Thursday, 11 April 2024

Europa League 2023/24 - Referee Appointments - Quarterfinals (I)

The following referees have been appointed to handle the first legs of 2023/24 UEFA Europa League Quarterfinals.



Thursday 11 April 2024 

21:00 CET - Milan (Stadio San Siro)
AC Milan (ITA) - AS Roma (ITA)
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Erwan Finjean FRA
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega ESP
UEFA Delegate: Angelo Chetcuti MLT

21:00 CET - Liverpool (Anfield)
Liverpool FC (ENG) - Atalanta BC (ITA)
Referee: Halil Umut Meler TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Emre Eyisoy TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Kerem Ersoy TUR
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler TUR
Video Assistant Referee: Alper Ulusoy TUR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Abdulkadir Bitigen TUR
UEFA Referee Observer: Vladimir Šajn SVN
UEFA Delegate: Peter Palenčík SVK

21:00 CET - Leverkusen (BayArena)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) - West Ham United (ENG)
Referee: Artur Manuel Ribeiro Soares Dias POR
Assistant Referee 1: Paulo Alexandre dos Santos Soares POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ricardo Ferreira Ribeiro POR
Fourth Official: António Emanuel Carvalho Nobre POR
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Hugo Filipe Ferreira de Campos Moreira Miguel POR
UEFA Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili GEO
UEFA Delegate: Giel Kirkels NED

21:00 CET - Lisbon (Estádio do SL Benfica)
SL Benfica (POR) - Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Cook ENG
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Christopher Kavanagh ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gavan Gillett AUS
UEFA Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo ESP
UEFA Delegate: Filip Popovski MKD

85 comments:

  1. Fully expected Turpin in the Italian hot clash, even if I was thinking him in the return leg. I guess the most noticeable point is Sajn observing Meler which means, to me, a final evaluation for his selection to Euro 2024.

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    Replies
    1. If UEFA follows the logic of using the higher-ranked referee for the second leg, it would mean that we can almost certainly expect Szymon Marciniak.

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    2. I would love to see Orsato there, but UEFA doesn't do that as far as I know. ;-)
      Marciniak seems obvious, but if the score of the first leg is very clear, it is also possible to see a referee there that is still to develop.

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    3. However, even if the score is close a few goals can cause the tie to be extremely difficult and then you end up with a big last minute decision, like Oliver/ Ayetkin and it defines your career. Thats why Marciniak should be there regardless of scoreline unless its 10-0

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    4. I understand what you are implying. Oliver and Aytekin did not work as badly as some people think 😉

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    5. Aytekin certainly got the decision at the end the crucial one wrong. Oliver's was very 50/50 and could have gone either way, if anything he got it more right than wrong

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  2. The appointment of Marciniak for second leg was already revealed here, of course we can't know how much true, but looking at Turpin in first leg, it would suit. At the end I must admit again, Italian teams are always treated in a very different way than other countries. For this derby it seems Rosetti has appointed two among the very top referees and this doesn't change when Italian sides are involved.
    One can wonder how much that's true in regard to the management of other countries. Also, Italian fans who are not refereeing expeert now know very well such names because they appear more than often.
    About the rest, standard game for Oliver, but the feeling, as said, is that Rosetti sees only Taylor.
    Soares Dias continues with his very particular moment, don't know what happened to justify such treatment, absolutely out from big games and CL in this KO stage. That's why I excluded him for EURO, absolutely no signals, based on recent times, he could attend the tournament, but of course I agree with you this would be too much surprising because still big name for Portugal and important experience. Any chance to get directly a CL game after that? I doubts, but we will see.
    And very good to see Meler with a committee member, I think his group stage has been excellent, he could have also deserved a CL KO game, but it seems as this wasn't possible. Very good as well in his last appearance with that sending off. I think he can "fight" for something with the Slovenian observing him, but if you ask me, hard to say what. For EURO selection, I had still doubts, he was always treated in a certain manner by committee, even when he was performing very well. I think it's more realistic to say he could be in focus for a very important assignment at the very late stages of club competitions. Liverpool - Atalanta can be a challenging game due to Italian side.

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    1. The appointment of the very top referees when italian teams are involved can be red in two ways: a positive one saying that Rosetti has special attention to teams of his country and give them the best on the market or a negative one saying that italian teams are very unfair, discipline less and difficult to referees (especially in case of a derby) that only the best one are capable to control, like when the best teacher is sent to a classroom of "difficult" students. As italian, I would say 80% to the second reading :-)

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  3. Darren England returns to VAR in the Premier League for the first time since Spurs vs liverpool

    West Ham vs Fulham
    Referee: Attwell, Stuart
    Assistant Referee: Lennard, Harry
    Assistant Referee: Mainwaring, James
    Fourth Official: Salisbury, Michael
    Video Assistant Referee: England, Darren
    Additional Video Assistant Referee: Smith, Wade

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  4. Very good appointments for Turpin and Meler. I think Meler is a quality referee even though he has had some problems. If he wants to go to Euro 2024, he will have to fight at Anfield.

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  5. Soares Dias in trouble ... Why no 2nd YC for Parqueta?

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    Replies
    1. I would say possible yc for paqueta, but not mendatory. The contact is not strong enough to say it needs to be a yc from my Point of View. But I think paqueta should Not so anything more from now on

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  6. Ok..I am embarrassed by uefa policy to let offsides go..when they are so obvious. I've seen this occur, and it goes for corner...today in Roma/Milan game. Offside on lukaku was 2 feet offside,clear.....so why can't VAR say we can't award corner kick on this. It's offside. Roma scored on the corner...this is very unfair and not right, thought?

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    Replies
    1. Because the laws of the game say the VAR cant?

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    2. The logic behind letting the play develop is sound but in cases like this, the AR needs to put the flag up, it wasn't close. Big error

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    3. You should be able to defend a Corner usually. If we would start to use var for minor mistakes that are Long before the goal (offside and Corner kick seemed to be two decisions that you already mentioned), we can Not Draw a Line which Situation was too far away from the goal and which one Not. And We would also be more waiting for var decisions (var needs to Check a lot of things then), than watching football

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    4. Are you sure it was offside by Lukaku before corner? I'm not...

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    5. well… it was not offside!

      https://x.com/cenciounga/status/1778529604430676216?s=46

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  7. Someone should intervene, same as the Liverpool var error with Darren england. Communicate. Someone on the ref team needs to communicate and say this was offside...then ar. Can flag up late, Roma cannot get a corner on it...and worst possible outcome a GOAL. Turpin and his team look bad

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    Replies
    1. It. Was. Not. Offside.

      As simple as that

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  8. Good onside by AR2 in Anfield for Atalanta second goal.

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    Replies
    1. And now correctly disallowed goal for Liverpool by AR1, offside.

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  9. How was Meler's performance and what are his chances for EURO 2024?

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  10. Very quiet set of Europa League games. Almost nothing happened.
    What I can point out is the possible second YC in Soareas Dias first half, the situation before Roma's corner and goal, and in second half a handball by Roma player, assessed as not punishable. Apart from that, all looked to be good. No OFR at all in all games including Champions League is a big success, regardless, of the quality of the officiatings.
    To answer shortly about Meler, not a very difficult game. Just expected level performance, good for him under the eyes of a committee member.

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  11. For next week, Orsato, Vincic and Makkelie are expected in the Champions League.

    Orsato not appointed this weekend (Right?). Makkelie has a game today.
    Vincic is not appointed either, but one interesting detail is that his AR works with a different referee on Sunday. Do AR’s need 2 days rest as well? If so, the Slovenian slots in on Wednesday.

    The 4th name will be a surprise. Possibly a referee we already saw last week.
    Kovacs - as noted by Phillipp, among others - refereed his last match on March 30, missed the match in Croatia, and is not been appointed to the domestic play-off’s today or tomorrow.

    I'm leaning towards:
    Barcelona x PSG: Orsato
    Dortmund x Atletico: Makkelie
    City x Real: Vincic
    Bayern x Arsenal: (? Turpin again ?)*

    *I assumed this was Kovacs’ game. Kruzliak deserves a CL-game as well, but I doubt he would get a return.

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    Replies
    1. These should be tha names, if Kovacs is confirmed to be out, and Marciniak has been assigned, as reported, to Roma - Milan.
      Let's see whether this time Vincic will get a very big one or not (game in Manchester, as you predicted), otherwise standard appointment there for UEFA is Makkelie.
      Orsato should get a game and very likely Barcelona - PSG.
      This appointment would find sense with Taylor in first leg.
      For Bayern - Arsenal I would like to see indeed Kruzliak, it seems quite unlikely but if Nyberg made his debut in KO stage in quarterfinals, and Guida as relatively "young" Elite referee got the second straight KO game in Quarterfinals, why not the Slovakian directly in Munich? I think it's not impossible.

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  12. The risky minutes of Paqueta in Bayer Leverkusen - West Ham.

    21' First YC, very clear one and maybe even more (but OK to support YC)
    https://streambug.org/cv/04aace

    23' Possible second YC. Not a "full" step on foot?
    https://streambug.org/cv/1eae1b
    In my opinion expected decision is YC, more difficult to explain why NO CARD, I'm convinced Soares Dias didn't see that stepping on opponent.
    All in all, looking also at first foul, player very lucky to geet only a YC at the end.

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    Replies
    1. No cards for such a big confrontation is also quite shocking imo.

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    2. 21' IMO he should have whistled the first foul. He could have avoided the second scene. I believe that he didn't play the advantage rule.

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  13. At the end of quarterfinal matches I guess that we git an overall very good performance by all the selected referees with some outstanding cases like i.e. Letexier. I think that committee will be very happy and satisfied. But I didn't understood how was judged the "kid mistake" potential PK in Arsenal Bayern. I red many comments on social media and press saying it is an horrible mistake and referee should have been assigned it. I think that it could be judged at the extreme opposite ways: game wasn't yet restarted so all ok or terrible mistake. What's your final synthesis ?
    For return I think that Marciniak, Orsato, Makkelie Vincic and Zwayer will be the top names appointed. Kruzliak as well deserve and I think that we will see Guzubuyuk too. Why Kovacs is not Available ? Injured ? The top matches are the four ones in CL, plus Roma-Milan, plus Fenerbache-Olympiakos that I expect very hot. So I would say: Orsato, Vincic, Makkelie and Kruzliak in Cl, Marciniak in Rome, Zwayer in Istanbul, Kovacs, Guzubuyuk and Massa to complete EL, Gil manzano, Bastien and Sanchez Martinez to complete UECL

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  14. Milan - Roma

    https://streambug.org/cv/61fe17
    Possible offside, impossible to say.
    For me, rather regular position and never a mistake by AR1 in keeping flag down. Before watching the incident, and reading on the blog, I thought about a very evident offside position missed, this was not the case, definitely. Then it is just bad luck that team scored following the corner.
    What UEFA could do in such situations is to give information about the assessment, but it is not strictly required. AR without any fault.

    Possible handball in second half
    https://streambug.org/cv/406b21
    Roma player wants to go with head, but he hits ball with arm. I think this is bordeline decision, and I can see French VAR's point of view, but you will easily understand that in Italy this is rather punishable handball, no matter the player wanted to go with head and he even closed his eyes.
    But yes, the arm was not in a very open position and one could say it was consistent with the rest of body (nevertheless, handball is expected by Italian fans).

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  15. It might be an early conclusion, but I think, the referee assigned to City-Real has good very good(!) papers for the final.
    Most referees will look ‘good’ there if they don’t do anything stupid. It’s a flow-based game with two teams playing excellent and beautiful football. Which is obviously an advantage for a referee team.

    On the other hand, Dortmund-Atletico can be very difficult to manage, if the Spanish side already starts time wasting from the very first minute. It can be a very ugly one.

    If Vincic is assigned to City-Real, it might clarify why he had the low profile Poland vs Estonia.

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    1. Actually looking at the past few years, UEFA have had a number 1 candidate for the final for me (Makkelie in 2022 and Marciniak in 2023) and they have appointed them to tough games. Makkelie "failed" due to the noises that came out of PSG even though he got everything right. Marciniak passed hence he got the final. I think they have a backup option who they protect, which was Turpin in 2022.

      Personally Makkelie favourite for UCL final with Vincic backup.
      Vincic certianly does not deserve it for me

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    2. Vincic needs to prove himself in sth big and challenging. His R16 game Bayern-Lazio was one-way-traffic, and so were his play-off Poland-Estonia, Napoli-Braga and the CL play-off Young Boys-Maccabi Haifa.

      A game is so much easier when the home teams scores two early goals. But they can’t appoint Vincic to the final with such an easy path, if Makkelie faced more difficult challenges in Barcelona-Napoli and Newcastle-Milan. That is unacceptable.

      So that is why I’m guessing Vincic in City-Real now. To make sure he’s an alternative. In case of a good performance, he can instantly be the frontrunner too.

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    3. Thinking about Makkelie in the CL final, who will be his VAR? Will Dieperink, who is still quite inexperienced, really be trusted for such a game? It would also be his second UEFA final this season after WNL, also an argument against. My guess would be Dankert

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    4. True. And the same can be said about Nejc Kajtazović.

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    5. Dankert was VAR for Kuipers as well at Euro 2020 Final.

      I think Dankert will be the VAR. Not much controversy in the past with him and don't think he has had the final yet. Makkelie has very good English (same with Dankert) so I don't think a foreign VAR would matter to much.

      UCL Final VAR's

      Makkelie - (Ref Skomina)
      Irrati - (Ref Orsato)
      Hernandez - (Ref Lahoz)
      Brisard - (Ref Turpin)
      Kwiatkowski - (Ref Marciniak)

      Dankert seems next in line


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    6. Agree that Dankert deserves a CL-final at some point. Very reliable VAR. Although the preferred option is probably to wait for Zwayer to get a final? Maybe that could be part of the plan. The 2025 CL final is in München.

      I also think it is a sensitive topic, to separate a referee and VAR. Especially in Makkelie’s case: he has been a ‘quiet’ referee since he does not work with Van Boekel anymore.

      It also varies per referee what type of VAR they prefer. For example, referees as Marciniak and Makkelie both prefer to work with VAR’s that communicate a lot, while some VARs are known as being more ‘conservative’ in their communication.

      By the way, I also think that an inexperienced VAR is less problematic when there are more people in the VAR booth during finals. So, if they put a very experienced AVAR next to the VAR it still might be 'sufficient' in UEFA’s eyes.

      I also noticed that Makkelie works very often with Dieperink domestically (~75% of the games in 2024) which is quite rare, and Gozubuyuk has often worked with Van Boekel lately. I guess, they use the domestic games to improve their cooperation in the run-up to the European Championships.

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  16. Good performance from Meler at Anfield, all the game needed was a competent referee who didn't create something out of nothing, which he didn't. Premier League referees should take note

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    Replies
    1. I was live at Anfield and had same feelings as Atalanta fan. But I can also say that he was helped by players, those two teams just love playing football. Also I could say that most of Italian referees should take same note that English :)

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  17. I think very likely Unknown @9:36 is right when he says that Bayern - Arsenal was the planned game for Kovacs. Indeed we have Messina as observer and very often we saw the Romanian with Italian observers, sent together with VAR. The fact that the game involves a German team doesn't allow the Romanian to be with a German VAR, so in this case an Italian. We will see when the appointment will be revealed, if not Kovacs because not available, we could read indeed some further confirmations that game was for him. Also, interesting that UEFA didn't change observer, at least for now.

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  18. is there any news about U19 and U17 referees?

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    1. Still looking for info...

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    2. The Danish Football Association has announced that Jacob Sundberg has been selected for the U17 European Championship.

      Source: https://www.dbu.dk/nyheder/2024/april/frida-klarlund-udpeget-som-fjerdedommer-til-ol/

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  19. OT: Starting from this weekend and until the end of the season, Turkish Super League will bring foreign VAR

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    1. So it seem Turkish federation accepted this as compromise.
      Not foreign referees on the pitch, but foreign VARs.
      Better than Greece, but still, the clubs can't take control of refereeing, and it seems to me that's happening too often nowadays in many countries.

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  20. Every year the same old story. Makkelie is the best, Makkelie deserves the final, everyone is against Makkelie, blah blah blah. He blew his chances in the last two years, it's time to move on. Taylor for the final!

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    Replies
    1. If you want to have a meaningful, constructive discussion, please check your facts. This blog deserves better than such ‘coloured’ opinions/preferences.

      'Blew his chances in 2022' - not exactly. Danny Makkelie was the best referee, but didn't get the final due to "external" factors. In fact, he belonged to UEFA’s top-5 referees in 2019-2022 and almost has 50 games of experience in the Champions League. Crazy to think that Makkelie should not be considered, along with Taylor and Vincic.

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    2. Anthony Taylor was the best referee, but didn't get the final due to "external" factors. In fact, he belonged to UEFA’s top-5 referees in 2019-2022 and almost has 50 games of experience in the Champions League. Crazy to think that Taylor should not be considered, along with Makkelie and Vincic.

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    3. The last comment is another example of what happens when we try to open to anonymous... I'm sure people will understand why anonymous comments are always disallowed. There isn't any room for discussion, some people would never write without anonymous comments allowed (and I really don't understand why, is that so difficult?). It is really sad... we try also to answer for a constructive discussion, but the further replies just suggest to disallow again the anonymous comments. The quality of the blog is clearly affected, but I think that keeping always blocked the anonymous comments is unfair for those who want to participate, and even sharing very important information. We should accept everything, but believe me, I really can't understand how much stubborn people are.
      Into the question, what Unknown said is correct, there wasn't any event for which one could say that Makkelie blew his chances in 2022. Furthermore, if a referee should give up for a CL final after a so short time, well, many Elite referees would have never arrived to that big dream.
      Makkelie should be considered as candidate like Taylor and Vincic, these are the three names at momen (unless UEFA surprises, of course).

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    4. In 2021/2022, Makkelie directly put PSG out of competition by not giving a foul on the goalkeeper. So don't write there was no event to blew his chances.

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    5. “Directly put PSG out of competition after not giving a foul on the goalkeeper”. Again, check your facts my friend. PSG would still go through if that match stayed 1-1 after that incident. 2-1 and 3-1 were valid goals. Or should every referee give PSG players a peptalk after conceding a goal? Btw, most of us considered it a normal contact that fitted within the lenient line (which was an UEFA instruction btw).

      But this is a pointless discussion about an incident 2 years ago. We better look at the present and discuss the current form of all candidates. My opinion;
      - Makkelie is not back at his 2019-2022 level when he was flawless. UEFA and FIFA can be blamed for his 2022/2023 form dip. Makkelie looks much better than last season and performed decent/satisfying in crucial rounds. But still, he’s missing that something ‘extra’ he had in 2019-2022.
      - Vincic is kept away from risky games in the crucial rounds and he’s been lucky with the scorelines (home teams scoring two early goals, etc), so I haven’t seen him in a game that really challenged him, unlike Makkelie and Taylor.
      - Anthony Taylor had a hard time after the Europa League final, but seems to recover in 2024.

      Arguments pro/contra
      Taylor:
      + Final at Wembley, his age, referee in a top-competition, no Italian teams
      - Has done two finals recently (CWC and UEL)

      Makkelie:
      + Performed satisfying in important games, long list of experience, always respected and in control. Was mistreated in 2022, a final will give him a confident boost. UEFA needs a strong and experienced leader after Orsato retires. If Makkelie is ‘ignored’ again, it can affect his future motivations.
      - PSG is still in. And personally, I prefer to see him in a final when he’s close to his best form. But that’s because I really enjoyed watching him in his top years and miss the old Makkelie.

      Vincic:
      + Neutral choice. 23/24 performances were not always flawless on a technical level, but he has ended games without controversy
      - Low ranked domestic competition and has been shielded / kept away from risky games in crucial UEFA rounds, so it wouldn’t be an appointment “on merit” like Marciniak season and therefore not easy to sell such decision to other referees (e.g. Taylor/Makkelie). Even more when he (Vincic) shares the same nationality as Ceferin, it appears a heavily political coloured appointment to me. Moreover, Vincic will continue until WC 2026 so he obviously still has time.

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    6. Makkelie did a poor world cup and it's not fifa fault. That's the reality.

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    7. Yeah, Makkelie was so poor, he was sent home on the very first plane… ✈️

      I'm wasting my time. The only thing you do is posting harsh statements/opinions, zero nuance, and no constructive arguments to support such harsh statements.

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    8. Other referees here are hated for much less. Makkelie is untouchable here.

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  21. And about the penalty not whistled by Oliver at 57’ what do you think? Taylor did better than him

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    1. https://streambug.org/cv/5dac80
      Here the penalty appeal, Oliver close, he immediately waved on. This was surely an argument for which VAR decided not to intervene and to support the field decision.

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    2. This is a joke Chefren ! Obvious penalty here with no possibility to keep the ball. VAR must intervene !

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    3. That also looks like a quite clear foul to me.
      What would be the argument against it?

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    4. Clear penalty. No criteria to support a no-penalty decision imo

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    5. It is known for years that Oliver has a problem with penalty area decisions.....

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    6. Yes, very good anonymous. Blah blah Oliver

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  22. Very good Anonymous. Look to your comments. Bravo Taylor. Terrible Oliver. Terrible Makkelie.

    This blog is very good, it is broken with anonymous comments

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    1. Agreed. It was a mutual decision by Chefren and I in the hope of somebody revealing the U17 finals names, but clearly it has already been too much, and now they will remain off.

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    2. Good decision.
      I enjoy reading discussions by most loyal users here. Constructive debates, supported by arguments in a calm manner.

      No referee is ‘untouchable’ here. That’s nonsense. Users have criticized Taylor and Makkelie’s form plenty of times. Vincic' foul detection or the (safe) way he’s appointed. Chefren had a critical note about Orsato recently. ESF criticized Marciniak post-WC form and I’ve never seen Quilava protecting a Spaniard. Mikael’s throrough analysis. Keep continue doing do. I probably forget a few.
      But statements like "Ref X is poor, Ref Y for the final”, “cry baby cry” or replying “blah blah blah” to serious users providing arguments is not very credible or pleasant to read.

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    3. Agree Peter. Especially on a referee blog, you would expect the reactions about referees to be milder and contemplative. As most of us like and appreciate their beautiful profession and are therefore supportive to referees. We are not fans.

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  23. Further clips from Liverpool - Atalanta.
    Meler was faultless in spotting INSIDE / OUTSIDE the box fouls.
    It rarely happens that you have so many similar incidents in a game.
    All correct.

    25' Free kick outside and YC for SPA
    https://streambug.org/cv/0abcb8

    53' Free kick outside, handball
    https://streambug.org/cv/3ebd2e

    76' Free kick outside and YC for SPA
    https://streambug.org/cv/846851

    In addition, as said, perfect decisions by assistant referees regarding offsides and goal scored.

    To answer the question about his chances to attend EURO, well, I must admit I was in doubt about him, not so much for the performances he shown in the past months, but for the rather missing focus by committee. What I can say now, when decision about EURO is very likely taken, he was excellent in UEFA competitions in recent times, remember also the very good group stage. I think based on that he would deserve the call, but we have the problem of the number of referees. We will see.

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    1. I was live at Anfield, great performance by Meler so far, he fully deserves EURO. What happened to him in Turkish league might even help him finding a place in the list

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  24. Eredivisie: Excelsior - FC Volendam:
    Referee: Danny Makkelie. VAR: Rob Dieperink.

    A collective confrontation occurs after the match ends, and Makkelie watches the footage. Parrott receives a RC for yanking an opponent's ear. Karim was given a 2e YC for provoking him and Goudmijn was given a YC for his reaction.
    https://x.com/ESPNnl/status/1778879504133329082

    I don't see why lightly tugging on someone's ear 'must' be punished by RC. Using insulting action? Of course you shouldn't do it, but, to be honest, I think it was an excessive punishment. Looks like the wrong reaction after last week's Feyenoord - Ajax where they both let Bergwijn's hitting action go unpunished. Unfortunately, the severity of the act clearly does not match the severity of the punishment.

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    1. @Anass, may I ask why you are always here to report what Dutch media are writing instead of having an own opinion and take the media with a pinch of salt? :)

      Honestly I doubt the RC was issued for ‘pulling an ear’. That is what the media were concluding, but they know nothing. Referees are not longer interviewed. I noticed that the player (Parrott) had the most aggressive behavior of all players, he heated up the situation and he also pushed(!) AR Steegstra. A pity you didn’t notice.

      Having said that, the comparison with Bergwijn’s action is indeed a fair one, and that is what makes Makkelie and his team look poor here. Most sensible was to issue some YC’s. On the other hand, VAR is not allowed to make an intervention for YC’s.
      Most optimal solution after mass confrontations is to send off reserves goalkeeper, like Marciniak did in Georgia-Greece, but it seems the goalies were not involved here. If Makkelie issued a few YC’s after rewatching the incident, the media would have criticized the VAR-intervention. It’s never OK. That’s the difficulty in this situation.

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    2. Your opinion is interesting, but Dijkhuizen, who spoke with Makkelie after the match, clearly says that the "ear" was the cause of the red card.

      Delete
    3. I have seen the interview with Dijkhuizen on ESPN. He said he found the punishment excessive, but he didn’t mention the reason for the RC explicitly that Makkelie provided him.
      I wish we could read the match report somewhere. It’s interesting that all local media ignore the fact that Parrott pushed Steegstra in a quite agressieve manner and focus on that ear pull incident.
      Honestly I can’t imagine that a top Elite referee would issue a straight RC for that after rewatching(!) the incident. Imagine it was a bigger game; referee would be trending on TikTok.
      I hope the RC was issued for the aggressive behavior and pushing the AR. That would be more than supportable as an isolated incident.

      Apart from the confrontation after the final whistle, Makkelie had a good game in this important relegation battle. He issued a few early YC’s which was sensible and in 2nd half a few more to manage Volendam player frustrations.

      Delete
  25. Very particular incident occurred right now in serie A game Lecce - Empoli. VAR intervention for a possible handball outside the box by keeper when team started the action.
    This is the most discussed frame, from other angles, it looks ball was partially inside the box, here it seems outside. But enough for calling referee?
    https://ibb.co/xM8LL8M
    In my opinion there wasn't any evidence that ball was totally out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But does the ball have to be totally out or is it enough, if the GK's hand touches the ball at a point outside the penalty area?
      LotG aren't really clear on that, but maybe there exists some interpretation?

      Delete
    2. @PhilippS, IMHO, as far as any part and projection of the ball touches the line, the ball is not out of the penalty area. Therefore, the goalkeeper is allowed to touch it by hand, no matter the position of the hand. I think the LotG are clear about the lines, so we can interpret it as this.
      In this particular case, it needs to be a factual decision by the VAR. I don't see a rationale to call the referee to monitor. It is not something for interpretation. If the VAR has 100% conclusive evidence, he should just let the referee know. Otherwise let the play continue according to the on field decision. And I don't see a clear evidence that the ball is out. So for me a rather wrong VAR action here.

      Delete
  26. Bundesliga: penalty revoked with a certain delay...
    https://streambug.org/cv/743bc4
    It is not the first time we see something like that from Germany, if I'm not wrong.
    Not good communication VAR / referee? Or maybe VAR unsure and at first he confirmed, and then he changed idea?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was nothing wrong with communication between referee and VAR, it was purely Sabitzer who thought he had heard a whistle but it never came any, at least not from Badstübner

      Delete
    2. On the other hand I think it's not so smart to move like that on the field and get to the position where referee should stand when the execution happens. He could stay much closer to the penalty spot and indicate with some gesture that check is ongoing.

      Delete
    3. @Theref, that's what I wanted to say, in Italy this wouldn't have happened.
      In my opinion refere didn't give any signal that VAR was still checking, he appeared too relaxed and the reacted only when goal was scored.
      Just waiting closer to players without assuming that position, ready to the execution, would have been good thing.
      Of course only important thing is that he hadn't whistled before, but the overall picture is still poor, if you ask me.

      Delete
    4. I agree totally. What came to my mind when during corner execution referee is talking in the middle and AR step in front of the ball, so execution cannot happen. Small smart move, but always works.
      Different case, but still easy prevention.
      And yeah it's minor thing, but also it's not the best image for my taste.

      Delete
    5. I didn't think it was that bad.
      Yes, the communication with the players didn't work well, but the procedure and the result were still correct.
      Basically, I also think it's good when the referees radiate that they're convinced of their decision and not when it looks like they're already expecting a VAR intervention.

      Delete
  27. Bournemouth-Machester United
    Penalty for MU in 64' - I was kinda sure that Gillet (VAR) will intervene. I don't think the hand could have been in more natural position after rebounding from other player. And in the end VAR confirmed on-field decision.

    ReplyDelete

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