Third set of Champions League Round of 16 assignments, games to be played on Tuesday 20 February 2024.
20 February 2024
21:00 CET - Milan (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)
FC Internazionale (ITA) - Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
Referee: István Kovács ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Florin Marinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene ROU
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Fritz GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Cătălin Popa ROU
UEFA Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel GER
UEFA Delegate: Per Svärd SWE
Referee: István Kovács ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Florin Marinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene ROU
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Fritz GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Cătălin Popa ROU
UEFA Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel GER
UEFA Delegate: Per Svärd SWE
21:00 CET - Eindhoven (PSV Stadion)
PSV (NED) - Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Referee: Srđan Jovanović SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović SRB
Fourth Official: Novak Simović SRB
Video Assistant Referee: Nejc Kajtazović SVN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Referee: Srđan Jovanović SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović SRB
Fourth Official: Novak Simović SRB
Video Assistant Referee: Nejc Kajtazović SVN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
UEFA Referee Observer: Carlos Velasco Carballo ESP
UEFA Delegate: David Findlay SCO
UEFA Delegate: David Findlay SCO
My guess Arsenal-Porto maybe Makkelie
ReplyDeleteSo, after one year and the famous Milan - Napoli, Kovacs will be back at San Siro for this game, expected to be a very challenging one. I think we can be sure he will apply a totally different style, than the one that caused him many criticisms for that game. Still a very big trust for the Romanian, we will see this time how he will perform.
ReplyDeleteBig surprise in Eindohven: one couldn't have expected the Serbian after the management in group stage, we can't know the reasons, but we can draw conclusion committee is still interested in following him, for a possible EURO call. Extremely important game under the eyes of Velasco Carballo. At the same time, this choice shows in my opinion the consideration by committee regarding a clash like PSV- Borussia Dortmund, if compared to other games (in which we would have hardly seen the Serbian after his recent path).
I think you are wrong. Kovacs was appointed for Milan -Borussia Dortmund in the group stage. So, it’s not a year when he visited San Siro, and now Giuseppe Meazza.
DeleteYes I meant specifically the KO stage games, that can be considered something very different. in my opinion, than the ones in GS (at first for the spotlights).
Deletewho are the observers for Wednesday?
ReplyDeleteNapoli - Barcelona: Elmir Pilav (BIH)
DeleteFC Porto - Arsenal: Hugh Dallas (SCO)
Prediction
DeleteNeapel-Barcelona: Vincic
Porto-Arsenal: Meler
Isn’t Meler injuried?
DeleteMeler has a game in the Turkish Super League today
DeleteHopes for wednesday
DeleteNap-Bar: zwayer
Por-ars: gozubuyuk
No wa Vincic can ref Napoli vs Barca after last season controversy when he did Barca vs Inter
DeleteThe Slovenian VAR for Jovanovic on Tuesday should indicate no appointment for Vincic the day after, but possible on Thursday in EL.
DeleteHugh Dallas has also a role at development of Turkish refereeing. Can he observe a Turkish referee? I am expecting Meler at Europa League, before he gets a game at CL.
DeleteIt will be more interested to watch Jovanovic in Eindhoven then Kovacs in Milan, on the context “qualifying” match for Euro. Because Jovanovic is back on track, I’ll be waiting for Eskas, Kruzliak, and Grinfeeld appoinments. Hopefully Jovanovic can pass maybe the final test. Good luck for him!
ReplyDeleteBased on recent domestic form, quite unexpected (and maybe undeserved) appointment for Istvan Kovacs, in one of the hottest UCL R16 matches. Clearly a big test for him before EURO, however with Vassaras' backing his spot should be secure, even in case of a poor performance in Milano.
ReplyDeleteAlso an interesting stat regarding Kovacs: since VAR was introduced in Romanian league, he awarded 14 penalties - 7 of which were only after VAR intervention. Do you think that a 50% accuracy for fouls inside the box (which, actually, is below 50%, as incorrect penalties that he rescinded after VAR check are not included in this stat) is acceptable for a ref who is considered among top 10 in Europe?
Regarding the "big test before EURO", in my opinion EURO tournament for Kovacs is something sure at moment, it is impossible to think he could be out, given how UEFA is appointing him by years. He got this game exactly for his reputation.
DeleteYou are naive if you think the domestic performances of referees from countries with smaller football matter so much for Rosetti. The same goes for Vincic or Marciniak. The Com focus is almost zero on these games, because the fans do not watch these competitions. If Taylor, Gil Manzano or Orsato make a majour mistake, a lot of people will find about it and criticize the referees. While if Kovacs makes a mistake in Romania or Vincic in Slovenia, no one will know about it. They will be criticized by the national media and that's it. The general perception among fans in Europe and among their referee colleagues rif you want remain the same. And if you ask me, the domestic performances should not be so important in deciding the European appointments for all the referees. Of course, I am not saying that they should treat the domestic games superficially. The concentration must be the same for all the games, all must be treated seriously. But if you make a mistake in a domestic league game, the consequences must not influence appointments in European competitions. And vice-versa.
DeleteTo say that the appointment is undeserved it is not fair since the performances in UCL were more than fine in autumn, except for the AR1 mistake in the last game in Porto. And there were difficult games.
Very interesting discussion, thanks for your post Matei, there are many correct remarks, I think. Indeed I agree that committee is not interested at all in some referees' domestic path, even more if these games are hidden to media (as for Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovenia among others), rather, that's someething very good for Rosetti & CO. because they have the chance to make an appointment for a big game without thinking to that, even if referee is coming from a domestic poor game. There would be the opportunity to discuss about the "form" of a referee, but to me, sometimes, in such extra ordinary cases, there can be a full split between the domestic achievements and performances and the UEFA career. I can't say that Kovacs is the main example for that, but for sure givenhis background, what he achieves at UEFA, can't be absolutely seen in his home country, even if he gets always the top games and the hot derbies. Kovacs is now the referee that Rosetti and committee know by years thank to what he did in UEFA games, and that's enough for them. If they had to be worrid even about domestic league, situation would be extremely difficult with even less options than the expected ones. To summarize in a short sentence: for referees like Kovacs, UEFA and domestic league can easily be two totally different worlds.
DeleteBut.. there is the other side of the question, with referees from the "big" nations getting very often games based also on their domestic form. That's because in this case committee can't hide a very poor performance. Take a look at Guida assignment, he got the game in Paris for CL Round of 126, totally unexpected, this was made because he is having an excellent season in serie A, while Massa, a referee that one could have expected, given also current management (candidate for EURO, absolutely suitable game for him), is not in a good moment. Here, committee was interested in not "losing the name" and so they made this choice.
At the end coming from a different nation and confirming himself among the very top of UEFA Elite referees, is something more "convenient" than making the same but coming from a big nation, one has to say that...
I agree that a series of good domestic performances can be sometimes rewarded with a good European appointment as in Guida case. But this reward is not because Massa didn't perform good in Serie A but rather because he was not good enough in UCL. If Massa would have been top in UCL in autumn he would have appeared also in UCL KO stage regardless of his or Guida's Serie A performances I think or at least this is how I believe things should be. Let's not rush with the conclusions however, maybe Massa will get a game too (Porto-Arsenal or some very good UEL game).
DeleteMy predictions for Wednesday:
ReplyDeletePorto x Arsenal - Sandro Schärer
Napoli x Barcelona - Michael Oliver
I fear that Sandro Schärer ist still/again out for some reasons: In the Swiss Super League, he didn't handle any match this year so far, compared to other referees with already four games. Maybe, also Jovanovic's appointment could indicate that UEFA has to find alternatives for EURO 2024.
DeleteThat's a good point, Peter, and I was thinking about that as well.
DeleteMaybe there is a small connection between Schaerer absence and the appointment of the Serbian, with committee looking for other names regarding EURO. At the end one could say that before the (un-)famous Italy - England game about one year ago, the Serbian had had a similar path to the Swiss.
It is a very particular assignment for him after the group stage, so something extra-ordinary can be part of the matter!
Why a referee as Jovanovic after 1 cl group stage and one EL game?
ReplyDeleteThe most referees has three of four games in CL!
He cant be a referee at the euro 2024... A bad referee
Hahahahahhaha you are so funny
DeleteHe was so bad with Italy against England and this year a low match in CL and also in EL, and now a cl 2nd rond match....
DeleteWhy?
Shocking tackle by Mason Holgate in Sheffield United vs Brighton, somehow only given a YC onfield by referee Stuart Attwell. VAR (Michael Oliver) quickly called for OFR and rightly upgraded to red.
ReplyDeletehttps://dubz.co/v/grqwy4
DeleteAbsolutely shocking! Maybe Attwell didn't expect something like that so early in the game? He should have focused more on the challenge...
Must be one of the fastest times for VAR to call the OFR, only one I can remember in England being so quick was the second Disallowed Spurs penalty vs Chelsea in the efl cup semi final in 2022. His view may been blocked but he should be in a better position. PL referees really struggle determining SFP on field. just like the Brewster red card the other week.
DeleteThen Attwell making a mess of the disallowed Sheffield United goal. Looked like it was originally disallowed for a foul on someone but that was non existent. Then called for OFR for second time to disallow the goal due to subjective offside (non deliberate touch)
Poor performance from Attwell again who struggles like a number of premier league referees when the games get a bit heated.
Time for Attwell to become full-time VAR? Might be a bit reactionary, but I've never felt he's been in control of a single game ever he has refereed. Always very passive and disoriented management and cannot take the role that is needed in those situations. Often quite bad positioning as well, too far away in this situation as you highlighted. I don't believe he can be the main candidate for the FA Cup final after his performances this season
DeleteI don’t see an alternative for the cup final unless Kavanagh gets both. The only possible alternative is Brooks. A game like a Manchester derby/ Liverpool/ Chelsea would be a big game for him. However he has recently done man United vs spurs and arsenal vs Liverpool in the fa cup. Often the FA cup final referee did the biggest game in the earlier rounds (Paul Tierney last year did Man City vs Arsenal) so could be him.
DeleteWhenever Stuart Attwell has to make a big decision it always looks like he is wandering round without a clue of what is going on and with no control. However, there are certainly worse referees in the premier league.
Watching the highlights Attwell clearly had no clue what was going on. First goal looked like he had disallowed it for something (he hadn’t). Should have seen the Red card, he nearly played on. Then for the disallowed Sheffield goal- he firstly disallows it for what? He makes no signal for anything. He doesn’t even look like he himself knows why he has disallowed it, a really weak point for a foul, looked for like he was pointing for a goal. Correct OFR for subjective offside clearly not deliberate play, however Attwell again didn’t help himself after. He points as if he is giving a freekick, then makes the TV signal and that’s it. At no point does he put his arm up for offside. Really odd. No one had a clue what was going on
DeleteYes it wasn't Attwell's finest game but the constant pile on on English officials on this page is so tiresome. If you look at the angle Attwell had he was blocked completely by another SHU player and unless he had x-ray vision he wouldn't have seen it. He disallowed the goal for a foul on the keeper, hence why he was asked to go to the monitor to confirm a subjective offside (different offence to what was originally called). Why does nobody talk about Andy Madley's excellent performance in Manchester City vs Chelsea for example?
DeleteWith Attwell is more how weak he looked in both situations especially the disallowed goal, the signals he was making showed nothing and at no point did he signal offside (was definitely the reason for the review).
DeleteI wouldn’t say Madley was excellent, it was an acceptable performance but nothing more.
Kovacs, for some reason always gets a 1st leg in the knock-outs.
ReplyDeleteIs he not trusted enough for a return or is it a smart management by Vassaras? We know Kovacs has been inconsistent at times. He can be very good, but his positioning can also let him down.
General observation is that for some referees, there is a clear development plan. Step by step, without rushing too much. This applies in particular to referees with a countrymen in the Refcom or close to the Refcom.
However, for some referees there is no plan at all. I wish we saw the ‘cautiousness’ for all referees in the lower and middle Elite development category. Some referees are pushed too early (e.g. Siebert, Oliver) or always sacrificed by the Refcom.
Eredivisie: Feyenoord - RKC
ReplyDeletehttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/GGohGKGWAAEOs9b?format=jpg
https://x.com/ESPNnl/status/1759256523404902505?s=20
Vaessen (keeper) opens his arms toward the opponent who trying to kick the ball, and claims that it was not a handball because ball hit the armpit first. The people of Nederland believe that the claim is correct and that this was not a handball.
VAR (Dieperink) would rather spend time on whether there was a foul play by Minteh who stole the ball before that, and decided not to intervene.
Vaessen believes this rode kaart will be withdrawn. Let's see what happens.
If that's not an offence...
DeleteThat's the problem with the interpretation that there is no handball offence if the ball deflects from another part of the body. It ALWAYS should be an offence in case of unnatural hand position / making body bigger when blocking a shot/pass, no matter if there's a deflection or not.
He moves his arm out to block the shot, that should surely be considered an deliberate handball and when it is deliberate, all other considerations get thrown out of the window
DeleteWe in Nederland are completely crazy! On Sunday night, everyone was desperately trying to confirm whether the ball actually hit Vaessen's body first, and many in the media said it was error by VAR.
DeleteIf you google ''hand body'' in Dutch (''handsbal lichaam''), the KNVB explains this situation by saying, "If the ball hits the hand via the body, there is not punishable."
KNVB suspended Vaessen for one match. I think this is a deserved disposal, but Vaessen and RKC will not accept it and will fight it out in the disciplinary committee.
DeleteI hope KNVB takes this opportunity to explain the rules clearly. In fact, it's really terrible that no one is playing the game without knowing the rules.
Today in Saudi Arabia
ReplyDeleteAl-Hilal vs Ar-Ra'id
Andris Treimanis (Haralds Gudermanis, Aleksejs Spasjoņņikovs; VAR Kristaps Ratnieks)
Al-Ittihad vs Ar-Riyadh
Nazareno Arasa (Juan Pablo Belatti, Cristian Navarro; VAR Hernán Mastrángelo)
In Kuwait
DeleteAl-Qadsiya vs Kazma
Anastásios Papapétrou (VAR Ángelos Evangélou)
In Greece
PAOK vs Olymbiakós SFP
Christian Dingert (Benedikt Kempkes, Nikolai Kimmeyer; VAR Günter Perl)
Any game between the top four teams in Greece are challenging ones for any referee. Today it was Dingert, from the Second Category. However, silently UEFA started to send again First Category referees in Greece - Aghayev, Lindhout and Saggi most recently. Or at least I didn't see any official press release like when UEFA announced last year they will not send Elite and First Cat referees in Greece anymore. My question is: for the Greek people (fans and/or media) does the Category of the referees they receive matter? Or simply as long as they are foreigners it is not important at all?
DeleteUEFA doesn't send referees anymore. That's why Elite referees aren't going to Greece.
DeleteThe interesting point to discuss is Saudi Arabian foreign referee arrangement, sometimes they got elite referees or well known 1st category from UEFA/CONMEBOL, sometimes only get 2nd cat from big UEFA/CONMEBOL members, especially the later I think it’s good opportunity from “unknown” Argentinian/Brazilian referees to get the match.
DeleteSerdar Gözübüyük (NED) in charge of FC Porto - Arsenal.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/scheidsrechters/aanstellingen/68700/gozubuyuk-leidt-champions-league-duel-tussen-fc-porto-en
Arbitro Internacional announced on X that UAE is hosting a seminar for top referee instructors, but they only listed the RefCom members. Anyone knows who are actually the instructors attending the seminar? Are they the WC26 instructors?
ReplyDeletePossible handball against athletico for handball.couldn’t see exactly off broadcast but it his arm looked out ?
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/ad0937
DeleteVery natural position of the arm, never punishable handball.
For me missed yc for Hummels and also for Lozano
ReplyDeleteJovanovic simply misses that tactical smartness to be a true top referee. It’s soooo simple to caution Hummels (27’) for a similar SPA-like foul for which he did issue a yellow to Lozano (22’). Just be smart, be predictable, be consistent, just manage.
DeleteJovanovic has no line regarding YC management. Now finally a YC for Dortmund after Lozano got his YC way too easy and Dortmund already made 2 same sort of fouls without a YC
DeleteIts okey bro, we know you hate Jovanovic
DeleteNow a for my taste wrong penalty whistled by Jovanovic. However once whistled I do understand why VAR does not intervene. So so performance for me so far.
DeleteControversial penalty by Jovanovic... Tackle on the ball but then also opponent. VAR supported the call After a rather short time.
DeletePenalty call not at all controversial to me. It‘s a clear and obvious tackle with the second leg (trailing leg). That he played the ball with first leg doesn‘t matter then, as the contact with second leg is considered dangerous. Should even have been a YC for reckless challenge.
DeleteExcellent penalty call by Jovanovic for PSV!
ReplyDeleteNo the decision is wrong
DeleteNot a correct penalty given by Jovanovic imo, but VAR is at fault.
ReplyDeleteSame author 22:15: both decisions supportable.
DeleteWrong penalty by Jovanovic. Not enough for VAR to intervene?
ReplyDeleteWrong penalty by Jovanovic. The ball came first from the BVB player
ReplyDeleteEdit : I see it differently here. VAR should have intervened.
DeleteWe can read different opinions here on the Blog about the penalty call and this should be the confirmation that it wasn't clear and obvious mistake. My opinioni Is rather no penalty. VAR correct with no intervention.
ReplyDeletePenalty call not at all controversial to me. It‘s a clear and obvious tackle with the second leg (trailing leg). That he played the ball with first leg doesn‘t matter then, as the contact with second leg is considered dangerous. Should even have been a YC for reckless challenge.
DeleteVAR should have intervened. My opinion ! Embarrassing
DeleteIf that's a penalty, then you're basically not allowed to touch an opposing player after playing the ball anymore.
DeleteHummels clearly goes for the ball and plays it. I don't understand how VAR can look at this an support that decision.
You are embarassing!
DeleteBut unfortunately we can't read any arguments so far, WHY this is a supportable penalty...
DeletePlea to all: The quality of the discussion and the cogency of your comments would increase a lot, if you would write arguments and reasons instead of just "correct", "supportable" or "wrong".
I can understand the penalty call as well. Was this really playing the ball or rather touching it slightly and catching (too) much of the opponent? Maybe not the most clear ever, but I tend to prefer a penalty awarded here.
DeleteOK, now two good comments with arguments while I was writing.
Deletehttps://twitter.com/graefe_manuel/status/1760051417975558264/photo/1
DeleteJust imagine if Jovanovic would have decided no penalty. Would VAR have intervened? Not in a million years. We need to stop overcomplicating things. Hummels clearly gets the ball first. Never a penalty.
DeleteI'm sorry but I don't see what Refiref and Unknown are seeing. How much of the ball is rather unimportant if the cause of the touch is your own actions rather than someone else kicking the ball onto you for example and also the trailing leg is exactly where you would expect it to be in this situation. Wrong penalty and missed VAR intervention for me
DeleteIn the Netherlands we had exactly the same situation a few weeks ago at Feyenoord-PSV, where no penalty was given to PSV. At that time, it was explained to me that there is a difference between touching the ball and playing the ball.
Deletehttps://x.com/siekobos/status/1750258301378400351?s=20
Still, this decision has also been criticized in the Netherlands. I don't know why. He just touched the ball and didn't play.
To be honest, even the Dutch TV-commentator expected a VAR-intervention for the PK-call
DeleteBas Nijhuis:
Delete"There is a clear distinction between 'playing' and 'hitting/touching' the ball. When playing, the direction and speed are changed, so that the attacker can no longer play the ball.''
So when you have 2 split opinion simply you can’t blame Jovanovic, this is only supportable call and correct by VAR to support. Overall despite the call, the game not challenging at all and it’s just standard performance so far. But IMO he already booked his place in Euro.
DeleteI‘m actually incredibly surprised by the discussion. As the contact with Hummel’s second leg is clear and IMO also dangerous. Here we have exact same scenes in the national RAP every year which are always foul and YC. This is how I‘ve learned it for years now.
Delete@Anass for me those situations are not similar situation at all.
DeleteFEY-PSV was a light touch, and clear nasty foul on player’s ankle.
PSV-BVB was not just a light touch, but a clearance of the ball, followed by a sort of trailing/careless leg… I can understand the protests here
It doesn't seem like an obvious clearance of ball to me.
DeleteWhat about others?
At least I think that's the point of discussion.
I think the key question is did Hummels play the ball or did he just touch it? I think he just touched the ball. After that the attacking player took the ball away... Also, where is the point of the contact?
DeleteYes, that is an important question and hard to answer, because the attacker blocks the ball immediately afterwards. But to me it looks like the ball would be played away sidewards without the attacker's block.
DeletePoint of contact is on the foot - not impossible, but hard to see, that he also touches the attacker's shin.
Another factor is the movement of the attacker's left leg, which might be looking for contact instead of continuing running normally.
https://streambug.org/cv/c4c30e
DeleteThis is one of the scenes I learnt about trailing leg offenses in an UEFA lesson some years ago. To me the situation today was comparable to this one, so for me clear YC and Penalty, as the contact/ball with the first leg don‘t matter if the offense is committed by the trailing/second leg, as it obviously is here with Hummels.
82`brilliant YC Savic for dissent. Even warned for a second YC. Good authority by Kovacs
ReplyDeleteKovacs making a fairly simple game look difficult. Soft fouls all night and a clueless look on his face when guessing decisions
ReplyDelete?? He ended the game fairly well despite the fact that tthe things became a little bit hot in the end. Clueless look? Absolutely not, anything but that.
DeleteI guess you hate Kovacs. For me, it was a good game for him. He didn’t have KMI in this match.
DeleteClear penalty by serbian referee. Jovanovic very good referee but much criticized a lot just becauae he is from Serbia. Westerners don't like us from the east
ReplyDeleteStop making this a xenophobic issue, it's a debatable penalty and therefore naturally will cause discussion and different viewpoints.
DeleteComment for Jovanovic is true
DeleteIt is true! I remember comments here about Mažić. He was even criticized once when he got injured because WAS RUNNING FAST! Can you imagine that some people here wrote that about him? From 90% of commentators here he was never supported and praised, even he whistled Champions League final! Now "million" comments about this penalty. Did Hummels play the play, did he just touch it, with which leg he committed the foul lalalalala. So many unnecessary comments. Hummels will always say never a PK (such a stupid comment from him that PSV players even smiled at the decision), but if you watch it closer - clear PK with trailing leg. It is so stupid not to give PK if there was a foul when the defender played the ball first! Do you remember one situation when Man UTD player got his leg broken after the defender played the ball and then caught his leg? If I don't make mistake, PK was not given then and afterwards it was said that it had to be PK (and RC).
DeleteEverything is true
DeleteLost of cocentration for Kovacs in 92'. Wrong YC, not even a foul. I have a feeling that all 50-50 desicions go in favour of Inter.
ReplyDeleteYC for Koke was for protests. He ended the game fairly good.
Delete@Philipp S,
ReplyDeleteI’m curious, what is the opinion of German television regarding the penalty call? The Dutch expected an intervention there.
Ref expert Wolfang Stark supports the decision, Manu Gräfe critizises it.
DeleteTV commentators and experts mainly oppose the call.
Hummels now on TV, obviously claiming that it should never be a penalty. According to him, even PSV players were laughing about it.
Hefty discussion between Hummels and Stark right now.
Stark did not really support the decision, he just said you CAN make that call, but you dont have to, a 50/50 decision, he would not have given the PK, but the unclear situation is the reason, why he supported that the VAR did not intervene.
DeleteI haven't watched the whole game of Kovács, but in the last half an our I had a very good impression. Want to highlight two things.
ReplyDelete1. Always very close to action, and immediately ready to calm things down. I think that's a perfect approach for such a game, especially with Atlético one of the team.
2. His natural authority and presence and acceptance is really good when he is in top form. He managed the game so well, and used only his cards when needed in the end and was never in doubt who is leading the game.
Again saying this without the full match, but that seemed like a top performance without controversial situations. I think this year we can expect him even in CL semifinal, if he can keep such form.
Was interesting to read about his domestic performance being not so good, but seems like his international form is still on top. :)
I would mostly agree. He looked very prepared for the kind of match. Rather strict on fouls but absolutely fine. Didnt fall for any of several attempts of simulation. Very active management as soon as a confrontation was only possible. But to be fair, only the last 15mins were challenging. Before that it was surprisingly well mannered from both sides. But I gotta agree he kept it well together in the end.
DeleteUEFA gotta be happy to keep Kovacs for another games in CL.
I also agree with that impression. I especially liked that he talked with the players on several occasions. And then quite consistent with cards in the final phase.
DeleteHe’s a good referee! For me, still difficult to read how he’s rated though. As of 2021, Kovacs was always appointed to first legs in the Champions League. Some big games though, however since the abolition of away goals the 1st legs tend to be calmer, more football-focused, less frustrations by players. Atletico-Inter 2nd leg will be much more difficult, as players will do anything to win.
DeleteSo, for some reason Kovacs hasn’t been appointed to return games for a while, which I think is remarkable for a conference league final referee.
Very good Kovacs in a less-challenging-than-expected game. The Romanian was very well prepared to the game, talked to Atlético players in the tunnel, was aware that Savić was sent by Simeone to create some troubles, etc. I agree that he applied a strict line regarding what is a foul but in games involving such teams that should be a standard. I really enjoyed management in 76' (Samuel Lino) and 82' (Savić). Correct no handball call in 13'. All mandatory cautions given, nothing serious wrong/missed. Well done!
DeleteMaybe we have watched different games with Anonymous 22:47 but I would say an almost faultless performance by Kovacs in a not very difficult game.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to add something else. For a long period of time the perception of Kovacs here on this blog is a kind of "he is now the Romanian Number 1 because of Hategan's health problems". It cannot be more far away from the truth. Nothing against Hategan - also a very, very good referee, but IMO Kovacs is far better in all important aspects: technical accuracy, physical condition and mental stability. On top of that, he is well accepted by players and coaches because of his football background and his understanding of the game, I would say very much like Orsato.
https://streambug.org/cv/c4c30e
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the scenes I learnt about trailing leg offenses in an UEFA lesson some years ago. To me the situation today was comparable to this one, so for me clear YC and Penalty, as the contact/ball with the first leg don‘t matter if the offense is committed by the trailing/second leg, as it obviously is here with Hummels.
The problem here surely isn't just the trailing leg though, it's about the speed and force of the challenge. It is much higher in this instance than in the Hummels one today
DeleteThat’s not a similar situation for me.
DeleteIn the clip you shared, the player is at full speed and cannot avoid the trailing leg. And the YC could be issued for SPA.
In PSV-BVB, different situation. Clearance/touch by Hummels, and PSV-player runs into the trailing (careless) leg. Is he looking for the contact (trips on purpose) instead of trying to avoid Hummels? That’s also a question
Yeah, I totally get the difference of intensity, however, does the attacker have to try to avoid the second leg? And even then I‘m really not sure that he could have. IMO the defender, by making the challenge, takes the risk of fouling/hitting the opponent with his second leg. If we have the contact, as it is here, the defender is at fault and a foul should be whistled. As for me, a tackle isn‘t in a save and controlled manner, if I can‘t control my second leg.
DeleteThis is just ridiculous
ReplyDeletePSV-DOR
ReplyDeleteI think Carlos Velasco Carballo will be satisfied with Jovanovics ,,comeback".
Normal game for Jovanovic and his team in Eindhoven.
Very good foul criteria which players accepted in starting minutes of the match. He shown 3 YC correctly and in a timely manner (22' SPA, 42' SPA, 45+1' reckles offence).
Kay momment - penalty kick for PSV. As I wrote, the key question is did Hummels play the ball or did he just touch it? I think he just touched the ball. After that the attacking player took the ball away... Also, where is the point of the contact?
IMO this was correct decission made by Serbian referee.
He had full controll (players helped him with sporting behaviour).
Assistants were on a high level tonight.
Comments from former German referees for Penaltymoment of PSV-Dortmund.
ReplyDeleteThorsten Kinhöfer:
'For me, this penalty is absolutely justified. Hummels hits the ball very lightly, but he clearly hits his opponent more.'
Wolfgang Stark:
'Hummels may play the ball with his long leg, but he also goes into that tackle with a high risk. He hits the attacker with his standing leg and knocks him down. Therefore, this decision is understandable and not incorrect.'
About penalty for PSV: I can't believe that many of you don't see Hummels' LEFT LEG! He touched the ball with his right leg, but he committed the foul with his left (trailing) leg! From one angle (camera from left back) it is so obvious! So, very clear penalty, excellent decision and therefore VAR confirmed it!
ReplyDeleteI think this argument is overblown. It's one to which I'm normally quite sympathetic, too. But I think it's more than a stretch here.
DeleteHummel's left leg is tucked in. There's nothing careless about the action with his left leg. Moreover, Tillman seems to deliberately drag his own left; watch how he turns his foot and has it (quite unnaturally) slide across the ground before Hummels makes ANY contact with him. The idea, as Stark says above, that his left leg is his "standing leg" is undermined by the video. Tillman is actually standing on his right leg and dragging his left leg.
I have no foul. I would expect a VAR overturn here. Hummels has played the ball with his lead leg and committed no real foul action with his trail leg. Just because there's a somewhat violent collision doesn't mean it's inherently a foul. I understand why Jovanovic called it live, but I do not support the non-intervention.
Collision is the perfect way to describe it indeed. Hummels clears the ball first, then the PSV player runs into him / is looking for the contact.
DeleteIf this is a penalty, we can better ask defenders to not make any clearances in the box anymore.
Imo the “playing the ball” argument (usaref) and “clearing the ball” (Anonymous 06:48) are overblown arguments. I consider Hummels’s action as merely a touch, not a full blown ‘playing the ball’. So while acknowledging not awarding a penalty could also be supported by valid arguments I clearly disagree with the opinion VAR should have intervened (with either on-field decision). For me this is simply not the black-and-white situation some people are trying to make it look like.
DeleteIf the intent of a tackle is to dispossess the opponent of the ball and the touch is substantial enough to do that successfully... I don't know how you can argue the defender hasn't played the ball. He's done exactly what he's intended to do and it's been done with precision and care. If we start down a path where "merely a touch" allows us to call a foul for the rest of the physicality in the challenge, I don't think we're going to like the results. At that point, everything is subjective and almost anything can be excused (or sanctioned).
DeleteAgain, I stress this point particularly because there's no secondary or distinct action with the trail leg. If there was, I'd completely be on board with a penalty. But there isn't. We're all watching the same video. And I would again point out how Tillman drags the left boot prior to any contact, which is usually a sign of desiring or inviting contact.
Is there a way to know what the committee actually thought of the penalty decision other than to watch how Jovanovic and the VAR are appointed going forward?
ReplyDeleteNo way, otherwise this would have been an excellent thing for the blog in the years :) we should only wait for a possible publication of the incident in a next RAP edition.
DeleteSomeone noticed that Kovacs was whistling with something (look like a jewelry) in his neck?
ReplyDeleteI mean in this context rather than you blame Jovanovic, I would blame the VAR, if this is clear and obvious error by many people comments on here then we will se how UEFA appoint Kajtazovic, I think he also in charge in UEL tomorrow
ReplyDeleteI see it the other way around.
DeleteThe discussions show, that there are arguments for the penalty, so it is hardly a clear and obvious mistake. Therefore no intervention seems acceptable.
However you still can say that the arguments against penalty are stronger and therefore the penalty was a mistake by Jovanovic (even if not a clear one).
I mean, it's also common sense to only award relatively clear penalties and not 50/50 situations - or as Rosetti said once, to avoid "soft" penalties.
My decision on Jovanovic penalty call
ReplyDelete1. Easy decision, hummels first contact get ball (this not penalty), and second foot hit attacker (this penalty), so in my mind this is penalty because second contact. Not controversial at all, argument first foot hummels hit the ball declined because contact from second foot
2. Not yellow card because hummels try to hit ball, but unfortunately second leg hit attacker.
3. Jovanovic near location from hummels tackle, very clear vision not be blocked by other player.
4. Sorry for my english grammar
Good performance by Kovacs in an absolutely unexpected easy game to officiate. I say that due to the expectations we all had about this one, not for other reasons. No penalty in first half is correct, the rest almost nothing happened but he was in control. Surely he gained further credit by committee.
ReplyDeleteJovanovic performance was not the best if you ask me, I share some doubts about his disciplinary control especially in first half, I think he had his classic lenient approach and he allowed game to flow but in other circumstances he whistled fouls and issued cards that were a bit contradictory according to what he had done before. Then, the penalty, there are big discussions, as you can see from the number of comments here. Still I would say acceptable language but here we got first signals that anonymous comments could be disallowed again in case (not respecting other people's opinion). The big problem of most of these comments, as Philipp also wrote, that they are very short sentences with just the assessment, without further clarifications. This doesn't help, rather, this can lead to battles between point of view... but I can say stil OK, let's hope it will be better the next time. Back to the Serbian, in my opinion this game was somerhing too isolated, it was clear that he was also missing something like "being ready" for such clashes in CL.
For Jovanovic performance whats your mark Chefren if I can know? From UEFA scale perspective
DeleteI would give as mark 7.8 (8.2). For me, but personal opinion, penalty was a mistake and something more to be reviewed, not reaching an expected level.
DeleteKovacs was in control, but should be extremely lucky that no KMI’s happened in that game…
ReplyDeleteI don’t want to give him too much credit for that. You will get my point after watching the 2nd leg. The level of difficulty in returns is much higher, the games are more intense (it’s all or nothing), the referees are more in focus, and will probably have their hands full with more theatrics, box incidents and frustrations.
Refcom is saving the best and most experienced names for the returns.
On Dutch television, all analists had the opinion that VAR should’ve made an intervention:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.vi.nl/nieuws/penalty-psv-heel-goedkoop-de-var-moet-ingrijpen
Mario van der Ende lamented the other day that many Dutch analists (most of whom are former players but not qualified referees) speak without understanding the rules. He sometimes goes too far, and I completely agree with him on this point.
DeleteI don't think there's much point in sharing analysts' opinions here.
In my opinion if we think about the very expected use of VAR, as it was originally planned when introduced in football, this should be a NO INTERVENTION, with the argument that tackle was not fully clean on the ball, but there were some effects also on attacker, who could have still played ball. The original touch of the ball was rather soft, so not a clear reason to remove the penalty.
DeleteNevertheless, it is the classic case in which committee can think this wasn't a penalty and they can assign a full mistake to referee. With a more open use of VAR, this penalty would be maybe removed, but I don't think that Slovenian VAR was 100% wrong. Unluckily, it is impossible to get official assessment, as somebody wrote above.
The discussion on German Amazon prime was interesting.
ReplyDeleteAs of now, they see an ungoing trend of referees taking harsh decisions against German teams, because Germans are more likely to accept a referees’ decision. They had the opinion that Germany needs more and stronger personality’s in the relevant (UEFA) commissions, banging their fists on the table to stop this ungoing trend.
I think, they have a fair point. German teams and their directors are too fair and accepting. We know it would be different if it happened to be an Italian team!
The refcom has an important role to counter this trend. Just refer to Gil Manzano’s management; by opting for the “comfortable„ appointment strategy, the Refcom creates the appearance that referees are rewarded after decisions in favor of Italian teams and PSG. This needs to stop.
Referees should apply the rules, regardless of what teams are involved. It’s as simple as that.
I know it's naive thinking but the problem is not with Germans who behave fair after such controversial incidents. That speaks well about them. The problem is about terrible management by UEFA Referees Committee. In my opinion, they often make their choices based on media and big clubs reactions what is unacceptable. Too many PR moves, avoiding headlines and dissatisfaction of big clubs at all cost. Similar mistakes being treated differently depending what team suffered and what was their (media) reaction.
DeleteIn Poland, great Zbigniew Przesmycki always did one thing. Whenever a club wanted a referee to be not appointed to their games after a controversy or mistake, Przesmycki very quickly sent this referee to them in order to show everyone that the referees committee is fully independent from clubs influence. Apart from that, he offered excellent analyses so everybody could learn from them. The best referee manager I ever saw.
Now we have Tomasz Mikulski who is exactly the opposite. If a club veto a referee, he doesn't send him to their games for a very long period. Trying to satisfy everyone...
100% agree. UEFA is toothless.
DeleteIt seems like, we have ended up in a vicious circle:
- Super League debate -> UEFA loses
- The biggest and richest clubs know they can undermine UEFA's authority. If they want, they can instantly create their own competition.
- UEFA realises that and tries to satisfy everyone (and in particular the biggest clubteams)
- Big team is dissatisfied with a certain referee? -> UEFA won't send the referee for a very long time / if not: never again.
- Referee is threatened at an Italian airport -> referee won't officiate Italian teams for a long time
- On the opposite: Gil Manzano made a favorable decision in favor of PSG and the Italian NT. However, his next international appointment were, respectively, with PSG and a Rome-based clubteam. Well…
- Other referees are not stupid and draw their conclusions.
Etc, etc.
This has nothing to do with conspiracy theories. These are facts we can see with our own eyes. UEFA needs a stronger referee boss. All we can hope is that some top5 countries (Germany, England) see the same pattern and dare to speak up
Danny Makkelie makes a correct decision against PSG and look what happened
DeleteAbsolutely correct remarks. What Przesmycki did in Poland would be a dream at moment. In serie A with Rocchi we have the contrary management, teams have their strong say and we never see such kind of assignments... a word is enogh to keep a referee away from a team. I would extend this speech to modern football, don't know how much this is visible in countries like England and Germany, I would be very interested in that, while I know that in Spain there is a quite similar situation. Now, back to UEFA, my question to you is the following: how much such management has increased since the start of Rosetti's era? Could yoiu have said the same for Collina? And if so, how much if compared to today? My idea is that Collina was still a technician of refereeing, then he understood how situation was about to turn.. and he left the role. Also, I don't know if this can be only Rosetti fault, because the trend involves many realities, as I wrote, not only the UEFA refereeing, but also some domestic federations.
DeleteI don’t think it’s all Rosetti’s fault. Ceferin does not appear to be independent and neutral as well. As if they just care about keeping their job. Collina was different for sure.
DeleteI have a (huge) weak spot for Anthony Taylor and Danny Makkelie after these events.
For me, they are the most honest referees. I never have any doubts about their neutrality and integrity.
Makkelie proved that again when officiating Napoli and AC Milan recently, never the appearance of favoring Italian teams. Not in the EURO opener, not in RMA-PSG and not in his Europa League final (Inter Milan) as well.
Sure, Taylor and Makkelie are human and can make mistakes these days. But if I can defend them, I’d always do that… Simply because they deserve our support. A lack of support by UEFA can lead to a form crisis. Taylor hasn’t been good this season. I hope he can still finish his career in a positive way. I’m glad that Makkelie is looking a lot(!) better than last season. All the best to both of them.
Przesmycki voluntarily left his role in Poland or was replaced due to his management mentioned above?
DeleteHe was replaced after Boniek was forced to quit as president (only two terms possible). The next president is very weak and he immediately changed Przesmycki under pressure of clubs. Boniek always defended Przesmycki as he was sure there is nobody even close to him regarding technical knowledge and dedication to work.
DeleteA lack of support by UEFA to Danny Makkelie? Did you forget his euro semi-final? Non-existing penalty for England? I'm sure he would never give such penalty against England. Everybody laughed at that penalty. But UEFA still strongly supported him. Do you think they would support Jovanovic in that case?
DeleteIn Germany, it's quite rare that a club publicly demands not to get a specific referee again or that DFB obviously acts this way. However we can observe sometimes in the appointments, that after a big mistake it is avoided for several months that the referee and the club meet again.
DeleteIn general, I can even understand the principle that a club rejects a certain referee. But
a) this should be 1 or 2 referees per club, not more
b) this should be for a limited time, maybe max. 2 years
c) this should be only for the club (or the national team), but not for all clubs from the country.
So e.g., I could understand to keep away Taylor from Roma for two seasons, but IMO it doesn't make sense to extend that to all Italian teams.
Agree with Philipp
Delete@ Anonymous ~32
Sure, that was not a foul. We don’t know who called it (CR or AR) and why they called it (it could be fatigue or based on a sensation). Makkelie wasn’t in a good position to make that call. I strongly preferred a VAR intervention there tbh. Pol van Boekel has always been a magnet for controversial incidents.
NEWS SPAIN
ReplyDeleteJavier Alberolas Rojas, new Spanish FIFA referee failed the physical tests at UEFA in the winter course/course for new FIFA referees.
Hopefully, no health issues again for him...
DeletePity, he recently get a big trombous… we will see. Good luck for Alberola
DeleteRather no penalty for me with Hummels, however not clearly wring so no VAR intervention is correct.
ReplyDeleteThis is where VAR audio being released would help. If Jovanovic said he has seen the contact on the ball and still thinks it’s a penalty then it definitely isn’t clear and obviously wrong. However if he said he hasn’t got the ball then there is scope for a VAR intervention