Monday 14 August 2023

2023 FIFA Women's WC - Referee appointments for Semifinals

The appointments for Semifinals at 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. 



Match 61 (Auckland)
15 August 2023, 10:00 CET
SPAIN - SWEDEN 
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA) 
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Leila Cruz (BRA) 
Fourth Official: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Reserve AR :Sandra Ramirez (MEX) 
Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)
Offside Video Assistant Referee: Felisha Mariscal (USA)
SVAR : Juan Soto (VEN) 
SBVAR : Adil Zourak (MAR)
SBAVAR: Muhammad Taqi (SIN) 

Match 62 (Sydney)
16 August 2023, 12:00 CET
AUSTRALIA - ENGLAND 
Referee: Tori Penso (USA) 
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo (USA) 
Assistant Referee 2: Mijesa Rensch (SUR) 
Fourth Official: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN) 
Reserve AR :Makoto Bozono (JPN) 
Video Assistant Referee: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN) 
Offside Video Assistant Referee: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA) 
SVAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)

184 comments:

  1. Alves in the SF? So who is the final?

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  2. Second, consecutive WWC semifinal for Alves - the Cakir of WWC :)

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    1. Except the fact that Cakir did really have talent/ really deserved both SFs ;) not saving Alves isnt good, but she isnt among the best 3 refs this WC/ would surely not have been my choice when solely looking at performance

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    2. Foster and welch must have been sent home which i can understand as england remain

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    3. I watched the Spain v Sweden game and, although not a supporter of either team, I felt that Sweden were disadvantaged by two bad referee decisions in the added time period which also took away some of the excitement for the neutral as well as the Swedish fans. First there was a free kick to Spain following some minimal contact but no foul after close contact in the penalty area and then another free kick to Spain when their player fell over after conceding what should have been a corner to Sweden with just a minute to go.

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  3. Now final clear staubli!!!

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  4. chances for Staubli to be appointed in the final have risen drastically now! fingers still crossed from my side, she would totally deserve that for her tournament and her career as well.

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  5. I agree with staubli. She is on this WC the strongest referee with a good level of football understanding. And i saw its her third WC.

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  6. It would have been more logical to appoint Alves to the other SF in order not to break confederation neutrality.

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    1. i agree....

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    2. I think that we wont see an UEFA ref until the final (which in that case will be Staublis) I wouldnt be surprised to read Pensos name tomorrow.

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    3. I absolutely agree. The only way it makes sense to put Alves in SPA-SWE is if Penso gets AUS-ENG. (Having an English native in a game between two English natives) In all other cases (UEFA or AFC ref for second SF) Alves would have handled AUS-ENG.

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    4. In that case Monzul will not get a further match (which is a surprise in my eyes).

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    5. It would be that surprising to me. Monzul just wasnt that present at NL-Por. IMO her performance wasnt rated that good since she got a really small game after that one. I think there are refs (Penso is in that pool) who did better. When we put performance principle (and the teams remaining) together the name for AUS-ENG for me should be Penso. The name for the final should be Staubli in this case. Thats the way it makes sense ;)

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  7. What of ueefa super cup refree

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  8. Disappointing not to see Marie solei :(

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  9. Who was anonimos who said yesterday, Seneme would be laugh if he read the comment that not put Alves name on the final, now see, like Chefren and the others said sometime ago how much we can trust her ability to lead the final?

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  10. If Yamashita is not yet home (which no one confirmed), she must have been saved by FIFA for something. At some point, the referee of the opener was getting the final as well.

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  11. Pretty likely scenario for Penso to get the other semifinal, Staubli to get the final and Jacewicz to get the third place game.

    Weird that another UEFA gets the final

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  12. disappointed not to see Martincic Ivana!

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  13. Well seeing that Alves already has gotten one SF I think Penso is right for the second SF then the final definitely Yamashita or Staubli, third place I would say Mukansanga is she is still kept otherwise Jacewicz for compensation.

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  14. Nobody talks about how strange it is not to see Muniz as VAR for Edina Alves in this game, the only problem for not assigning her with Alves is an injury for me, since she always worked with Alves and taking her out in a SF, it's strange

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  15. I think Olofsson did two very good games. Why not game in knockout phase? Politics? Swedish team are still there?

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    1. Bad planning and due to the Swedish team that is still there

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  16. Final is between Yamashita, Jacewicz and Penso. No UEFA ref will handle final.

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    1. Yamashita and Penso are in SF, Jacewicz is out due to Australia progression.

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  17. Having to make an analysis about officiating at this WC so far (but let's wait for the last four games), I would say that the "crucial" game was Frappart fourth assignment. Before that, in my opinion, apart from very blatant mistakes in group stage, the overall picture was still OK (of course, never excellent). The poor performance by the French, along with other bad displays, was in my opinion decisive until this moment to go rather below expectations than above. But the last games must give us the final feedbacks.

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  18. Karboubi will get her 3 game maybe 3 place game

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  19. Melissa Borjas with a FO appointment after the debacle in ENG vs NGA? Absolutely shocking and disgraceful from FIFA. Collina should hide his face in shame. Unbelievable!

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    1. Yet the world continues to rotate after the wrong referee, in your opinion, gets a fourth official assignment. Astounding.

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  20. SVAR = support VAR?

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  21. Penso with Yamashita (FO), so we should suppose Staubli in the final. I can't see other options - Alves and Penso with SF, Jacewicz out due to Australia progress, Yamashita is 4th official in SF...

    Who if not Staubli? Carvajal?

    4th european referee in a row?

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    1. Are we sure we can rule out Koroleva?

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    2. You can't rule out anything but I think you can come pretty close. It's Staubli v Koroleva. One of them is at their third WC and one is at their first. One of them regularly referees in her domestic men's league with VAR and the other does not.

      On paper, this isn't close.

      I think it will be Staubli with Koroleva as 4th (and Nesbitt as reserve assistant for her second World Cup Final!)

      Mukansanga on 3/4.

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    3. Are we sure can rule out Jacewicz?

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    4. Jacewicz performances have not justified her being a top FIFA official .She should have been on the plane home before the knock out stage.

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    5. Anonymous are you mistaking Jacewicz for Reibelt? France-Brazil arguably best refereeing performance of the tournament

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  22. So I was wrong, another appointment of a US referee, with Penso that convinced FIFA after regular performance. I think no more than that, she was never really challenged, and I'm curious to see if this will happen for this game.
    Now for the final indeed one can only see Staubli, I think impossible Koroleva due to the blunders of her last games. No other candidates. CAF and AFC out. For CONMEBOL, Alves Batista seems to be the top for FIFA, while Fortunato got a fourth official assignment.
    You see Irrati with Penso, definitely all the incidents with CONCACAF VARs in recent games were mistakes. For the final maybe Staubli with Fritz and van Boekel. Possible CAF / AFC assignment for third place game.

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    1. Yamashita Fourth official with Penso , but she is still a candidate for the final.

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    2. Sometimes referees aren't "challenged" because they take an approach (often excellent communication/decision-making in early stages of a match) that greatly reduces major challenges later in a match.

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  23. What about Keighley (if no AUS)? Third World Cup, very experienced and performed well. Neutral, non-UEFA confederation. Has had no other KO game so maybe unlikely, although unsure why she wouldn’te used again at all.

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    1. Any referee used as fourth in the ko rounds is out.

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    2. Not necessarily

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    3. Show me the case of REFEREE working as 4TH in WC22/23 who then directed another match? 🤔

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    4. I agree with you, there is no referee , but anything is possible with FIFA.

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    5. Martincic, Carvajal, Oh worked as 4th and afterwards as referee.
      Likewise Matonte, Frappart, Al Jassim in 2022.

      But getting the final without previous KO game would be really unprecedented in FIFA tournaments with a R16, I think.

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    6. "4th in KO stage" Philipp S

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    7. @Philipp S What do you think about the final and 3rd place?

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    8. Nothing too different from anybody else: Staubli is the favourite for the final with some chances for Koroleva, Carvajal and IMO also Jacewicz.
      And 3rd place probably for a confederation, which hasn't received much, i.e. AFC, CAF or OFC. Which one is hard to say.
      Exact predictions will follow, when we know the pairings. :)

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    9. Maybe yes , I feel that Yamashita in the final and 3rd place for CAF

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    10. @Phillipp...

      Belqola worked the 98 Final without a KO match. I am not sure if it happened since, but there is precedent.

      Also, the cases of Frappart, Jassim and even Matonte are a lot different from what's being asked here. Granted, you answered the question literally. But to suggest those are relevant is like suggesting Martinic working after being a 4th here is relevant. We are talking about the KO stage.

      All that said... the debate here seems really silly to me and invented. People speculating about alternatives to Staubli... do you honestly think Staubli deserves not to work again given her performances and availability? We so often stretch for answers to questions that aren't really being asked. She is the most experienced referee at the tournament without the final. She's available. She's been very good. There are no UEFA semifinal referees. Etc. etc. etc. Barring injury, there's no case for anyone else over her at this point. Sometimes the obvious is obvious for a reason.

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    11. The debate is not ‘silly’ at all a that’s unnecessary - if you don’t like it, stay out of it! It’s an interesting discussion so let people discuss!

      Everyone obviously thinks Staubli is clearly a main candidate. However, it’d be naive to not recognise that politics play a big role in these things. UEFA have had lots of previous finals and lots of refs have been good, including those from ‘neutral’ confederations. It’s also not a given that experience of previous tournaments is a must - a number of male WC final refs were at their first tournament; off hand I can think of Webb, Rizzoli, (Elizondo?).

      There’s also personal preferences - I can’t see at all why the experienced Keighley (the only OFC) was left out of KO phase, why Alves was given more than Fortunato?

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    12. Yes, I had not remembered Belqola in 98, but maybe as irrelevant as the next point regarding 4th officials...
      Unless Mukansanga suddenly gets the final this year ;)

      And yes, regarding the 4th officials, it was only about giving the exact answer.
      Furthermore IMO the bigger argument against e.g. Keighley is, that she hasn't refereed in KO stage than that she has been appointed as 4th in R16.

      And yes, Staubli would deserve the final. But IMO it's still possible, that FIFA doesn't like the idea of another UEFA referee - alhough indeed we then probably would have seen one in the SF.

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    13. Exactly. If FIFA cared about not having a UEFA referee on the final, then Staubli would have been on a semifinal. It's not like they made the semifinal assignments and then suddenly realized their remaining obvious choice for the final happened to be European!

      Alves could have EASILY got this Final. FIFA chose not to give it to her. They didn't make that choice to gamble on Carvajal or hope Jacewicz would be available. They did so because they intend to give the Final to the best and most experienced available referee in the tournament. All logic points to a plan for Staubli to get it.

      Barring injury or some other bizarre and completely unforeseen situation, Staubli is the referee.

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    14. @Arbitre Anglais, no, in this case the debate--to the extent people are making other suggestions--is silly.

      I, as much as anyone, loves to speculate on referee appointments. But sometimes something is so obvious that we just need to see it for what it is. The alternative theories are silly. People think FIFA held Staubli and then now, suddenly and magically realize she's European and that's too much? That's either ignorant or naive. FIFA knew what it was doing when it made the semifinal appointments.

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  24. I think we shouldn't rule out Keighley out of the final yet because she is more of a neutral candidate that's available for now, then Mukansanga for third place

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    1. Keighley trio have gone home

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  25. Referee candidate for the final in my opinion are Carvajal, Yamashita, Borjas and Staubli but I don't want UEFA referee in final for 4 time.

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  26. Yamashita no longer candidate final referee?
    Unbelievable!

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    1. In my opinion she is a candidate for the final

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    2. Is there a precedent?
      In Knockout stage, FO→Referee

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    3. Yamashita gets Netherlands and South Africa in R16

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    4. This is group stage→knockout stage
      i want to know is knowout stage(FO)→knockout stage(referee)

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    5. I don't inderstand what do you want bro ?

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    6. *understand

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  27. In case of AUS lose in SF, Jacewicz may final.

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    1. Final appoint is most likely decided before SF are played. So the referees of the last four nations are out.

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    2. For the same reason Elfath was out for the final once Morocco made it.

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    3. There are many examples (even in women's competitions) where referees handled the final or the third-place match although there own countries were still present in the semi-finals:
      - In 2016, Carole Anne Chenard handled the Olympic final Germany - Sweden although Germany eliminated Canada in the semi-finals.
      - In 2011, Kari Seitz handled the World Cup third place play-off France - Sweden although France eliminated the United States in the semi-finals.

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  28. If Staubli gets the final, it will be the second WC final for Katrin Rafalski after 2011 with Bibiana Steinhaus. After this WC Rafalski retires as AR and will only work as VAR in German Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga.

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    1. Uruguayan Ramon Barretto was also AR in two World Cup finals (1974 and 1978).

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    2. ingrid jonsson only person to referee and assist in a wc final, although these were beginner times of women football, 1991 and 1995...also umpierrez two times 4th official in 2015 und 2019...

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  29. France did not eliminate the USA on 2011 semis. USA were runners-up to Japan on PSO

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  30. Surprised that Monzul has no appointment, unless she gets third place match. She probably has the most experience out of all the refs

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    1. Not that surprising imo. I think it's quite clear that FIFA viewed the overturned handball penalty for Jamaica as a crucial mistake. Martinez Munuera hasn't been given any more VAR appointments after that either

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    2. @Elliot - Spot on. VAR should never have gotten involved. At worst, there was no clear error at all. I still thought it was handball when I saw the replay and Monzul maybe punished for not sticking with her decision?? Didn’t think Monzul was great anyway, but that’s a personal style opinion. She never seems relaxed and too flustered.

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    3. Just feel it’s unfair that she gets benched because of that but Frappart continues on after all her dreadful performances

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    4. Don't you know that it pays to be the "chosen one"?

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  31. OT:

    Sorry but clear penalty for Wolves vs Man Utd in 90+5, minute,somewhere around there.

    WOL forward Kalajdzuc heads the ball and the MANUTD GK,Onana barges fully into him.

    Of course,english VAR continues with their inconsistency and it's ridicoulous to see that best league in the world has done so many positive changes during the summer,but their VAR inconsistency is such a ridicoulous thing.

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    1. I think this is one of the worst VAR moments in Premier League history, and there have been plenty to choose from!

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    2. Incredible... Clear penalty
      It's a pity. Simon Hooper looked like one of the most in-form English referee last season. Ok, he is human, he can miss a penalty but no OFR here is ridiculous. The VAR in England is still a big problem.

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    3. And the VAR is Michael Salisbury, Mikael or the others often mentioned him that he has good future, but I don’t think so after this.

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    4. Clear penalty for me as well, with Onana missing the ball completely and striking Kalajdžić's head instead. Honestly, I still cannot believe that VAR decided not to intervene (a FIFA VMO, on top of that).

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    5. It's being reported that Jon Moss representing the PGMOL has said it was a clear and obvious error and the VAR should have intevened. A shame as Hooper was following on from his form last year and having a generally decent game. (And yes, I agree with all, a clear foul and penalty)

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    6. If true and that's a big IF. I applaud the PGMOL for their transparency. Even if it does throw their own members under the bus. Now if there's a little accountability in the way of retraining and a couple of matchdays off for the referees. That would be the cherry on top. Again though, big IF.

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    7. https://youtu.be/kFD49XPKwaA

      Hopefully EPL immediately made another documentary for referee open mic to turn it down the issue :)

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    8. Didn’t Howard Webb leave PRO and head home to fix this?

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    9. He couldn't fix PRO/MLS. What makes you think that he can "fix" PGMOL and the EPL?

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    10. The English are old timey football purists. All of this technology and modern advancements in the game makes them nervous.

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    11. This is the most pathetic comment ever posted on this forum.As the IFAB is made up of the 4 home nations and they instigated the use of VAR in world football .You need to check the facts before you post.

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    12. I stand by what I said. They may form part of the IFAB. But the facts are that they whined about keeping the 5 substitutions post COVID period. They were among the last of the top leagues to implement VAR. And once they did, they basically instructed the VAR's to sit there and not intervene at all. To this day, the bar for a VAR's to intervene is set astronomically and unreasonably high.

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    13. It was FIFA who really made a push and advocated for VAR. And I'm sure that the English begrudgingly agreed.

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  32. Remember that Monzul has already refereed a FWWC final in Canada 2015 so would not be given another

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    1. I want the final given at the referee out of UEFA.

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    2. Monzul should have not been at the finals ,terrible referee

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  33. I agree that Monzul missing appointment is strange, knowing FIFA policy, because she should be on a similar level to Frappart, having officiated the WC final in 2015 and being among the very top names in Women's Officiating for experience, similar to the French, who however rose later. All could be related to the penalty she whistled, but if you take Frappart and her games with several crucial mistakes, there is something you can't explain. I was ready to bet on the Ukrainian but it seems she ended the tournament. For me the OFR was a VAR mistake, in case committee should have given more responsibility to the officials at the monitor.

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    1. Frappart is the "Teflon Don" of women's refereeing. No matter what her or her assistants do. None of the charges ever stick. So, they are free to continue working. Sadly, other quality referees are not granted the same benefits.

      In regard to Monzul. She is the referee. She makes the final decision regardless of what VAR tells her. And in this scenario, she failed. As she erroneously decided to overrule herself. That is unacceptable and must be dealt with accordingly.

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    2. If it is just the handball what ‘killed’ Monzul, that would be a disgrace. The decision had zero impact on the standings and there was room to support her decision. Player was shot in the face from short distance, protected her face and basically did what we ALL WOULD HAVE DONE in a situation like that. 😉 FIFA needs to re-consider the handball rule asap.

      On the other hand, indeed even more strange that Frappart was ‘rewarded’ with two (!!) knock out games. And Olofsson zero. Bad management.

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    3. Re-consider the handling rule ASAP? And change it to what? How many times has IFAB/FIFA tinkered with the handling rule? Is it any better now than it has been in the past? Either all handling is called as handling point blank and period. Or else there will always be room for subjectivity.

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  34. having read the comments on here about the choice of referee for the final .Surely it has to be the best performing referee who doesn't come from the finalist nations.Which federation should not come into consideration

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  35. Fairly calm half for Alves, but rather choppy. She's certainly not a 'speed the game along' kind of referee.
    One interesting situation as the Swedish player handled the ball to try to force the referee to whistle foul. There was arguably a missed foul (given Alves' line on similar challenges), but from the moment she decided to play on, good decision to penalise the Swedish. She decided to refrain from cautioning both the Swedish player and the Spanish player who gestured for a card. Overall, reasonable decision given the state of the game.

    Two things to watch in the second half:
    1- Sweden are very aggressive. Need to keep a clear awareness of the line between fair, hard challenges and fouls (and remain vigilant to recognise Spanish fouls as well without being too focused on one team). Recognise risks for game management from an unbalanced foul total, as one team commits more fouls.
    2- Putellas is particularly targeted (and Asllani, to a lesser extent). Remain vigilant to protect targeted players for repeated challenges.

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    1. And as mentioned, very severe foul to the head on Asllani within 10 seconds of the second half kick-off. Alves will need to be vigilant.

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  36. Pretty big mistake by the referee. Several clear free kicks in both directions

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  37. Why not let the best referees manage the match. 2 European teams it should be a UEFA referee. Very strange.

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    1. Because CONMEBOL and Brazil have an exaggerated amount of influence within the FIFA Referee Committee. Or have you forgotten about Qatar? Where CONMEBOL basically ran the show and got everything it wanted.

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  38. Alves moves quite a lot but seems to miss good positionings when the incidents occur. Now minute 58 she misses quite a clear step on foot and gives the foul very lately, probably after input from assistants. YC would have been mandatory.

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    1. And another missed YC few minutes later for reckless challenge in front of AR1.

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    2. minute 62 next clear(!) YC missed. This match could get way out of the referee's hands... AR1 should have helped here.

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    3. Agree with you both, two clear YCs missed. Mistakes that visibly inflame that match, IMO. The one in 62' is actually a very, very bad mistake.

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  39. https://ibb.co/ftYWysJ
    What a clear YC... the classic Alves Batista, doing nothing, just warning a bit players, and relying on the fact that no major incidents happen.
    Terrible officiating by the Brazilian, to be honest...

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    1. Sorry, but it is absolutely shocking for me. Why does a referee receive a payment - just to walk around for 90 minutes. This is a disgrace!

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    2. She was decent in the 1H, but seems to have failed to set an adequate disciplinary line in this 2H (or any disciplinary line at all, to be precise).

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    3. Is there any possibility that it is an instruction of FIFA, to absolutely minimise the risk of any player getting suspended for the final (by getting a second YC=RC)? In a semi-final, any RC would mean missing the final.

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    4. @Dukat192... Please, get real. What first half??? We are watching her for 5 years already and it is always the same - we see a person who imitates profession and it is tolerated by the referee committee who also imitate an activity.

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    5. I heard that previous cards got wiped after 1/4's, so nobody is at risk of missing the final.

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  40. Terrible throw in mistake AR2 74th minute!!! Luckily Alves overturned

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  41. Alves is lucky that the players calmed themselves and focus on playing football, but still, this is not expected level for a WC semi.

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  42. spanish attacker in line of vision of GK? difficult call...

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    1. I don’t think it is a clear offense. The ball does “cross over” the player, momentarily being hidden from the goalkeeper’s vision, but only while it is midflight, not while the shot was being take. Pretty similar to one of the goals in France vs Morocco. I don’t think it prevents the goalkeeper from playing the ball.

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    2. We just saw an overhead replay, which clearly shows that the GK's line of vision is obstructed by her own defenders, not by the attacker. the offside attacker is to the side. For me, clear correct decision to award the goal (and, contra Chefren, I think flagging offside would have been a clear and obvious error).

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  43. Interesting situation on the Spain goal, as a Spanish player is in an offside position as the goal is scored. I agree with the goal decision - the player does not significantly block the GK's line of sight or impede her from playing the ball.

    Now, a hard 10 minutes for Alves. This will be intense.

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  44. The player in offside was an interesting case, I think OK by VAR to support tthe original decision by AR, but in case of flag, more complicated stuff. I think that offside would have been supported by VAR as well, but with by far more discussions... grey area.
    In my opinion no influence, but player is there when ball passes and offside is not 100% wrong.

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    1. In no way did she interfere with the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper clearly saw the ball and had no chance of saving it.

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    2. No influence on the GK for me as well, there doesn't seem to be any proof that her line of vision was blocked when the shot was taken. Correct decision IMO.

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    3. A replay shows that decision is indeed correct, but one can remain curious about what would have happened with an offside flag by AR. Attacker is rather close to keeper, sometimes we saw these offsides called.

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    4. I understand your thoughts, Chefren, but Emil is right in his comment above: the attacker was positioned to the side and couldn't have blocked the GK's line of vision, nor did she interfere with her in any way. Cancelling this goal for offside would have been a clear and obvious error for me as well.

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  45. 93:45 Swedish player blaming Alves Batista, the latter without any reaction. What a poor show going on...

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  46. Alves now being tricked by spanish defender and before a hard challenge on swedish player completely missed. Really not a good display in terms of fouls and disciplinary control.

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  47. And like it often happens, the referee discovers a hyper-tight, strict foul line when comes the time to protect an advance. It's not wrong per se - and is understandable - but it's a situation where refereeing advantages the leading team. Many tiny fouls which were ignored throughout the second half were now whistled.
    Overall, I'm not as critical of Alves as others here, but it wasn't stellar, for sure.

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    1. Being an apologist is what allows this mediocrity to continue to be rewarded.

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    2. Overall, it certainly wasn't a catastrophe, I agree with you. However, although her 1H was decent for me, there was a visible decline in the quality of her foul detection and especially disciplinary line in the 2H. Frankly, with 2-3 mandatory YCs missed, including lack of any reaction against that challenge in 62' (which wasn't too far from a potential RC), her disciplinary line was non-existent. Which bears the question: was the referee really in control of this match or just very lucky and relying on the fact that nothing major happened and things didn't escalate to a critical point? IMHO, the latter seems to be the case, which also leads me to believe that my initial impression of her 1H performance as "decent" was probably also a result of the set of circumstances and not her good officiating (or, to put it simply: she was lucky).

      Taking everything into consideration, including lack of any consistency in foul detection, especially visible towards the end, I have to say it was a pretty negative performance for my taste. Without crucial mistakes, but with more than significant deficiencies in basic aspects of refereeing.

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  48. Alves Bastista proves that just being fit, being able to run a lot, and looking good in a referee kit doesn't cut it. Well, at least it shouldn't. But of course, for FIFA this is what it is all about.
    So many stamps on players foots have gone unpunished. That it's downright criminal. These fouls are extremely dangerous because a metatarsal bone can easily be broken with that type of stamp. But I am so happy that FIFA and its referees are all about player safety. (sarcasm)

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  49. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Edina Alves.

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    Replies
    1. It's a scary place if were supposed to believe that this is what a good referee is.

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  50. Must say, very disapointed with Alves. Not acceptable for a SF in World Cup!

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  51. If the semi-finals are at this level, there are many candidates final.

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    Replies
    1. Fortunately, there are better referee than this person. I won't call her a referee, because today she did a disservice to the profession. Her performance is the epitome of what sending the wrong message to all those watching the match is.

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  52. Replies
    1. +1
      And he can take Seitz with him also.

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  53. is time for caf oficial to get something

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  54. karboubi mukasanga deserve final

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  55. Please nobody take this comment personally. But her face and facial expressions piss me off big time! The other thing is, pull your damn socks up! She looks so sloppy with her low drooping socks.

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  56. No cards, no VAR, no bigger controversy. FIFA will be very pleased. As for the rest, we mere refereeing peasants simply do not grasp the brilliant vision FIFA has for refereeing.

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    Replies
    1. FTS! (I won't write the exact words because I don't want to be banned) But FTS!

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    2. My comment is not directed at you HM. I totally agree with your post, and you've shown to have a similar mindset to mine as to what refereeing should be and what it shouldn't be.

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    3. First game without a referee watching the VAR screen?

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  57. One of Alves' better game. There was one foul where there definitely should have been a yellow card, but overall a satisfactory performance

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    Replies
    1. Pretty sure we weren't watching the same game. But then again, Alves Batista can't be the only terrible referee on the planet. I've just discovered another one. Welcome to modern football where mediocrity is not only praised but rewarded.

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    2. She missed a few calls, but I don't expect her to have a perfect game. She had good demeanor and handled herself with style. No real integral mistakes that had much of an effect. FIFA will be happy since most people will come away from the game not noticing the referee at all.

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    3. And one day that mistakes will boil over and will cost her deeply.
      Maybe it didn't today, but wih her style she will face some angrier teams and just then she will maybe learn from her mistakes.

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  58. She's like that in Brasil's Serie A also,no authority and no feeling for the game,trying to end match with as less cards as she can show,that's why the matches that she officiates turns into foulfest,40plus fouls and 2-3 cards,mandatory I might add.
    With the difference that there she officiates men,so I would say that they are also afraid to go at her cause we all know how federations take seriously if some men insult female referee.
    That is the double standard I'm talking about ,you wont see some Felipe Melo or some Gabriel Barbosa talk smack to her,not because she has authority,but beacuse they are afraid to get punished severely for their disrespect of a woman.
    Same can be said about Frappart and any other female.

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  59. What do they think about the referee of Final and 3rd place ??
    I say Yamashita for the final.
    And Mukansanga for 3rd place.

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    Replies
    1. Yamashita will be the fourth referee in another semi-final. I don't think she will make it to the final.
      Mukansanga may be fourth referee in 3rd or final.

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    2. Final will be Carvajal or Staubli with the other one being the 4th official. 3rd place will likely be Jacewicz because she’s Australian

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    3. This would only be possible if Australia wins the second semi final. I think the final should go to Staubli based on performance and experience, even if that means that it will be another UEFA official. Only other possibility I see is Yamashita but it became very unlikely with her appointment as 4O in second semifinal.
      Mukansanga for 3d place match seems locical to me but that could also be Frappart... ;-)

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    4. The venue for the other semi-finals and finals is the same, so if it's a Europe-to-Europe showdown, I think Yamashita's chances are not zero.

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    5. Yes , maybe

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    6. Staubli is a great referee, experience and she has 43 years I think the last WC for her maybe the FIFA will give her the final.

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  60. Watched the match in a replay and was very disappointed with the refereeing. No feel for the game, misplaced, poor or very little communication with the players. (probably very poor English and not in command of the language) Not worthy of leading a semi-final. Spain won fairly and were the better team. Go for Staubli in the final

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  61. Final : Staubli CH
    3rd : Ferrieri Caputi ITA

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  62. Or Ferrieri Caputi Final FO

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  63. Predictions :
    Final: Yamashita (JPN)
    3rd place: Mukansanga (RWA)

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  64. Yamashita was remplaced by Olofsson is true ??

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    Replies
    1. False information.
      https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/it/match-centre/match/103/285026/285030/400258556

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    2. Thank you Chefren !!

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  65. Ferrieri Caputi and Di Monte have both landed this afternoon in Italy.

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  66. Ladies and gentlemen, Edina Alves Batista. None other than the Mario Escobar of women's refereeing.

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  67. Edina Alves Batista:

    58' missed YC
    https://streamable.com/tmt3su

    62' missed YC
    https://streamable.com/cw98yt

    1-0 Goal, no offside correct decision
    https://streamable.com/ksgk7q

    90'+4 Player management
    https://streamable.com/2g6tgr

    90'+7 Whistled foul
    https://streamable.com/f0745x

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    Replies
    1. Those fouls whislted infront of AR are so lame and disrespectful if you ask me.

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    2. But the foul is absolutely correct. Back should have seen it and flagged herself. But Alves can’t allow a potential equalizing goal scoring opportunity in the 97th minute (especially with how strong Sweden are on set pieces) from a wrongly-awarded corner.

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  68. Jonas Eriksson in Swedish media, after ESP-SWE:

    ”This referee was not good enough to referee this match. This is what happens when political crap decisions are allowed to control selections and when competence is not the most important thing. We have seen bad selections within Fifa many times before. Stephanie Frappart has refereed four matches in the WC and has only gotten worse and worse with each match. Other referees who have officiated fantastically don't get another match. So they are going to give this to Brazil, because Brazil are eliminated. A World Cup should be the best teams and the best referees, it shouldn't matter where you come from. The judge was incredibly pale. She blew a huge amount for Spain and let go in the other direction. Also, she had no fluency in the game either. The fighting moments that are an important part of the match were not there at all. It was frustration.”

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    Replies
    1. Here is the source: https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/a/y6neEE/jonas-eriksson-upprord-pa-domaren-efter-sverigespanien-pa-vm

      Usually I wouldn't pay so much attention to what Eriksson has to say, I think he's still salty over not being selected for the 2018 World Cup, however I also don't think he's completely wrong (far from it actually) when he talks about the politicization of appointments inside FIFA and UEFA

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    2. He is right for some arguments, but then clearly you find some mixed feelings coming from his disappointing experience. He exaggerated some concepts and one can't agree with his conclusions, especially at the end of statements, but on the basis he is right.

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    3. Imagine if Jonas Eriksson took a seat in Fifa or Uefa.
      Eriksson had developed a completely different organization with more openness and loyalty towards all referees.

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    4. I think it’s pretty inappropriate for Eriksson to be making public comments like this.

      I also wonder how closely he’s actually been watching these games. Frappart’s worst two games were her first and her last, and SWE-USA was actually generally good. As for the foul selection on this game, again is he watching the game or is he just looking at the stats? Sure the foul count was 13 to 6, but it’s completely justified when Spain are dominating possession and Sweden is simply playing a more physical game.

      I can sympathize with his desire to complain about political interference, but these are not strong arguments to make about it.

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  69. If esp-eng then it will be staubli esp-aus yamashita or bogas

    2 of them 3 for the last 2 games imo

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  70. Predictions

    Final- Yoshimi Yamashita
    3rd Place- Salima Mukansanga

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  71. As now Michael Oliver is being paired with Daniel Cook, what about 2026 FIFA World Cup? Will Bennett come back or Oliver will continue with Cook?

    Please someone to help me, I’m more concerned about Bennett being removed as Oliver’s AR

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