The 33rd UEFA Advanced Course for Top Referees will be held in Greece.
As it was for previous years, all Elite referees (unless a few exceptions) have been invited, and there will be a selection from Category 1. To complete the participants, a group of selected VARs. The missing Elite referees are Srđan Jovanović (SRB) and Sergei Karasev (RUS).This time men and women will work together, with focus on the next UEFA big tournament, 2025 Women's EURO, to be played in Switzerland on next July. Brazilian referee Edina Alves Batista will be the CONMEBOL guest.
Athens, Greece, 03-05 February 2025
Jesús Gil Manzano ESP
Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Daniel Siebert GER
Elite:
Irfan Peljto BIH
Ivana Martinčić CRO
Frida Mia Klarlund DEN
Michael Oliver ENG
Anthony Taylor ENG
Marta Huerta De Aza ESP
Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP Jesús Gil Manzano ESP
Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
José María Sánchez Martínez ESP
Lina Lehtovaara FIN
Stéphanie Frappart FRA
Clémen Turpin FRA
Benoît Bastien FRA François Letexier FRA
Riem Hussein GER
Felix Zwayer GER
Tobias Stieler GER Daniel Siebert GER
Eleni Antoniou GRE
Anastasios Sidiropoulos GRE
Désirée Grundbacher SUI
Sandro Schärer SUI
Ivan Kružliak SVK
Slavko Vinčić SVN
Bram van Driessche BEL
Marta San Juan Casado AND
Anastasios Sidiropoulos GRE
Katalin Kulcsár HUN
Orel Grinfeeld ISR
Silvia Gasperotti ITA
Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi ITA
Marco Guida ITA
Davide Massa ITA
Maurizio Mariani ITA
Ivana Projkovska MKD
Danny Makkelie NED
Serdar Gözübüyük NED Espen Eskås NOR
Ewa Augustyn POL
Szymon Marciniak POL
Catarina Ferreira Campos POR
Sandra Braz Bastos POR
João Pedro Silva Pinheiro POR
Iuliana Elena Demetrescu ROU
Ionela Alina Pesu ROU Istvan Kovacs ROU
Jelena Cvetković SRB
Sandro Schärer SUI
Ivan Kružliak SVK
Slavko Vinčić SVN
Tess Olofsson SWE
Glenn Nyberg SWE
Halil Umut Meler TUR
Cheryl Foster WAL
Category 1:
Sebastian Gishamer AUT
Erik Lambrechts BEL
Lawrence Visser BEL
Hristiyana Guteva BUL
Georgi Kabakov BUL
Morten Krogh DEN
Christopher Kavanagh ENG
Jérôme Brisard FRA
Giorgi Kruashvili GEO
Anastasios Papapetrou GRE
Simone Sozza ITA
Manfredas Lukjančukas LTU Donatas Rumšas LTU
Andris Treimanis LVA
Nikola Dabanović MNE
Shona Shukrula NED
Allard Lindhout NED
Rohit Saggi NOR
Damian Sylwestrzak POL
António Emanuel Carvalho Nobre POR
Horațiu Mircea Feșnic ROU
Radu Marian Petrescu ROU
John Beaton SCO
Matej Jug SVN
Rade Obrenović SVN
Rade Obrenović SVN
Mykola Balakin UKR
CONMEBOL Guest:
Edina Alves Batista BRA
VAR:
Jarred Gillett ENG
César Soto Grado ESP
Bastien Dechepy FRA Sören Storks GER
Angelos Evangelou GRE
Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
Dennis Johan Higler NED
Piotr Lasyk POL
André Filipe Domingues Narciso POR
Cătălin Sorin Popa ROUAndrew Dallas SCO
Alen Borošak SVNMomčilo Marković SRB
On the same days, the 2025 UEFA Introductory Course for new referees from Europe on FIFA panel will take place. Here the invited officials, they are all the new names on international list, unless Russian Sergey Cheban and Ukrainian Liudmyla Telbukh (the latter was already a FIFA referee in past and this was just a return).
Artem Gasparyan ARM
Jakob Semler AUT
Jakob Semler AUT
Sara Telek AUT
Simon Bourdeaud'hui BEL
Anton Lashuk BLR
Mateo Erceg CRO
Konstantinos Fellas CYP
Karel Rouček CZE
Sam Barrott ENG
Simon Bourdeaud'hui BEL
Anton Lashuk BLR
Mateo Erceg CRO
Konstantinos Fellas CYP
Karel Rouček CZE
Sam Barrott ENG
Melissa Burgin ENG
Elisabeth Calvo Valentín ESP
Karl Koppel EST
Karl Koppel EST
Satu Miettunen FIN
Romain Lissorgue FRA
Mathieu Vernice FRA
Aleko Aptsiauri GEO
Giorgi Avazashvili GEO
Florian Badstübner GER
Matthias Jöllenbeck GER
Seth Charles Sheehan-Galia GIB
Alexandros Tsakalidis GRE
Márton Rúsz HUN
Johann Ingi Jonsson ISL
Romain Lissorgue FRA
Mathieu Vernice FRA
Aleko Aptsiauri GEO
Giorgi Avazashvili GEO
Florian Badstübner GER
Matthias Jöllenbeck GER
Seth Charles Sheehan-Galia GIB
Alexandros Tsakalidis GRE
Márton Rúsz HUN
Johann Ingi Jonsson ISL
Sapir Gaya Berman ISR
Mariia Glekova ISR
Gal Levi ISR
Matteo Marcenaro ITA
Matteo Marchetti ITA
Mariia Glekova ISR
Gal Levi ISR
Matteo Marcenaro ITA
Matteo Marchetti ITA
Tatjana Lavrentika LVA
Igor Bosca MDA
Vlatko Ilioski MKD
Marius Hansen Grøtta NOR
Daniel Higraff NOR
Igor Bosca MDA
Vlatko Ilioski MKD
Marius Hansen Grøtta NOR
Daniel Higraff NOR
Anna Adamska POL
Patryk Gryckiewicz POL
Wojciech Myć POL
João António Ferreira Gonçalves POR
Patryk Gryckiewicz POL
Wojciech Myć POL
João António Ferreira Gonçalves POR
Sara Fernanda Moreira Alves POR
Szabolcs Roland Kovacs ROU
Rares George Vidican ROU
Ross Shearer Hardie SCO
Szabolcs Roland Kovacs ROU
Rares George Vidican ROU
Ross Shearer Hardie SCO
Abbie Hendry SCO
Sven Wolfensberger SUI
Oscar Johnson SWE
Sven Wolfensberger SUI
Oscar Johnson SWE
Hanna Laajanen SWE
Asen Albayrak TUR
Hatice Aydin Duygu TUR
Oguzhan Çakir TUR
Mehme Türkmen TUR
Oguzhan Çakir TUR
Mehme Türkmen TUR
Klym Zabroda UKR
Aaron Wyn Jones WAL
Aaron Wyn Jones WAL
This selection is a bit strange. Some referees that were definitely expected are missing (Schnyder, Osmers, Walsh) , while others have been invited, which is a bit surprising given their performances.
ReplyDeleteEredivisie
ReplyDeletePSV-AZ:
penalty decision by Makkelie for handball.
https://x.com/ESPNnl/status/1878202012526956680
How much do Van Bommel's arms really make his body bigger? The impression changes greatly depending on the camera angle. IMO it would have been better if Makkelie hadn't been blown, but it's not a clear error. Sometimes things like this happen. Discutabel is acceptabel!
To me (you know, with Italian glasses about handballs, but stil...) it's a clear penalty and in case of NO WHISTLE, VAR should have called referee. I think you can look at arm position, very open, a few before the shot, then well ball comes, the player has changed the posture of his upper body, so this makes the arm look closer to body, but to me it isn't.
DeleteThis is a 100% penalty for me, even with my eyes being a bit anglophile if you say so. Arm clearly not in a natural position
Delete100% penalty IMO
DeleteSelected referees without CL-Experience so far:
ReplyDeleteSebastian Gishamer AUT
Christopher Kavanagh ENG
Jérôme Brisard FRA
Anastasios Papapetrou GRE
Simone Sozza ITA
Damian Sylwestrzak POL
John Beaton SCO
Are these the referees planned for a CL-debut on the final matchdays? And are the not selected referees out for a possible debut this season? Or is there no connection between the selected officials and possible debuts?
I was surprised that Sebastian Gishamer was recently observed by Kyros Vassaras. As far as a possible debut in the Champions League is concerned, I would put it into perspective: On the last two matchdays, there will probably be numerous more or less meaningless games. Then a debutant could perhaps gain experience in a big stadium if he is appointed for such a match. From a purely sporting point of view, however, a decisive game in the Europa League would be more attractive. In spring there will also be matches in the play-offs for the round of 16 of the Conference League, for which also referees will be needed. I assume that the names you mentioned without UCL experience so far will mainly be used there
DeleteWhere is Glova?
ReplyDeleteAhahahahah did you see that penalty whistled for Arsenal??? Madley should be moved to 5th league, what a disgrace such a ref to whistle derby match. English refs are joke, protected as white bears but making mistakes worse than amateurs!
ReplyDeleteA foul not called by Manzano in the Spanish Super Cup. Mbappé starts off at speed, slips and, despite not wanting to, Koundé steps on the Real Madrid forward's foot. A warning sign for the Spanish referee to be more attentive to the plays.
ReplyDeleteNow a correct penalty awarded after OFR for a reckless kick.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of the colour of the card, Red would have been acceptable too IMO but yellow better decision because of lack of intensity.
DeleteAlso RC after OFR for DOGSO for the Barcelona Goalkeeper. Two OFRs for Gil Manzano…
DeleteMin 67 - missed 2nd YC for Vinicius Jr, clear stamp on Kounde's heel. A night to forget for Gil Manzano
DeleteIn my opinion, the intensity can allow a yellow card here, but red card wouldn't have been questioned by VAR, for the point of contact. This is a particular case in which VAR feels allowed to intervene due to the nature of the foul (reckless), you know, in the box when penalty kicks are whistled, this argument is very often forgotten. But indeed for being called by VAR, must have a certain "nuance" of RC, otherwise, it's rare in other occasions, if not step on foot.
DeleteGil Manzano was not smart in the play between Mbappé and Szczesny. Even if he was a little far from the spot of the foul, he would have had crystal clear vision to realize that it was a contact with excessive force or less intensity, the Barcelona goalkeeper went to meet the Frenchman to stop the shot. In certain situations where the play is for RC, the VAR needs to tell the field official: the foul is clear, take responsibility and apply the rule with RC.
DeleteIs Cakir coming back in EUFA active refereering ? Thàt would be the news of the year. But of course, this is a bad joke, also given the first name of the "new" Cakir. I will not disturb this blog any further with this kind of interventions. But the first seconds after I read the name, I had to think about .
ReplyDeleteGreek Cup - QF - 1st Leg
ReplyDeletePanathinaikos - Olympiacos
Referee: Szymon Marciniak
AR1: Tomasz Listkiewicz
AR2: Adam Kupsik
4th: Alexandros Tsakalidis
VAR: Wojciech Myć
AVAR: Vasileios Fotias
As far as I remember from previous years, UEFA invites all those referees who will be used in the European Cup in spring (and just them) to the Advanced Course for Top Referees. From my (Austrian) point of view, this means, for example, that I expect Sebastian Gishamer to be appointed, but not necessarily in the Champions League or the Europa League, he could also get only one single game in the play-offs for the round of 16 of the Conference League without another further assignments. This list usually includes all Elite referees as well as a selection of First Group referees. Again, from my (Austrian) point of view, I would draw the conclusion that Julian Weinberger will not make any further appearances in the European Cup this spring.
ReplyDeleteFirst on field announcement after VAR intervention in the Dutch Cup (RO16):
ReplyDeletehttps://x.com/espnnl/status/1879247790045282622?s=46&t=hcufqy3L2JYV4uSnh_ZUiA
Did anyone see the Red card in Doveri's Serie A game today? For me, that was light red! What did you think of Old Doveri's performance?
ReplyDeleteDo we have any predictions yet as to which referees will be appointed for next week's UCL matches?
ReplyDeleteSure :)
DeleteAtalanta - Graz: Oliver (Dingert)
Monaco - Villa: Nyberg (Dieperink)
Liverpool - Lille: Petrescu (van Boekel)
Atletico - Leverkusen: Letexier (Brisard)
Benfica - Barcelona: Zwayer (Dankert)
Brugge - Juventus: Marciniak (Kwiatkowski)
Red Star - PSV: Kruzliak (di Paolo)
Bologna - Dortmund: Hernandez (Soto)
Bratislava - Stuttgart: Kabakov (del Cerro Grande)
Leipzig - Sporting: Lukjancukas (Brisard)
Donetsk - Brest: Fesnic (Popa)
Paris - ManCity: Schärer (San)
Real - Salzburg: Peljto (Higler)
Milan - Girona: Stieler (Dankert)
Arsenal - Zagreb: Sanchez (de Burgos)
Celtic - Bern: Balakin (Cuadra)
Feyenoord - Bayern: Turpin (Delajod)
Sparta - Inter: Bastien (Millot)
I agree with the idea of Letexier being in this possible appointment for the game in Madrid. Given his disciplinarian style, Atlético will not do what they want, mainly because of the behavior of this team's coach.
DeleteLeverkusen and Atleti haven't had a French official in this UCL campaign, therefore Turpin/Letexier is a good guess.
DeleteBut I don't expect a challenging game given the standings. Both teams are already through, at least to the play-off round. And they play against a low ranked team in last round (MD8).
To be fair, most MD7 games don't need a top Elite. I hope we'll see some big names in the Europa League.
But it is a direct game for a place in the top 8, which is certainly preferred over the play-off places.
DeleteAnd it's not clear, whether a win only on MD8 would be enough for top 8 for both teams.
Therefore it's one of the top games on MD7 IMO.
Sure, it is still a decent game, but nothing close to Siebert’s City-Atleti (QF 2022) or Turpin’s Porto-Atleti play-off (MD6 2021).
DeleteIn all fairness, ATM players behaved quite well so far, however this will probably change in the knock-out stages…
All of these referees within this forecast for the important games of the next week (Letexier, Schärer, Nyberg, Zwayer and even Oliver), means that the committee would have plans for them for the eventual continental finals of this season.
DeleteKovacs, Makkelie, Siebert and Gil Manzano should also be considered within this discussion.
As for Taylor, we need to see how his mental aspect is after the controversial situation of GER x ESP in the Euro, because I still don't see him fully ready to be the number 1 candidate in a Champions League final, for example.
I am most curious how the RefCom will manage referees with a long winter break domestically. Unlike in previous years, the most important UCL games are in January.
ReplyDeleteVinčić, for example. Domestically, he officiated his last game on November 29th. Furthermore, his last official game abroad was in the UAE (December 17th). The PRVA Liga won’t re-start until February. And although the Slovenian might be the most trusted referee at the moment, this could be a strong argument against a PSG-City appointment.
On the other hand, Marciniak and Kovács have the same problem issue. However, the Polish official whistled a game in Greece recently, January 15th. And Kovacs during the Gulf Cup.
Referee appointments in foreign leagues since January 1st
Delete02/01 AEL Limassol - Apóllon Limassol (Radu Marian Petrescu)
05/01 Panathinaïkós - PAOK (Morten Krogh Hansen)
07/01 At-Ta’awun Buraidah - Al-Qadsiya Khobar (Radu Marian Petrescu)
07/01 Apóllon Limassol - Áris Limassol (Jakob Kehlet)
09/01 PAOK - AEK (Igor Pajač)
10/01 Al-Ahli Jeddah - Ash-Shabab Riyadh (Szymon Marciniak)
11/01 Al-Uruba Sakaka - Al-Hilal Riyadh (Rade Obrenovič)
11/01 Al-Qadsiya Khobar - At-Ta’awun Buraidah (Daniel Siebert)
11/01 Olymbiakós SFP - Áris (Glenn Nyberg)
11/01 Áris Limassol - Páfos FC (Damian Sylwestrzak)
12/01 AEL Limassol - Omónia Nicosia (Mohammed Al-Emara)
15/01 Al-Khulud Ar-Rass - Al-Ahli Jeddah (Mohammed Al-Hakim)
15/01 Panathinaïkós - Olymbiakós SFP (Szymon Marciniak)
15/01 Páfos FC - Áris Limassol (Srđan Jovanović)
16/01 Al-Hilal Riyadh - Al-Fatah Al-Mubarraz (Sergey Karasyov)
Thanks 👍🏼
DeleteVinčić has a nice long break.
I’m leaning towards Marciniak in a very important PSG-City.
However, I’m not sure how much the RefCom really cares about match fitness, match rhytm, and to what extent. Is it possible to work on a UCL game after a break of > 1 month? Let’s see.
Vinčič' last game was on 17/12 in UAE.
DeleteOT:
ReplyDeleteTurpin was absolutely superb in the very hot Coupe de France clash between Marseille and Lille on Tuesday (no VAR at this stage of the competition).
The game was very challenging, Turpin cancelled two goals for handball (very hard to spot live), and he turned down a PK for Marseille which can be deemed as supportable at the very least (no clear contact on the slow-mo).
3 correct bookings, and one RC to the benches at the end of the game for aggressive behaviour.
https://streambug.org/cv/f97ed0
https://streambug.org/cv/f98498
Well done !
Why no 2025 FIFA badges out on display yet?
ReplyDeleteAll the German referees wore 2025 badges in their games this week as did Marc Nagtegaal in the clip sent above by DutchRef
DeleteStill nothing in England…
ReplyDeleteRidiculous no VAR decision and after goal from Mbappé and Real Madrid : clear penalty not whistled by Munuera Montero for Celta. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteI‘m struggling to find a reason for no penalty decision. For me, it doesn‘t get any clearer. Maybe Munuera Montero and VAR did not want to reward the clever behaviour by the striker?
DeleteVideo, please?
DeleteThanks
Here the video: https://streamin.me/v/0596dcfe
DeleteYes, you can say that attacker went there just to get a penalty than to try to score, but last replay shows that keeper touched only him and so a penalty, according to how football is perceived today.
Maybe Mateu Lahoz was a guest in VAR room there :) He wouldn't have whistled this one!
RFEF-CTA releases the VAR audios, let's check that there is this one or not.
It seems that, according to some Spanish sources, it's possible that Hernandez Hernandez was too quick in confirming the goal for Real Madrid and only after that, clear footage of the foul by keeper were shown (audio not still published for what I can see).
DeleteThe footage clearly shows contact between the goalkeeper and the attacker. The attacker is in possession of the ball, making this a clear foul by the goalkeeper, as he trips him with his hands. Even though the attacker may have slightly exaggerated the foul, I believe this is a clear penalty for Celta. Therefore, there should have been a VAR intervention to disallow Mbappé's goal and award a penalty kick to Celta. This also involves preventing a clear goal-scoring opportunity, but since I believe it was a challenge for the ball, a yellow card is sufficient.
ReplyDeleteAs a referee, is it possible to be appointed in the UEFA Champions League when your last game was, for example, on Dec 17 (in Vincic’ case)?
ReplyDeleteOr is there a UEFA policy that does not allow that, I’m curious. Does anyone know?
Certainly no written rules about that. In past years we have heard of how referees from top leagues stopped for a longer time for the winter break or completely not played in those months, as it was for example Karasev from Russia, had to be managed a little differently and perhaps appointed a little later than others, if for an important Champions League match (maybe an Europa League "warm up" before). But this discussion can evidently be even useless, given how they have used Vincic so far, this one wouldn't be a problem. We have only to wait and see.
DeleteYes, we will see if and when Vincic gets a UCL match and whether he has a game somewhere abroad before that, as the Slovenian competition starts in February.
DeleteLast season was of course completely different, the R16 returns were at the beginning of March. But to compare, last season Vincic whistled just 1 domestic game after the winter break before his R16 return. That’s not a lot. I can imagine that Vincic has a special status now. Marciniak on the other hand, we see his effort to gain match rhytm in January, so I wondered if there was a policy or something. It could be the Polish in a big game (PSG-City), makes sense, although he already had PSG this season.
Boss, what are the predictions for next Tuesday and Wednesday? Which referees could be appointed in the Champions League?
ReplyDeleteLast minute CL MD 7 predictions:
ReplyDeleteAtalanta - Graz: Bastien (Brisard)
Monaco - Villa: Rumsas (Ruperti)
Liverpool - Lille: Lindhout (Higler)
Atlético - Leverkusen: Kovacs (Van Boekel)
Benfica - Barcelona: Makkelie (Dierperink)
Brugge - Juventus: Pinheiro (Martins)
Red Star - PSV: Taylor (Banks)
Bologna - Dortmund: Eskas (Munuera)
Bratislava - Stuttgart: Mariani (di Paolo)
Leipzig - Sporting: Nyberg (di Bello)
Donetsk - Brest: Hernandez (Grande)
Paris - City: Marciniak (Kwiatkowski)
Real - Salzburg: Kruzliak (Delajod)
Milan - Girona: Zwayer (Dankert)
Arsenal - Zagreb: Peljito (Millot)
Celtic - Bern: Fesnic (Popa)
Feyenoord - Bayern: Schärer (San)
Sparta - Inter: Siebert (Dingert)