List of selected officials for 2025 UEFA Under 17 EURO Championship, to be played in Albania.
Albania, 19 May - 1 June 2025
Referees:
Patrik Kolarić CRO
Mikkel Redder DEN
Oliver Reitala FIN
Joey Kooij NED
Łukasz Kuźma POL
Oleksiy Derevinsʹkyy UKR
Assistant Referees:
Luka Pajić CRO
Martin Markus DEN,
Olli Jantunen FIN
Dyon Fikkert NED
Marek Arys POL
Christopher Rae SCO
Guillaume Maire SUI
Oleksiy Myronov UKR
Fourth Officials:
Florian Lata ALB
Kamal Umudlu AZE
Monday 19 May 2025
Group A
18:00 CET - Tirana (Air Albania Stadium)
ALBANIA - PORTUGAL
Referee: Patrik Kolarić CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Luka Pajić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Rae SCO
Fourth Official: Kamal Umudlu AZE
UEFA Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP
UEFA Delegate: Kadri Jägel EST
Group A
20:30 CET - Elbasan (Elbasan Arena)
GERMANY - FRANCE
Referee: Joey Kooij NED
Assistant Referee 1: Dyon Fikkert NED
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Markus DEN
Fourth Official: Mikkel Hedberg Redder DEN
UEFA Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller AUT
UEFA Delegate: Claudio Negroni SUI
Tuesday 20 May 2025
Group B
18:00 CET - Rrogozhinë (Stadiumi "Arena Egnatia")
ENGLAND - BELGIUM
Referee: Łukasz Kuźma POL
Assistant Referee 1: Marek Arys POL
Assistant Referee 2: Guillaume Maire SUI
Fourth Official: Florian Lata ALB
UEFA Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu ROU
UEFA Delegate: Kadri Jägel EST
Group B
20:30 CET - Durrës (Stadiumi "Niko Dovana")
ITALY - CZECHIA
Referee: Oleksiy Derevins'kyy UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksiy Myronov UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Olli Jantunen FIN
Fourth Official: Kamal Umudlu AZE
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB
UEFA Delegate: Claudio Negroni SUI
Group A
18:00 CET - Elbasan (Elbasan Arena)
ALBANIA - GERMANY
Referee: Kamal Umudlu AZE
Assistant Referee 1: Olli Jantunen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Luka Pajić CRO
Fourth Official: Patrik Kolarić CRO
UEFA Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller AUT
UEFA Delegate: Kadri Jägel EST
Group A
20:30 CET - Tirana (Air Albania Stadium)
FRANCE - PORTUGAL
Referee: Łukasz Kuźma POL
Assistant Referee 1: Marek Arys POL
Assistant Referee 2: Guillaume Maire SUI
Fourth Official: Florian Lata ALB
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB
UEFA Delegate: Claudio Negroni SUI
Friday 23 May 2025
Group B
18:00 CET - Durrës (Stadiumi "Niko Dovana")
BELGIUM - CZECHIA
Referee: Mikkel Hedberg Redder DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Markus DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksiy Myronov UKR
Fourth Official: Oleksiy Derevins'kyy UKR
UEFA Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu ROU
UEFA Delegate: Claudio Negroni SUI
Group B
20:30 CET - Rrogozhinë (Stadiumi "Arena Egnatia")
ITALY - ENGLAND
Referee: Joey Kooij NED
Assistant Referee 1: Dyon Fikkert NED
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Rae SCO
Fourth Official: Florian Lata ALB
UEFA Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP
UEFA Delegate: Kadri Jägel EST
Group A
20:30 CET - Elbasan (Elbasan Arena)
FRANCE - ALBANIA
Referee: Oleksiy Derevins'kyy UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksiy Myronov UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Marek Arys POL
Fourth Official: Łukasz Kuźma POL
UEFA Referee Observer: Thoms Einwaller AUT
UEFA Delegate: Kadri Jägel EST
Group A
20:30 CET - Tirana (Air Albania Stadium)
PORTUGAL - GERMANY
Referee: Mikkel Hedberg Redder DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Markus DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Dyon Fikkert NED
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB
UEFA Delegate: Claudio Negroni SUI
Monday 26 May 2025
Group B
20:30 CET - Durrës (Stadiumi "Niko Dovana")
BELGIUM - ITALY
Referee: Patrik Kolarić CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Luka Pajić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Rae SCO
Fourth Official: Kamal Umudlu AZE
UEFA Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu ROU
UEFA Delegate: Claudio Negroni SUI
Group B
20:30 CET - Rrogozhinë (Stadiumi "Arena Egnatia")
CZECHIA - ENGLAND
Referee: Florian Lata ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Olli Jantunen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Guillaume Maire SUI
Fourth Official: Oleksiy Derevins'kyy UKR
UEFA Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP
UEFA Delegate: Kadri Jägel EST
Thursday 29 May 2025
18:00 CET - Elbasan (Elbasan Arena)
FRANCE - BELGIUM
Referee: Mikkel Hedberg Redder DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Markus DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksiy Myronov UKR
Fourth Official: Oleksiy Derevins'kyy UKR
UEFA Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers NED
UEFA Delegate: Kadri Jägel EST
20:30 CET - Tirana (Air Albania Stadium)
ITALY - PORTUGAL
Referee: Joey Kooij NED
Assistant Referee 1: Dyon Fikkert NED
Assistant Referee 2: Olli Jantunen FIN
Fourth Official: Florian Lata ALB
UEFA Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP
UEFA Delegate: Claudio Negroni SUI
FINAL
Sunday 1 June 2025
20:30 CET - Tirana (Air Albania Stadium)
FRANCE - PORTUGAL
Referee: Oleksiy Derevins'kyy UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksiy Myronov UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Rae SCO
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers NED
UEFA Delegate: Claudio Negroni SUI
FRANCE - PORTUGAL
Referee: Oleksiy Derevins'kyy UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksiy Myronov UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Rae SCO
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers NED
UEFA Delegate: Claudio Negroni SUI
For me it is great to se some good nominations for danish referees, truly there has been a long period with out any good results..
ReplyDeleteBut know Morten Krogh, debut in CL and FO in a semifinale. Jakob Sundberg, Mikkel Redder in a champions ship..
Also have to mention our female referees Frida Nielsen and Nanna Andersen with major nominations throughout this summer
Where i can find More Photo in GER-FRA match?
ReplyDeleteRC for SFP given by Kooij in GERFRA
ReplyDeletehttps://streamin.me/v/fb76ad0e
RC for SFP by Kooij.
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/1d9489
I think a very good decision, but for my taste the Dutch referee too theatrical in card showing procedure.
Situation could have been avoided by a quicker whistle for the initial foul
DeleteNot a clear RC IMO, as the contact is on the foot and therefore it could also be seen as the classic stamp-YC.
DeleteAnd yes, the priority in the card showing procedure should be that the offending player sees the card - which obviously wasn't the case here.
As Dutch i can say that this clip has everything that characterizes Kooij's style. Good positioning, not afraid to make tough decisions and a bit theatrical
DeleteOliver Reitala ist verletzungsbedingt abgereist.
ReplyDeletePatrik Kolarić in ALBPOR
ReplyDeleteKey Match Incidents:
12' PAI tripping
https://streambug.org/cv/de931a
45+1' Possible RC for SFP, YC given
https://streambug.org/cv/fbb036
66' Penalty awarded for tripping
https://streambug.org/cv/913c1e
74' PAI handball
https://streambug.org/cv/b9cd19
Disciplinary:
https://files.fm/u/t6kt73q243
Thanks for the clips! I found this performance a bit disappointing (6️⃣ -- 8,1/2-ish). One should never be too critical in tournaments like this, because for refs as well as players it is about LEARNING, but it seems we will have to content ourselves with many referees like Kolaric in the future; this means:
Delete1- molten valkeen (+finger grip) whistle
2- a very fit, professional impression
3- not much real understanding of the game
I hope that Borbalan raised these points to the Croat ref after the game: a) when a borderline to yc foul happens and the advantage clause is (rightly!) used, it is important to go back and warn the player with clear body/whistle language, and, b) to understand the 'lack of respect' concept, and how taking a lax view to very blatant fouls in the game will erode your match control. On both these counts, in a lop-sided game, the referee got away with it - but even here, the rather agricultural foul in first half added time was a consequence of how the game was refereed.
Finally, to end on a more positive note, I think that Kolaric took the best possible decisions in the four highlighted kmi incidents.
Makkelie has been named the best referee in the Netherlands for the fourth year in a row by the national newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. In his interview, he openly admits that during the second half of the season, there were several matches where things didn’t go his way and his performances weren’t flawless. He explains that when you’re considered the best, people always scrutinize your decisions and expect top performances season after season. It’s only human, he says, to also go through a less successful period. He also states that Marc Nagtegaal is the biggest talent and could become the best referee in the country in the future.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ad.nl/voetbal/danny-makkelie-weer-de-beste-scheidsrechter-van-nederland-ik-was-niet-vlekkeloos-zo-eerlijk-moet-ik-zijn~a895ef39/
I really don't get the decisions to promote Van der Eijk to first category, nominate Kooij to U17 EURO and therefore omit Nagtegaal.
DeleteNobody understands this. Kuipers choose Sander van der Eijk above Marc Nagtegaal, who is so much better in personality, management and controlling players.
DeleteI think most Dutch football fans are still not even aware that Van der Eijk is a UEFA referee, so it doesn't help his status.
DeleteDanny Makkelie has been named the best Dutch referee this season in the AD-Referee rankings. In the interview he explains why he didn't punish Noa Lang, who was quite provocative twice towards the Feyenoord supporters after scoring two goals in the recent Feyenoord-PSV. (Lang has a very bad history with Feyenoord and they hate each other.)
ReplyDelete"I asked him how it was going, if he was bothered by the swearing. Then I could have it announced. "But he didn't think that was necessary. I also spoke to him correctively when he started cheering with the hard core of Feyenoord. If you hand out as a spectator, you should also be able to take it. Lang himself also had to endure the necessary criticism."
Is this a good example of a referee sometimes ignoring the rules and prioritizing morality? Did he show character? Or is he being self-righteous?
Tough question.
Referees are also human and sometimes not strictly following the rulebook is what makes a referee a good manager. Black-and-white refereeing is rarely the best approach. At times, following your heart and using common sense can be just as important.
ReplyDeleteIn this case, the referee protected the player and that’s completely logical. I’m sure that if he had shown a yellow card, he would have been blamed for punishing the player while the crowd was allowed to behave however they wanted. And we all know the Feyenoord crowd doesn’t exactly have the best reputation.
I just want to point out one thing. Not all Feyenoord supporters abused Lang. It certainly wasn't a small number in that game. Lumping all Feyenoord supporters together is a typical example of collective punishment.
DeleteYes, people in the organization like that. This is a way of thinking that is incompatible with the position of the supporters.
@Anass:
DeleteThe referee asked Noa Lang multiple times during the match whether he is “bothered” by the offensive chants. And yet you’re still trying to downplay the situation.
In your opinion, Feyenoord fans are allowed to sing offensive chants, but Noa Lang isn’t allowed to celebrate his goal in front of the Feyenoord supporters? Interesting opinion.
Maybe clubs should provide detailed maps before kickoff—wouldn’t want players accidentally celebrating in the “wrong” spot and hurting anyone’s feelings.
By the way, aren’t you that Feyenoord-fan who runs a fan account on Twitter/X?
OT: Public interest in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States appears to be alarmingly low. On FIFA’s official website, thousands of seats remain available for several matches, including high-profile games. Even the opening match, a home game for Inter Miami featuring Lionel Messi, shows large blocks of empty seats in the neutral sections.
ReplyDeleteThis trend continues throughout the tournament, including matches that FIFA recently told The Athletic had “satisfying” ticket sales. Most notably, the final in New York still has entire sections of the stadium available.
Fans seem to be staying away, possibly due to steep ticket prices. Seats for the final start at a hefty $635 for a trophy engraved twice with the name of FIFA president Gianni Infantino. In an attempt to boost attendance, FIFA has significantly reduced prices for group-stage matches, with tickets now starting at around €25.
I continue to think that they have pushed the media in a truly crazy manner, a tournament that in normal conditions would have seen very little or no interest from the fans, especially given that it is placed at the end of the season, in a context where it is frequently repeated that all the players are tired and want to go on holiday. DAZN made me exhausted, repeating in every serie A commentary that they will air this tournament...
DeleteOT: From Arbitro Internacional, Wilton Sampaio-Nicolas Gallo for CWC Play-in LAFC-America.
ReplyDeleteAn expected choice, I thought of a referee from CONMEBOL and indeed. Not that big game, no need of somebody with a long trip and so South American officials.
DeleteInteresting that an internal CONCACAF play-off is not refereed by a CONCACAF official. I mean, continental play-offs for the regular WC are nearly always handled by referees from that confederation.
DeleteBut once you look outside CONCACAF, Sampaio is a logical choice indeed.
Dispatches from Arabia (ot): After a very good performance (with a strict style!) by Cesar Ramos in the league decider between the same teams, it wasn't such a good show by another ≈top20 referee in the world, Jesus Valenzuela, when Al-Arabi and Al-Kuwait played in a final match a couple of days ago. Certainly, it was an extremely challenging match for Juan Soto (var) with lots of situations to decide upon. The eight most interesting from the game feature below:
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/aN8RYx2XdRI?list=PLJNDTL9UhkPt6EKZT_mGjgb5yRvMTAnms
54' - no card after lunging tackle
57' - no penalty given to arabi (discussable)
60' - penalty to kuwait revoked c.ofr (good var-ing)
63' - penalty(+yc) to arabi after ofr (arm use...)
74' - yellow card given after tackle by kuwait
103' - no penalty to arabi after challenge (discussable)
+106' - no penalty to kuwait after challenge (rightly)
116' - penalty after ofr to kuwait (to me totally wrong)
Overall, it was a performance in the FIFA style by Valenzuela, very orientated towards management and the manner of interacting with the players (indeed, that was a clear success in this match). However, the technical accuracy of the ref's decisions left a bit to be desired in my book, in the general goings-on of the game as well as in kmis.
Why do you think the penalty is wrong in 116? Touching the ball is not playing the ball. Therefore I actually think PK is the preferred decision here.
DeleteAttacker very deliberately jumps into the tackle by the defender which would otherwise have played the ball cleanly. According to the line taken by the FIFA referees committee at the last WC (in addition to my own personal opinion), the penalty award wasn't justified.
DeleteBig surprise to see a Scottish official (AR2 Christopher Rae) appointed to a game involving England. Maybe the first time this has happened in a competitive UEFA match?
ReplyDeleteI finished the Euro'96 blog this week (euro96ref.blogspot.com) for those interested.
ReplyDeleteTwo tangential questions, maybe someone can help:
Delete1) Was there (Peter?) anything in the Austrian media about a punishment from UEFA to Gerd Grabher for his refereeing of Porto-Milan in Nov/96? I watched the game at the weekend and, indeed, unfortunately he refereed it very badly. It seems rather unfortunate though as his stock was very high after Euro'96, when UEFA rated his refereeing very badly, but it seems that he lost everything on account of this game. What happened to Puhl a year later is very well-documented, but for Grabher, besides the Costa-Weah affair, there is nothing. Am I missing something?
2) It would be interesting to know why Ilkka Koho suddenly quit refereeing in 1997, after he was originally appointed as referee of Italy-England in Le Tournoi and thus seemingly putting him in contention for refereeing at WC1998 (there was, quite randomly, a Finnish linesman in '94 who wasn't particularly good so one could guess Koho would have had some kind of lobby too). He was an international referee for quite a long time and seemed to me a capable, tidy official - so why quit on the verge of this huge test to be watched by very senior FIFA people. Finnish newspapers seemed not to have more than "he retired due to lost motivation" in their articles at the time. It would be interesting if anyone knows any more!
Austria's media reported very little about the international referees: unless someone was nominated for a World Cup or European Championship, even appearances in the Champions League during the pre-Internet age went largely unnoticed. I remember reading in the newspaper that Gerd Grabher once mentioned that not everything had gone optimally in that match and that he had been given a moment of reflection by UEFA. As far as I can remember, he only officiated one more match in the Champions League afterward, two years later in his international farewell season, between FC Barcelona and Brøndby IF. Considering that he had landed on the sidelines before, it was a relatively attractive match (at least the home team). On the other hand, Günter Benkö officiated FC Barcelona against Manchester United (very well) in the same season's group stage, after he had caught attention at the World Cup in France.
DeleteThe above comment should read "It seems rather unfortunate though as his stock was very high after Euro'96, when UEFA rated his refereeing very strongly [not badly]”; apologies. Thanks for your reply Peter! Some impressions from the match in Porto:
Deleteyoutu.be/93DoWRvPZ6c?list=PLJNDTL9UhkPu0NoHGiIIt1BlR0z9EoSv3
Of course, clips from all Euro'96 games can be found on the blog itself!
Gerd Grabher was certainly banned, which he also hinted at with the "pause for thought." In the knockout phase of that season, he was not even considered after this performance. And at the beginning of the 1997/98 season, if I remember correctly, he was injured for a longer time and only returned in the domestic Bundesliga on the 11th matchday. Overall, not a fortunate further development, although it seems that efforts were made to build him up in Austria and immediately after Porto - Milan, he was entrusted with the Viennese derby Rapid Wien - Austria Wien followed by the Graz derby Sturm Graz - Grazer AK and the Upper Austrian derby FC Linz - SV Ried.
DeleteOff topic: My name is also Peter and I am also from Austria.
Delete
DeleteYep, a quiz! ;-) (a) Dr. Peter Lerchenmüller, former FIFA referee and today Julian Weinberger's observer for WSG Tirol vs. Grazer AK in the final round of Austria's Bundesliga, (b) Dr. Peter Truzla, current match observer, including Austria Klagenfurt vs. TSV Hartberg (led by Sebastian Gishamer, observed by Stefan Meßner), (c) any other Peter. ;-)
Impressive, Doveri, despite being totally lenient, with clear cards not applied, he was selected by Rocchi for the very important match in the fight against Relegation!
ReplyDeleteOh My god 🤔
Joey Kooij in GERFRA
ReplyDeleteKey Match Incidents
04' PAI holding
https://streambug.org/cv/2685bd
17' PAI holding
https://streambug.org/cv/4ffab1
24' PAI holding
https://streambug.org/cv/f43465
31' RC GER6 for SFP
https://streambug.org/cv/59f24b
57' YC GER15 for SPA impeding, possible DOGSO?
https://streambug.org/cv/5a6d32
Disciplinary:
https://files.fm/u/m7wy9sxzxq
Łukasz Kuźma in ENGBEL
ReplyDeleteKey Match Incidents
03' PAI illegal use of arm
https://streambug.org/cv/ef5491
31' GK handling the ball on the edge of the penalty area
https://streambug.org/cv/eaf99e
47' PAI handball
https://streambug.org/cv/6a2282
48' Free kick leading to Goal BEL
https://streambug.org/cv/12c0ef
70' PAI simulation of already cautioned BEL11
https://streambug.org/cv/937b08
82' PAI pushing
https://streambug.org/cv/6c9acf
90+1' PAI charging
https://streambug.org/cv/357ec7
Disciplinary and other stuff
https://files.fm/u/byj8up5ry6
min 56 reckless or SFP any video ?
DeleteYou mean FRAPOR and it's ENGBEL, I will report on this game as well :)
DeleteOleksiy Derevins'kyy in ITACZE
ReplyDeleteKey Match Incidents
51' PAI simulation by ITA8
https://streambug.org/cv/664e0c
52' Play-on call initiating APP at Goal CZE
https://streambug.org/cv/f3560d
Disciplinary and other stuff
https://files.fm/u/surf9fs78e
Eredivisie: play-offs: AZ - FC Twente
ReplyDeleteIt was a spectacular, great match with a lot going on. I think Gözübüyük made good decisions in some difficult situations. Without a doubt the best referee in the Netherlands this season. It's really unusual to see that Van Boekel intevene and then have his advice rejected!
Penalty decision.
https://x.com/ESPNnl/status/1926678253239947363
YC decision, VAR intervene, no RC.
https://x.com/ESPNnl/status/1926687830786404536
Of these video’s reflect Gozubuyuk’s performance in this game I’d disagree with you.
DeleteImho the penalty is clearly caused by the attacker putting his leg in between of the opponent’s leg without any attempt to play ball.
And the Ofr challenge I consider a Sfp as already argumented in the other thread (studs to calf, high point of contact, ankle twisting).
A 3rd challenging situation was this
DeleteSPA vs DOGSO holding offence:
https://streambug.org/cv/03cc43
Watching life it appeared to be a clear SPA, but when assessing the situation at the moment of the foul it becomes more difficult.
Ref. United-Villa - how is it considered if the goalkeeper has control of the ball in such a situation? It looks like Bayindir has a hand on the ball when Rogers challenges, is this sufficient to argue control of ball and there consider this a free kick?
ReplyDeleteNope wrong decision by referee Thomas Bramall, however he blew the whistle before the ball entered the net so VAR Attwell couldn't do anything.
DeleteThe LotG as I under stand it states that, a goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball when they have a direct touch with it. Is it then not enough to be touching it? Does the goalkeeper need to hold it between his hands? I can’t seem to find a clear answer.
DeleteKeeper was in possession of ball surely a second before the action by attacker, then when attacker gains it, you could argue keeper is not controlling it, but it stays as very controversial because it happens almost in the same moment, in my opinion you can disallow this goal even though it could be regular, for an unwritten rule, too complicated to be accepted.
DeleteAlso, referee didn't wait for goal scored to take the decision but it's hard to have a very cool mind in this situation.
LOTG states hes in control if the ball is between his hands. Surely in this case the ball is between his hands
DeleteTiago Martins is at risk of being completely removed from Portuguese refereeing in the 2025–26 season, reports @Record_Portugal.
ReplyDeleteThe Refereeing Council was very displeased with his lack of intervention in the incident involving Matheus Reis and Belotti.
Tiago Martins was set to retire as a head referee but planned to continue as a VAR official and even as a refereeing instructor.
The Portuguese official also served as VAR in the UEFA-appointed Women’s Champions League final.
https://streambug.org/cv/a9fef0
Van Boekel is one of the best VAR referees in the world so find it very strange that Gözübüyük rejected his advice so fast .
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you are right in statement " that referee try to avoid red cards as they are not popular by fans and media".
You could see Fuertes in game Bilbao-Barcelona minute 92 foul on Dani Olmo from behind as last man.
He did not called a foul but VAR corrected him and then he whistle penalty but no yellow card. He watched situation for a minute on TV and no yellow card as he did not wanted to show red card ( should be second yellow for Berchiche). You are referee for 20 years and you know it is super mandatory yellow but you say heii minute 93 game is over enough with penalty it is ok on this level?
Situations like this we could see every week where referees do not doing their job. They have VAR all the time in the world and still not doing their job because they are afraid.
Referees must be more protected and there should be some neutral committee that can punish this crucial mistakes .
One idea is maybe to use 40 referees and not only 20 in league , so second league referees can get chance when first league referees are suspended.
Alberola Rojas wins his third Guruceta Trophy, awarded annually by Marca to the best referee of the season in Spain.
ReplyDeleteHe ties with Mejuto Gonzalez with 3 awards.
Remember: Alberola is 33 years old.
How reliable and genuine is this trophy in reality? I’m asking because in Italy there’s a whole number of awards and trophies given to referees, especially by organizations outside the official association, which often turn out to be completely useless and don’t reflect at all the actual performance of a distinguished referee. Even the awards handed out internally by the association often end up meaning nothing, given the many nuances involved and the tendency to try and please everyone. Of course, this particular Spanish trophy has the prestige of its history, which we often hear about, but I wonder whether it really reflects what one can see — or if, like so many others, it’s something highly debatable, if not entirely based on different and unclear criteria.
DeleteActually,there is Vicente Acebedo trophy that is given by CTA to the best referees of LaLiga and LaLiga2 . Last year, won by Soto Grado.
DeleteYes, it is not a formal award.
DeleteSo there may be these differences.
I see the CTA protecting Alberola Rojas a lot in La Liga
He is not selected for big classics and decisive clashes by the committee.
I see it as a "protection" by the CTA for the young referee.
It is no wonder that he is known as the Committee's Golden Boy.
The famous Inter - Roma missed penalty:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/a518e4
In the end, AIA was forced to show the clip of Inter-Roma, and they did it yesterday. Rocchi said they hadn’t wanted to show the footage earlier because they weren’t sure whether the VAR should have intervened or not, but they were already sure that it was a clear penalty, at least from the field. Later, they concluded that a VAR intervention was also mandatory, and I completely agree with that.
Here the dialogue between the on-field referee and VAR: simoply unbelievable, I don’t think there is anything more to add. Honestly, I have no idea how they failed to see all of this right in front of their eyes. It’s understandable for Fabbri on the field, Rocchi himself says so while commenting on the incident, you can certainly make a mistake. But what Di Bello did from the VAR room has no explanation. Di Bello trusted VAR in UEFA and FIFA, and it's incomprehensible how he could interpret the situation that way.
Referee: They are always in contact.
VAR: Zero speed, attacker falls in the moment when defender releases his grip. Check is completed.
VAR: There are two arms on the hips, but when defender stops that, attacker falls. Check is completed.
Referee: He [defender] never bring him [attacker] down.
Referee: Only arms on the body and nothing else.
Nevertheless, the audio is missing in some parts (especially before the start of assessment by VAR), so AIA didn't want to make everything public.
I want also to say that as player, I would be very nervous, and this is not the first time we hear him, by the tone and the attitude used by Fabbri, it's incredible how he sounds snobbish, full of himself and with an even mocking tone... one can understand why he never reached the top, creating an efficient communication and relations with players, by showing himself in this way, it's simply impossible, you can just take good decisions and nothing more, in case.
“It was a mistake not to have explained before. The no penalty was a very borderline decision in terms of VAR, while it is a penalty to be awarded on the pitch and it is quite obvious.”
Delete“In terms of VAR we had some doubts, but for us it is both a penalty and a VAR intervention. On the pitch the evaluation they give is that of not awarding a penalty, but on the pitch when you see something and evaluate it badly, it remains a mistake.”
“At the monitor Di Bello makes a mistake on one thing, on the fact of not concentrating on how the holding starts. Ndicka’s attitude is that of someone who is completely disinterested in the ball. For me that is already punishable.”
“The final decision is influenced a little by the lack of substance in the holding, but it is definitely a penalty to be awarded. I told the referees that in the final phase of the season it would have been better to have one more On Field Review than one less. The risk is that of leaving you with a doubt that then materializes into a mistake. This is the further step forward to take.”
And that was very needed,to put more fuel on Inter fans.
DeleteRocchi’s final words about allowing an OFR more if in doubt, show how the last Serie A matchdays have felt like a completely different world for referees compared to the previous games. This is unacceptable. Many red cards to coaches and players, while throughout the entire season everything was allowed. Much deeper analysis of every situation and very long, elaborate VAR reviews. So was everything we had seen before just a joke, not worthy of being treated as the same? Credibility is lost as far as I’m concerned, as if only the last matchdays could be different from the others.
DeleteWell the whole organization is a mess let's start with that.
DeleteThat's evident as you said,for 37 match weeks every ref was unleashed,they had all the power and could do whatever they wanted.
Best example is Doveri.
For a ref to whistle so many important matches and to be so poor in most of them is beyond me.
For every poor performance he was rewarded with even bigger match.
Maybe he has his ideas and maximum number of cards that he's going to show in every match can't be more than 3.
But then again,if we remeber golden era of Italy's refs,they all had 5 or 6 as average cards and nobody was talking about that as a negative.
Then we have Massa who should be with Mariani example as best ref in Italy,just like Rizzoli, Rocchi and Orsato were at one point.
No,Massa as season was going on was more and more chaotic and that lead to being ref that is not trusted anymore like he was.
Mariani also,his Coppa Final was not at his best.
He and his crew with missed elbow and then we have questions,why is that not whistled and 2 decisions vs Juve were taken for similar incident were taken.
Fabbri,Chiffi Di Bello also had some controversial moments.
2 names stand out imo:
La Penna and his great performance in crucial match for Napoli.Also,his season was good.
Also Ayroldi,looks like he is the one who kept that old school style and that is evident in his 6 cards as avg.
So I dont know what the path is for Italy,but right now their future us not looking bright.
This is also evident in Spain,where it looks like these 2 have trend where if you show small number of cards,you are great.
In Italy there is Doveri as example, in Spain that is Rojas.
If that is the future,then good luck with that.
The speech is very interesting. However, if someone like Doveri, now almost fifty years old, can be "allowed" to do something like this, the same can't be said for Javier Alberola Rojas who, being so young and with his entire career ahead of him, is hopefully still in time to develop a certain style.
DeleteThe deep reflection on the fact that a referee who gives out very few cards is considered a phenomenon is really something that deserves further examination. Basically, even Doveri himself, during the central part, and going back, the initial part of his career, was not this kind of referee. Let’s say he has acquired this refereeing style by not calling anything in midfield and always letting play continue, because with age, it’s clear that experience has given him the license to do more or less as he wanted.
But the point is that he has reached a level that one should honestly define as unacceptable! Speaking with other refereeing experts, Iwe agreed that Doveri’s winning skill seems to be his ability to get accepted in any situation, to have a strong personality. And this is true, but that alone can't be seen as enough. Once you have that, you can make mistakes in any technical situation, you can make errors with the cards or deliberately choose to ignore, because in the end, it's enough just to get the match until the end without issues.
This is, of course, accepted by Rocchi’s committee and has also been accepted in the past, because there has clearly been a drop in Italian quality of refereeing, we can't deny that, just as you wrote in your analysis. But that should be seen more as a fault than a pleasure, in being able to rely on a referee whose performances suggest that, well, very little is enough to be considered excellent.
I believe that, in the end, no young referee should ever follow this way of doing things. They should develop a strong personality, yes, but they should also be present in the match, because it’s clear that if you don't challenge yourself in terms of decision-making and just stay within yourself with this great aura of authority, then you're not a well-rounded referee, you’re only there to keep the players under control.
Unfortunately, this stuff completely clashes with the prototype of a European referee, and that’s also why Italy finds itself in trouble. If many referees start following Doveri's path, they will end up in the same situation, where what’s really needed is something more. But they just can’t seem to deliver it.
To elaborate, I hope someone will provide the statistic number of average card for referees from referee powerhouse in UEFA.
DeleteI have watched few games of Alberola Rojas.
DeleteCan someone from the blog who is Spanish tell me how he is performing in La Liga? Because he is considered brilliant.
@Chefren best example is of his games are 2 Napoli ones.
DeleteRecent one vs Parma and earlier vs Atalanta.
He let everything go and he was lucky with Parma but unlucky with Atalanta where totally clear foul was missed that lead to Atalanta goal .Then chaos happened,protests everywhere and that was one of the best examples what can happen when you allow everything and punish nothing.
Serie A refs and their average.
ReplyDeleteNumber of games and card average;
1.Davide Massa. 19 4.21
2.Michael Fabbri 18 3.89
3.Maurizio Mariani 18 3.72
4.Daniele Doveri 18 2.50
5.Daniele Chiffi 17 3.71
6.Simone Sozza 17 3.53
7.Gianluca Manganiello 17 3.24
8.Livio Marinelli 17 2.88
9.Andrea Colombo 16 4.13
10.Marco Piccinini 16 3.81
11.Luca Zufferli 15 2.73
12.Marco Di Bello 15 2.60
13.Antonio Rapuano 14 4.50
14.Federico La Penna 14 4.36
15.Luca Pairetto 14 4.14
16.Matteo Marchetti 12 4.00
17.Rosario Abisso 12 3.83
18.Giovanni Ayroldi 11 5.73
19.Francesco Fourneau 11 4.18
20.Juan Luca Sacchi 11 3.36
14/15
DeleteDoveri 4.83(!!!!!!,wow)
Orsato 6
Rizzoli 5.22
Guida 6.13(even more wow he became more and more lenient)
Banti 4.15
Rocchi 4.22
Irrati 5.26
Mazzoleni 5.22
Tagliavento 5.33
Di Bello 5.22(also,wow)
18/19
DeleteDoveri 4.47
Orsato 5.47
Valeri 4.24
Massa 5.25
Maresca 5.69
Mariani 5.40
Has nothing to do with being more and more lenient....10, and even 5 years ago we didn't have VAR, so players sometimes took the risk... and iff they where luckey the ref gave yellow in stead off red!, that's why there where way more yellows then now, because fouls wich demands red now.... and the ref gives yellow.....are turned over by VAR.... DO you also have the RED stats? i'm almost sure way way more red cards!
DeleteSo you are saying it's only cause of VAR?
DeleteCan you see for example Doveri's stats?
18/19. 4.47
14/15. 4.83
This year,it was 2.50.
If we go by your logic,then every game his 2 YC's are turned into RC's.
Let's face it,La Liga and Serie A became more lenient.
Premier League on the other hand is punishing everything.
And I by far,like more PL approach than these 2.
But then again,it's gotta be VAR right?
That's not my logic, my logic is that players take way less risk in getting cards and making way less fouls, because at every action they take VAR is looking, so at the end we get less yellow cards and more Yellows with VAR are turned into red,, that makes a big difference
DeleteLa liga 24/25
ReplyDeleteSoto Grado 21 4.1
Muñiz Ruiz 20 3.85
Alberola Rojas 20 2.95
González Fuertes 20 3.65
C. Fernández. 20 4.32
R. deB. Bengoetxea 19 3.42
Gil Manzano 19 5.58
A.J.H. Hernández 19 5.47
J.M.S. Martínez 19 4.89
15/16
DeleteMallenco 4.73
Clos Gomez. 5.81
Gonzalez Gonzalez 5.19
Mateu 5.05
Prieto Iglesias 5
Gil Manzano 6.21
Inaki Garrido 3.63,yep,no surprise 😃
Kamal Umudlu in ALBGER
ReplyDeleteKey Match Incidents
06' PAI tripping
https://streambug.org/cv/b54dce
65' Goal GER - potential ball out of play in APP, no replay
https://streambug.org/cv/8bf78b
69' Possible 2YC ALB9 after illegal use of arm
https://streambug.org/cv/0db0b5
70' PAI GK's intervention
https://streambug.org/cv/f9e656
84' Penalty awarded and YC ALB5 for holding
https://streambug.org/cv/3ec981
Disciplinary and other stuff
https://files.fm/u/3dcue8vu2e
Łukasz Kuźma in FRAPOR
ReplyDeleteKey Match Incidents
09' PAI kicking
https://streambug.org/cv/43b3b3
56' YC FRA15 for reckless step on foot, possible RC for SFP
https://streambug.org/cv/06a25f
89' Possible 2YC FRA4 for SPA tripping, advantage given
https://streambug.org/cv/6b8d72
Disciplinary and other stuff
https://files.fm/u/kwgq3586hn
Derevinsʹkyy or Kuźma for Final?
ReplyDeleteKuźma already in Poland. Derevins'kyy or Kolarić then.
DeleteMikkel Hedberg Redder in BELCZE
ReplyDeleteKey Match Incidents
39' PAI step on foot
https://streambug.org/cv/76efab
52' PAI pushing
https://streambug.org/cv/35847a
65' Goal CZE detected by AR2
https://streambug.org/cv/1d7cee
Disciplinary and other stuff:
https://files.fm/u/p73ka65vqx
Euro Soccer Ref: Thanks for these video packages, I've watched all of them up to now. Redder seems to me the most talented referee of the tournament, his reading of the game and ability to 'steer' his match away from bad behaviours/fouls stood out to me amongst the performances so far. I'm sure that Kuipers gave him some very good advice yesterday but, for whatever my view is worth, I would urge the Dane to focus a bit less on 'rigid body tension' to attain authority on the FoP, it would give a more relaxed (and authorative!) impression. It seems they are (again!) doing smth right in Denmark, whose referees seem to buck the modern trend of often-pseudotalented officials. I would also rate positively the promoted Umudlu, disabusing his 29yrs with a rather 'ancien' figure, who did well in Albania-Germany. He should be able to surpass Aghayev in the coming years. If Kuzma was rejected for Portugal-France it would be deserved imo (7,9-able missed SFP and generally shaky impression in that game), and I was not to keen either on Derevinsky, now awarded the final by UEFA. Ukraine ref missed too many incidents and his approach was a bit 'lazy' in my view, even if his demeanour aroused respect from the players. Kooij was solid, but his game was pretty much dead after his (quite correct and praiseworthy) RC.
DeleteBjörn Kuipers and “giving good advice” sounds rather funny to my ears. With all due respect to him and his distinguished career: what has Kuipers achieved since he took up his comfortable seat in the Referee Committee, apart from:
Delete- Awarding the Youth League final to referees from the top five countries;
- And promoting the wrong Dutch referees?
Evidently, not every top referee necessarily makes a good referee chief (see also Rosetti).
I have always appreciated Collina’s approach as a referee chief, and his keen eye for technical accuracy and trusting the best referees in the most challenging contexts. But, to be perfectly honest, even the famous Italian would never allow another Italian referee to threaten his own “heritage” by, for instance, officiating a World Cup final and EURO final. :-)
The system will never be fair as long as referee chiefs are unable to set their egos aside.
Your (repeated) comments about Kuipers come across as something of a personal vendetta and are, in my view, rather unbecoming. Most certainly, the first sentence in your comment is much off the mark.
DeleteI couldn't watch the full game but it seemed like a good performance by Redder in the FRABEL SF under Kuipers' watch. A clear PK for handball was given just before HT.
ReplyDeleteMaurizio Mariani will handle the Saudi Cup final (al-Ittiḥād vs al-Qādisīya) today at 20:00 CET.
ReplyDeleteI have not followed the UEFA U17, but I am aware that both Kooij and Nagtegaal have had a solid season in the Eredivisie. If I am not mistaken, they were ranked 3rd and 4th domestically. Consequently, I find it perplexing that Kooij and Nagtegaal (Cat.2) are positioned lower than Lindhout and Sander van der Eijk in in the UEFA ranking. Obviously, Kooij and Nagtegaal still need to accumulate further experience and will inevitably make errors along the way. However, they exhibit significantly more potential and possess a natural charisma — qualities that I believe are not evident in Lindhout and Vd Eijk. Particularly Nagtegaal is omitted on purpose by the KNVB and UEFA (Mr. Kuipers)? It strongly appears that the former referee from Oldenzaal, in his role as Referee Officer, is intent on safeguarding his own “heritage.” If that is indeed the case, I have lost all respect for him. In this regard, the system is manifestly failing on multiple levels.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to make a brief comment regarding Serdar Gözübüyük. He is currently working with Mr. Kuipers’ former AR and VAR (van Boekel), who also happens to be a close friend of Mr. Kuipers. Gözübüyük’s refereeing performance has signifcantly improved. However, he recently gave an interview to a Dutch newspaper in which he offered effusive praise to Mr. Kuipers, proclaiming him to be a great source of inspiration, among other accolades. It is clear that Mr. Gözübüyük made these remarks quite intentionally, knowing well that Mr. Kuipers would read them. One might characterize this behavior as excessively sycophantic—indeed, in Dutch, this would be referred to as “hielenlikker”. He appears to do everything possible to claim the #1 position in the Netherlands, but that must be earned on the FoP, not through sycophancy. I would like to believe that the KNVB (and mr. Kuipers as well) are perceptive enough to see through these “disgusting” maneuvers.
It's simple.... Kooij and Van der Eijk are both placed on Fifa list in the same year... so Uefa must have seen than Van der Eijk is more stable than Kooij last seasons, and on top off that they are not only looking at referees performances, but also for promotion in uefa.... they follow the referees private life... jobb, family (is his general life) stable..... Van der Eijk has a wife.. is married, has 2 children, probably a decent job..... Kooij on the other hand has a girlfriend (wich is doughter off Frank de Boer (famous Coach), same situation was going on when in Nederland the choice was between Kuipers and Nijhuis, Nijhuis was seen as the better referee, but Kuipers was promoted because off a more stable referee... Nijhuis had a girlfriend, and Kuipers was married had 2 children, stable job, so all those things count. Nagtegaal simply didn't get promotion because he is the youngest fifa referee... on the list since 2024, and Kooij and Van der Eijk are there since 2022
DeleteUnfortunately Mariani has just made a very big mistake (imo) in the Saudi Cup final: a clear deliberate handball in the box by Nacho, having been called to an OFR, by Abisso (var) and Di Paolo (avar) was ruled as not punishable by the Italian elite referee. Clip to follow at halftime!
ReplyDeleteHere: https://www.streambug.io/cv/d9a092
DeleteSecond OFR at the end of the first half, this time clear intervention and penalty awarded to (the other team) Al-Qadisiyah, for a careless kick. Clip: https://www.streambug.io/cv/6230a4
DeleteIMO both are clear penalties.
DeleteThe game's two yellow cards were both given to the same player in the second half. Both were quite correct (reckless step-on-foot then tactical foul to bring the SYC) but perhaps there was some communication from teammates in the former incident: https://www.streambug.io/cv/155710. There was also a potential DOGSO handball at the end of the game: https://streambug.org/cv/d7f091.
DeleteIf the first half was on edge, the second was very calm and not challenging to referee at all; so, the assessment for Mariani comes down to the aforementioned big incidents (Al-Ittihad won the match by 3-1).
First one with another VAR and not an Italian would have been maybe discussed (for me penalty). Second OFR a very clear penalty for all people! Both situations not easy to read, but it loooks like Mariani didn't engage too much himself in this game after a very long and challenging season he had!
Delete