalán ESP
    CYPGEO - Raymond Ellingham WAL
    SCOGEO - Edward Foley IRL
    NORCYP - ?

    Group B
    GREIRL - Cyril Zimmermann SUI
    GIBFRA - Shmuel Shteif ISR
    FRAGRE - Stephen Lodge ENG
    IRLGIB - Uno Tutk EST

    Group C
    MLTENG - Alexandru Deaconu ROU
    MKDUKR - Dejan Filipović SRB
    UKRMLT - Erol Ersoy TUR
    ENGMKD - Markus Strömbergsson SWE

    Group D
    WALARM - Neale Barry ENG
    LVATUR - Volodymyr Petrov UKR
    ARMLVA - Michaíl Argyroú CYP
    TURWAL - Lucílio Cardoso Cortez Batista POR

    Group E
    ALBMDA - Barış Şimşek TUR
    FROCZE - Thomas Einwaller AUT
    MDAPOL - Helmut Fleischer GER
    FROALB - Stefan Johannesson SWE

    Group F
    AZEEST - Alon Yefet ISR
    BELAUT - Sascha Amhof SUI
    AUTSWE - Pascal Garibian FRA
    ESTBEL - Stefano Podeschi SMR

    Group G
    LTUBUL - Michal Beneš CZE
    MNEHUN - Matteo Simone Trefoloni ITA
    HUNLTU - Domenico Messina ITA
    BULSRB - Orhan Erdemir TUR

    Group H
    FINSVN - Stávros Tritsónis GRE
    DENNIR - Mika Peltola FIN
    SMRKAZ - Augustus Viorel Constantin ROU
    FINSMR - Ladislav Gádoši SVK
    NIRKAZ - Lassin Isaksen FRO
    SVNDEN - Fritz Stuchlik AUT

    Group I
    ANDSUI - John Ward IRL
    BLRISR - Gianluca Rocchi ITA
    KOSROU - Vlado Svilokos CRO
    SUIROU - Juan Antonio Fernández Marín ESP
    ISRAND - Geórgios Bíkas GRE
    BLRKOS - Christopher Lautier MLT

    Group J
    LUXLIE - Domagoj Vučkov CRO
    ISLSVK - Ferenc Székely HUN
    PORBIH - Edgar Steinborn GER
    ISLPOR - Stephen Tanner ENG
    BIHLUX - Leslie Irvine NIR
    LIESVK - Michael Johansen DEN

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you have the nations league one?

      Delete
    2. Last appointments for some established observers

      Delete
    3. So we can expect Cat. 1 to be promoted in MNEHUN and NORSCO, fresh name to be followed in BLRISR and HUNLTU?

      Delete
    4. @Anonymous, Nations League appointments still not made.

      Delete
  70. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/01/champions-league-final-referee-spoke-at-event-with-far-right-leader

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looks like UEFA might remove Szymon from UCL final. Thoughts?

      Delete

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