Referee assignments for the first set of 2024-25 UEFA Champions League Round of 16, first legs.
18:45 CET - Bruges (Jan Breydelstadion)
CLUB BRUGGE KV (BEL) - ASTON VILLA FC (ENG)
Referee: João Pedro da Silva Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Miguel Alves Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano António Gomes Maia POR
Fourth Official: João António Ferreira Gonçalves POR
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti ITA
UEFA Delegate: Zgjim Sojeva KOS
21:00 CET - Madrid (Estadio Santiago Bernabéu)
REAL MADRID CF (ESP) - CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID (ESP)
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2:Benjamin Pages FRA
Fourth Official: Mathieu Vernice FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
UEFA Referee Observer:Leslie Irvine NIR
UEFA Delegate: Fernand Meese BEL
REAL MADRID CF (ESP) - CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID (ESP)
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2:Benjamin Pages FRA
Fourth Official: Mathieu Vernice FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
UEFA Referee Observer:
UEFA Delegate: Fernand Meese BEL
21:00 CET - Eindhoven (PSV Stadion)
PSV (NED) - ARSENAL FC (ENG)
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Ángel Nevado ESP
Fourth Official: Guillermo Cuadra ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Terje Hauge NOR
UEFA Delegate: Renata Tomášová SVK
PSV (NED) - ARSENAL FC (ENG)
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Ángel Nevado ESP
Fourth Official: Guillermo Cuadra ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Terje Hauge NOR
UEFA Delegate: Renata Tomášová SVK
21:00 CET - Dortmund (BVB Stadion)
BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER) - LOSC LILLE (FRA)
Referee:
Assistant Referee 1:Raúl Cabañero ESP
Assistant Referee 2:Iñigo Prieto ESP
Fourth Official:Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz ESP
Video Assistant Referee:Juan Martínez Munuera ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett ENG
UEFA Referee Observer:
UEFA Delegate: Attila Tömo HUN
BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER) - LOSC LILLE (FRA)
Referee:
Assistant Referee 1:
Assistant Referee 2:
Fourth Official:
Video Assistant Referee:
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett ENG
UEFA Referee Observer:
UEFA Delegate: Attila Tömo HUN
Would suggest German and English involvement on Weds, unless Dingert and Gillet are used with refs who don't have their own VAR
ReplyDeleteYes, Siebert in Rotterdam and Oliver in Munich maybe.
DeleteVan Boekel could indicate Kovacs (in Paris?) or Gözübüyük (in Lisbon?).
Good prediction with Pinheiro in Bruges.
ReplyDeleteThe Portuguese coming from an absolutely low profile game like Bayern - Slovan Bratislava, now will be observed by Rosetti to understand how far he can go this season. Still, the game is the most suitable one under this aspect, no very big teams involved, and so you can read clearly the path of the referee new to Elite Category.
To follow, very good times for Turpin, used for dangerous and risky games, without having anything to lose, but in this case it's more. The full trust by committee seems back again, and he deserved that. Maybe one could say that during the "Letexier way to heaven", his countryman has been treated too unfairly in some occasions, but yes, there are always many good games to referee and he is still there.
Then, the two Spanish: while for Sanchez Martinez the previous display in Rotterdam had been excellent, in my opinion Gil Manzano must convince in PSV - Arsenal. An occasion to have a good performance. The FIFA seminary for UEFA is waiting at the end of the month, who will be there? Maybe both?
Turpin repeating Real after the play-offs shows that UEFA didn't really trust the alternatives and wanted to take no risk.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I expected two referees with the experience of a Champions League final in the Madrid derby. Since Clément Turpin has just refereed Real Madrid in the intermediate round, I would have expected Slavko Vinčić (who however would have refereed his 8th UCL game this season then) and Szymon Marciniak instead. In this respect, it is probably a special honour for the Frenchman that he will handle again the same team. Basically I think it is a wise decision to use a particularly experienced referee. In this way, UEFA protects itself should problems arise and does not obstruct the career of any future final contender for a long time.
DeleteTurpin again has nothing to do with trust imo. What Peter says: this is all about giving the potential final referee a “clean” and not too risky path… The derby can easily burn the chances of a final candidate. Keep an eye on Letexier, Oliver, maybe Zwayer.
DeleteOT: I don't know if this is geoblocked or not, but what absolutely shameful scenes in France today when Fonseca went up head-to-head with referee Millot. I hope FFF hands him a long suspension and a large fine: https://x.com/ViaplayFotboll/status/1896237547614765211
ReplyDeleteOT: Last week the WC2026 seminar of CONMEBOL and CONCACAF was held in Buenos Aires.
ReplyDeleteCONCACAF (15)
Ismail Elfath USA
Tori Penso USA
Joseph Dickerson USA
César Ramos MEX
Marco Ortiz MEX (who is suspended by CONCACAF for 6 months)
Katia Garcia MEX
Juan Calderon CRC
Keylor Herrera CRC
Walter Lopez GUA
Mario Escobar GUA
Said Martinez HON
Drew Fischer CAN
Ivan Barton SLV
Oshane Nation JAM
Kwinsi Williams TRI
CONMEBOL (18)
Ramon Abatti BRA
Raphael Claus BRA
Wilton Sampaio BRA
Facundo Tello ARG
Darío Herrera ARG
Yael Falcón ARG
Andrés Matonte URU
Gustavo Tejera URU
Piero Maza CHI
Cristian Garay CHI
John Ospina COL
Andrés Rojas COL
Kevin Ortega PER
Roberto Pérez PER
Augusto Aragón ECU
Juan Benítez PAR
Alexis Herrrera VEN
Ivo Méndez BOL
- Jesús Valenzuela VEN didn’t attend because he whistled the Recopa Sudamericana last week.
- Edina Alves BRA, Emikar Calderas VEN and Derlis Lopez PAR were not invited.
Thanks to Arbitro Internacional as always.
In addition, the referees for the Club World Cup will be chosen in April after the UEFA seminar takes place.
Deletedoes anyone have any ideas of who the contenders will be for the european world cup qualifiers in march
DeleteThe first half of Milan-Lazio confirmed the great fear of Manganiello, a referee who is always very reluctant to make strong decisions or even to lengthen recoveries. Many fouls were not whistled to avoid problems even when clear (e.g. foul on Zaccagni in the 15th minute), and two really thorny situations remain doubtful. In the 12th minute, a possible DOGSO against Milan: Manganiello lets it go on, while VAR sends two contradictory images (in the first one we do not understand much and the decision is supportable, in the second one we see a clear foul). In the 41st minute really really really really hard foul of Theo Hernandez on Marusic not even whistled
ReplyDeleteNow a RC for Pavlovic, for me the foul was less dangerous than the two situations in the first half. And a missed YC for Walker
DeleteBut now he contradicts you with a RC for a serious "old school" foul play. On a counterattack, tackle directly on the man.
DeleteThese are the red cards that are less accepted today than in the past, trying always to look for criteria that can support the YC.
A second YC and a penalty missed in the last minutes, anyways. Overall I am not convinced at all
DeleteYep,plenty leniency and as you said,beong afraid to make right and brave decision.
DeletePossible RC to Lazio player,dome YC's not given that are very easy(Gabbia,even Jimenez's 2nd YC).
Some of his decisions are so frustrating to see...On one hand,he can be so lenient.
Then on the other hand,brandishes RC just like that.
Doveri also,display of leniency was shocking,but the game ended without controversial decisions(maybe 2 penalty shouts)so he will get big matches for rest of the season.
Sad to see how far Italian refereeing has fallen.
Two interesting scenes this weekend, one of which already mentioned by Elliot this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all goalkeeper offence in the FA Cup game between Crystal Palace and Millwall, referee Michael Oliver:
https://streambug.org/cv/024358
Second, Elliot’s scene, a penalty area incident, OFR and coach’s behavior, referee Benoît Millot:
https://streambug.org/cv/18c7cc
Apparently some playback issues in streambug, another try on streamable.
DeleteCRYMIL [Oliver]
https://streamable.com/8wlja7
OLYBRE [Millot]
https://streamable.com/sseo9e
Both clearly unacceptable from the player/coach.
DeleteI have some sympathy with Oliver, the foot rose after contact with the ball, and it seemed to be a very quick contact. But clearly a RC and a very good example of where VAR is needed.
In Lyon, I'm sure the manager will face a lengthy suspension as such actions can clearly never be accepted. Could Millot have started walking backwards when it happened? Yes, but I get the surprise at the moment of 'what just happened?!' as you wouldn't expect such actions from a coach
I think very soft penalty by Pinheiro. Rewatching it, he wouldn't have whistled, but VAR must support. A more than fair game, easy to control for the referee.
ReplyDeleteMissed penalty by Turpen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brbr. Holding attackers arm shouldn't be allowed. Why didn't Brisard intervene, can the hierarchy between these referees effect?
DeleteMissed 2nd yellow by Manzano
ReplyDeleteClear missed 2nd yc
DeleteMissed 2nd yc for Lewis-Skelly by Gil Manzano
ReplyDeleteExcellent no penalty decision by Turpin (6’).
ReplyDeleteThe defender briefly holds (and doesn’t pull) the arm of the attacker before releasing it, and the attacker falls il a second time. It would have been a soft PK, and we don’t want soft PK in the early minutes of a Madrid derby.
Agree with that, especially with how Turpin is letting the game flow, in live speed the contact is really short. Good decision for me
DeleteI would also praise this decision, because I think that in the past, the same Turpin used to have a tendency to whistle soft PKs, which cost him a lot (Manchester United / Copenhagen in 2020, Russia / Denmark in 2021…) and I think he improved in this aspect.
DeleteTo me, supportable decision.
DeleteVideo:
https://streambug.org/cv/d9657b
Never VAR stuff, up to referee to decide whether penalty or not.
About the comments above, in my opinion the action by defender is not that strong, at least with my Italian glasses.
I think also for Spanish culture, this is not a very clear one.
It’s not clear decision, so it’s not for var…but why the defender clearly hold the attacker?
Deletewhat will happend withouth contact? Who get the advantage in this play? Defenitely not attacker.
My main comment here is that Turpin’s positioning is not very credible here, never easy with Mbappe of course but he’s making this decision from very far away and I’m not sure the AR has an angle to help him out.
Delete*Correction on my part, it was Rodrygo, not Mbappe.
DeleteTurpin’s positioning here is really bad actually, he didn’t read he play at all, didn’t scan the field, and was walking in the completely wrong direction for no benefit before the long ball.
Perhaps the decision is supportable but this was poor refereeing IMO
Actually, if you watch the action from the beginning, Turpin was managing a conflict between two players (De Paul and Diaz if I’m not mistaken), while the ball was still in play, and was therefore late when the rythm accelerated. I agree it results in a bad positioning when judging the contact. But I repeat, for me, it’s not only supportable, but the best possible outcome not to whistle.
DeleteI think that the substitution by Arsenal in first half says eveything about Gil Manzano mistake.
ReplyDeleteTurpin's impotence in not applying YC to De Paul is unacceptable. Lack of attitude in this play.
ReplyDeleteThe referee for Arsenal - PSV is already appointed, but well, after today... missed chance for allowing important experience to little experienced Elite.
ReplyDeleteWith Bertrand Layec in London as observer, we will see the original choice by committee and what they thought about the possible outcome of this game.
Possible red card for SFP in Dortmund.
ReplyDeleteMartinuez Munuera didn't intervene, but what a big miss by Sanchez Martinez, not even YC.
This must be discussed.
For me clear RC
Deletehttps://ibb.co/b5jxhyzv
DeleteClear RC, after rewatching.
What UEFA wants is RC.
Strange mistake by VAR Martinez Munuera, I don't understand what he assessed.
Open studs on the achilles, not much to discuss for me here. Not seing it on the field is a miss but I also don't understand why VAR (who checked it) did not intervene.
DeleteCan the VAR intervene when Sanchez allowed the restart? If we're talking about SFP, I don't think so. VC unseen, maybe. But Sanchez called a foul, so he saw it.
DeleteCorrect, only VC, Spitting/Biting, and Offensive/Abusive Language/Actions can be reviewed in that circumstance.
DeleteSome points for discussions.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the Madrid derby was not the challenging game one could have expected and surely second leg will be a very different story.
You can support Turpin with NO PENALTY call, for some people penalty to be given, for others not a clear one. To me just OK if whistled, but not a very evident foul, I would agree with the VAR assessment of staying silent. Only one YC to field's players in such a game can be also seen as very particular record.
PSV - Arsenal: impossible to expect such score. Despite of that, the Spanish missed a second YC for reckless challenge in first half. The Arsenal coach replaced the player: that's always a very bad sign for a referee. As always happens, an early card on a player puts a referee on a particular condition, only the very brave can go with second yellow to player in the first part of the game, or even the first minutes of the game. That's a problem for me, but I just hope Gil Manzano had different arguments. OK the penalty.
Borussia Dortmund - Lille: very open tie, big miss with a YC for SFP and the work by VAR can't be understood in my opinion. Even more without a YC issued by referee. Remains a very big mistake, even if UEFA considers this one as only YC (it's rather orange, though).
Pinheiro: as said, very quiet game, not worthy of being watched under a refereeing point of view, but focus on penalty. To me, better not to give it, but not a mistake. Nevertheless, Rosetti without too many arguments to discuss with the new Elite from Portugal in the dressing room.
Will try to post all clips tomorrow about most interesting cases.
Not a set in which committee can be fully content, I would say.
All in all, I would say a superb officiating by Turpin in Madrid. Handling such a game with this calm, this respect he gained over the years by the players, is remarkable.
ReplyDeleteYou can say what you want about Turpin, but his consistency in hot clashes forces the respect. He is the man to beat today !
L'art de l'exagération
DeleteExpected level performance in a game of normal difficulty, nothing more nothing less Imho. And agreed on not calling a penalty is the preferred decision.
I forgot to mention one missed YC (quite inexplicably) for De Paul at 65’.
DeleteI had already talked about this before. Until now I would like to understand why Turpin did not apply YC to De Paul? There is no explanation for that.
DeleteAgree with you @Lincoln.
DeleteTurpin is indeed a masterclass referee; his style and his calm are outstanding and a sure warranty for any match. He deserve much more than he achieved so far
DeletePSV - Arsenal (Potential SYC) : https://streambug.org/cv/89bfeb
ReplyDeleteDortmund - Lille :
Potentiel RC : https://streambug.org/cv/3c4c31
Potential PK : https://streambug.org/cv/d50d1d
Sorry : PSV - Arsenal (Potential SYC) https://streambug.org/cv/aaf077
DeleteSpanish referees covering themselves in glory again tonight… neither are good enough for this competition
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHA
DeleteYes, the referee of Arsenal-PSV was already appointed. If this is f.e. Kovács, it would be a waste and they can easily move him to Lille-Dortmund (no appointment yet).
ReplyDeleteIt is the perfect opportunity to send a new Elite Mariani if you ask me.
All the incidents from Gil Manzano first half (and one can say at the final whistle the game ended 45 minutes before).
ReplyDelete8' PAI
https://streambug.org/cv/043974
I think correct decision, as it was attacker hitting opponent while making movement with leg to kick ball, one can't say that defender was guilty for just staying there, but maybe somebody will have different opinion...
26' Possible second YC for reckless challenge
https://streambug.org/cv/990a1d
I think that Gil Manzano assessed only whether SPA or not, missing the nature of the foul. To me, a reckless and late challenge which should have resulted in YC. AR2 more than responsible here.
31' Possible offside before 0-3
https://streambug.org/cv/bdcac9
This was very interesting situation, first touch by defender on the pass, is deflection, no doubts. Then, you have that tackle and for me this is a clear deliberate play, with player absolutely free to make his action. So, no offside and very good decision, if AR1 assessed and saw exactly it in this way.
43' Penalty whistled
https://streambug.org/cv/a9c935
Correct decision, nothing to add here.
26': Not a clear and obvious mistake IMO (of course not VAR relevant anyway). The intensity and point of contact doesn't make it clearly reckless, I think. So YC just the better decision, but not completely mandatory for me.
Delete31': That tackle is deliberate, but the ball is not controllable in this situation, so in my opinion according to the current guidelines it doesn't void the offside.
Agree with Philipp .... I don't think the 2nd YC was mandatory but obviously subbing the player out isn't the greatest look for the referee
Delete43' Well spotted penalty
Club Brugge - Aston Villa.
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/ffa35e
A penalty that it's hard not to whistle live, but...
After reading this blog for a couple of years and reading your complaints about the extreme leniency of Italian and French referees, I thought it would be interesting to check how this is reflected in 24/25 season statistics, in Top-5 leagues +1.
ReplyDeleteSource is Transfermarkt, probably not 100% accurate, but it provides a good indication imo.
Yellow cards per match:
-1. Portugal: 4,9 YC
-2. Spain: 4,8 YC
-3. England: 4.3 YC
-4. Germany: 4,1 YC
-5. Italy: 3,9 YC (!!)
-6. France: 2,79 YC (!!!) 🙂
Penalty’s per match:
-1. France: 0,40 PK (how can we explain this?)
-2. Portugal: 0,35 PK
-3. Spain: 0,34 PK
-4. Italy: 0,32 PK
-5. Germany: 0,30 PK
-6. England: 0.21 PK :-):-)
Red cards per match*:
-1. France: 0,23 RC
-2. Spain: 0,22 RC
-3. Portugal: 0,20 RC
-4. Italy: 0,20 RC (slightly less than POR)
-5. Germany: 0,17 RC
-6. England: 0.13 RC
*The RC statistic includes direct red cards, as well as RC issued after a 2YC.
According to my statistics, referees in France's Ligue 1 showed the yellow card 840 times in 216 matches, which corresponds to an average of 3.89 instead of the claimed 2.79 yellow cards. There was not a single referee who showed an average of less than 3.00 yellow cards per match.
DeleteThx Peter, that must have been a mistake by me. I did another calculation based on this source:
Deletehttps://www.transfermarkt.com/ligue-1/schiedsrichter/wettbewerb/FR1
I count 848 YCs (this includes a 2YC) and 216 games. Average per game is indeed 3,9 YC.
Normal average if you ask me. Can you share any insights about Austria?
I also checked the Elite referees in season 24/25. Turpin is indeed one of the most lenient referees with 2,9 YC per game, whereas Gil Manzano issues ~6,0 YC per game. :D
To conclude, France and Italy have both 3,9 YC per game and are the most lenient in this list.
Delete