Referee assignments for 2025-26 Youth League, MD3 and Domestic Champions Path, Second Round (First Legs).
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| Swiss referee Sven Wolfensberger, in charge of Arsenal - Atlético Madrid |
LEAGUE PHASE
MD3
09:00 CET - Almaty (Temır Segızbaev atyndağy stadion)
QAİRAT FK (KAZ) - PAFOS FC (CYP)
Referee: Artem Gasparyan ARM
Assistant Referee 1: Artur Gdlyan ARM
Assistant Referee 2: Vanik Simonyan ARM
Fourth Official: Danil Gorda KAZ
UEFA Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz AUT
UEFA Delegate: Siarhiej Iĺič BLR
12:00 CET - Sant Joan Despí (Estadi Johan Cruijff)
FC BARCELONA (ESP) - OLYMBIAKÓS SFP (GRE)
Referee: Jacob Karlsen DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Markus DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Cortzen DEN
Fourth Official: David López Jiménez ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Luís Miguel do Nascimento Teixeira AND
UEFA Delegate: Garry O’Hagan SCO
12:00 CET - Vila-real (Mini Estadi del Ciudad Deportiva José Manuel Llaneza)
VILLARREAL CF (ESP) - MANCHESTER CITY FC (ENG)
Referee: Mohammad Usman Aslam NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Anders Olav Dale NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Alf Olav Rossland NOR
Fourth Official: Borja Guijarro Colomer ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís CYP
UEFA Delegate: Amil Gerina MNE
14:00 CET - Borehamwood (Mangata Developments Stadium Meadow Park)
ARSENAL FC (ENG) - CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID (ESP)
Referee: Sven Wolfensberger SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Maire SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Christophe Loureiro SUI
Fourth Official: Martin Ross ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Nuno Alexandre Parreira de Castro POR
UEFA Delegate: Vito Di Gioia ITA
14:00 CET - Leverkusen (Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion)
BAYER 04 LEVERKUSEN (GER) - PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN (FRA)
Referee: Danilo Nikolić SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Slobodan Pavlović SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Blagojević SRB
Fourth Official: Robert Kampka GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Alain Hamer LUX
UEFA Delegate: Rasmus Brandhof DEN
Mentor for Delegate: Mark Blackbourne ENG
14:30 CET - Eindhoven (PSV Campus De Herdgang)
PSV EINDHOVEN (NED) - SSC NAPOLI (ITA)
Referee: Radoslav Gidzhenov BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Petar Mitrev BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Krasimir Atanasov BUL
Fourth Official: Wouter Wiersma NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Sven Bindels LUX
UEFA Delegate: Amadeo Duarte SUI
14:30 CET - Brussels (Stade Joseph Marien)
ROYALE UNION SAINT-GILLOISE (BEL) - FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO (ITA)
Referee: Ben McMaster NIR
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Bell NIR
Assistant Referee 2: Shane Christopher Geary NIR
Fourth Official: Michiel Allaerts BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Kýros Vassáras GRE
UEFA Delegate: Christoph Kern GER
15:00 CET - Newcastle (Whitley Park)
NEWCASTLE UNITED FC (ENG) - SL BENFICA (POR)
Referee: Lothar D’Hondt BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Romain Devillers BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Nico Claes BEL
Fourth Official: Michael Zachary Kennard-Kettle ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Terje Hauge NOR
UEFA Delegate: Björn Fecker GER
16:00 CET - Copenhagen (Tingbjerg Idrætspark)
FC KØBENHAVN (DEN) - BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER)
Referee: Oğuzhan Çakır TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Orhun Aydın Duran TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Samet Çiçek TUR
Fourth Official: Svend Daa Funder Kristensen DEN
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Johannesson SWE
UEFA Delegate: Peter Elsworth ENG
Wednesday 22 October 2025
12:00 CET - Istanbul (Esenler Erokspor Stadyumu)
GALATASARAY (TUR) - FK BODØ/GLIMT (NOR)
Referee: Joey Kooij NED
Assistant Referee 1: Dyon Fikkert NED
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder NED
Fourth Official: Seyfettin Alper Yılmaz TUR
UEFA Referee Observer: Muhittin Boşat TUR
UEFA Delegate: Dušan Gelić SRB
12:00 CET - Lezama (Lezamako Kirol-instalakuntzak)
ATHLETIC CLUB (ESP) - QARABAĞ FK (AZE)
Referee: Gal Levi ISR
Assistant Referee 1: Haz Orpaz Hen ISR
Assistant Referee 2: Ze’ev Vladimir Frenkel ISR
Fourth Official: Jon Andrade del Olmo ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Alberto Undiano Mallenco ESP
UEFA Delegate: Alojzije Šupraha CRO
14:00 CET - Surrey (Chelsea FC Training Ground)
CHELSEA FC (ENG) - AFC AJAX (NED)
Referee: Florian Badstübner GER
Assistant Referee 1: Sven Waschitzki GER
Assistant Referee 2: Philipp Hüwe GER
Fourth Official: James Durkin ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Kevin Parry WAL
UEFA Delegate: Katri Susanna Mattsson FIN
14:00 CET - Bergamo (Centro Sportivo “Achille e Cesare Bortolotti”)
ATALANTA BC (ITA) - SK SLAVIA PRAHA (CZE)
Referee: João António Ferreira Gonçalves POR
Assistant Referee 1: Pedro Ricardo Ferreira Ribeiro POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Nuno de Sá Martins POR
Fourth Official: Valerio Crezzini ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP
UEFA Delegate: Sanja Bosanac-Perišić MNE
14:00 CET - Dreieich (maxworx Sportpark)
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT (GER) - LIVERPOOL FC (ENG)
Referee: Oscar Johnson SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Runo Sebastian Robertsson SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Svensson SWE
Fourth Official: Lars Erbst SWE
UEFA Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine NIR
UEFA Delegate: Michális Mítas CYP
14:00 CET - La Turbie (Centre de formation de l’AS Monaco)
AS MONACO FC (FRA) - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC (ENG)
Referee: Szabolcs Roland Kovacs ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Marius Florin Badea ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Adrian Vornicu ROU
Fourth Official: Ahmed Taleb FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić SRB
UEFA Delegate: Dirk Gilon BEL
15:00 CET - Alcochete (CGD Stadium Aurélio Pereira)
SPORTING CP (POR) - OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE (FRA)
Referee: Patrik Kolarić CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Luka Pajić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Starčević CRO
Fourth Official: Flávio Miguel Gomes de Azevedo Duarte POR
UEFA Referee Observer: Lutz Michael Fröhlich GER
UEFA Delegate: Alina Capațîna MDA
16:00 CET - Madrid (Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano)
REAL MADRID CF (ESP) - JUVENTUS (ITA)
Referee: Łukasz Kuźma POL
Assistant Referee 1: Jakub Winkler POL
Assistant Referee 2: Piotr Podbielski POL
Fourth Official: Fernando Bueno Prieto ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Lucílio Cardoso Cortez Batista POR
UEFA Delegate: Paul Stremer GER
16:00 CET - Munich (FC Bayern Campus)
FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN (GER) - CLUB BRUGGE KV (BEL)
Referee: Jakob Semler AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Mattias Hartl AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Amar Rekik AUT
Fourth Official: Michael Bacher GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Stávros Tritsónis GRE
UEFA Delegate: Colin MacDonald SCO
DOMESTIC CHAMPIONS PATH - ROUND TWO (I)
Tuesday 21 October 2025
16:00 CET - Korçë (Stadiumi Skënderbeu)
KS SKËNDERBEU (ALB) - ASTON VILLA FC (ENG)
Referee: Antoine-Paul Chiaramonti AND
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Braga Gonçalves AND
Assistant Referee 2: Joan Guiu Serra AND
Fourth Official: Gerard Çokaj ALB
UEFA Referee Observer: Albano Janku ALB
UEFA Delegate: Haris Gvozden BIH
18:00 CET - Wijdewormer (AFAS Trainingscomplex)
AZ ALKMAAR (NED) - LINCOLN RED IMPS FC (GIB)
Referee: Joni Hyytiä FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Veli-Matti Leppänen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Juuso Mantere FIN
Fourth Official: Martijn Vos NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Jan Willem Wegereef NED
UEFA Delegate: Theanó Rasoúli GRE
Wednesday 22 October 2025
12:00 CET - Książenice (Legia Training Center)
LEGIA WARSZAWA (POL) - ACF FIORENTINA (ITA)
Referee: Mehmet Türkmen TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Anıl Usta TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Göktuğ Hazar Erel TUR
Fourth Official: Piotr Urban POL
UEFA Referee Observer: Mattias Gestranius FIN
UEFA Delegate: Dragoș Hîncu MDA
12:00 CET - Sisak (Gradski stadion Sisak)
NK LOKOMOTIVA ZAGREB (CRO) - FC FCSB (ROU)
Referee: Igor Boșca MDA
Assistant Referee 1: Vlad Lifciu MDA
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Luchița MDA
Fourth Official: Filip Dragašević CRO
UEFA Referee Observer: Robert Schörgenhofer AUT
UEFA Delegate: Könül Mehdiyeva AZE
13:00 CET - Stalowa Wola, POL (Podkarpackie Centrum Piłki Nożnej)
FK DYNAMO KYIV (UKR) - IF BROMMAPOJKARNA (SWE)
Referee: Wojciech Myć POL
Assistant Referee 1: Dawid Golis POL
Assistant Referee 2: Maciej Majewski POL
Fourth Official: Jacek Małyszek POL
UEFA Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin SVN
UEFA Delegate: Roberts Mežeckis LVA
13:30 CET - Larnaca (Stádio Dimco Ammóchostos Epistrofí)
AEK LÁRNAKAS (CYP) - SK DINAMO TBILISI (GEO)
Referee: Simon Bourdeaud’hui BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Geerolf BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Van Dyck BEL
Fourth Official: Nikólas Liotatís CYP
UEFA Referee Observer: Charálambos Kalogerópoulos GRE
UEFA Delegate: Doychin Bahov BUL
14:00 CET - Ikast (Wunderelf Arena)
FC MIDTJYLLAND (DEN) - FK BUDUĆNOST PODGORICA (MNE)
Referee: Aaron Wyn Jones WAL
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Roberts WAL
Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Lee Christopher WAL
Fourth Official:
UEFA Referee Observer: Michael Johansen DEN
UEFA Delegate: Mamuka Kvaratskhelia GEO
14:30 CET - Havířov (Městský fotbalový stadion Havířov)
FC BANÍK OSTRAVA (CZE) - FK CRVENA ZVEZDA (SRB)
Referee: Igor Stojčevski MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Vjolca Izeiri MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Risto Ǵorǵiev MKD
Fourth Official: Filip Kotala CZE
UEFA Referee Observer: Michal Beneš CZE
UEFA Delegate: Dāvids Isakovs LVA
15:30 CET - Vienna (FK Austria Wien-Akademie)
FK AUSTRIA WIEN (AUT) - MK MAKKABI HAIFA (ISR)
Referee: Jovan Kačevski MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Vasilevski MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Cvetanoski MKD
Fourth Official: Alain Sadikovski AUT
UEFA Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller AUT
UEFA Delegate: Targo Kaldoja EST
16:00 CET - Akureyri (Greifavöllurinn)
KA AKUREYRI (ISL) - PAOK (GRE)
Referee: Granit Maqedonci SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Yng SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Almira Spahic SWE
Fourth Official: Sveinn Arnarsson ISL
UEFA Referee Observer: Kristinn Jakobsson ISL
UEFA Delegate: Ebe Verhaegen BEL
16:30 CET - Žilina (Štadión MŠK Žilina)
MŠK ŽILINA (SVK) - SHELBOURNE FC (IRL)
Referee: Klym Zabroda UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Valentyn Kutsev UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Vitaliy Skoblya UKR
Fourth Official: Michal Očenáš SVK
UEFA Referee Observer: Marián Ružbarský SVK
UEFA Delegate: Igor Radojčić SRB
17:00 CET - Nantes (Stade Marcel Saupin)
FC NANTES (FRA) - SABAH FK (AZE)
Referee: Ishmael Barbara MLT
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Portelli MLT
Assistant Referee 2: Duncan Spencer MLT
Fourth Official: Rémi Landry FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Emil Laursen DEN
UEFA Delegate: Emmanuelle Puttaert BEL
18:00 CET - Kranj (Športni center Kranj)
NK BRAVO (SVN) - FC PORTO (POR)
Referee: Rareș George Vidican ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Ioan Alexandru Corb ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Daniel Ilinca ROU
Fourth Official: Žan Jazbec SVN
UEFA Referee Observer: Drago Kos SVN
UEFA Delegate: Viliana Zdravkova BUL
Mentor for Delegate: Neil Morrow NIR
18:00 CET - Bergen (Åsane Arena)
SK BRANN (NOR) - PUSKÁS AKADÉMIA FC (HUN)
Referee: Ross Hardie SCO
Assistant Referee 1: Ross Nelson SCO
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Gentles SCO
Fourth Official: Sivert Øksnes Amland NOR
UEFA Referee Observer: Antonio Damato ITA
UEFA Delegate: Peter Kováč SVK
18:30 CET - Luxembourg (Stade Achille Hammerel)
RACING UNION LËTZEBUERG (LUX) - 1. FC KÖLN (GER)
Referee: Amine Kourgheli BLR
Assistant Referee 1: Juryj Chomčanka BLR
Assistant Referee 2: Viktar Hiecikaŭ BLR
Fourth Official: Ivo Manuel Torres da Rocha Fernandes LUX
UEFA Referee Observer: Alexandre Boucaut BEL
UEFA Delegate: Diego Amuchástegui ESP
Mentor for Delegate: Thibault De Gendt BEL
19:00 CET - Basel (Leichtathletikstadion St. Jakob)
FC BASEL 1893 (SUI) - REAL BETIS BALOMPIÉ (ESP)
Referee: Marius Hansen Grøtta NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Tom Harald Grønevik NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Henrik Pettersen Sunde NOR
Fourth Official: Hüseyin Sanli SUI
UEFA Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter SUI
UEFA Delegate: Laura Dougan SCO
20:00 CET - Tórshavn (Tórsvøllur)
VÍKINGUR (FRO) - KRC GENK (BEL)
Referee: Vlatko Ilioski MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Kushtrim Lika MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Zoran Jankulovski MKD
Fourth Official: Áki Mads Leitisstein Hansen FRO
UEFA Referee Observer: Peter Rasmussen DEN
UEFA Delegate: Dominique Rappaz SUI
20:45 CET - Edinburgh (Easter Road Stadium)
HIBERNIAN FC (SCO) - FC 2 KORRIKU (KOS)
Referee: Joakim Östling SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Carl Jonas Dahl SWE
Fourth Official: Lloyd Wilson SCO
UEFA Referee Observer: Andrew Davey NIR
UEFA Delegate: Alessandra Rotunno ITA
Thursday 23 October 2025
17:30 CET - Helsinki (Bolt Arena)
HJK HELSINKI (FIN) - TRABZONSPOR (TUR)
Referee: Aleko Aptsiauri GEO
Assistant Referee 1: Davit Chigogidze GEO
Assistant Referee 2: Elene Eloshvili GEO
Fourth Official: Joona Kontinen FIN
UEFA Referee Observer:
UEFA Delegate: Jan Kořínek CZE
Saturday 1 November 2025
15:00 CET - Razgrad, BUL (Sporten tsentar “Ludogorets” - Gnezdo na Orli)
FK DYNAMA-MINSK (BLR) - PFK LUDOGORETS 1945 (BUL)
Referee: Mikkel Hedberg Redder DEN
Assistant Referee 1: René Risum DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Esad Deronjic DEN
Fourth Official: Todor Kirov BUL
UEFA Referee Observer:
UEFA Delegate: Kifayat Mustafayeva AZE
Among the Elite, candidates for being observed by Rosetti in Barcelona - Olympiacos are surely Jovanovic and Meler, to check their status.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, very open discussion for a Category 1, including debut and here we have definitely many names. More generally, it's really hard to make predictions, also, it seems that they change many times and that's not the first time we hear about that, thank to some observers swaps.
Nice to see Jakob Semler directly in the League Phase in his first international year. Since he'll be refereeing in Munich, and I read that Lutz Michael Fröhlich is his mentor, I suspect he might be observed by him. Either officially or, if Stavros Tritsonis also watches the youth game, at least as a spectator.
ReplyDeleteWait, wait. An Israeli referee is being sent to Bilbao, Basque Country, the heart of anti-Israel protests. Wtf
ReplyDeleteAfter the MD1 game in Madrid with Snir Levi, it's particular to observe that another Israeli referee has been appointed in Spain for Youth League game.
DeleteYeah, but it's not the same to be sent to Madrid (where ≈half of the population is hostile to Israel) and being sent to Bilbao where the percentage increases to 80-90%
DeleteWhen do we know which referees are going to the Africa Cup?
ReplyDeleteAnd that means the pre selection for WC2026...
2025 TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup
ReplyDelete18.10.2025, 19:00 CET - Cairo (30 June Stadium)
PYRAMIDS FC (EGY) - RS BERKANE (MAR)
Referee: Mahmud Ismail SDN
Assistant Referee 1: Muhammad Abdullah SDN
Assistant Referee 2: Gilbert Kipkoech Cheruiyot KEN
Fourth Official: Abdulaziz Muhammad Bouh MTN
Video Assistant Referee: Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea GHA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Abongile Tom RSA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Eleazar Onyango Yiembe KEN
Gilbert Cheruiyot from Kenya must be a talent!
DeleteHe manages to officiate two big games today, in Egypt and Chile respectively...
https://law5-theref.blogspot.com/2025/10/fifa-under-20-world-cup-chile-2025_16.html
There are so many skills referees are required to develop but I have never expected a bilocation will be one of them ;)
DeleteStephen Yiembe replaces him
DeleteMuhammad Abdullah the AR that annulled obvious onside Cape Verde goal? I only remember Mahmud Ismail AR1 but couldn't find the name.
DeleteMuhammad Abdullah was also replaced, due to the error in Cape Verde, by Liban Abdourazak of Djibouti. avar2 is Djibril Camara
DeleteSo it's mixed match officials once again from CAF. I don't know where is the urgency, why CAF persistent with Mahmud Ismail, is he really considered as good or has the chance to be selected for next year.
DeleteSuper Coupe de la CAF 2025 : Ismail (SDN)
Delete18 octobre 2025
Pyramids FC – RS Berkane
Arbitre : Mahmood Ismail SDN
Arbitre assistant 1 : Liban Abdourazak DJB
Arbitre assistant 2 : Stephen Yiembe KEN
Quatrième officiel : Abdel-Aziz Bouh MTN
VAR : Daniel Laryea GHA
AVAR 1 : Abongile Tom RSA
AVAR 2 : Djibril Camara SEN
Amin Khourgeli, promising referee from pariah Belarus. I notice he seems like "just get a game" treatment but regardless of the treatment did anyone had already watch his game, what do you think?
ReplyDeleteI remember some analyses of him several years ago by Mikael, at that time when it was obviously imaginable that a referee from Belarus could make a career. He was presented as a potential talent, in reality, though, his style, from what I can recall, didn't seem very convincing. Perhaps Mikael, if he wants, can add something on the matter. Now, in any case, given the current situation, it is clearly impossible to think of anything further for a referee from Belarus. Waiting for better times in the future, and so he is appointed just to get matches in UEFA games.
DeleteIMO with Atalanta undefeated yet in domestic and Lazio poor form, Atalanta-Lazio still a big match, isn't it? But the referee was not familiar for me, Giuseppe Collu. Can I ask to Chefren who is he and how Italian football read Atalanta-Lazio as big match or just standard appointment for him?
ReplyDeleteI answer with pleasure! Let's start with Atalanta–Lazio, a big match in recent seasons in serie A, even if not involving very top-tier names, but at that time both teams had reached the peak of Italian football. Now, Lazio in particular is doing very poorly, while Atalanta a bit better, showing some recovery and still close to Champions League zone. However, compared to previous seasons, this fixture has lost a bit of its former prestige. Still, it remains a tough one because Lazio, and as you all know, we have discussed this on the blog, is one of the hardest teams to referee in Italy, along with their city rivals Roma. So, against Atalanta, who also play a rather aggressive style of football, it could be a very, very complicated match.
DeleteThat's the background. Then, the fact that it is being played in the early matchdays of the season, with no immediate goals, and Lazio especially sitting in a terrible position in the standings, helps in making the appointment of this young referee a bit easier for Rocchi. To follow, about Collu.
I want to say, first of all to complete the point from my previous comment, that Atalanta - Lazio is a different kind of match and somewhat more manageable compared to a potential Lazio-Atalanta played in Rome, due to the atmosphere and everything else. It must also be said, of course, that Rocchi had to make such a move sooner or later, because referees are really running out and he hasn't anymore a choice for this type of match.
DeleteCollu: It seems that the Sardinian referee is considered a talent by the Italian Referees Association. In fact, as of today, after officiating 14 Serie A matches, he is regarded extremely highly by Rocchi, who has great confidence in him.
In my opinion, he has a certain natural predisposition, along with the ability to make solid decisions without being too influenced by the context. His Serie A debut came in November of the same season in which he was promoted to the top division (2023), after refereeing only a few Serie B matches. That was already a sign, but often such signs turn out to be misleading, because a referee doesn't always manage to follow up on early promise. However, this wasn't his case, so far. But... during this year and a half, almost two years now, of his time in Serie A, there was a rather negative period in which he didn't really keep to expectations. However, I must say that lately he has improved again, in a way, justifying the trust placed in him. He is not an outstanding referee, not a talent, that's clear, but given the limited pool of talent available as for now in the country, I think he's very good at least for now, as long as he doesn't start performing poorly again. That said, for the next dates of international nominations, he should be among the referees considered. However, this very likely won't happen before 2027, since Luca Zufferli is expected to be appointed in 2026 (out Maresca), and then perhaps the Sardinian will follow on next year, 2027.
There's also Ayroldi, but judging by how he’s being managed, he's around the same age as the Sardinian referee but doesn’t get such important matches very often, it seems Collu may now be overtaking him. Anyway, we will see, I don’t want to put more on the table for now.
Very pleasure to read insightful explanation, thanks in advance Chefren, can I ask one last question to follow about Zufferli and Collu. Sorry in advance if my question seems like amateurish or didn't clear/directly enough. IINM Colombo 35 y.o., Zufferli 35. in the other hand Obrenovic 35, Eskas 37, Nyberg 37, and the others similar with significant international experience gap. Mariani already 43, Guida and Massa both 44, did you think Italy it's not too late to start regeneration their referees? Same problem for England and Spain. IMO it's relief for Germany and France as top 5 big FA they already have many young reliable referees at least for the next 5 years. Just if you remember my question about how a referee can rapidly "promote" to elite group in 1-2 years, is it enough time to make a trusted/reliable referee?
DeleteMaybe for more deeper question to Mikael, ESF, Chefren, or the others. What is the golden age of referee in VAR-era right now? I'm not expert in history but some time in the past we still have 50 years old referee to lead the final, then we have limited 45 years old before it's abolished. Premier League in the past had the oldest average referees. The last AFCON, Euro, we had young referees to lead the final, despite we had another senior figures, maybe it's just Kassai case but is it "a referee cycle" or the golden age of referees right now can't be determined because we have a new era. What do you think? Thanks in advance.
DeleteThis is the hot topic that has been discussed very frequently in recent years, aiming to bring some fresh blood to the FIFA list of Italian referees. However, despite of that, unfortunately it seems extremely difficult, if not impossible. In my opinion, with the current management, for example, with people like Colombo and now Collu, they are trying to do the best possible. For instance, Ayroldi could have been a FIFA referee already a few years ago, being in Serie A for some time, he could have benefited from the age advantage, but unfortunately his performances did not meet expectations. I believe that Italian football is too tied to performances and clubs to keep a pathway open for a referee to mature. So for me, unfortunately, it will be hard for all this to change. The discussion is very long, also considering the careers that referees had to build to reach the top division, which is very different from other countries. Here it is expected that you must always spend three or more years in a category, serie C as example, otherwise you don't have the needed experience. Until some years ago, referees with only two seasons in serie C were seen as very extra-ordinary cases. Now this is maybe changing, but still not enough, there are too many troubles and maybe most of all, looking also at some new FIFA referees recently promoted, Marchetti and Marcenaro, the real quality is really missing there, if compared to the past and very sonorous names we had.
Delete