Referee appointments for Matchday 4 of 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, first set of games to be played on Tuesday 7 November 2023.
18:45 CET - Dortmund (BVB Stadion)
Borussia Dortmund (GER) - Newcastle FC (ENG) | Group F
Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo (ESP)
Fourth Official: César Soto Grado (ESP)
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins (POR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)
UEFA Delegate: Nils Fisketjonn (NOR)
18:45 CET - Hamburg (Volksparkstadion)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) - FC Barcelona (ESP) | Group H
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigović (BIH)
Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Lutz Michael Fröhlich (GER)
UEFA Delegate: Christian Kofoed (DEN)
21:00 CET - Madrid (Estadio Metropolitano)
Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP) - Celtic FC (SCO) | Group E
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor (SVK)
Fourth Official: Peter Královič (SVK)
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Benoît Millot (FRA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)
UEFA Delegate: Claude Runavot (FRA)
21:00 CET - Rome (Stadio Olimpico)
SS Lazio (ITA) - Feyenoord (NED) | Group E
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marco Fritz (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: Thibault De Gendt (BEL)
21:00 CET - Milan (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)
AC Milan (ITA) - Paris Saint Germain FC (FRA) | Group F
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Ángel Nevado Rodríguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Guillermo Cuadra (ESP)
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)
UEFA Delegate: Bert Andersson (SWE)
21:00 CET - Manchester (City of Manchester Stadium)
Manchester City FC (ENG) - SC Young Boys (SUI) | Group G
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jo De Weirdt (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny (BEL)
Fourth Official: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
UEFA Delegate: Peter Oskam (NED)
21:00 CET - Belgrade (Stadion Rajko Mitić)
FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) - RB Leipzig (GER) | Group G
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Luca Pairetto (ITA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Marian Ružbarský (SVK)
UEFA Delegate: Aurel Ionescu (ROU)
21:00 CET - Porto (Estádio do Dragão)
FC Porto (POR) - Royal Antwerp FC (BEL) | Group H
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Video Assistant Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jan W. Wegereef (NED)
UEFA Delegate: Aristeidis Stavropoulos (GRE)
No appointments today :)
ReplyDeletewhy no appointments
DeleteGood question, they probably don't know which referee to appoint for which match :)
DeleteReminds me of Euro 2020(2021). The quarter-final between Belgium and Italy also took a while before a referee was appointed for the match.
@Mathias, I thought the UCL appointments are made quite early (2 weeks in advance). At the euro’s, it is different.
DeleteIf they are not released yet, it could be an argument or last minute replacement or for whatever reason..
@Chefren: Do you have any information, that they won't come today?
DeleteOr was it just a statement on the current situation?
@Philipp Just a statement about the current situation! I don't know more.
Delete@Mathias Appointments are ready mostly by weeks, they don't wait for the last two days before games. It could be most likely for a technical problem of UEFA site / database. This already happened in past. Not to be excluded a change of policy in releasing assignments, but I don't think so.
We can only wait.
Referees receive an email that they have been appointed to the game about two weeks before the game, sometimes even earlier. For example, Ref Committee make appointments for two matchdays together in the CL/EL/UCL (MD1+MDS2, MD3+MD4...)
DeleteA few days after the initial email, referees find out which match they have been assigned to. The match referee receives the itinerary from UEFA (flights), but he can change and adapt it to the needs of the referee team.
The reason for the slightly later publication of the MD4 appointments is probably some change/replacement.
Cheers!
A little bit off-topic (or not): How are the competitions correctly abbreviated? I often read UCL for the UEFA Conference League but UCL could also stand for UEFA Champions League. That's why I always use the long texts instead.
DeleteI would use UECL for the Conference League, because the official name is UEFA Europa Conference League.
DeleteThen UCL can remain UEFA Champions League.
And UEL is UEFA Europa League, of course.
Everything without U would work as well, i.e. CL, EL and ECL.
Thanks, Philipp: That sounds indeed logically consistent. ;-)
DeleteCan we expect for the appointments during the day or will be announced tomorrow with the other part?
ReplyDeleteI don’t care too much about appointments, although I strongly hope we won’t read Manzano’s name in Milan, for the reason that has been mentioned by Philipp.
ReplyDeleteI like him as a referee. However, he whistled a penalty in PSG’s favor (MD1) that was simply wrong according to the LOTG, and it would give such a wrong signal to other referees if he gets PSG anytime soon… I can only hope the Refcom cares about these details, especially after what happened to Makkelie. I don’t know where else we can expect Manzano’s name though, given the limited availability.
Maybe in Copenhagen..
DeleteWhich referee will they predict for Milan vs Paris?
DeleteManzano sadly
Delete@EnglandREF: Could Soares Dias be an alternative to Gil Manzano? He handled Newcastle - Dortmund on MD3 in the same group (but I don't know how he performed there). Would be his third appearance in the current season but maybe a compromise?
DeleteHe didn't perform very well either really
DeleteShakhtar- Barcelona going to Irfan Peljto!
ReplyDeleteLooking for info, I found this:
Deletehttps://reprezentacija.ba/407253-uefa-odlucila-irfan-peljto-sudi-barceloni
If confirmed, this would explain why the observer for this game was appointed later than the others (committee picking a name among the referees from MD3), so following this line, the same should be perhaps for Atlético - Celtic, with the observer appointed later than the other games. We will see.
I just want to add again as further remark that nowadays it seems quite difficult for UEFA to keep these appointments confidential, there are very often leaks, and this was not the same before. In this case, the Bosnian site reports that they got info directly by UEFA...
This article posted today by UEFA, about the referees' recruitment campaign, reports the names of Gil Manzano, Orsato and Marciniak among the ones who will wear the dedicated kit for the aim.
ReplyDeleteMaybe notihng new for us because all three are expected on this week, as they were not on duty on MD3.
https://www.uefa.com/returntoplay/news/0287-195d047565ff-9739988b73e5-1000--champions-league-referees-promoting-new-campaign/
Different situation in Belgium:
ReplyDeleteFirst Class A (matching with VAR)
*Penalty or not (referee: Lothar D'hondt, VAR: Erik Lambrechts). https://twitter.com/i/status/1720907264263897598
*Discussion whether the offside line was drawn correctly (referee: Jan Boterberg, VAR: Lawrence Visser). https://twitter.com/i/status/1721158100734837080
*No video is available for the time being, but a photo of the contact was found. It is the left photo, the right photo is contact for a penalty (see the first link). Referee: Jan Boterberg, VAR: Lawrence Visser.
First class B (matches without VAR)
Red card goalkeeper (referee: Klass Clerkx) https://twitter.com/i/status/1721262485326409766
https://www.hln.be/voetbal/al-voor-een-tweede-keer-overrulet-scheidsrechter-zijn-var-dit-keer-ontsnapt-debast-aan-erger~a8f92495/237278909/
DeleteLink with the photos, forgot to post in previous post.
KNVB confirms Gözübüyük for RB Salzburg - Inter on Wednesday. AR Zeinstra and Balder, 4O Kooij. VAR Higler and AVAR Fritz.
ReplyDeleteSo I think this should be a problem of UEFA site, otherwise they would have stopped federations from releasing appointments.
DeleteI hope UEFA don't release the appointments. It would be fun to see who walks out
ReplyDeleteI was just starting to think about that... no names until the kick off and then discovering referees only by watching them walking out from tunnel... wow :)
DeleteI just called Robert Rosetti and told him: "Rosie, that's unacceptable for me". Now, he informed me (from Austria) that RB Salzburg - FC Internazionale will be handled by Serdar Gözübüyük. ;-)
DeleteAh :) exactly that game, Peter? What a coincidence :D
DeleteDoes anyone know when the clubs are actually informed about the appointed referee in their Champions League matches?
ReplyDeleteFor UCL, the ref appointments are extremely confidential. I’m curious if the clubs are also informed 2 days in advance or maybe a bit earlier? :)
That's good question, in past I saw definitely many news about referees appointments for CL games on the sites of the clubs involved. But in recent times, before the official release by UEFA, there are no info. So I don't know how to read this fact. Possible that clubs are informed, but of course not all of them publish the news on the site. I think that there isn't need to inform clubs more than 48 hours before, so very likely they get a private communication maybe two days before the games like it is for all people. In past, I saw some news posted by clubs' sites even before the official release by UEFA, but always two days before the games, so should be quite sure that they got noticed.
DeleteA reward for Alejandro after a disastrous Greece-Netherlands match. UEFA has never had justice after Ceferin-Rosetti.
ReplyDeleteAnd for Manzano as well
DeleteManzano after a very questionable PK to PSG… Gets PSG again.
DeleteIn other words, just make sure that PSG is happy. 😕
No good news for Pinheiro
ReplyDeleteHe's in Indonesia for U17 World Cup, so he and the other UEFA referees attending the tournament (Obrenovič, Eskås, Krogh, Karaoglan) are completely out of MD4 & MD5 appointments.
DeleteFull appointments when available, just managing to get that was a success. Really don't know what has happened to UEFA site. Must be a technical issue and nothing else.
ReplyDeleteCommenting appointments, let's start from Peljto and Kruzliak, as I guessed yesterday, we have two names from MD3 repeating, appointments made after the others, as the observers were not still assigned. Good path for Peljto, while we can say that Kruzliak was assessed as not so much bad (but surely not excellent...) by Rosetti in Barcelona. I think his performance was average, but more inclined to "down" that "up". Neverheless I don't see this assignment as bad management, rather, I'm happy maybe the Slovakian can find himself again as better referee.
At the end in group F we just have the only solution we could have guessed, that is Gil Manzano in Milan. Definitely no other options, that's only reason for which the Spanish will appear again in this group. Committee should definitely think soon about creating new alternatives for certain games, the management in this group so far has been extremely "challenging" for them, they could appoint a name only because they couldn't find an alternative. So, clearly, the choice is out from mere technical reasons, at least not in full, but in my opinion the penalty for handball he assigned was not a clear mistake, of course for people from other countries that's a different story, and we know why (different point of views).
The referee from Canary Islands in Dortmund is another very forced option, after Greece - Netherlands, in normal conditions he wouldn't have got further games in a so short time, but again... how to manage this group? And here the choice. Nevertheless, there is still trust for referees from major countries, if they make mistakes, they are, let's say, "more forgiven" than others. One must be honest.
Expected debut for the Belgian, nothing to say, as well as Orsato in group G, almost no other options for him.
Marciniak with a standard assignment, crucial game involving Italian team in the group, potentially hot clash with Dutch opponents, but not a real big game: how many times he handled such clashes, he has turned into a specialist of that, if you ask me. Almost the classic appointment for him at every appearance in CL.
To complete the analysis, Mariani is given CL after having missed the early matchdays, nothing particular just a game for a Category 1 that would have been good for a debut as well. Don't know how to read his situation at moment, after the big focus one year ago, now committee seems to have stopped a bit with him. We will see his next games.
But if they didn't have a problem with repeating Peljto and Kruzliak, why couldn't Soares Dias get Milan-PSG?
DeleteI agree about the rest.
Chefren made a great comment on the appointments. I agree with his comments 100%.
DeleteKruzliak with games in MDs 2,3,4 & the postponed Euro Qualifiers game. And Vassaras, Rosetti, Plautz as observers. I think we can all agree that he is closely monitored for EURO.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the postponed games was part of the reason for his double appointment?
DeleteWill be interesting whether he keeps KOS-ISR, which will already happen on this Sunday.
The assistants for Erik Lambrechts are Jo De Weirdt (AR1) and Kevin Monteny (AR2).
ReplyDeleteThe VAR and A-VAR are still unknown, since they are not yet on the list there is a good chance that it is not a Belgian VAR.
https://www.rbfa.be/nl/nieuws/onze-scheidsrechters-actief-europa
Borussia Dortmund - Newcastle United
ReplyDeleteReferee : Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AR1 : Jose Naranjo Perez (ESP)
AR2 : Diego Sanchez Rojo (ESP)
FO : Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant VAR: Tiago Lopes Martins (POR)
Source : https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/latest-news/match-officials-confirmed-ahead-of-dortmund-trip/
I read that UEFA confirmed the technical issue on the site and published the appointments in a media release, but I definitely can't find that.
ReplyDeleteSome more VARs
ReplyDeletePeljto: Bebek and Dingert
Marciniak: Kwiatkowski and Fritz
Lambrechts: Delajod and Dankert
Its funny to see Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez refereeing and Carlos Del Cerro Grande on VAR, after the last few seasons
ReplyDeleteIt's funnier to see Taylor after her ill-fated UEL finale
DeleteInteresting to see Martinez Munuera confirmed as VAR for Gil Manzano in Milan - PSG. I think that committee could have made a different choice in case of extremely negative assessment in Greece - Netherlands, at least regarding the VAR, if not the main referee.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, one thing seems to have been done: dividing him and Hernandez Hernandez in different games...
My idea is that performance level doesn’t matter for the Spanish, since Carballo entered the Refcom :)
DeleteClub Atlético de Madrid (ESP) - Celtic FC (SCO)
ReplyDeleteVideo Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
AC Milan (ITA) - Paris Saint Germain FC (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Source: https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/scheidsrechters/aanstellingen/68347/serdar-g%C3%B6z%C3%BCb%C3%BCy%C3%BCk-fluit-rb-salzburg-internazionale
Thanks. Now in this set only AVAR for Kruzliak game is missing. Federations post only about their referees, we match informations and we see how much it is difficult when you don't have a unique source :)
DeleteIs it common to appoint VAR from a country of one of the teams in the group (eg Higler in Feyenoord group)? I can maybe imagine when the group is decided, but now it’s the contrary.
DeleteCan't say about a "real" common practice, but rather better to say that this can happen. With VAR it seems there aren't the same restrictions like field referees, that's mostly because VARs, at least in Champions League, are rather a very selected and narrow pool and they come mostly from the top federations, like NED.
DeleteOne Champions League statistic I find interesting:
ReplyDelete- Matchday 1-2: there were 3 Italian referees appointed, which was more than the Spanish (2), French (2) or Germans (2);
- Matchday 3-4: there are 4 Italian referees appointed, which is more than the Spanish (3), French (3) or Germans (3).
This is interesting, because the Elite list has just 2 Italian referees, whereas the Spanish, German and French have 3 Elite referees. So, why would they make a choice like this - Or what makes a category1 Italian more trusted than a Category1 German, Spaniard or French? And if the Italian cat.1 referees are qualified enough to handle Champions league matches, why aren’t they promoted to Elite? It sounds a bit paradoxical if you get what I mean… :)
I assumed, Italy can easily have 4 Elite spots if the referee performance level is very strong.
It is always easy to pinpoint to the Chief Refereeing Officer being an Italian, however let’s consider: are there arguments to defend Rosetti’s choice? For instance, is the Serie A more difficult to officiate than other Top5 leagues?
DeleteI think, their officials are under a huge pressure (especially in the media). And from a management perspective, it must be a very difficult league to referee. Players with unsportsmanlike behaviors, players do everything to win, troublemakers, etc. This can be different in Nordic countries where teams can be more fair and football-focused. However, the same can be said about the Spanish and Portuguese league. Furthermore, we also concluded that many Italian officials do not always punish unsportsmanlike behavior (they can be rather passive/lenient), yet they are expected to adapt their style in European games to protect the football image, which isn’t always easy (eg. Massa).
On the other hand, if we look at the style of football on the pitch, the intensity in Serie A games can be different than in other leagues. Many football players have stated that some Serie A teams are still much focused on strategics, rather than intensity/condition in trainings (compared to eg. ‘high pressing’ or very physical teams).
In my opinion, officials in intense leagues are facing very different challenges on the pitch. Premier League is obviously the league with highest intensity. The German league is quite intense as well. The French league very physical. And recent data has published that Netherlands Eredivisie is one of the most intense leagues in Europe as well. Games between top games in these countries can be very rough and certainly not easy to referee, with many duels to assess.
Talking about rough games: Balkan teams, Polish teams or Saudi Pro League are not easy to referee as well :D
This season I’ve seen many controversies in Spain, Italy and England, but not so much in for example France, Germany or Netherlands top games. Is it an easy league to referee or does it tell us something about their level of officials?
For sure, Italy has a very rich and wonderful history of referees. That helps, but are they are still ‘superior’ or better compared than Top 5 countries? Or deserve referees from other leagues more appreciation in UEFA games? I’m not sure. Feel free to share your opinions :)
Absolutely nice discussion! A pleasure to read.
DeleteSerie A is an extremely challenging league and we can be sure that the competition is ahead, in terms of difficulty, of England, France and Germany. In my opinion we can make comparison only with Spain and maybe Portugal (but less than Spain). First argument is the behavior of the players, but I would say also the role and the figure of referee. Heavily criticized but always in the spotlight. This has contributed to make Italian referees strong and able to bear pressure.
I don't say that in other countries is not the same, there can be something like that, but at the end the attention on referee is always relative.
This in a way has contributed to allow even a Category 1 of very long experience to get Champions League games. But... let's say a thing, if we talk about Guida, I analyzed his situation in UEFA ranking very often, we should report about a "missed" Elite referee only for a while. Don't know why he was not promoted, but the treatment he got in the years was always of more than a Category 1, so add his experience to serie A background and you understand why he has appointments in CL more than Cat. 1 from other major countries.
The discussion about Mariani, the other Category 1 who experienced CL in recent times, is surely different. In this case indeed one can say that, differently from other referees, he got the reward of a CL assignment very quickly, but then you can see, it seems as after bad performances, he was stopped again. So I think that the reasoning of Rosetti and committee is the following: if OK performance, an Italian Category 1 deserves Champions League. Is that fair? I think that a real answer can be given by the... next head of committee.
When there will be finally a change and Rosetti will leave, will have somebody from another nation and maybe no Italian members at all and we will see what will happen.
Also, I wanted to add, mostly we don't hear about controversy from France and especially Germany because they have a very different approach with refereeing, I would say a soft one, and that's clear. Ok, they blame the referee, but what happens in Italy is very difficult to imagine in other nations.
Yes, Italy and Spain must be very complicated, with a lot of pressure in the media.
DeletePortugal, given the difficulty in this competition, a mystery that they do not have more referees at European top.
England, we would expect them to have many top officials. But even the level of the Top2 is sometimes questionable. I know Oliver is praised a lot by the English, but if he referees a match in Saudi League, you can see his deficiencies.
Germany has no clear #1 with head and shoulders above the rest, but imho also no refs that are far below par. Many decent refs.
I think Polish, Dutch or Balkan leagues should not be underestimated, I mean if they produced top refs like Marciniak, Kuipers, Mazic, etc. That is also thanks to their (rough) leagues, and playing style of the top teams in these countries.
WOW, at least the main referee has appearead again on UEFA.com!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/2039130--dortmund-vs-newcastle/matchinfo/
AVAR here...
Deletehttps://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/2039131--shakhtar-donetsk-vs-barcelona/matchinfo/
very good hernandez so far
ReplyDeleteOT: Gentelmans, can anybody explain me situation about, for me, best referee in Serie A (excluding Orsato), Fabio Maresca. His chances for promotion and other stuff. Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteWe talked about him many times here on the blog, but again, a short summary.
DeleteTo me, when at the top of the form, he is the best referee ever you can find, so I agree with you in this regard.
His problem in the years has been that he has lacked in consistency, having extremely poor periods with many crucial mistakes and absolutely wrong approach to games. Then you could argue, so he is not the best referee. The strange thing is that, differently from other referees, the greatness shown in some games is too big to say that he is a poor referee. I think that he has had very poor moments in terms of motivations, and maybe, first important thing, is that he had to change his style. In past years he was extremely harsh referee, msany yellow and red cards. Once, he sent off Ibrahimovic for a very soft word, not even an insult. He was too mucn protagonist, a term that I don't like, but I think I'm allowed to use. He made an analysis about himself and now he seems an extremely wise person. He said that he wants to be at the service of football and he realized that he was wrong before. He never lacked in courage and that's another fact for which you can like him.
Now, shortly answering to his UEFA situation: not clear whether he is about to leave the FIFA list this season of not, Fabbri is sure, while Pairetto is another candidate. I think that would be fair to remove Fabbri and Pairetto, but the latter has been a FIFA referee for a too short time and I don't expect this choice by AIA at moment (they never make such changes that you can read only as technical choice, they always try to keep a referee as FIFA, once nominated, because they are not prone to admit mistakes).
My opinion is that he will stay on the list another year, with onyl Fabbri leaving the scene, but then on next year maybe it will be Maresca's turn as well.
He could have reached definitely more, if he had been the same referee we now know in past, he would have got an outstanding career, but there are very often many factors that can decideyour career as international referee.
He should have been promoted a few time ago as Cat. 1, now it seems very late.
We will see, starting from the possible confirmation on the FIFA list for 2024, let's wait for the news.
Great no PK by Peljto in 82'
ReplyDeletehttps://dubz.co/c/c5bd52
DeleteWOW :)
I would even dare to say Barcelona player had the arm of defender as target for that ball... done on purpose to get penalty, excellent assessment with play on.
Never a penalty, the player can’t simply make his arm disappear.
DeleteAnd so, correct decision^ well done! :)
DeleteCorrect decision!!! I saw that part of the match and dare to say it was a team work decision as it seemed the referee was going to blow the whistle but the AR2 passed the key information (if the AR2 must have participated in decision making process as he had better view angle to the incident than the referee himself)
DeleteExcellent performance by hernandez
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely easy going game for the Spanish in Dortmund, nothing to say, a totally different game than the one in Greece for him, an evening of relax that he needed after the storm...
ReplyDelete18:45 CET matches were not very demanding for the referees, from what I've watched it seems like expected performances by Hernández Hernández & Peljto.
ReplyDeleteIt was a (very) challenging game for Peljto, especially with regard to penalty area incidents. I think he is going to get a very high mark from the observer.
DeleteNot very demanding for Hernandez, haven’t seen him before and was pleasantly surprised. He looked very good this game! :)
DeleteVery easy match for Hernandez after storm of Vigo last saturday also. Happy for him today
ReplyDeleteSzymon Marciniak with a little bit challenging game!
ReplyDeleteGood YC on the first minute
As expected, a very challenging, rough game.
Delete21': OFR in Madrid, YC for reckless changed in RC for SFP.
ReplyDeleteI agree with VAR decision: excessive force by Scottish player, quite high studs.
https://streamin.me/v/7b5ebeb7
DeleteYou could hear the sound of the impact in real time. Good intervention
DeleteFor me wrong intervention. It's a YC for me. Genuine tackle, just a bit late.
DeleteIdk but there is something missing for me here, maybe I've just watched too much Premier League lately :)
DeleteThat is not an argument in the LOTG. Genuine tackle doesn't matter. A bit late doesn't matter. What matters is the point of contact (on the shin), the speed (fast). Crystal clear RC
DeleteIt is similiar to the MacAllister situation a few weeks back in the PL. At least in England, that RC was harshly criticised. Maybe UEFA wants to see a RC there. For me, a lot of the force comes from the player kicking the ball. Here is the clip im talking about for reference: https://youtu.be/VipQao6ygSE?si=QiQbMQy5akuuYE_R&t=102
DeleteGood comparison but for me MacAllister makes contact in a much lower area than Maida. Studs on shin is almost always a rc in football
DeleteSeemed like the referee had a higher bar than the VAR, not whistling for an earlier foul on Maeda and not giving a yellow for a heavy tackle on the Celtic left back a minute earlier.
DeleteThis is the kind of tackle where red is probably correct and expected with VAR but I personally would like for a YC to be the ”correct” decision in terms of game spirit. The force comes from the receiver which makes it much worse, of course looking at it from a factual standpoint it’s probably red but it doesn’t make me happy. Unlucky perhaps but this type of red makes me feel a little bit sad for the player.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIn full speed, it definitely ticks some RC boxes, however I sense that the ATM player is making it look much worse. Most PL players do not (over-)react in that way which makes a difference. Add the Spanish home crowd, player dissents and Simeone to the blender and you know there was a lot of pressure on the referee team in Madrid.
DeleteI’m curious about UEFA’s opinion, hopefully this will be added to next RAP.
Very soft penalty rn by Lambrechts in Manchester.
ReplyDeleteGenuinely don't see what's ”soft” about that at all. It's a clear penalty, mandatory OFR if not given on the field. Good decision by Lambrechts
Deletehttps://dubz.co/c/47761d
DeleteClear penalty, foul with right leg.
Not very intelligent action by the defender, however, contact is minimal and anticipated by attacker, fall is unnatural and exaggerated. For me very soft, if not wrong.
DeleteVery non-biased comment from our English friend.
DeleteThere is no soft penalty kicks in a game .
DeleteThe law states penalty kick or no penalty kick .
Can people please remember this .
LOL
DeleteI think everyone should expect a PK there. Correct decision.
DeleteClear penalty IMO
DeletePK is correct here IMO
DeleteCorrect pen, no pen for me acceptable if not given on field however
DeleteFor me a clear penalty, don’t think you could ever expect a non penalty here. Players & fans all expect a penalty, why shouldn’t the ref as well?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAnd to add to your argument @Refiref, the contact is not minimal but very clear and although the fall might be exaggerated, this does not remove the foul itself. Imagine all of the red cards given for slaps, you think they hurt as much as they do for the players to lay on the ground for minutes? Imagine this situation but the player doesn't fall, the referee will almost never whistle a penalty hence why 99% of players exaggerate the fouls they receive, so that the referee whistles them. You can call this unethical or wrong, but it's the reality of the game and just because that exists does not remove the foul itself.
DeleteI somewhat agree, rewachted it and penalty is at least supportable. However, I just don’t like these exaggerated kind of falls. Fouls like this are hardly whistled in midfield. For me attacker still makes quite a lot more out of the contact than what could be expected by basic physics, therefore making seem the impact of the contact worse and somewhat "deceiving" the referee.
DeleteAbove at 22:18 is my comment.
DeleteI understand your point @Refiref, yes it is exaggerated and I agree that IF the foul was minimal or a little less obvious than here, a penalty would be soft/wrong. However in this situation I think the contact is just too obvious to argue anything else, the player could do a front flip and you would still have to (maybe sadly) whistle a penalty because of the contact alone regardless of how the player falls. It’s just the reality of the game, a contact like that would most likely not impact a player in the way he tries to display it does but it’s so clear that a penalty still has to be given.
DeleteHow has there been so much discussion about an absolutely nailed on penalty 🤣🤦♂️. Obviously correct call by Lambrechts.
DeleteVitinou booked for very little in Milan. Nothing challenge really
ReplyDeleteThe penalty whistled by Mariani, supportable decision (maybe somebody will disagree):
ReplyDeletehttps://streamin.me/v/b7d39186
Good decision, IMO
DeleteVery clear penalty for me, a normal and expected decision. Not sure what the defender is doing honestly…
DeleteCorrect decision and good onside call by the assistant!
DeleteBTW notice how far Simione is allowed out of technical area on the red card tackle with no punishment?
ReplyDeleteGood onside decision in Rome by AR2, 1-0 Lazio
ReplyDeleteGood onside for the goal in Rome.
ReplyDeleteThen, The end of the 1H brought some issues. Missed offside - blatant - and missed corner kick.
Adam Kupsik with a crucial decision correctly taken, but then two mistakes, missed offside and corner.
ReplyDeletePenalty awarded in Porto. Potential RC for DOGSO?
ReplyDeleteVery poor performance from the referee in Celtic game. Letting Atletico Madrid players away with usual dark arts. The standard of European referees is getting poorer maybe because they are re refereeing games by VAR.
ReplyDeleteI can’t disagree however the red card for the Celtic player was a red card and there is no debate.
DeleteMaybe the PL is clouding my judgement but I'm leaning towards no intervention here.
DeleteIt happens to you often.
DeleteCorrect second YC by Lambrechts for reckless tackle.
ReplyDeleteFor me rather a mistake, should have been a straight red card.
DeleteNow correct SYC by Lambrechts, could even discuss direct RC. However, for me borderline with both supportable decisions.
ReplyDeleteClip: https://dubz.co/c/9cee99
DeleteAgreed, from a refereeing standpoint it’s always easier to give a SYC, no protests from ”either” team, usually. It’s a very good situation for the referee in a borderline situation where the end result for the game is the same regardless ;)
DeleteRC after on field review in Porto. Fairly small level of contact but clear studs on shin
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, and NOW we see how hopeless the dissent guidelines are in this Rosetti/Čeferin era - Lucas Hernández HAS to be sent off by Gil Manzano (55') for at least a SYC, but the guy who sat in the hall and applauded Rubiales after the Women's WC debarcle knew better, and learn the lesson from Makkelie's famous Real Madrid vs. Paris; no expulsion!
ReplyDeleteBy the way 100% correctly goal allowed for Milan, Hakimi put his leg there on purpose.
DeleteNothing to do with clear and obvious, just never a foul.
You talk too much to be so ignorant. It looks like Gil Manzano has done something to you...
DeleteI’m not criticising Gil Manzano; he acted as any sensible person would do. Indeed he completely disabused ‘mediocre Manzano’ with a very accomplished performance in the semifinal last season and he is a deserved recipient of the ‘Spanish no.1’ position in my opinion.
DeleteYou misunderstood my comment. Honestly I feel sorry for him tonight. How can he win?
I don't think it's mediocre at all. In fact, both last season and this season he is having very serious performances at the highest level
DeleteIndeed Gil Manzano has improved a LOT in the last ~10 months, this can't be argued. He had an excellent 2022-23 UEFA campaign with rock solid performances in his CL QF/ SF 1st legs.
DeleteHowever, what Mikael rightly underlines is the prior 'version' of JGM was drastically weaker: his promotion at summer 2018 was staggering - as he showed no special skills besides a fantastic fitness level - and his weaknesses were often visible (Italy-Ecuador 2019 U20 WC 3rd place match, Francfort-West Ham 2021-22 ELSF 2nd leg et al.) Fortunately for him he had a nice development.
Not carding Hernandez again was a smart move considering how PSG is dealt with in the current UEFA era...
I bet, Gil Manzano probably gets PSG two more times this season, after not issuing that 2YC.
DeleteExtremely hopeless.
Hernandez now booked by Gil Manzano for another imaginary foul
ReplyDeleteskriniar got to be booked there
ReplyDeleteStraight RC in Porto after OFR: https://streamin.me/v/f30432fe
ReplyDeleteI agree with VAR, potential discussion can be about intensity (maybe not more than a touch with studs), but all the rest is a very clear RC.
https://streamin.me/v/f30432fe
Oh, come on. Zero intensity. Of course you can play with pictures to make it red. Wrong intervention.
DeleteWith the high contact point combined with the semi straight leg, you can almost disregard the intensity imo, a very clear red regardless for me. Of course it looks worse when you play it frame by frame @Anonymous 22:35, but you can not argue this does not endanger the safety of the player..
DeleteFor me a RC, correct intervention. Out of control. If there is more force he could seriously hurt the opponent.
DeleteSyzmon Marcianak is music to my ears, the way he has controlled the second half in Rome makes me fall in love with him, he never loses control and everyone respects him on the pitch.Hes to good!
ReplyDeleteHe’s so good!
DeleteInteresting analysis on your second comment @Anonymous haha. I agree! I watched him long before the WC final for 2-3 UCL games and thought he was the only referee to almost never get any protests, full respect from players and excellent whistling. He was a joy to watch and I was not surprised when he was later appointed for the final, there’s a reason he is the referee for my profile picture! :)
Delete73' what a brilliant reading by Marciniak during a counterattack by Lazio, all expected the whistle for a clear foul and SPA, but he spotted a previois foul in the midfield, off the ball. It seems that he keeps under control everything with more than 2 eyes.
ReplyDeleteAnd he takes the pressure right of the game in a heated moment and shut down any protests immediately, brilliant decision.
DeleteHe's so good and I heard also a real gentleman outside of pitch.
Delete4th yellow of the game, slightly harsh
DeleteMy impression was that the 4th official noted this foul
DeleteSkriniar now should be off if manzano booked him correctly earlier. Very poor from him tonight
ReplyDeleteVery poor because of one missed yellow in your opinion?
DeleteOne missed yellow for Skiniar and the yellows for hernandez and vitinou yellows were for none fouls. Im sure manzanos fanboys will be straight to his defence
DeleteI am not a Manzano fanboy, I simply enjoy the discussion amongst referee enthusiasts, do you have the clips of the situations you refer to?
DeleteVery positive day for Champions League officiating.
ReplyDeleteMostly good performances with correct / supportable decisions.
Only two OFRs to be discussed, both for issuing RCs for SFPs in Porto and Madrid. Some people disagree with the choices, but I think that if UEFA keeps this standard with SFP, it's good.
https://streamin.me/v/7b5ebeb7
https://streamin.me/v/f30432fe
The best was my friend Marciniak. Is it possible he gets another match this week?
DeleteAgreed that UEFA should keep this standard, I feel like these two are good examples of pretty clear red cards with VAR. I feel like the players want these types of reds to avoid injuries.
DeleteI have him for PSG-Newcastle on MD5 before his departure for the Club World Cup
DeleteI would be really happy if actually on field the referees could spot such incidents. Both cases referess and AR has clear view. I know VAR can correct anytime, but I would be amazed if Elite level referees could also notice such actions on field and sanction correctly.
DeleteWell done Szymon marciniak to keep control at the end
ReplyDeleteInteresting situation before 3-0 of Griezmann: was it a controlled play by Celtic defender? Based on the IFAB-videos, I‘d rather say ‚no‘ as there is another defender jumping & missing the ball directly in front of the defender ‚playing/deflecting‘ the ball to Griezmann.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right, it was not a deliberate play, but rather deflection for the reasons you have mentioned. The goal should have been annulled.
DeleteI watched Marciniak tonight. He did well, was his usual self, managed the game. one thing I didn't like was his management of extra time. He added 6 minutes (could have been a lot more) and then at least 3 or 4 minutes no playing. And he ended the game at 96:45. This rewards time wasting.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, again some very bad behaviour by both players and staff of an Italian team. Faking injuries, wasting time, simulating, attacking referees and players of opposing team. Isn't it time by now to eject Italian teams from European football for a season? Since it it so obviosuly part of their football culture to misbehave.
One thing is respect Marciniak has among the players. It's something extraordinary, absolutely amazing, indeed. The Pole has the ability to immediately calm down everyone using his firm and strong body language.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing is technical accuracy that, in my opinion, significantly decreased in his games after the WC final. He bases on experience and enormous authority but is no longer the almost-faultless man from the pre-WC era. It seems he doesn't need to use cards to prevent bad things anymore. He uses his charisma and players trust. It works, so one can keep both eyes closed to some sub-optimal disciplinary decisions, but it's not my cup of tea, to be honest.
Saying that all, I was hugely impressed by his control and body language today, of course, and I think not many other referees would have been able to end this game without bigger issues.
I think we might say that Simon is a great example of referee with great mental strength and stability. After not so good season 2 years ago, he managed to recover and have great season last year which provide him with enormous self-confidence. Now, we have humble, experienced, self-confident, and athlete referee who is enjoying refereeing and all of that together make him the referee he is right now. Hope it will last long.
DeleteNice situation in Group F where all 4 teams can still qualify.
ReplyDeleteMarciniak definitely an option to be repeated in this group, but as Diego wrote, he can just work in week 5, not in week 6 due to FIFA CWC. A pity he already refereed BVB-Milan (in week 2). So, if they want to use him in Group F it has to be PSG-Newcastle.
Regarding the other 3 names, any thoughts? I’m not sure we can expect e.g. Peljto or Nyberg beside their excellent form. They are recently promoted. If I had to predict, they will repeat Kovacs, Vincic, maybe even Sanchez again.
The two Dutch referees look quite possible for group F.
DeleteImo Gozubuyuk has never refereed a real top game in UEFA competitions. I don’t think he’s rated that high.
DeleteMakkelie might be possible in Newcastle-Milan (week 6). VAR Dieperink is also back from U-17 then
Highlights of Irfan Peljto's performance in Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona:
ReplyDeletehttps://we.tl/t-IyvMeuxnvE
Looks like an excellent performance in a challenging game, at moment the Bosnian is surely in the best form of his entire UEFA career so far. Fourth CL appointment to follow on MD5 or 6.
DeleteCredit to Mr Szymon Marciniak 🔥💪🏽 This guy is good, absolutely amazing to watch!
ReplyDeleteI’m a referee and learning a lot from him
I am so sad he doesn't get a game tonight. Why is not possible to have two matches in a week? He is the best. Maybe early match on Tuesday and late on Wednesday if venue is close?
DeleteCome on, it is impossible to officiate a game the day after, and even two days after, in my opinion. At least three days are needed if not more, even more when you have officiated a so challenging match like Lazio - Feyenoord. It is not only about physical condition but about mental effort as well.
DeleteHaving said that, I think that with this form Marciniak was unlucky to get only three games (considering that he will be out for MD6 because at Club World Cup and he will appear again only on MD5). He could have officiate a game more two weeks ago.
But he is the best, I think he could manage two matches per week.
DeleteAbsolutely not. They have to be able to rest, even if domestic competitions they don’t do more than one game a day. Wouldn’t ask players to do it so don’t as a ref
DeleteBut he is the best.
DeleteJust because he's the best we should also be careful with him, we don't want him to be injured because of an overload
DeleteAnonymous is trolling you :D
DeleteLadies and gentlemen! You can see that in such form and with such experience, Marciniak must reach the EURO final. Someone just say that Orsato must get the final because he is retiring, and this will be his reward for his entire career... I also do not understand the arguments that Marciniak cannot referee the EURO Final because he refereed the World Cup final or the Champions League final. This is ridiculous! If he is in good shape and health, he must referee everything that is most important in football. Even if it were to last a few years (he is still relatively young).
ReplyDeleteKind regards.
I hope he will get semi-final and final. He is the best.
DeleteThere are plenty of other top referees who deserve the euros final.
DeleteI got divorced recently. I saw him on TV. Is he married? Happily?
Deletefar to early to say who is going to referee the semifinals and final.
Delete... and you can understand why every now and then we have to disallow anonymous comments!
DeleteSTOP.
It’s ridiculous that the EURO final campaign has already started and that they use your blog for this Chefren…
DeleteHahaha what am I reading..
DeleteHere the situation reported by Mikael about Gil Manzano, possible second YC just after the first one:
ReplyDeletehttps://streamff.co/v/2T6m_YUvJ7
Indeed a clear second YC to be issued. We have arm gesture before and then confrontation with referee almost head to head.
Absolutely impossible for committee to accept that, but to take this decision, since it happened immediately after the foul, you must be veeery strong. Better to keep eyes (and ears) closed. Committee will "understand"...
At this level and with current UEFA guidelines it is indeed a mandatory second yellow card, would I like for it to be a second yellow? Never. But that doesn’t mean Manzano can disregard it, maybe political factors play a part in his decision but I doubt he is able to have that in his mind at that moment, I think a case of just not wanting to affect the game in a deciding way in one single situation.
DeleteHighlights of Szymon Marciniak's performance in Lazio vs Feyenoord:
ReplyDeletehttps://we.tl/t-S2IaU4KQgf
https://streamable.com/fhkuqp
DeleteThis is the moment of the excellence...
Excellent, indeed. Marciniak is a fantastic referee.
DeleteErik Lambrechts on his UCL debut: https://x.com/UEFA/status/1722191334662881536?s=20
ReplyDelete