Please find below the referees assignments for 2025 FIFA Arab Cup
Monday 1 December 2025
Group A
14:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium)
TUNISIA - SYRIA
Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón Pérez CRC
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Carlos Mora Araya CRC
Assistant Referee 2: William Andrés Arrieta Barrantes CRC
Fourth Official: Mario Alberto Escobar Toca GUA
Reserve Assistant Referee: Luis Aroldo Ventura Chacón GUA
Video Assistant Referee: Benjamín Pineda Ávila CRC
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Group A
16:45 CET - Al-Khawr (Al-Bayt Stadium)
QATAR - PALESTINE
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve Assistant Referee: Isaac Travis NZL
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gavan Gillett AUS/ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Lahlou Benbraham ALG
Tuesday 2 December 2025
Group B
13:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Khalifa International Stadium)
MOROCCO - COMOROS
Referee: Mǎ Níng CHN
Assistant Referee 1: Zhōu Fēi CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Zhāng Chéng CHN
Fourth Official: Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al-Jassim QAT
Reserve Assistant Referee: Talib Salam Al-Marri QAT
Video Assistant Referee: Jumpei Iida JPN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Muhammad Al-Marri QAT
Group C
15:30 CET - Lusail (Lusail Stadium)
EGYPT - KUWAIT
Referee: Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath USA
Reserve Assistant Referee: Corey Michael Parker USA
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Antonio Joaquín García Noni URU
Group B
18:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Education City Stadium)
SAUDI ARABIA - OMAN
Referee: Adham Muhammad Tuma Makhadma JOR
Assistant Referee 1: Muhammad Mustafa Hassan Al-Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Munis Nadi Al-Ruwaili JOR
Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Benítez Mareco PAR
Reserve Assistant Referee: Eduardo Cardozo Escobar PAR
Video Assistant Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom THA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Allen Chapman USA
Wednesday 3 December 2025
Group D
13:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium)
ALGERIA - SUDAN
Referee: Amin Muhammad Umar EGY
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmud Ahmad Kamil Ahmad Abu Al-Rijal EGY
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Tawfik Talib Ali EGY
Fourth Official: Cristián Marcelo Garay Reyes CHI
Reserve Assistant Referee: Claudio Andrés Urrutia Córdova CHI
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Group D
15:30 CET - Doha (Stadium 974)
IRAQ - BAHRAIN
Referee: Pierre Ghislain Atcho GAB
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Marlaise Ditsoga GAB
Assistant Referee 2: Styven Danek Moutsassi Moyo CGO
Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Video Assistant Referee: Abdullah Dhafir Al-Shahri KSA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Muhammad Al-Marri QAT
Group C
18:00 CET - Al-Khawr (Al-Bayt Stadium)
JORDAN - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Referee: Ahmad Abu Bakr Said Al-Kaf OMA
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Bakr Salim Al-Amri OMA
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Hamad Ali Al-Ghaithi OMA
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve Assistant Referee: Edward Cook NZL
Video Assistant Referee: Lahlou Benbraham ALG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gavan Gillett AUS/ENG
Thursday 4 December 2025
Group A
15:30 CET - Lusail (Lusail Stadium)
PALESTINE - TUNISIA
Referee: Ismail Elfath USA
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Michael Parker USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Thomas Atkins USA
Fourth Official: Mǎ Níng CHN
Reserve Assistant Referee: Zhōu Fēi CHN
Video Assistant Referee: Allen Chapman USA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Abdullah Dhafir Al-Shahri KSA
Group A
18:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Khalifa International Stadium)
SYRIA - QATAR
Referee: Mario Alberto Escobar Toca GUA
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Aroldo Ventura Chacón GUA
Assistant Referee 2: Humberto Noel Panjoj Chitay GUA
Fourth Official: Cristián Marcelo Garay Reyes CHI
Reserve Assistant Referee: José Francisco Retamal Silva CHI
Video Assistant Referee: Antonio Joaquín García Noni URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Friday 5 December 2025
Group B
15:30 CET - Al-Rayyan (Education City Stadium)
OMAN - MOROCCO
Referee: Juan Gabriel Benítez Mareco PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo Escobar PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldívar Franco PAR
Fourth Official: Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Reserve Assistant Referee: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom THA
Group B
19:30 CET - Al-Khawr (Al-Bayt Stadium)
COMOROS - SAUDI ARABIA
Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón Pérez CRC
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Carlos Mora Araya CRC
Assistant Referee 2: William Andrés Arrieta Barrantes CRC
Fourth Official: Amin Muhammad Umar EGY
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mahmud Ahmad Kamil Ahmad Abu Al-Rijal EGY
Video Assistant Referee: Benjamín Pineda Ávila CRC
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Lahlou Benbraham ALG
Saturday 6 December 2025
Group C
12:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium)
KUWAIT - JORDAN
Referee: Cristián Marcelo Garay Reyes CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Andrés Urrutia Córdova CHI
Assistant Referee 2: José Francisco Retamal Silva CHI
Fourth Official: Pierre Ghislain Atcho GAB
Reserve Assistant Referee: Boris Marlaise Ditsoga GAB
Video Assistant Referee: Antonio Joaquín García Noni URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Group D
14:30 CET - Al-Rayyan (Khalifa International Stadium)
BAHRAIN - ALGERIA
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Assistant Referee 1: Isaac Trevis NZL
Assistant Referee 2: Edward Cook NZL
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath USA
Reserve Assistant Referee: Kyle Thomas Atkins NZL
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gavan Gillett AUS/ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jumpei Iida JPN
Group D
17:00 CET - Doha (Stadium 974)
SUDAN - IRAQ
Referee: Adham Muhammad Tuma Makhadma JOR
Assistant Referee 1: Muhammad Mustafa Hassan Al-Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Munis Nadi Al-Ruwaili JOR
Fourth Official: Mǎ Níng CHN
Reserve Assistant Referee: Zhāng Chéng CHN
Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Muhammad Al-Marri QAT
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Allen Chapman USA
Group C
19:30 CET - Lusail (Lusail Stadium)
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - EGYPT
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Mario Alberto Escobar Toca GUA
Reserve Assistant Referee: Humberto Noel Panjoj Chitay GUA
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Sunday 7 December 2025
Group A
18:00 CET - Al-Khawr (Al-Bayt Stadium)
QATAR - TUNISIA
Referee: Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Calderón Pérez CRC
Reserve Assistant Referee: Juan Carlos Mora Araya CRC
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Group A
18:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Education City Stadium)
SYRIA - PALESTINE
Referee: Ahmad Abu Bakr Said Al-Kaf OMA
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Bakr Salim Al-Amri OMA
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Hamad Ali Al-Ghaithi OMA
Fourth Official: Amin Muhammad Umar EGY
Reserve Assistant Referee: Ahmed Tawfik Talib Ali EGY
Video Assistant Referee: Abdullah Dhafir Al-Shahri KSA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom THA
Monday 8 December 2025
Group B
18:00 CET - Lusail (Lusail Stadium)
MOROCCO - SAUDI ARABIA
Referee: Mario Alberto Escobar Toca GUA
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Aroldo Ventura Chacón GUA
Assistant Referee 2: Humberto Noel Panjoj Chitay GUA
Fourth Official: Cristián Marcelo Garay Reyes CHI
Reserve Assistant Referee: José Francisco Retamal Silva CHI
Video Assistant Referee: Antonio Joaquín García Noni URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Group B
18:00 CET - Doha (Stadium 974)
OMAN - COMOROS
Referee: Pierre Ghislain Atcho GAB
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Marlaise Ditsoga GAB
Assistant Referee 2: Styven Danek Moutsassi Moyo CGO
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve Assistant Referee: Isaac Trevis NZL
Video Assistant Referee: Lahlou Benbraham ALG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Benjamín Pineda Ávila CRC
Tuesday 9 December 2025
Group C
15:30 CET - Al-Khawr (Al-Bayt Stadium)
EGYPT - JORDAN
Referee: Ismail Elfath USA
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Michael Parker USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Thomas Atkins USA
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve Assistant Referee: Edward Cook NZL
Video Assistant Referee: Allen Chapman USA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Abdullah Dhafir Al-Shahri KSA
Group C
15:30 CET - Doha (Stadium 974)
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - KUWAIT
Referee: Mǎ Níng CHN
Assistant Referee 1: Zhōu Fēi CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Zhāng Chéng CHN
Fourth Official: Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Reserve Assistant Referee: Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gavan Gillett AUS/ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Group D
18:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Khalifa International Stadium)
ALGERIA - IRAQ
Referee: Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al-Jassim QAT
Assistant Referee 1: Talib Salam Al-Marri QAT
Assistant Referee 2: Saud Ahmad Al-Maqalah QAT
Fourth Official: Amin Muhammad Umar EGY
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mahmud Ahmad Kamil Ahmad Abu Al-Rijal EGY
Video Assistant Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom THA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Muhammad Al-Marri QAT
Group D
18:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Education City Stadium)
BAHRAIN - SUDAN
Referee: Juan Gabriel Benítez Mareco PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo Escobar PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldívar Franco PAR
Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Calderón Pérez CRC
Reserve Assistant Referee: William Andrés Arrieta Barrantes CRC
Video Assistant Referee: Benjamín Pineda Ávila CRC
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jumpei Iida JPN
Quarter-Finals
Thursday 11 December 2025
15:30 CET - Al-Rayyan (Khalifa International Stadium)
MOROCCO - SYRIA
Referee: Cristián Marcelo Garay Reyes CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Andrés Urrutia Córdova CHI
Assistant Referee 2: José Francisco Retamal Silva CHI
Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Benítez Mareco PAR
Reserve Assistant Referee: Eduardo Cardozo Escobar PAR
Video Assistant Referee: Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Benjamín Pineda Ávila CRC
18:30 CET - Lusail (Lusail Stadium)
PALESTINE - SAUDI ARABIA
Referee: Amin Muhammad Umar EGY
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmud Ahmad Kamil Ahmad Abu Al-Rijal EGY
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Tawfik Talib Ali EGY
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve Assistant Referee: Isaac Trevis NZL
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gavan Gillett AUS/ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom THA
Friday 12 December 2025
15:30 CET - Al-Rayyan (Education City Stadium)
JORDAN - IRAQ
Referee: Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Pierre Ghislain Atcho GAB
Reserve Assistant Referee: Boris Marlaise Ditsoga GAB
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Muhammad Al-Marri QAT
18:30 CET - Al-Khawr (Al-Bayt Stadium)
ALGERIA - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Referee: Adham Muhammad Tuma Makhadma JOR
Assistant Referee 1: Muhammad Mustafa Hassan Al-Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Munis Nadi Al-Ruwaili JOR
Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Calderón Pérez CRC
Reserve Assistant Referee: Juan Carlos Mora Araya CRC
Video Assistant Referee: Allen Chapman USA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Abdullah Dhafir Al-Shahri KSA
Semi-Finals
Monday 15 December 2025
15:30 CET - Al-Rayyan (Khalifa International Stadium)
MOROCCO - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Referee: Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Mǎ Níng CHN
Reserve Assistant Referee: Zhōu Fēi CHN
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gavan Gillett AUS/ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Benjamín Pineda Ávila CRC
18:30 CET - Al-Khawr (Al-Bayt Stadium)
SAUDI ARABIA - JORDAN
Referee: Juan Gabriel Benítez Mareco PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo Escobar PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldívar Franco PAR
Fourth Official: Cristián Marcelo Garay Reyes CHI
Reserve Assistant Referee: Claudio Andrés Urrutia Córdova CHI
Video Assistant Referee: Antonio Joaquín García Noni URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Thursday 18 December 2025
Final
17:00 CET - Lusail (Lusail Stadium)
JORDAN - MOROCCO
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Mǎ Níng CHN
Reserve Assistant Referee: Zhōu Fēi CHN
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Muhammad Al-Marri QAT
Support Video Assistant Referee: Abdullah Dhafir Al-Shahri KSA
Third Place Play-Off
12:00 CET - Al-Rayyan (Khalifa International Stadium)
SAUDI ARABIA - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Referee: Cristián Marcelo Garay Reyes CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Andrés Urrutia Córdova CHI
Assistant Referee 2: José Francisco Retamal Silva CHI
Fourth Official: Pierre Ghislain Atcho GAB
Reserve Assistant Referee: Boris Marlaise Ditsoga GAB
Video Assistant Referee: Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Benjamín Pineda Ávila CRC
Support Video Assistant Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom THA
Could soneone please share a link of Mbappe’s goal where he scored immediately after it touched the hand? Correct decision, but I want it for educational purposes.
ReplyDeleteVS Girona.
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/c4db75
DeleteThank you very much.
DeleteWhy an onfield review though since it’s a factual decision? Once it touched the hand and was scored, there is nothing to be viewed in the opinion of the referee. They could just say it via headset in a few seconds.
DeleteWith some delay, but that's not important, here some clips from the most underexposed game of last Tuesday, Donatas Rumšas in Slavia Prague - Athletic Bilbao.
ReplyDeleteTo me, borderline between challenging and very challenging.
Not very challenging in terms of crucial decision, but definitely full of clumsy challenges and agitated players.
How much was the Lithunian referee able to stamp his mark on the game?
15' YC for disturbing keeper before releasing the ball
https://streambug.org/cv/5750df
19' YC for dissenting action, kicking ball after whistle
https://streambug.org/cv/f6a335
21' Possible YC for reckless, to me better to give it
https://streambug.org/cv/41e886
26' Management
https://streambug.org/cv/a7384c
40' YC reckless
https://streambug.org/cv/e3a9d3
42' Management - YC to coach
https://streambug.org/cv/323720
Full sequence of end of first half
https://streambug.org/cv/a986dd
A penalty area incident, OK to play on, it was nothing, but then poor management with player on the ground, but going unnoticed by Lithuanian officials, you can see that he stopped the game too late when the other team had already conducted an attack, so a goal or a even more challenging situation would have turned into chaos. More alertness needed. To be discussed also the resume of the game (how he managed it). To follow in the very last minute of added time, a YC for reckless.
60' Possible foul (not clear), then another YC to the other coach
https://streambug.org/cv/961bbd
86' Conflict, management, YC, cooperation AR
https://streambug.org/cv/a61210
90' Another conflict, management
https://streambug.org/cv/e775e6
A really rough match, as I had anticipated earlier in my comment, and certainly the Lithuanian referee, compared to a previous version of himself that we have seen, has raised his level of strictness, which is evident in certain situations. There are clear improvements, in my opinion, however, full control of very tense matches like this one is, I think, still not fully within his possibility. From my point of view, things didn't completely explode here mostly because the players, at some point, stopped themselves. Still, the fact that all these conflicts continued until the end, even when the referee had previously tried some preventive measures, gives the impression of a referee who is not perceived as extremely strong figure on the pitch.
This could be understandable, as the referee is still relatively new at certain levels, though some time has already passed. I believe that a fairly positive assessment can definitely be drawn from his experience so far regarding the possibility of promotion to Elite status, but the committe will make its evaluations. He has worked hard on this aspect, of course, but from my perspective, he might still lack a little something for a full Elite level.
We should also say that, compared to other referees, he certainly wouldn't be that bad, and the judgment must absolutely take into account the difficulty of the matches. One could have expected a bit more in terms of prevention and alertness toward the players. Among other things, I liked his slightly angry expression toward the end of the game; he should probably do this a bit more often to change his style when needed.
Forgot to add, you can see this in some clips, but it's rather my perception, you see him very often talking with players that is basically a good thing in terms of communication, but in some circumstances to me he gave the idea that players rather exercited pressure trying to "instruct" him! Should have shown a more severe approch in some cases, but that's rather a perception issue and I can be wrong, as the dialogues with players can be genuine in some cases.
DeleteThank you for the interesting report!! I think Rumsas is pretty much locked in for promotion to Elite (after several years of waiting) at this point.
DeleteDay 2 appointments:
ReplyDeleteMARCOM: Ma Ning (CHN)
EGYKUW: Eskås (NOR)
KSAOMA: Makhadmeh (JOR)
Good start of the tournament, pretty solid performance from Calderón Pérez .
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it was commented in here, but big discussion on potential RC in PSG/Monaco with the contact on the goalkeeper Chevalier. What are your opinions? Referee was Turpin
ReplyDeleteCuriously I just saw the incident and I must say I’m surprised that wasn’t RC…
DeleteTo me, it's not clearly RC, since the contact isn't that far above the ankle.
DeleteClear RC was missed, and French DTA official Gautier publicly stated that Turpin was wrong, as was VAR referee Pignard.
DeleteTo whom it may interest, José Luis Munuera Montero mic'd up at the Sevillan derby Sevilla-Betis on Sunday, a similar format to Busquets Ferrer last year in the Madrid derby. Unfortunately no substitles available for now.
ReplyDeleteGood performance by the Andalusian in the very first derby with a "local" referee, including a correct RC for SEV7 for a 'tackle as an attack'. Just like Busquets Ferrer last year, he had to send the players to the dressing room for 10 minutes due to persisting crowd misbehaviour (throwing bottles, lighters...), albeit with the players much more reluctant to follow him this time, as it was in 88th minute and everyone wanted the match to end asap due to the result.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFI5xfODzZU
Glenn Nyberg with a good performance in QATPLE. His disciplinary was unsurprisingly lenient but players helped him much with their good behaviour and there were no issues with control at all. The only big incident will make Qatari supporters upset (especially that Palestine won) although Nyberg EXCELLENTLY read it through!!!
ReplyDeletehttps://streamff.link/v/353e5c73
I watched the game and agree. "Busacca-coded" performance by Nyberg (including allowing his AR1 to be shouted to his face by a Palestine player with no card) but otherwise basically fine, closely patrolling the incidents as he usually does. As you mentioned, correct no-PK decision in 66', the only remarkable PAI/KMI of the match.
DeleteOn a side note, I noticed that the Kiwi FO spent the whole 2H almost glued to the Qatar manager, by far more prone to complain and make gestures than his Palestinian peer.
For the umpteenth time, Busacca should know that not every referee can afford to adapt their style to current FIFA Refcom doctrine without being 'disarmed'. Fortunately Nyberg is one of them.
Day 3 appointments:
ReplyDeleteALGSDN: Omar (EGY)
IRQBHR: Atcho (GAB)
JORUAE: Al-Kaf (OMA)
TUNSYR (Juan Gabriel Calderón Pérez)
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/yqm6zz4bda
06' - blatant mobbing by 21SYR and 7SYR(captain) after blatant tactical foul by 13TUN, no disciplinary sanctions
23' - blatant tactical foul by 19SYR, public warning only
36' - missed off-the-ball holding by 13TUN
39' - YC 11SYR for SPA holding, mandatory
41' - missed mandatory YC 4SYR for SPA tackle
47' - YC 15TUN for SPA, mandatory
50' - dissenting behaviour of 7SYR after a play-on call
54' - YC 2TUN for SPA tackle, mandatory
60', 87', 90+2', 90+5' - several cases of delaying the restart by SYR players, no action taken
74' - PAI holding, nothing
Difficult to assess performances if FIFA encourage their referees to keep both eyes closed to unsporting behaviour...
I think that at a certain point it is also the referee's duty to understand what to do on the field. For me, here we are simply at a very low level. I mean, if I have to believe that he refereed this way just to follow FIFA guidelines, honestly I would be shocked, because this is even below that. If he hadn’t even given the few yellow cards he did, it would have been the same to start game without referee . But for me, referees who act this way are essentially not at an expected level, rather than just being the result of directives they are given… I want to think this way
DeleteHe isn't called "No cards Calderón" for nothing...
DeleteDid anyone watch Girona against Real Madrid on Sunday?
ReplyDeleteyes. I think it was a fine performance by De Burgos, the handball wasn't easy to spot live for the OFR, and the penalty decision was supportable, same for the no penalty decision on Rodrygo.
DeleteI would rather give a penalty kick in the rodrygo situation but it‘s ok. Today de Burgos is the referee of Barca- Atletico
DeleteI understand your position. While the contact is there, for me it's too soft, and the decision not to intervene for the VAR was correct for me.
DeleteQATPLE (Glenn Nyberg)
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/yp7zaqenbd
09', 20' - delaying the restart by QAT players
13' - play-on call after a flying tackle by 2PLE, then a revenge challenge by 17QAT
22' - missed mandatory YC 9PLE for reckless tackle (in case of injury even a RC for SFP possible)
25', 27', 39' - fouls committed by 20PLE
35' - possible YC for reckless use of arm by 17QAT
44' - YC 8PLE for reckless tackle, mandatory
66' - PAI tackle; the ball is not played by the defending player but the attacker falls down before any contact; great reading by the referee
68' - dissent by 9PLE at AR1's face, no action taken...
87' - LoR-ish holding by 5PLE
Thank you for all the reports!
Delete22' is a very mandatory card given how player entered the challenge and this must be reported as important mistake, however the Swedish looked to have a very good game for the rest, I see he has a bit changed his style, becoming less lenient than the past, but there are for sure still some occasions in which he could do better.
66' is a fantastic read, but one can have doubts the referee saw exactly that (no gesture) rather than allowing play just because he didn't have elements. However, an excellent NO CALL by VAR, maybe he should be praised even more than Nyberh for keeping this decision as valid. In Italy, no need to say, this would have been a penalty, all people in case astonished for such a decision. Nevertheless, for a better management and acceptance purpose, even a YC for simulation was possible, because according to this argument, playuer wouldn't have had reasons to fall before.
Ma Ning I don’t know if he is good referee or not !!?
ReplyDeleteHow did Espen Eskas perform?
ReplyDeleteHe gave two correct PKs live to Egypt (the latter produced a 2YC for the Kuwaiti GK), but again, too FIFA-coded to ignore (another AR being shouted to his face without sanction, an extremely blatant and poorly executed dive by an Egyptian attacker in injury time where Eskas played on instead of giving IFK+YC...), like Nyberg, passed the test for WC for sure.
DeleteStrong performance by Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in Barcelona vs Atlético de Madrid, his third march in 6 days (!) after Fenerbahçe - Ferencváros and Girona - Real Madrid.
ReplyDeleteThe Basque referee is in top form right now, hope he has a second CL game in this GS.
There's no referee in Spain who lets the play flow like De Burgos when he is in top form.
DeleteOutstanding de burgos in barcelona atletico
ReplyDeleteReally really good performance by De Burgos Bengoetxea in Barcelona. Correct PK commited by ATM8 and YC for BAR18 (no DOGSO) were two crucial moments and IMO good decision both.
ReplyDeleteBest Performance I saw from a Spanish ref since long time: There seems to be some light at the end of the Spanish tunnel, hopefully.
DeleteMARCOM (Ma Ning)
ReplyDelete10' possible offside prior to corner kick leading to an opening goal
https://streamff.link/v/94d73857
60' PAI kicking; imo very good no penalty call as the attacking player deliberately puts his leg in front of the defending player and the ball is not close enough to deem it shielding; in case of penalty being awarded, no VAR intervention would be required though
https://streamff.link/v/a2da24c7
78' [OFR] PAI GK intervention; I would deem this intervention unnecessary - the attacking player plays the ball to the side and is not interested in reaching it - good that Ma Ning upheld the initial no-penalty call; interesting public explanation :D
https://streambug.org/cv/951426
90+2' PAI charging/impeding; imo rather collision than a foul
https://streamff.link/v/197e15ba
The Chinese convinces me at this tournament. He is able to manage players and take some actions that help him gaining respect on the field. This game was the easiest one apart from the penalty incidents that ultimately made it quite difficult for the referee.
All situations in which Italian fans would see a scandal in both 60' and 78' decisions! Great that at first VAR didn't intervene in 60' and then referee refused to change idea in 78'. Both would be assessed as big penalty here, because attackers are "allowed to take position and play the ball where they want..".
DeleteI must praise the decisions in this game. But unfortunately not all referees would be incline to do so. Among other things, I would be very curious about Collina and Busacca opinions when referees act in this way. Unconventional...
Once there was a time with a very experienced Spanish referee... :-))
DeletePalestine-Tunisia: Elfath
ReplyDeleteSyria-Qatar : Escobar
EGYKUW (Espen Andreas Eskås)
ReplyDelete19' - possible YC 17EGY for reckless use of arm
https://streamff.link/v/537778e4
25, 39' - YC 19EGY after his second tactical holding offence
https://streamff.link/v/2c8dbb46
36' - Penalty awarded for careless kick
https://streamff.link/v/bc973828
49' - play-on after potential simulation; no replay but in such scenario it should be either FK+YC for SPA or IFK+YC for simulation
https://streamff.link/v/21f87998
51' - YC 12KUW for SPA
https://streamff.link/v/d70d065c
55' - SPAlike offence by 7KUW and mobbing from EGY
https://streamff.link/v/6747891c
77' - YC 23KUW for time wasting, quite harsh given there was no warning before
https://streamff.link/v/179ff4b0
83' - correct penalty award after excellent advantage, and perfect 2YC 23KUW for reckless tackle (I'm sure most of referees would only opt for a penalty in such case)
https://streambug.org/cv/7eb1ea
90+1' - possible YC 18EGY for dissent at AR1
https://streamff.link/v/359910b5
90+3' - missed mandatory YC 18EGY for simulation
https://streamff.link/v/90ca3a00
hectic ending of the game with some provocative behaviours
https://streambug.org/cv/7a1fb7
Apart from above incidents, the Norwegian handled the game in a very firm and cool manner, having a very good communication / rapport with players and playing some nice advantages. I would deem him slightly ahead of Nyberg after this game if they are competing with each other.
First of all, I want to highlight how the second penalty is really clear, and this is a case where the keeper's challenge is without any doubt punishable, with keeper colliding by using certain force with an attacker who can't know or anticipate it. This is how penalties should always be, instead of those typical situations where keepers attempt a save but it is actually the attackers who end up winning the penalty. That said, the booking, probably for reckless, comes a bit later; it might seem like a caution for dissent, it's not entirely clear, but in such cases, the other nearby defenders could have behaved similarly towards the Norwegian, so it is likely that the yellow card is for the foul. In my opinion, and I agree, it's an excellent decision: clear reckless action, regardless of whether it would be SPA / DOGSO or not, a type of evaluation for fouls in the penalty area that has been almost disappeared recently (one should remember Letexier’s masterful red card in a Lazio-Bayern match, with a penalty plus red for a serious foul play). This would represent refereeing at a higher level, considering today's low trend, where everyone is satisfied with a penalty call, but it often doesn't seem easy. That said, in my view, the Norwegian did very well here, also considering the previous advantage; if he had handled the two cases, at least one clear simulation, with a yellow card, it would have been even better, as could have been a caution for dissent towards the assistant, but in this case, it should have been the latter to signal it (it’s typical of Nordic officials to generally overlook these situations more, as in their leagues they encounter them less frequently compared to the standard elsewhere in Europe and in more under the spotlights leagues). Regarding the first penalty, I accept it, though to me it's one of those "ugly" penalties with truly minimal careless action; however, it's not mistake and should be seen in the context of the match. The rest seems very adequate to me, with good alertness in some situations through body language. I agree that, in a certain type of analysis, it might appear like a slightly better performance than the Swedish referee, but there doesn’' necessarily have to be a competition between the two. We'll see how it goes for Eskas; for me, he started well with only small points for improvement, but already known stuff, as said above.
DeleteLisbon derby benfica vs sporting : antonio nobre
ReplyDeleteAll Arab Cup games today have produced at least one RC, all of them correct IMO.
ReplyDeleteOmar in ALGSDN, 2YC for reckless kick:
https://streambug.org/cv/05803c
Atcho in IRQBHR, RC for VC (headbutt):
https://www.streambug.io/cv/d6933f
Al-Kaf in JORUAE, PK + RC for DOGSO/holding:
https://www.streambug.io/cv/f8a64d
Prediction of matchday six
ReplyDeleteMy expectations
Kairat vs olympiakos: jovanovic
Bayern vs Bayern munich: turpin
Monaco vs galatasaray: hernandez
Atalanta vs chelsea : kovacs
Inter vs Liverpool: joao pinheiro
Barcelona vs frankfurt: pjeto
Union vs marseille: gozobuyuk
and Godinho?!?!?
DeleteI think we can expect Portugese referees instead of Pjeto and Gozobuyuk.
DeleteDon’t think pinheiro will get that one 😅
DeleteWe will see
DeletePinheiro have a game (division two) on Sunday. No games for him this week in Champions League
DeleteThe games he will referee is Saturday and champions league so there is no relationship between them
DeleteTurpin will referee a fascinating clash between Bayern and Bayern.
DeleteKairat vs olympiakos: joao pinheiro
DeleteBayern vs Bayern munich: joao pinheiro
Monaco vs galatasaray: joao pinheiro
Atalanta vs chelsea : joao pinheiro
Inter vs Liverpool: joao pinheiro
Barcelona vs frankfurt: joao pinheiro
Union vs marseille: joao pinheiro
Interesting incident from yesterday's Polish Cup game. There is a foul, the referee plays an advantage but it turns out to be an offside, so the referee goes back to the foul, awards a FK and issues a YC for SPA. Wasn't it DOGSO though?
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/e623a0
Clear DOGSO IMO but good that the ref went back for the foul
DeletePL debut for Thomas Kirk tonight in Burnley vs Brentford (with Olivers AR's). Similar to Barrott a few years ago he been given a debut despite not many tier 2 games.
ReplyDeleteLewis Smith also got given his debut after very few championship games a few years ago but he's seemed to fallen out of favour recently in terms of PL games.
Deletehow was the performance if you had the chance to watch it?
DeleteSaw most of it, seemed a quiet game with no bookings made. Few desperate penalty appeals by Burnley but all not given correctly.
DeleteAnother referee outside of Select Group 1 doing a game tonight, Andrew Kitchen (his 5th having done some at the end of last season/start of this season)
DeleteGood refereeing by Manzano in a rather easy game.
ReplyDeleteKSAOMA (Adham Makhadma)
ReplyDelete21' - potential advantage not given, mobbing
https://streamff.link/v/6f5e5972
22' - possible YC 7OMA for reckless use of arm
https://streamff.link/v/b5badbe7
27', 30', 31' - controversial (no) handball calls
https://streamff.link/v/2718a56b
35' - play-on call in a SPA/DOGSO scenario, unfortunately no replay :/
https://streamff.link/v/01f18042
44' - Goal OMA disallowed for blatant offside (AR2)
https://streamff.link/v/739e8987
67' - dissent by 18KSA
https://streamff.link/v/1e3b7817
77' - very good onside at goal KSA (AR2)
https://streamff.link/v/89e20fc2
83' - [OFR] YC 13KSA for reckless challenge upheld after OFR; imo clear RC for SFP to be issued...
https://streambug.org/cv/6333fd
90+1' - blatant delaying the restart by 5KSA
https://streamff.link/v/19ecd895
90+3' - possible YC 9OMA for reckless studs challenge
https://streamff.link/v/42f5bc92
Not a fan of this performance. Makhadma can do better regarding contact with players and overall focus. He paid much attention to hurrying up the players in the first half and overusing the whistle for that was quite annoying. Everything was at the okayish level (apart from the no-red card decision after OFR) but the x-factor was missing, tbh.
Honestly it's hard to say OK performance, having watched all clips I must disagree, even if we want to rule out the red card incident (for me clear red card as well...), the rest was not good, three handball mistakes in a wor, missed YC in 90'+3, did nothing after dissent... missed that advantage in first half. OK, you can say typical AFC, but this is by far a negative performance, even too long time at monitor, if you ask me.
DeleteDoveri was yesterday awarded best referee for the 24-25 season in Italy. the top 3 was completed by Gianluca Aureliano and Daniele Chiffi.
ReplyDeleteWhile Doveri had a really good season last year ( same for Chiffi ), I am surprised not to see Mariani in at least top3, having had a good season, and refereed the cup final.
Congratulations to Doveri !
As far as I'm concerned, these awards have zero prestige. They are often thrown around at random just to mention names. There's no real technical evaluation, and as example of that, it's completely incomprehensible to put someone like Aureliano right behind. Chiffi could be there, but they are clearly just putting names like that. These are awards have been given on for years, but they have really lost all meaning. In past there was more focus on them, but now they are truly worthless. This isn't said to discredit the winner, but it's the reality of the facts. Basically, it's similar to the early times of IFFHS award for referees, when they even got the names of the referees wrong, let alone the rest...
DeleteI agree, especially seeing Aureliano there, who is a really average referee and didn't particularly have a great year. It's very strange seeing him up there.
DeleteVendredi 5 Decembre 2025
ReplyDeleteMAROC vs OMAN
Arbitre : Juan Gabriel Benítez Mareco PAR
Arbitre assistant 1 : Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Arbitre assistant 2 : Milciades Saldívar Franco PAR
Quatrième officiel : Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Arbitre assistant de réserve : Jan Erik Engan NOR
Arbitre assistant vidéo : Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Arbitre assistant vidéo assistant : Sivakorn Pu-udom THA
From the referees in UEFA First Category, who do you see being appointed for Matchday 6 in the Champions League?
ReplyDeleteWhat a performance for Mario escobar I think he will be officiate world cup 2026
ReplyDeleteAgree with your impression of the game! Both Elfath and Escobar showed a very high level of refereeing in the matches yesterday, particuarly in the respect of rapport/relationship with players, under which heading both Concacaf officials excelled. That being said - I think the Guatemalan should have ignored Higler's advice and stuck to the penalty he initially gave; the Dutch Var focused way too much on the close-up replays, when the wide live sequence gave the best impression (that the Qatari attacker was indeed pushed over by the defender).
DeleteOT: When should been published new UEFA RAP? Do you have some information?
ReplyDeleteALGSDN (Amin Muhammad Umar)
ReplyDelete07' - SPAlike offence by 5SDN
https://streamff.link/v/087b511d
13' - PAI kicking and afterward conflict; okay no penalty although potential penalty award would be acceptable due to leg in back contact
https://streamff.link/v/cfe5e58f
28' - YC 14ALG for reckless tackle, after advantage; harsh one
https://streamff.link/v/590560e7
30' - SPAlike handball by 7SDN
https://streamff.link/v/dd80c368
33' - warning 5SDN after dissenting behaviour
https://streamff.link/v/53775b4f
40' - YC 9ALG for reckless studs challenge, mandatory
https://streamff.link/v/a257762b
44' - warning 13SDN after dissenting behaviour
https://streamff.link/v/63a5b848
45+4' - 2YC 9ALG for reckless kick; even possible RC for SFP/VC was possible, absolutely no doubt about both cards to this player
https://streamff.link/v/e7dd085f
53' - play-on call after potential SPA tackle by 5ALG vs simulation by 7SDN
Deletehttps://streamff.link/v/30286613
59' - rather wrong offside call by AR2 and warning 22SDN after delaying the restart
https://streamff.link/v/0e17d155
62' - YC 13SDN for SPA tackle, mandatory
https://streamff.link/v/fecb6f05
72' - PAI tripping; the defending player managed to get a marginal contact with the ball but is it enough to assess the incident as no penalty? or maybe the later attacker's handball had its impact?
https://streamff.link/v/b9ea3e7c
77' - PAI, actually a scissor tackle but without any impact/contact, so correct no penalty
https://streamff.link/v/b852982e
85' - missed YC 18SDN for reckless challenge
https://streamff.link/v/9812d97f
87' - possible 2YC 14ALG after step on foot; rather accidental than really reckless, so okay no sending off
https://streamff.link/v/236445e6
88' - PAI charging, no replay
https://streamff.link/v/cf60538f
Bonus: management of injuries
the referees got strong instructions to act in a very clear way to limit the number of (unnecessary) medical treatments (and also to keep players waiting much longer for their return in case of medical treatment); imo, although it being a problem, especially in games involving Arab teams, it's a bad move by FIFA - for example, approaching a player being hit in the head by the ball to persuade him that no medical treatment is needed - this approach could lead to bad things
https://streambug.org/cv/81b23f
Looks like a very challenging game for the Egyptian referee.
DeleteI think one can agree with all crucial decisions, and in most of the incidents for me no penalty is OK, but the second yellow card should have been a straight red card. Clear violent conduct with player aware to hurt opponent without the chance of playing ball. First YC to same player was very good spot, I think not all referees would have issued it, given how particular was the incident (ball before and then contact with opponent in that way). But it was indeed full reckless.
In 87' I can agree it was fully accidental. For me this was a performance in which you can say, despite of many incidents to assess, that the referee kept rather a positive image of himself on the pitch.
IRQBHR (Pierre Ghislain Atcho)
ReplyDelete07' - possible YC 7BHR for SPA
https://streamff.link/v/bdf0c2dd
18' - possible YC 18BHR for reckless challenge
https://streamff.link/v/49f70b42
23' - possible YC 23BHR for SPA holding
https://streamff.link/v/4d854de8
24' - [VAR] PAI tripping and goal disallowed for offside (AR1), allowed after VAR intervention - no offside, big mistake by AR1
https://streamff.link/v/129aa911
30' - YC 3IRQ for reckless tackle, mandatory but, after three possible cautions to opponents, it looks bad to be forced to open cards here
https://streamff.link/v/037db1f7
32' - SPAlike offence by 20IRQ and dissent at AR2, no disciplinary sanction
https://streamff.link/v/c0f8e1f5
35' - PAI handball (not punishable) and mandatory YC 2BHR for SPA tackle
https://streamff.link/v/0fb07370
45+5', 50' - two tactical offences by 20BHR
https://streamff.link/v/50f56771
49' - management of conflict at set piece
Deletehttps://streamff.link/v/8f4045fd
65' - YC 20IRQ for reckless?/PI?; not in line with previous calls, maybe a delayed caution for 32' situation ;)
https://streamff.link/v/ed9b93ed
70' - possible YC 16IRQ for reckless tackle
https://streamff.link/v/0a17c926
89' - possible YC 3BHR for SPA tackle
https://streamff.link/v/29e041e7
90+2' - possible YC 23BHR for reckless challenge, YC GK IRQ for time wasting
https://streamff.link/v/8c123922
90+3' - RC 11BHR for VC, YC 8IRQ for UB - close to 4OF, quick and 100% correct call
https://streambug.org/cv/27042b
Big mistake by AR1 here, not expected at this level.
DeleteAbout the possible penalty before, no reaction by referee, but I tend to think it was rather supportable choice to play on. It would have been more on focus, without the goal scored after.
Very quick and all good about 90'+3 call, maybe Nyberg as fourth official having his say as well, but the Gabonese referee clearly saw by himself. Nevertheless, given all the possible cards, one could draw the conclusion that the action by player in the very last incident of the game, was the result of a certain (lacking) disciplinary control by referee. However, at the same time, one must remember how challenging these games can be.
Predictions CL MD6 - trying without repetitions from MD5
ReplyDeleteAlmaty - Olympiakos: Petrescu (van Boekel)
Bayern - Sporting: Gil Manzano (del Cerro Grande)
Atalanta - Chelsea: Kovacs (Dankert)
Inter - Liverpool: Peljto (Storks)
Barcelona - Frankfurt: Aghayev (Dieperink)
PSV - Atletico: Obrenovic (Jug)
USG - Marseille: Lukjancukas (Cuadra)
Tottenham - Slavia: Bastien (Delajod)
Monaco - Galatasaray: Schnyder (Salisbury)
Villareal - Copenhagen: Barbu (Bebek)
Qarabaq - Ajax: Meler (di Bello)
Real - ManCity: Turpin (Brisard)
Dortmund - Bodo: Lambrechts (di Paolo)
Bilbao - PSG: Taylor (Attwell)
Leverkusen - Newcastle: Sylwestrzak (Lasyk)
Brugger - Arsenal: Schärer (Dingert)
Benfica - Napoli: Gözübüyük (Kwiatkowski)
Juventus - Pafos: Godinho (Narciso)
The five past matches doesn't happen any match day referee does not repetite so I think we will see repatation
DeleteWe don't understand your English.
DeleteSorry I mean there isn't a single round in which it hasn't been repeated at least one referee
DeleteChampions League predictions for MD6:
ReplyDeleteKairat Almaty vs Olympiacos — RICARDO DE BURGOS
Bayern Munchen vs Sporting — ANTHONY TAYLOR
AS Monaco vs Galatasaray — ERIC LAMBRECHTS
Atalanta vs Chelsea — JOAO PINHEIRO
Barcelona vs Eintracht Frankfurt — ISTVAN KOVACS
Inter vs Liverpool — DANNY MAKKELIE
PSV vs Atletico Madrid — IVAN KRUZLIAK
Union SG vs Marseille — DANIEL SIEBERT
Tottenham vs Slavia Praha — SANDRO SCHARER
Qarabag vs Ajax — HALIL UMUT MELER
Villarreal vs Copenhagen — IRFAN PELJTO
Athletic Club vs PSG — SLAVKO VINCIC
Leverkusen vs Newcastle — DAVIDE MASSA
Borussia Dortmund vs Bodø/Glimt — SIMONE SOZZA
Club Brugge vs Arsenal — MAURIZIO MARIANI
Juventus vs Pafos — FELIX ZWAYER
Real Madrid vs Manchester City — CLEMENT TURPIN
Benfica vs Napoli — JESUS GIL MANZANO
These are some predictions that make sense to me, even though I doubt the actual list will look like this. Marciniak and Letexier already have 4 games in the league phase, so I expect them to skip this round — giving them another one now would be too much, especially with MD7 and MD8 deciding who goes through.
DeleteLambrechts and Sozza are First Category referees who are getting more and more trust, and I honestly think Eric has a real chance of reaching the Elite group. De Burgos has had two excellent performances in La Liga and I think he deserves a Champions League appointment.
Umut Meler and Peljto — I’m not sure they will get games, but I believe they should. Peljto is still the referee with the strangest status at the moment, because up until the RMA–MAR match he was among the top 6–7 referees in terms of match quality.
Scharer just returned from injury and I expect him to get a match, although it’s also possible they start him in the Europa League.
I’m expecting Turpin at the Bernabéu — that’s the one I’m most confident about. Mariani and Massa should also get their games, and since I think Guida will pause, it makes sense for Sozza to “fill” the Italian slot.
Vincic could get another big match, but I went with him for PSG. Pinheiro surprisingly got a second-division match on Saturday, which usually means they’re preparing him for a big appointment in this round. I gave him Atalanta–Chelsea, but he might also be sent to Milan, which would be great for our friend AAY :) (Even though I still think Pinheiro isn’t at that level yet.)
Kovacs should get his usual strong match, and I think it’s time for Makkelie to handle a derby again.
The rest is “close enough”, but like I said — this could end up looking very good, or it could be a complete miss. Who knows what Rosetti will come up with next… :)
My predictions for CL MD6:
ReplyDeleteKairat - Olympiakos: Manfredas Lukjančukas
Bayern - Sporting: Erik Lambrechts
Atalanta - Chelsea: Serdar Gözübüyük
Barcelona - Frankfurt: Danny Makkelie
Inter - Liverpool: Ivan Kruzliak
Monaco - Galatasaray: De Burgos Bengoetxea
PSV - Atletico Madrid: István Kovács
St. Gilloise - Marseille: Davide Massa
Tottenham - Sparta Prag: Luís Godinho
Qarabag - Ajax: Simone Sozza
Villareal - Kopenhagen: Sandro Schärer
Athletic Bilbao - PSG: Glenn Nyberg
Benfica - Neapel: Anthony Taylor
Club Brügge - Arsenal: Rade Obrenović
BVB - Bodo Glimt: Əliyar Ağayev
Juventus - Pafos: Ivan Peljto
Leverkusen - Newcastle: Espen Eskas
Real Madrid - Man City: Clement Turpin
Eskas and Nyberg are on Arab cup
DeleteWow okey i missed it ^^ My new predictions:
DeleteKairat - Olympiakos: Manfredas Lukjančukas
Bayern - Sporting: Erik Lambrechts
Atalanta - Chelsea: Serdar Gözübüyük
Barcelona - Frankfurt: Danny Makkelie
Inter - Liverpool: Ivan Kruzliak
Monaco - Galatasaray: De Burgos Bengoetxea
PSV - Atletico Madrid: István Kovács
St. Gilloise - Marseille: Davide Massa
Tottenham - Sparta Prag: Luís Godinho
Qarabag - Ajax: Simone Sozza
Villareal - Kopenhagen: Sandro Schärer
Athletic Bilbao - PSG: Rade Obrenović
Benfica - Neapel: Anthony Taylor
Club Brügge - Arsenal: Joao Pinheiro
BVB - Bodo Glimt: Əliyar Ağayev
Juventus - Pafos: Ivan Peljto
Leverkusen - Newcastle: Alejandro José Hernández
Real Madrid - Man City: Clement Turpin
JORUAE (Ahmad Al-Kaf)
ReplyDelete07', 61', 67' - no sanction 21UAE after these challenges
https://streamff.link/v/e8843037
09' - possible YC 21JOR for blatant delaying the restart, another case of DtR in 12'
https://streamff.link/v/88dd038f
13' - missed evident corner kick
https://streamff.link/v/696d0f58
14' - rightly rejected penalty appeal
https://streamff.link/v/c4559252
17' - warning 16UAE after kicking an opponent
https://streamff.link/v/80418c8e
18' - penalty awarded and RC 19UAE for DOGSO holding; technically correct decision but I have a strange feeling that FIFA would prefer a YC
https://streamff.link/v/a23d2246
23' - possible YC 16JOR for SPA handball
https://streamff.link/v/ba2d2b63
25' - wrong play-on close to AR2
https://streamff.link/v/8f46b5ac
35' - [OFR] penalty awarded and YC GK UAE for DOGSO/attempt; should have been spotted live but maybe understandable given that Arab players often simulate
https://streambug.org/cv/7544d8
63' - [VAR] goal initially disallowed for offside (AR2), allowed after VAR intervention - no offside
Deletehttps://streamff.link/v/4bb6d4b8
83' - wrong offside by AR2
https://streamff.link/v/aee056f7
85', 86' - time wasting management
https://streamff.link/v/14166cb0
89' - YC 6JOR for SPA holding, mandatory
https://streamff.link/v/00442379
90' - YC 20UAE for follow-through reckless tackle, correct, no sanctions for bench reaction...
https://streamff.link/v/b90fd5f1
In my opinion in the case of the penalty after OFR, you must decide whether penalty or simulation live, there isn't a third way. The third way should mean you have indeed missed the assessment. Looked like a simulation at first glance, honestly, but you have that contact and so penalty is justified, OK by VAR. Very good about the other decision, for me clear RC for DOGSO even if there was the other defender closer, the referee from Oman seen in some situations looking for AR1 cooperation before taking a decision. I agree about no penalty call in 14'.
DeleteMakhadmeh, with the obviously wrong ‘no RC after OFR’ in his 1st game, got 2nd GS game appointment, while Ma Ning could only still be appointed as 4O, what a shame!
ReplyDeleteThe Chinese got a play-off, so he has two games actually. Given he was very good in both of them, he can be a candidate for something big. Moreover, I don't think that SDNIRQ is a reward. Both teams are really hard to referee (SDN with their rough way of play, IRQ with a bad attitude). We'll see how Makhadma performs.
DeleteReferees in first category that I think they will get match luis godinho, ricardo deburgos , manfredas
ReplyDeleteI read that Turpin is the predicted referee for Real Madrid vs. Manchester City. I suspect that’s accurate, simply because there aren’t many realistic alternatives left. And there’s no doubt that the Frenchman is fully capable of handling a match of that magnitude.
ReplyDeleteBut from Rosetti’s perspective: what kind of signal does that appointment send?
It seems as though Turpin’s performance in Slovenia was rejected by UEFA. His compatriot Letexier has already officiated 4 Champions League matches this season, whereas Turpin has only had 2. So what message does Rosetti send by apparently sidelining someone for a round and then assigning him straight to the bonkers game?
What you’d really want to see is a consistent reward policy: the best games should go to the referees who have recently been performing at the highest level.
MD3 predictions
ReplyDeleteQAT-TUN: Eskas - Calderon - Higler, Garcia
SYR-PAL: Al-Kaf - Benitez - Benbraham, Gillett
MAR-KSA: Al-Jassim - Nyberg - Al-Marri, Chapman
OMN-COM: Atcho - Makhadmeh - Garcia, Toski
EGY-JOR: Elfath - Al-Kaf - Chapman, Alshehri
UAE-KUW: Kawana - Ma - Gillett, Iida
ALG-IRQ: Escobar - Garay - Higler, San
BAH-SUD: Calderon - Omar - Pineda, Puudom
PLETUN (Ismail Elfath)
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/3yfuqcwr4k
KMI
15' - rather wrong onside by AR2 prior to a corner kick leading to Tunisia's goal
45' - correctly rejected penalty appeal
45+2' - potential VC off-the-ball elbowing in the penalty area but last replay shows there was no defending player's fault
51' - Goal TUN - possible foul in APP; fully okay play-on after this negligible push
61' - okay no offside prior to Palestine's first goal (ref/AR2)
70' - PAI handball; correct no penalty call as the ball was played by a teammate
75' - PAI step on foot; the most controversial incident, the ball is gone so the foul should be assessed reckless to award a penalty, it was close but perhaps not 100%
Other incidents:
06', 07', 35' - difficult opening for Elfath who decided to keep cards in his pocket, in the second incident - the SPA holding by 13TUN - it's hardly acceptable, fortunately Elfath had the player in mind and cautioned him in 35' after a foul that normally wouldn't be cautioned at this tournament
22' - YC 5PLE for SPA, okay
30' - missed step on foot by 8TUN
59' - missed mandatory YC 17TUN for reckless step on foot
63' - blatant delaying the restart by 5TUN, warning only
72' - missed mandatory YC 6TUN for reckless tackle
83' - play-on after potential SPA/reckless tackle by 14PLE
While at being an actor Elfath succeeded, the technical accuracy was not good, especially in disciplinary. But who cares nowadays...
45' no penalty, correct decision
Delete45'+2 defender could do nothing, it was attacker rather going against him
51' supportable and better to play on, however this is a situation in which many referees would have whistled, maybe even immediately after the (detected) foul, without waiting
70' Many people don't know this rule you mentioned, it's good to remember that if ball comes from a teammate (another defender), punishing the touch is not expected in most of situatioin
75' tricky situation, I don't think, and it was to me impossible, that the US referee made the perfect assessment here, he rather couldn't see all that had happened, you have also the contact by attacker once he has kicked the ball, OK, you can forgive it without assessing as foul, but then looking only at the subsequent possible step on foot would be indeed harsh, I can agree no clear and obvious mistake, but this one very likely would have put in trouble many VARs, here we saw somebody backing the referee and that's good, more generally at this tournament it seems we are not seeing the very OPEN FIFA VAR as we know it, maybe Collina asked for a change, or maybe some VARs are just acting like in UEFA games (and that's good for me).
About disciplinary control, definitely not good. A couple of very clear step on foots not punished accordingly. These would be objective mistakes in UEFA. In 72' I think he missed the tackle, focused on the ball, even if it was in his line of vision.
It's up to FIFA to assess if they are content because he has good relations with players, but in terms of technical accuracy, honestly his previous appearance at WC already said that, he is not the best referee, or at least, he is like others.
Interesting penalty given now in barca betis.
ReplyDeleteCould someone get the clip and also explain to me the rules for such cases??
https://streamff.com/v/68c61833
DeleteRaised arm, increasing body's volume. Defender took a risk.
No matter the previous touch on body because it was a deflection, however according to some people the deflection before could remove the concept of "clear and obvious mistake" in terms of VAR mandatory (or not) intervention, but it's not the same in all countries. You will see always such a penalty called for sure in both Spain and Italy, but maybe England will refuse it...
Thanks chefren. But in term of uefa/ucl standards, is it more correct to call it a penalty or not?
DeleteYou should ask Rosetti. But yes, I think a VAR like Dankert would call it due to the position of the arm, of course no doubts if ball directly to arm, very big penalty.
Delete'Maybe England will refuse it'... I think everyone can hear the British commentators on that clip for their views... I'd expect a rather quick check complete and play on in England. But yes, absolutely very different expectations depending on the country
DeleteIFAB is crystal clear in their Q&A and footballrules.com that it’s never a handball if the ball comes off the body. No matter what. Just shows how pointless it is to write such a statement. They are confusing themselves.
DeleteSYRQAT (Mario Escobar)
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/n6f83bsx69
KMIs
32', 51' - correctly rejected penalty appeals
59' - [OFR] penalty annulled after on-field review; in UEFA the original call would stay due to charging-in-the-back/pushing elements but in FIFA we always look for the best solution when assessing key match incidents and I guess that Escobar thought about leg contact therefore okay VAR intervention and final no penalty call
81' - PAI kicking; as always controversial a 'shielding the ball vs putting the leg in front of defender' incident; such penalties seem to be not liked by FIFA (see no penalty by Ma Ning in 60' of MARCOM)
90+4' - PAI, missed YC 17QAT for simulation
Other incidents:
05' - potential SPA handball by 8QAT
17' - not allowing a quick throw-in in a dangerous set-up due to stealing metres
34', 40' - no cards after careless-reckless tackle and SPAlike offence
65' - possible YC 14QAT after LoR/SPA holding
79' - warning 19QAT after studs challenge
81' - YC 20QAT for reckless challenge
84' - possible YC after off-the-ball holding
84' - YC 10QAT for LoR holding
Apart from no card in 65' and too much tolerance for really bad behaviour of Julen Lopetegui as QAT coach (this FIFA approach is really something else), it was a rather good performance by the Guatemalan.
Sorry to me it's impossible to accept that 59' is a clear and obvious mistake, there is a clear element of push, never shoulder / shoulder contact that would justify a correction by VAR. I think you can't intervene for such incident at WC, it would be astonishing. You have the action by defender, it can be soft, but it exists. Call against VAR protocol and most of VARs from other countries, let alone UEFA, would have stayed silent, and rightly so. So for me never a mistake by referee.
DeleteExcellent analysis about the other incident in 81', all is about how to consider that "putting the leg in front of opponent". Caused contact or fair action? In case of latter opinion, then penalty, but for me such penalties should be never whistled. I agree they can be considered far from being obvious and clear mistakes, but of course here in Italy it's totally different, they are seen as very clear fouls by most of people.
So it's up to FIFA to decide what to do, I can praise VAR work in that case.
90'+4 another case of very clear simulation where the referee maybe sees and ignores to avoid the card: not good.
Overall, it seems a rather good performance indeed, and very particular facial expressions by the referee from Guatemala all match long. See as example 49:10 but also other circumstances. It seems he was very focused in this game.
Maybe hard, but a small chance to follow the footsteps of his famous countryman named Carlos?
CL tuesday
ReplyDeleteMakkelie Monaco - Galatasaray
Walsh Bayern Munich - Sporting
Very one sided game for Eskas in TUN/Qatar.. He kind of gave every 50/50 situation to Qatar, sometimes frustrating the tunisian players .. No big mistake though, correct 2nd YC to Tun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a strong performance from young referee in Real Madrid-Celta! Man with attitude! Well done! We will see if he will ever observe Real’s match…
ReplyDeleteQuintero González's 'magic minute' in RM - Celta de Vigo.
DeleteYC for dissent to Carreras, RC for abusive language to Carreras, YC for dissent to Valverde, YC for dissent to Rodrygo (should have been a RC tbf) and RC to someone on the bench.
Clip: https://www.streambug.io/cv/51c94c
Agree. First Time I observe Quintero Gonzalez and what a brave refereeing ! Well done !
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteAppreciate your transparency on the last sentence.
DeleteTo keep the same level of transparency towards you, what you say is dangerous and what you probably could need is a ban :(
Well In my opinion he did a poor job one of the worst refreeing I have ever seen I'm expecting that he will be suspended after that horrible performance... The worst la liga ref no doubt...
ReplyDeleteI did not see that game but the images of the red cards for RMA and please let me say that the true shame is the behaviour of so called elite professional players towards a referee, agressive, angry, disrespectful.
ReplyDeleteAgree it can happen for a ref to lose respect from the players because of a really bad performance (again, did not see the game), but some boundaries have to be set. You can go for 3-4 red cards.
I am a rugby ref and if Rodrygo shouts at me that way it is a red card in every rugby game. If Mbappé does what he did at previous games he is sent off as well.
We referees absolutely need to take some action
Well then I suggest that u watch the game... He didn't booked celta players for fouls, the celta goalkeeper didn't get the yellow for time wasting/or on the new rule it's corner for the opposite team but the ref just ignore all of that, he wrongly booked jude for entering the game ( 4 official give him permission to enter the game) and in the end he added too little time correct would be at least 8 min and he didn't let real to play fast he stopped the game cuz he wanted to give the ball where the foul was made wich is crazy in my opinion have feeling for the game and let the game go on... And then the chaos has started, protesting cuz of that... And u guys think that this is great refreeing 😵💫, quintero don't have feeling for the game he didn't have the same criteria for both sides that's a fact.... he is bad refree.... his performance is for suspension...
DeleteYou forgot to say Agiz: ¡Hala Madrid!
Delete@Aziz
Delete"his performance is for suspension..."
You have same agenda as football club you are talking about
Yea there are some rumors that he will be "sent" to segunda division after that horrible performance 🤮 hope that this is true, some justice for real tho... Btw he could just let the play go on but no instead of that he choose to make the chaos by showing this red/yellow cards like hes on drugs or smth... He could just talk with players use words instead of cards... Good refree never makes chaos out of nothing tho...
Delete“some justice for real tho”…LOL, next time please write a comment under a neutral point of view, not as a RMA fan ;)
DeleteQF predictions
ReplyDeleteMAR-SYR: Makhadmeh - Ma - Al-Marri, Chapman
PAL-KSA: Omar - Atcho - Benbraham, Higler
JOR-IRQ: Calderon - Al-Kaf - Pineda, Iida
ALG-UAE: Escobar - Elfath - Garcia, San
Bahrain-Sudan an absolute disaster, missed clear VC and penalty for tripping, both rectified after VAR intervention. Plenty of mobbing completely ignored. Very weak refereeing in this tournament. I don't like this direction FIFA is going with the club world cup and now arab cup.
ReplyDeleteRed card: https://youtu.be/_h0WOFgh26U?t=5420
DeletePenalty: https://youtu.be/_h0WOFgh26U?t=6674
Given that Benitez's style of refereeing (old school law-enforcer) is not in vogue nowadays, it seems there must be an off the FoP reason for his sudden rise in FIFA stakes in 2025; with this performance yesterday, the likelihood of the Paraguayan handling a match on the pitch at the next World Cup seems to have fallen away.
Red card: just whistling without paying attention to what was happening right in front of his eyes, very passive approach.
DeletePenalty: here absolutely no explanation, "isolated" and classic incident, you must go either for calling it or simulation, incredible to play on. You should only have an obstructed view... knowing Collina, these incidents will cost the referee from Paraguay a World Cup call.
QF Appointments:
ReplyDeleteMAR–SYR: Garay – Benitez – Toski, Pineda
PAL–KSA: Omar – Kawana-Waugh – Gillett, Pu-Udom
JOR–IRQ: Eskas – Atcho – Higler, Al Marri
ALG–UAE: Makhadmeh – Calderon – Chapman, Alshehri
The most surprising thing is that Makhadmeh, who delivered one of the weakest performance in 1st GS match (missed clear RC after OFR), still received a QF assignment. It really feels as if FIFA had already pre-determined before this Arab Cup that Makhadmeh is “World Cup-ready,” so no matter how serious his GS mistakes were, they were never going to affect his future appointments.
The six refs without QF: Nyberg, Elfath, Escobar, Kaf, Ma Ning, and Al-Jassim. Nyberg is taking charge of Cruz Azul vs Flamengo and is highly likely to get one of the Arab Cup semifinals, with the other semifinal very possibly going to Escobar. Elfath can be saved for the Intercontinental Cup Final. As for Kaf, Ma Ning, and Al-Jassim, the three AFC referees will likely be assigned to the Intercontinental Cup play-off and the Arab Cup third-place match.
Based on the appointment pattern from the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, the four QF 4Os are unlikely to receive further assignments. Among the four QF refs, two will typically serve as 4O in the semifinals, while the other two compete for the Finale, most likely Garay and Eskas this time.
Later I will write more about the group matches of the Arab Cup (now I've watched them all), but in response to your comment I would say: Makhadmah's appointment is completely logical, for two reasons.
DeleteFirst, that I don't think FIFA will deem the lack of Saudi red card as a (serious) mistake -- in my opinion, it is a clear RC -- and secondly, the very high level of refereeing shown by Makhadmah in his later group stage match, Sudan-Iraq (by far the best ref performance in the whole GS). I don't think it is exaggerated to say the lookalike of the famous Italian referee delivered a 'Collina-esque' performance, handling the game in a quite outstanding and deeply impressive manner. It is surely impossible to imagine Makhadmah showing such a high level of refereeing in a match, not between Sudan and Iraq, but instead (eg) 'Brazil/Argentina vs. top UEFA team' - BUT if he could, then he would not only be one of the best Asian referees, but indeed one of the very best referees of all in the World (Cup). It will be interesting to see how the Jordan referee does on Friday.
On the other hand, I would slightly contravene what has been written on this page, and argue that the refereeing in this tournament has generally been pretty good. In the group stage though, there are two exceptions to that. First, the match spoken about above between Bahrain and Sudan, where Juan Gabriel Benitez from Paraguay struggled to manage the match adequately. Unlike in his already-shaky previous match, Oman-Morocco, Benitez also struggled in making key calls: the lack of alertness shown in the violent conduct incident (I'll link the clips above) was very amateurish.
But, by far the worst of all was Abdulrahman Al-Jassim's performance yesterday, who handled Algeria-Iraq in a quite shocking and appalling manner. It was quite clear from the very beginning of the match that the Qatari referee was not in a fit mental state (I'm choosing those words selectively) to referee a top football match, with a lack of focus that was genuinely tough to watch. I'm really not sure what happened here, because Al-Jassim generally did a good job in what was an extremely difficult and epic playoff match, between Sudan and Lebanon. It raises questions about what exactly happened internally in the intervening period between that match, on 26th November, and the horrendous performance yesterday (9/Dec) - not least because this affair has happened all before, in Al-Jassim’s WC2022. It seems that Salman Fallahi’s candidacy for 2026 was sealed yesterday in all but name.
Some clips from Algeria-Iraq (key calls, then managing the game):
https://youtu.be/JmD6NPr7aIk?t=1715
https://youtu.be/JmD6NPr7aIk?t=1936
https://youtu.be/JmD6NPr7aIk?t=4322
https://youtu.be/JmD6NPr7aIk?t=2156
https://youtu.be/JmD6NPr7aIk?t=2760
https://youtu.be/JmD6NPr7aIk?t=6304
(there are too many to list but you get the idea…)
My thoughts on this is ADHAM already in List so they want give him more match to all fans forget that mistake!!
DeleteMy overview would be:
DeleteTunisia-Syria, Juan Gabriel Calderon 7️⃣
Qatar-Palestine, Glenn Nyberg 7️⃣
Morocco-Comoros, Ma Ning 7️⃣
Egypt-Kuwait, Espen Eskas 7️⃣
S.Arabia-Oman, Adham Makhadmah 6️⃣
Algeria-Sudan, Mohamed Amin 7️⃣
Iraq-Sudan, Pierre Ghislain Atcho 6️⃣
Joran-UAE, Ahmed Al-Kaf 6️⃣
Palestine-Tunisia, Ismail Elfath 7️⃣
Syria-Qatar, Mario Escobar 7️⃣
Oman-Morocco, Juan Gabriel Benitez 6️⃣
Comoros-S.Arabia, Calderon 7️⃣
Kuwait-Jordan, Cristian Garay 7️⃣
Bahrain-Algeria, C. Kawana-Waugh 6️⃣
Sudan-Iraq, Makhadmah 8️⃣
UAE-Egypt, Nyberg 6️⃣
Qatar-Tunisia, Eskas 7️⃣
Syria-Palestine, Al-Kaf 6️⃣
Morocco-S.Arabia, Escobar 7️⃣
Oman-Comoros, Atcho 6️⃣
Egypt-Jordan, Elfath 7️⃣
UAE-Kuwait, Ma 6️⃣
Algeria-Iraq, Abdulrahman Al-Jassim 2️⃣
Bahrain-Sudan, Benitez 4️⃣
I’ve also watched all the group-stage matches, but I cannot agree with your conclusion that “Makhadmeh was the best referee of the whole GS.”
DeleteIn his 1st GS match, he had a clear red card missed even after OFR. I agree that Al-Jassim’s performance was awful and surely one of the worst of the tournament, but if Al-Jassim deserves a 2.0, then Makhadmeh’s 1st match absolutely deserves 2.0 as well.
Under normal circumstances, if a referee like Ma Ning, for example, miss a clear RC after OFR, he probably wouldn’t even receive a second GS match, let alone a QF. The fact that Makhadmeh got a second GS and then a QF is, in my view, simply unfair, especially for those refs who didn't have any mistakes after OFR.
Also, regarding his 2nd GS match, the was much lower compared to many other games, there were no complex KMIs, and the matchitself was quite easy to control. He did handle it smoothly, but for me that is at most a 7.0, not the “8.0 Collina-esque performance” you described.
I agree with some of your ratings, but I have different views on several matches. My scores are as follows:
Tunisia–Syria, Juan Gabriel Calderon: 6
Morocco–Comoros, Ma Ning: 8
Saudi Arabia–Oman, Adham Makhadmeh: 2
Algeria–Sudan, Mohamed Amin: 8
Palestine–Tunisia, Ismail Elfath: 6
Comoros–Saudi Arabia, Calderon: 6
Sudan–Iraq, Makhadmeh: 7
Qatar–Tunisia, Eskas: 8
Egypt–Jordan, Elfath: 8
UAE–Kuwait, Ma Ning: 7
In short, while I respect your opinion, I strongly disagree with the idea that Makhadmeh was the top GS referee. His trajectory in this tournament looks heavily protected and not performance-based at all.
(I wrote my marks according to this system:
Deletehttps://mikaelreferee.blogspot.com/p/evaluation-scale.html)
It's nice to read your pov! As for Ma Ning, his overall level of refereeing in the three games he's done has been good. Here are some clips from UAE-Kuwait:
7min - correct YC for reckless (despite being early in the game)
https://youtu.be/QDYiIHQrwao?t=1591
14min - correct penalty after a foul challenge
https://youtu.be/QDYiIHQrwao?t=1968
+46min - not the best management of halftime whistle
https://youtu.be/QDYiIHQrwao?t=3910
51min - justified RC after OFR for violent conduct
https://youtu.be/QDYiIHQrwao?t=5215
So, the referee from China was heading towards another clearly good (7) performance - but, from my perspective he tarnished that a little bit by simply refusing to book anyone in the last twenty minutes. As a consequence, his level of match control decreased and in the last of the timestamps below, you can see an unconvincingly managed potential VC incident.
https://youtu.be/QDYiIHQrwao?t=6364
https://youtu.be/QDYiIHQrwao?t=6850
https://youtu.be/QDYiIHQrwao?t=6920
https://youtu.be/QDYiIHQrwao?t=7924
In the end, my mark would be 6. Ma overall has had a good tournament, and I think he could be selected both to referee the Arab third place game next week, but more pertinently as the leading East Asian referee to handle games at the WC next summer.
MAROC vs SYRIE
ReplyDeleteArbitre: Cristián Marcelo Garay Reyes CHI
Arbitre assistant 1 : Claudio Andrés Urrutia Córdova CHI
Arbitre assistant 2 : José Francisco Retamal Silva CHI
Quatrième officiel : Juan Gabriel Benítez Mareco PAR
Arbitre assistant de réserve : Eduardo Cardozo Escobar PAR
Arbitre assistant vidéo : Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Arbitre assistant vidéo assistant : Benjamín Pineda Ávila CRC
Coupe arabe de la FIFA 2025 – Quarts de finale
ReplyDelete11 décembre 2025
Maroc – Syrie
Arbitre : Cristian Garay CHI (photo)
Arbitre assistant 1 : Claudio Urrutia CHI
Arbitre assistant 2 : Jose Retamal CHI
Quatrième officiel : Juan Benitez PAR
Réserve AR : Eduardo Cardozo PAR
VAR : Rodolpho Toski BRA
AVAR : Benjamin Pineda CRC
Palestine – Arabie Saoudite
Arbitre : Amin Omar EGY
Arbitre assistant 1 : Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
Arbitre assistant 2 : Ahmed Ali EGY
Quatrième Officiel : Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR : Isaac Trevis NZL
VAR : Jarred Gillett ENG
AVAR : Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA
12 décembre 2025
Jordan – Iraq
Arbitre : Espen Eskas NOR
Assistant Arbitre 1 : Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Arbitre 2 : Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Quatrième officiel : Pierre Atcho GAB
Reserve AR : Boris Ditsoga GAB
VAR : Dennis Higler NED
AVAR : Khamis Al-Marri QAT
Algérie – EAU
Arbitre : Adham Makhadmeh JOR
Arbitre assistant 1 : Mohammad Al Kalaf JOR
Arbitre assistant 2 : Ahmad Al Roalle JOR
Quatrième arbitre : Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR : Juan Mora CRC
VAR : Allen Chapman USA
AVAR : Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA
Coupe du Monde de la FIFA 2026 – Séminaire des candidats arbitres (AFC, CAF, OFC)
ReplyDeleteDoha (Qatar), 23-27 février 2026
AFC
1. Alireza Faghani (AUS, 1978)
2. Ma Ning (CHN, 1979)
3. Adham Makhadmeh (JOR, 1986)
4. Yusuke Araki (JPN, 1986)
5. Khalid Al-Turais (KSA, 1987)
6. Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA, 1983)
7. Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (QAT, 1987)
8. Salman Falahi (QAT, 1990)
9. Omar Al-Ali (EAU, 1981)
10. Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB, 1984)
Non retenus de la liste présélectionnée :
1. Kim Jong-Hyeok (KOR, 1984) 1983)
2. Mahomet Al-Hoish (Arabie Saoudite, 1986)
3. Ahmad Al-Ali (KUW, 1984)
4. Nazmi Nasaruddin (MAS, 1990)
5. Adel Al-Naqbi (EAU, 1982)
CAF
1. Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG, 1985)
2. Jean Ndala (COD, 1987)
3. Amin Omar (EGY, 1985)
4. Pierre Atcho (GAB, 1992)
5. Dahane Beida (MTN, 1991)
6. Jalal Jayed (MAR, 1987)
7. Issa Sy (SEN, 1984)
8. Omar Artan (SOM, 1992)
9. Mahmood Ismail (SDN, 1988)
Non retenu du liste présélectionnée :
1. Alhadi Mahamat (CHA, 1986)
2. Mohamed Maarouf (EGY, 1986)
3. Mutaz Ibrahim (LYB, 1990)
4. Abongile Tom (RSA, 1991)
OFC
1. Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (NZL, 1983)
Non retenu de la liste présélectionnée :
1. Ben Aukwai (SOL, 1986)
Omar Al-Ali *1988
DeleteAukwai being out is interesting because it probably means the rumoured allocation of referees is incorrect. I wouldn't expect him to be at the WC even as just 4th official if he doesn't attend such a seminar
DeleteI don't think it's incorrect; it was simply the committee's initial plan at the beginning of the cycle. When it comes to the end and a confederation doesn't have the necessary referees, obviously they won't fill the vacancy with referees who don't have the required qualifications, and those vacancies can go to other confederations or even be eliminated.
DeleteA couple of clips from yesterday's Cruz Azul vs. Flamengo tie for Glenn Nyberg.
ReplyDelete1) No penalty called for a deliberate handball on the goalline due to the 't-shirt' line ruling
https://streamff.link/v/d792e949
2) Swedish referee in trouble to maintain control of the match during 2half additional time
https://streamff.com/v/1a4ae855
Overall, the manner in which Nyberg handled the game was satisfactory.
[#Intercontinental]
ReplyDelete🇧🇷 Flamengo vs Pyramids 🇪🇬
A: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim 🇶🇦
A1: Taleb Al Marri 🇶🇦
A2: Saoud Al Maqaleh 🇶🇦
4to: Juan Calderon 🇨🇷
5to: Juan Carlos Mora 🇨🇷
VAR: Khamis Al-Marri 🇶🇦
AVAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom 🇹🇭
I’m shocking. How on earth Jassim deserves this appointment of Intercontinental semi-final after his catastrophic performance in GS round 3
Same way he got 3rd place match last WC.
DeleteBy being """"""""excellent """"""".
Algeria-Iraq was only warm-up before this match. I'm almost 100% sure he knew he will be the referee of Intercontinental semifinal few weeks ago xd
DeleteAverage from Eskas, some positive and negatives;
ReplyDeleteMantained control,respected by players and had easy match as one could say.
But also,too much leniency and 6 minutes of added time was too little,given the fact that Jordan players were using every chance to be on the floor in the 2nd half.
Maybe that's something that Collina and rest of the world should concern,too much leniency and fear to book players when they are timewasting.
Also in 1st half,pretty big penalty miss where VAR had to call him.
And big elbow that caused another player to bleed,no card was shown there,it even happened right next to the 4th official,but I guess no one give cards when another player fouls another so much that the one starts to bleed.
SF predictions
ReplyDeleteMAR-UAE: Omar - Eskas - Gillett, Toski
KSA-JOR: Ma - Garay - Puudom, Al-Marri
Benitez and Eskas got the semifinal, well, simply cannot imagine how Benitez, one of the worst performance in GS, deserves this semifinal, while Ma Ning could only be 4O and obviously will not have any fixtures to officiate. Ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteAl-Jassim has Intercontinental semi, Benitiz has Arab Cup semi, perfect👏
ReplyDeleteThe appointments are indeed strange, indeed, if we look at performances, but I think one argument can be that Collins is making the final tests, then when over they will draw conclusions for WC.
ReplyDeleteStill, as referee performing well, looking at the choices, you should be more than disappointed.Maybe you should even leave...
Demi final
ReplyDeleteCoupe Arabe ???
Benitez in the semis? Oh my God. I give up
ReplyDeleteAnother negative day in Serie A: yesterday, a clear penalty was not given in Torino-Cremonese; then in Parma-Lazio, an incorrect RC was given to Zaccagni and an RC was not given to Cancellieri; now in Milan-Sassuolo a penalty was not given to Sassuolo. Rocchi has been heavily criticised for his management, but honestly, if the overall level is not very high, Rocchi cannot work miracles.
ReplyDeleteI think one can accept Marchetti red card in Parma - Lazio, not a clear and obvious mistake, however many situations to be reviewed in his game and he confirmed he is not a good referee. But.. definitely more worrying, to say it kindly ,is the missed VAR intervention in Torino - Cremonese. One should only stop to appoint VAR, at this point...
DeleteYes it’s been a terrible week end for italian referees sadly.. too many mistakes.. even sozza missed a foul and had to be corrected by VAR to cancel a goal.
DeleteTo be honest, anybody interested in analysing refereeing should really give up with FIFA tournaments. The treatment of referees there is extremely unfair, based ONLY on politics and you can clearly see that good (even decent) performances are no longer needed to appoint a favoured referee to big games in spite of far better performing colleagues without the needed support. Elfath, Al-Jassim... It's enough now. At least for me.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree, Euro Soccer Ref. And thank you very much for your analysis and contribution in this blog.
DeleteAny opinion on Amin Omar on his overall tournament?
DeletePersonally, the more inexplicable point for me is that I can't understand how Collina accepts working in such a context, it's something that goes beyond me. At UEFA he was well known for being an absolute authority in refereeing matters. And now? Part of this circus?
DeleteDemi-finale
ReplyDeleteMAR vs UAE
Arbitre : Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Arbitre assistant 1 : Jan Erik Engan NOR
Arbitre assistant 2 : Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin NOR
Quatrième officiel : Mǎ Níng CHN
Arbitre assistant de réserve : Zhōu Fēi CHN
Arbitre assistant vidéo : Jarred Gavan Gillett AUS/ENG
Arbitre assistant vidéo assistant : Benjamín Pineda Ávila CRC
Meanwhile, another very poor Sunday in serie A with controversial decisions. In Milan, Crezzini, a referee liked by Rocchi but without real experience in serie A, handled Milan - Sassuolo and took some debatable decisions, for me you can support all the choices, but both teams are angry after the game. In Udinese - Napoli, Sozza confirmed the rather negative impressions so far: I really don't understand what happened to him, before being nominated FIFA referee he had been excellent, then all over. Missed very clear YC, missed foul before a goal, and VAR intervened. Honestly, this is the worst season for serie A referees since I started to follow football, and it's a very long time! Rocchi has responsibilities, not strong in giving instructions and guidelines and very inconsistent, with changes of direction after every matchday, but more worrying than that is the quality of referees, in almost all elements close to 0. Even the ones who were good before, disappeared for some reasons. One can think it's impossible to do worse than that, but day after day, this happens.
ReplyDeleteInteresting one in the Premier League. Brooks awarded a penalty (35') to Brentford (v Leeds), but overturned as the player was offside. That has been accepted, but I'm not convinced. First, had he committed the offside offence before the foul, and second, is this not subjective, so if it is believed to be offside, should the act of being offside not require an OFR? I don't think it's objective, and I think the foul was first. The only thing I believe that could have been overturned was the foul itself, but I don't believe the onfield decision is a clear and obvious error.
ReplyDeleteAuxerre - Lille definitely a game to be watched, officiated by the New UEFA Cat. 1 Referee Pignard
ReplyDeleteAnybody with a video of Bellingham’s goal immediately after a handball? Full sequence if possible, including replays. VS Alaves.
ReplyDeleteStonewall handball, nothing to discuss https://x.com/xKGx__/status/2000301986760229041
DeleteI am not discussing anything. It’s for educational purposes to explain that no goal can be scored no matter where the hand would be.
DeleteOkay, fair enough. I thought you might have missed the replay or something. But I agree, this is a good example of what should be considered an accidental handball in any other face of play, so it's good educational material
Delete*phase of play, not face, of course. Sometimes it just goes a little bit too fast :p
DeleteJust now watching, what a penalty miss in Torino vs Cremonese,generally not a good weekend for Serie A refs with that,Milan vs Sassuolo match and Udinese vs Napoli.
ReplyDeleteThat being said,plenty weeks we had bad performances from Italian refs and state of Italian refs is very average, not to say bad.
Too much leniency, not enough bravery and keeping big decisions and cards in pockets is a recipr for a disaster.
Also,in La Liga we had tripping on Vinicius,but no penalty was called,maybe cause of his reputation or something else.
I often see some blog members criticizing refs that they are in favour of Madrid or that Madrid is fixing matches.
Maybe they told ref to not whistle a penalty cause they are fixing matches and they dont want it to be too obvious?
There is no match fixing anywhere, that's for sure. That was certainly a penalty on Vinicius, even though the contact is still not the most intense, but there was still enough contact to trip him.
DeleteFor Italy, the state is not good, and I can even say worse than last year. No clear referee stand out, some good youngsters are getting there, but there is clearly no big name right now. From Massa to Mariani to Guida, they never truly managed to reach the highest highs of an elite referee. Sozza is starting to get attention, but we can't say yet that he is good enough to be an elite. Chiffi, Doveri, while being fine locally, never made it and were never consistent enough.
Colombo got that promotion, but also, I can't say that I am a big fan of his style of refereeing. Marcenaro isn't confirming the high hope we put in him, newcomers like Crezzini ( awful display in Milan Sassuolo) and Zufferli ( good start of the season, but too early to tell) will take time to develop into big referees.
Big problem there is taking actions,as I said refs are not brave enough and are afraid to take the action.
DeleteOr just they dont want the spotlight.
On one hand,I dont blame them,we have 2 great examples of how refs can be influenced by how others treat different styles of refs.
You have Doveri, leniency at it's finest and wont take big decisions,allowing everything form everyone.
On the other hand,you had Maresca who punished everything and everyone and we know between those 2 who was more controversial and who was not popular with everyone.
Maresca could show 10 cards,all of them justified but you will have Doveri or someone with that style who will show 3 cards and we all know which style and ref will be talked about more after the match.
So I think plenty refs choose Doveri's style,or Chiffi's where you dont punish anything unless you have to.
And that's why we have refs in Italy today like that.
In the first semifinal today, for the second time in the tournament, the unwritten FIFA policy for the VAR to interfere if he notices a clearly wrong corner was applied:
ReplyDeletehttps://streamff.com/v/eb87f3f8
https://streamff.com/v/629fd712
Eskas was fooled by the ball hitting the crossbar, and not the goalkeeper's hand, and was clearly informed by the VAR (who incidentally was the strongly-performing Jarred Gillett), to reverse his decision. It is a pity that apparent hubris on the part of Infantino means that this (imo) generally acceptable policy, in seemingly now needing to be written down in black and white to satiate the Swiss administrator, will open a whole new can of worms for VARs where they will now be under active pressure to detect all mistakenly awarded corners (even if they are not super blatant).
More interestingly, and not as much reported in the media as the corners, is that the referees in the Arab Cup were informed that it is likely that VAR reviews for perceived bogus SYCs will also be codified into the LotG in the near future. I’m very excited for (extremely technical) refereeing parlance like ‘DtR - Not Retreating’ or 'dissent by mobbing' to enter into the mainstream football lexicon! :D
Finally, also about Infantino, FIFA found a new use for RefCam after the (adequately-refereed) Flamengo-Pyramids match on Saturday… 🎪
https://streamff.com/v/585a4f7e
Prédiction
ReplyDeleteMAROC vs JORDANIE
Arbitre : Ismail Elfath (États-Unis)
Arbitre assistant 1 : Corey Michael Parker (États-Unis)
Arbitre assistant 2 : Kyle Thomas Atkins (États-Unis)
Quatrième officiel : Glenn Nyberg SWE
Arbitre assistant de réserve : Mahbod Beigi SWE
Arbitre assistant vidéo : Jarred Gavan Gillett AUS/ENG
Arbitre assistant vidéo : Dennis Johan Higler NED
Arbitre assistant vidéo assistant : Rodolpho Toski Marques BRA
Well Elfath is Moroccan so that's not going to happen.
DeletePredictions:
ReplyDeleteArab Cup
JORMAR- Cristian Garay (CHI)
KSAUAE- Pierre Atcho (GAB)
Intercontinental
PSGFLA- Ismail Elfath (USA)
OT:
ReplyDeletePortuguese match,Nacional vs Tondela;
Highlights and crucial decisions
https://youtu.be/qQIhcK6d8N8?si=HiXWZrh3LMHB06b7
What a match for Baixinho,ref that is not afraid to make big decisions,show cards and has been Bastien unlucky that he gets matches that are challenging.
Maybe his style is the one that makes matches challenging, but still,refreshing to see someone who punishes everything with chaos, Maresca like style
6,9(2rc),9,8(1rc),11(2rc)..That are his numbers of cards,plenty but that's his style.
This match had several big decisions:
22'RC,called by VAR
35'penalty and yc,called by VAR
90+8..original decision was simulatiom and YC..after VAR,changed to penalty
90+13..RC,last player and penalty, no VAR check..
Plenty talking points,plenty bookings and I'm sure he will dose and change his style when he see that general public and comitee are not accepting his style.
Official :
ReplyDeleteArab cup Final : Nyberg ( VAR San, 4th Official Ning)
Arab cup 3rd place: Garay ( VAR Toski, 4th Atcho)
OT
ReplyDeleteSwiss international referee Lionel Tschudi (36 y.o.) is retiring at the end of 2025. Before he was injured and out for almost a year, he was definetly among the most promising Swiss referees. Afterwards, he didn‘t get any important UEFA assignments anymore.
Sad news, thanks for reporting it. I remember Tschudi's quite good performances in the 2019 Gulf Cup. I wish him well for the future!
DeleteI think that, if everything goes well for Nyberg, this appointment has secured his ticket to the World Cup.
ReplyDeleteTwo amazing things happened in the first half of the third place playoff:
ReplyDelete1) The match is being played under pouring, heavy rain in Doha!
2) The Brazilian Var, Rodolpho Toski, did not intervene for this (clip below) reckless challenge in the penalty area which went unseen by the Chilean officials.
https://streamff.com/v/607c12f0
Toski will have a long time to think about that decision, because the second half never started and has been suspended due to the heavy rain and waterlogged pitch.
DeleteI guess he assessed the incident like that:
Deletea) the ball is not reachable anymore for the attacker AND
b) the challenge itself is not reckless due to lack of dynamics and the attacker going against studs rather than contrary
= the intervention is not mandatory. I can live with such assessment, tbh.
Sorry that's a clear penalty, I agree with Mikael. Absolutely unacceptable to play on. Mandatory YC for reckless.
DeleteHow was Glenn Nyberg's performance?
ReplyDeleteOverall, I'd say quite good. I think FIFA will be very happy.
DeleteTomorrow, I'll write a short report with clips of the big incidents.
What a game the final was for Glenn Nyberg! To say that the match was a repeat of the Argentina-France final at Lusail would be a slight exaggeration, but only slight - Jordan and Morocco played out an epic, by far the greatest game in the (already very enjoyable!) Arab Cup tournament. Of the fourteen referees selected for the tournament, Nyberg was the most experienced, and the Swede was the right man to take charge of the final. Despite a relatively ambivalent body of work in his earlier round games, in the final Nyberg showed skills quite significantly in excess of all other thirteen Arab Cup officials, and I think FIFA will be very happy (if not outright elated) with his performance. Some clips of the big incidents and then remarks follow.
ReplyDeleteBig Decisions
https://streambug.org/cv/ce4b85
21min -> no penalty awarded after a fair challenge in the penalty area
https://streambug.org/cv/81a766
63min -> correct intervention by the VAR (Fedayi San) to recommend awarding a penalty for handball
https://streambug.org/cv/6416c2
87min -> by far the worst linesman mistake of the tournament by one of the world’s best, Mahbod Beigi, overruled by VAR (goal given; no offside)
https://streambug.org/cv/9ec2e3
+98min -> no penalty awarded, consistent with the FIFA approach in the tournament to not penalise (borderline-to-)careless challenges where the attacker tries to generate a penalty
https://streambug.org/cv/dbf4ec
91min -> goal rightly disallowed after prior handball detected
https://streambug.org/cv/f45174
98min -> expert decision not to award a penalty (fk outside), from which was scored the winning goal; in the ‘APP’ of the freekick being awarded though, replays reveal that a defensive foul should actually have been given
Managing the Game
This section can be fairly brief, despite the intense nature of the match. HUGE plus for Nyberg was the manner that he dealt with players on the FoP - he managed to win their trust by appearing as a very calm, strong (European) referee, and the extent to which he managed this was actually deeply impressive. As you can see Beigi is besieged by Moroccan substitutes after his decision to rule out the would-be 87’ score (FIFA benches mgmt…), the captain of Morocco was the person who most encouraged his teammates to leave Beigi alone, under instruction from Nyberg. I don’t think many referees in the world could have achieved this. If one speaks of Argentina-France at Lusail, then unlike for Marciniak, the technical picture for the Swedish referee is not completely rosy - he let a little too much go, beginning with not booking the Morocco player who very blatantly tried to unsportingly put off the Jordan penalty kick taker in the second half. The carte blanche on DtR offences was a bit too much, even for modern FIFA competitions, and did not make for particularly edifying viewing. In this regard, Nyberg’s outstanding communication/management strategy ‘trumped’ some aspects of how he managed the game. Finally, there was a scene from the final in terms of player management which has gone viral in the Arab world:
https://x.com/justrami/status/2001713204150325442
Precis
Overall, I think two things should be stressed about this final. First, that it was a (big) step up from any prior matches in the tournament regarding intensity, and secondly, that Nyberg’s management of the players was outstanding. Any criticisms from a technical standpoint, which at a certain point in the second half could be relatively extensive, should be viewed through those prisms. Glenn Nyberg contravened any reputation that he couldn’t handle difficult matches quite decisively. Looking more holistically, it will be interesting to see in due course how much this Arab Cup final performance is viewed by FIFA as a one off final in a one off competition, or if it could be a platform for the Swede to land very late stage appointments in the World Cup next summer (which was not the case during the Club WC).
WOW, I think this was surely an epic game.
DeleteMany things to say after having read your report, but I must say thank you before all the rest!
Extremely challenging game, one can understand that by two elements, before the rest: the crowd reaction after every decision (ON-field and VAR), you never hear something like that, not even in European big games, Champions League, El Clasico and so on. Here, one must admit, even if the quality of football is clearly lower, the pressure reaches sure the maximum for a referee. Second element: the behavior of players (this can come before the crowd, though), trying to highlight all situations in which a call could have gone in their favor (lying down for a possible penalty and never standing up until the stopppage), also how they celebrate goals.
In this context, a Nordic referee, even before starting to talk about his performance, would be in a totally different world than his reality. So one must start Nyberg analysis from this point.
Now, without being too long, I agree that the management of the Swedish referee was excellent, always present in the game, and this absolutely helped in keeping an excellent control and being accepted. Same scenario, with a different approach by referee, could have led to full chaos, I'm sure.
Nevertheless, there are some calls that must be pointed out and unfortunately for Nyberg should have been assessed better. The biggest responsibility is for me about the handball penalty, right in front of his eyes and rather important mistake, however the fact that he was very close to incident, didn't help, he was looking at the ball when the attacker was kicking it but then he missed the action due to a late head movement.
DeleteAbout the other handball, before goal, very good, but not clear if directly whistled by him, or VAR? There was the VAR information confirming NO GAL. Was it an overrule or not? However, not a big issue here, very hard to spot in case that handball being far from it.
Now, into the penalty (no) calls: I agree with all your assessments about the final decisions, first incident is a very fair action on the ball, then you can say attacker comes there (very different from third place final incident), whistling a penalty would have been supportable, but very, very penalizing, if not wrong (however, never in case a clear and obvious mistake). To follow, the incident in 98' is outstanding for me, if Nyberg exactly detected what had happened (leg out and contact with opponent, but not significant for him), this was something superb. I can justify the NO CALL, but in modern refereeing, let alone in Italy (I always mention Italian refereeing to compare) this would have been big penalty. But in reality you have the touch on opponent, not a full one, so you can survive even if defender took an extremely risky action.
The VAR in this tournament was absolutely tuned on this level of technical assessment, I must agree, I remember also from previous games and your reports. That's fine. It seems Collina asked more to their VAR, changing from the classic (and for me unacceptable!) FIFA policy of the old tournaments, to a more UEFA-oriented approach. Very often VAR from a country and referee from another country, rarely worked before, so this is confirmation, there is an "external" element about their way of handling (otherwise more interventions would have been by far expected). Then now, into the final decision, excellent free kick spot, but indeed in the middle of penalty area, clear foul by Moroccan player before. The fact that it was only free kick to follow, impeded VAR from intervening, and that's a pity for Nyberg, however in case of penalty I think it would have been removed, but hard to spot that previous foul.
All in all, extremely challenging games, also in terms of calls to be made, after all the factors I reported above, and I think we are allowed to say that the Swedish did well, technically maybe not perfect, but he ensure maybe the most important aspect on the field in a game like this: bringing it to the end with a certain credibility. Not for all! Congratulations!
I can think about other referees maybe having a nightmare there...
Forgot to say, important mistake by assistant referee, shouldn't have happened, yes but we saw definitely worse situations in past!