2025-26 UEFA Europa League, Matchday 7, 22 January 2026.
Thursday 22 January 2026
18:45 CET - Rotterdam (Stadion Feijenoord "De Kuip")
FEYENOORD ROTTERDAM (NED) - SK STURM GRAZ (AUT)
Referee: Halil Umut Meler TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Abdullah Bora Özkara TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Bersan Duran TUR
Fourth Official: Cihan Aydın TUR
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev BUL
UEFA Delegate: Kimmo J. Lipponen FIN
18:45 CET - Istanbul (Chobani Stadyumu - Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi)
FENERBAHÇE (TUR) - ASTON VILLA FC (ENG)
Referee: Luís Miguel Branco Godinho POR
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Miguel Martins Teixeira POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Nuno Almeida da Mota POR
Fourth Official: Fábio José da Costa Veríssimo POR
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: André Filipe Domingues da Silva Narciso POR
UEFA Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman NED
UEFA Delegate: Thibault De Gendt BEL
18:45 CET - Thessaloniki (Stádio Toúmbas)
PAOK (GRE) - REAL BETIS BALOMPIÉ (ESP)
Referee: Simone Sozza ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Giovanni Baccini ITA
Fourth Official: Luca Zufferli ITA
Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Valerio Marini ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Lucílio Cardoso Cortez Batista POR
UEFA Delegate: Jan Kořínek CZE
18:45 CET - Plzěn (Doosan Arena)
FC VIKTORIA PLZEŇ (CZE) - FC PORTO (POR)
Referee: Andris Treimanis LVA
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs LVA
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs LVA
Video Assistant Referee: Michael Fabbri ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Kristaps Ratnieks LVA
UEFA Referee Observer: Gylfi Þór Orrason ISL
UEFA Delegate: Bozhil Grozdanov BUL
Mentor for Delegate: Scott Struthers SCO
18:45 CET - Bern (Stadion Wankdorf)
BSC YOUNG BOYS (SUI) - OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS (FRA)
Referee: Əliyar Ağayev AZE
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov AZE
Assistant Referee 2: Akif Əmirəli AZE
Fourth Official: Tural Qurbanov AZE
Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nicat İsmayıllı AZE
UEFA Referee Observer: Martin Atkinson ENG
UEFA Delegate: Sergei Hohlov-Simson EST
18:45 CET - Freiburg im Breisgau (Europa-Park Stadion)
SC FREIBURG (GER) - MK MAKKABI TEL AVIV (ISR)
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Fredrik Klyver SWE
Fourth Official: Granit Maqedonci SWE
Video Assistant Referee: Paweł Malec POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Paweł Gil POL
UEFA Delegate: Felix Grigore ROU
18:45 CET - Bologna (Stadio Renato Dall'Ara)
BOLOGNA FC 1909 (ITA) - CELTIC FC (SCO)
Referee: Vasílios Fotiás GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Andréas Meïndanás GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Michaíl Papadákis GRE
Fourth Official: Aléxandros Tsakalídis GRE
Video Assistant Referee: Ángelos Evangélou GRE
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Jan Willem Wegereef NED
UEFA Delegate: Otar Dolidze GEO
Mentor for Delegate: Loukás Siótropos GRE
18:45 CET - Malmö (Eleda Stadion)
MALMÖ FF (SWE) - FK CRVENA ZVEZDA (SRB)
Referee: Sascha Stegemann GER
Assistant Referee 1: Christof Günsch GER
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller GER
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen GER
Video Assistant Referee: Pascal Müller GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Benjamin Cortus GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Marián Ružbarský SVK
UEFA Delegate: Eugène Westerink NED
18:45 CET - Bergen (Brann Stadion)
SK BRANN (NOR) - FC MIDTJYLLAND (DEN)
Referee: Georgi Kabakov BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Venev BUL
Fourth Official: Radoslav Gidzhenov BUL
Video Assistant Referee: Dragomir Draganov BUL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nikola Popov BUL
UEFA Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson SWE
UEFA Delegate: Dāvids Isakovs LVA
21:00 CET - Rome (Stadio Olimpico)
AS ROMA (ITA) - VFB STUTTGART (GER)
Referee: John Brooks ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Bennett ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Neil Davies ENG
Fourth Official: Darren England ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett AUS/ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Stávros Tritsónis GRE
UEFA Delegate: Knut Bjørn Nordheim NOR
21:00 CET - Glasgow (Ibrox Stadium)
RANGERS FC (SCO) - PFK LUDOGORETS 1945 (BUL)
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Mangirdas Mirauskas LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandras Stepanovas LTU
Fourth Official: Mindaugas Jackus LTU
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schröder GER
UEFA Referee Observer: João Francisco Lopes Ferreira POR
UEFA Delegate: Dirk Gilon BEL
21:00 CET - Zagreb (Stadion Maksimir)
GNK DINAMO (CRO) - FC FCSB (ROU)
Referee: Sander van der Eijk NED
Assistant Referee 1: Rens Bluemink NED
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan de Groot NED
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij NED
Video Assistant Referee: Clay Ruperti NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jan Boterberg BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili GEO
UEFA Delegate: Attila Tömő HUN
21:00 CET - Salzburg (Red Bull Arena)
FC SALZBURG (AUT) - FC BASEL 1893 (SUI)
Referee: Anastásios Papapétrou GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Trýfon Petrópoulos GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Iordánis Aptósoglou GRE
Fourth Official: Fótios Polychrónis GRE
Video Assistant Referee: Athanásios Tzílos GRE
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Spyrídon Zambalás GRE
UEFA Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere BEL
UEFA Delegate: Victor Marius Radu ROU
21:00 CET - Braga (Estádio Municipal de Braga)
SC BRAGA (POR) - NOTTINGHAM FOREST FC (ENG)
Referee: Igor Pajač CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Zobenica CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Mihalj CRO
Fourth Official: Zdenko Lovrić CRO
Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Matej Jug SVN
UEFA Referee Observer: Stéphane Lannoy FRA
UEFA Delegate: Borja Bilbao Vizcaíno ESP
21:00 CET - Budapest (Groupama Aréna)
FERENCVÁROSI TC (HUN) - PANATHINAÏKÓS AO (GRE)
Referee: Mykola Balakin UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Berkut UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Viktor Matyash UKR
Fourth Official: Vitaliy Romanov UKR
Video Assistant Referee: Denys Shurman UKR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dmytro Panchyshyn UKR
UEFA Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian FRA
UEFA Delegate: Paul Lyon GIB
21:00 CET - Nice (Allianz Riviera)
OGC NICE (FRA) - GO AHEAD EAGLES (NED)
Referee: Oleksiy Derevinsʹkyy UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksiy Myronov UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Svitlana Hrushko UKR
Fourth Official: Klym Zabroda UKR
Video Assistant Referee: Momčilo Marković SRB
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz AUT
UEFA Delegate: Andrew Dickson SCO
21:00 CET - Vigo (Abanca Balaídos)
RC CELTA DE VIGO (ESP) - LOSC LILLE (FRA)
Referee: Harm Osmers GER
Assistant Referee 1: Dominik Schaal GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann GER
Fourth Official: Florian Exner GER
Video Assistant Referee: Benjamin Brand GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Johann Pfeifer GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Michális Argyroú CYP
UEFA Delegate: Antonio Talarico ITA
21:00 CET - Utrecht (Stadion Galgenwaard)
FC UTRECHT (NED) - KRC GENK (BEL)
Referee: Robert Hennessy IRL
Assistant Referee 1: Dermot Broughton IRL
Assistant Referee 2: Emmett Dynan IRL
Fourth Official: Kevin O’Sullivan IRL
Video Assistant Referee: Andrew Dallas SCO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB
UEFA Delegate: Radenko Mijatović SVN
Only VARs Del Cerro Grande (3 matches) and Cuadra (1 match) this week as Spanish referees. Quite strange
ReplyDelete
DeleteExactly, how strange....
Good game for Godinho. he deserved it
DeleteSame from France with only VAR Brisard…
DeleteUnlike the Champions League, there were only 2 nominations for promotions to the first division in the Europa League.
ReplyDeleteThe committee must have left it to the last round with less decisive matches.
I doubt more than 1 or 2 will get appointed next week either. Their promotions are more likely to be ahead of potential KO games in ECL imo
DeleteWe'll see, but I was expecting Colombo's debut in the EL.
DeleteAbout Sozza appointment in Greece, it is interesting to note that the referee is coming from the much discussed Lazio–Fiorentina in Serie A and, since then, he has not been appointed to officiate any match in either Serie A or Serie B. Today the appointments for the next round were announced and he will referee a Serie B match, in order to restart after the poor performance at the Stadio Olimpico about two weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in the middle of all this, he will be officiating tomorrow in Thessaloniki in Europa League: this is because, obviously, the appointment had already been made before, but if we wanted to apply logic, unfortunately it is difficult to understand it.
If, according to Rocchi, he needed to restart from Serie B after such a performance, being appointed beforehand to an international competition is not exactly an example of consistency.
Now, for those maybe interesting, some points regarding Serie A: in Turin, for Juventus–Napoli, Mariani has been appointed, but without Bindoni, only with Tegoni, because the former assistant was involved in the famous mistake in Napoli–Inter.
In Rome, for a very heated Roma–Milan, we will have Colombo, now a fully established leading figure in Italian refereeing.
Moreover, Rocchi had been pushing Collu a lot until a few matchdays ago, to the point that he was appointed to referee Milan–Lazio, as you know, but this round he will be in charge of a very anonymous Sassuolo–Cremonese, this was a game for a debut, two teams without any goal and already in a good position, not worried about relegation. Unfortunately, this reflects a very negative moment for him despite the confidence shown by the referee head (but this also shows how AIA is reluctant to admit mistakes and always tries to find a way to justify its choices, historically speaking, regardless of Rocchi). We wil see whether Collu will recover or not.
Honestly, Rocchi fell almost in love with him, but in the end, what he did was surely exaggerated, basically a good referee, and better than others, but surely overrated for other aspects, at least he neds still time.
Guida will be referee in a game on Saturday in Florence and then I think CL for him on Wednesday, as well as Massa who is AVAR in two serie A games, the last one on Sunday.
Celta Vigo-Lille will be a huge bite for Osmers. " Professional" delicacy for fans with the "best" German duo. Brand "will help" from the VAR room. I dont understand why UEFA trust in this talentless couple after WC QF disaster performance and some poor match. They never will reach level like Brych, Merk, Stark.
ReplyDeleteGodinho's inattention in the opening minutes in Istanbul. He missed a chance when Buendia fouled Yüksek. The Portuguese coach's positioning wasn't correct.
ReplyDelete2nd YC for CEL #41 and a RC is issued, it is correct but for me Fotias has been very inconsistent so far in foul detection and acceptable levels of contact.
ReplyDeleteVery very soft however CORRECT second Yellow for Hatate. I must say Fotias was heavily influenced in making that decision and failed to deal with the dissent that followed. Hes been very inconsistent.
ReplyDeleteIt just reflects the state of Greek Football and the issues relating to refereeing in this country .
DeleteCeltic player swings his arm then catches his opponent on the back of the Achilles. Making no attempt to play the ball. Nothing soft about the sending off. Typical
DeleteGreek refereeing body language is poor and not commanding the match
Overall a very strange 45 minutes from Fotias.
ReplyDeleteTechnically got all the YC and RC decisions correct. The 'careless' and ordinary fouls however it has become a bit of a lottery as to what is or isn't a foul. First 10 minutes and then the last 10 minutes of the half, he adopted a high threshold and was relatively consistent but in-between has opted for a far lower threshold and has causes a lack of acceptance by players and coaches. Body language has been a bit unconvincing and has been weak on dissent and managing conflict situations. Not a disaster but certainly room for improvement.
Perfect analysis 👍
DeletePenalty and a red card in Plzen
ReplyDeleteVery difficult to see that handball on the line.
DeleteDefinitely no blame for Treimanis, even VAR needed a long time, only some cameras were able to catch that.
https://streamain.com/en/SIyNEgRi6z8rO9v/watch
I don't understand how you get a red card out of this at all after the law change. His arm is moving behind his back to try to get out of the way of the ball. It's not a punishable handball at all; the arm is close to the body and moving behind his back. But at least if you're calling it, you can make a (bad) argument for unnaturally bigger and give a yellow card. To give a red card is to argue that this was a deliberate handball, which is nuts. This decision flies in the face of the spirit of the recent law change.
DeleteFirst of all. Not even a punishable handball. Second, that’s not deliberate so what on earth is the red card for? Do they know the laws?
DeleteThe second YC by Fotias in first half:
ReplyDeletehttps://streamain.com/en/G8zW4nsffRr7URM/watch
You can't deny that Celtic player made the irregular action, however opponent was exactly waiting for that. A YC you can't assess as wrong, but overall a perception of a not "full" situation.
I think there are chances he will be backed. Sometimes for the players it's very easy to create such situations, especially when they know opponent is already booked and I think you can't blame referee for issuing the card.
IMO it's a clear 2YC. Not only there's a striking, but also an intentional stamp.
DeleteAgree with Quilava. Intentional stamp far from ball and play. Clear YC and I think good teamwork with FO here. Nothing to say about this RC by second yellow.
DeletePoor from AR1 in Istanbul not to spot an offside in the build up to Villa scoring
ReplyDeleteNow even worse mistake by AR2 to give a Fener goal
DeleteCorrect VAR intervention in Young Boys - Lyon to disallow a goal for offside interference.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about this penalty by Kabakov, should be for handball on the wall, after a previous rebound on body?
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/43f312
Accidental and inevitabile hand touch of bouncing ball off the body without being really played by the defender. No PK, absolutely (IMO)
DeleteIMO dubious PK by Kabakov in Brann - Midtjylland, supported by VAR. Outstretched arm by Midtjylland player on the wall, coming off a rebound from his own thigh.
ReplyDelete2 goals in fernerbache both given. Both along way offside
ReplyDeleteBad evening for Godinho's ARs, both of them have had a poor mistake each leading to a VAR intervention due to missed offside.
ReplyDeleteGodinho in general very good and alert in pretty difficult game, but both assistant referees with very big mistakes. Not even close decisions, unacceptable on this level to allow these goals on field and requiring VAR to correct. Harsh words, but these were very simple offside situations to solve. Not even cross movement, or covering players, just the basics.
ReplyDeleteSorry but with what we have seen this week, the skrynar stamp on watkins is a red card
ReplyDeleteI also thought it should have been a red card especially that Skriniar was just hunting on the field in the last few minutes, completely losing his mind. Maybe the intensity was not enough, but very dangerous and could have caused a very serious injury with studs on the Achilles, terrible tackle.
DeleteAgree. French VAR Brisard was sleeping here…
DeleteFotias with a straight forward second half. Helped by players who just wanted to play. 4th official very poor in management of technical areas. Both coaches frequently out of the technical area by some distance and no warnings etc. Overall an acceptable performance but not one that will wow many.
ReplyDeleteIMO for Fotias an uncertain and uneven performance overall, resulting in low credibility of decisions.
DeleteFeyenoord's second goal (2-0) should frankly not have been allowed, as Borges committed a handball offence. While his arm was natural-position, but he had enough time to move his arm against a predictable ball. Yet he caught the ball with his arm, , I think it was a deliberate handball.
ReplyDeleteMatch delayed due to a security issue
ReplyDeleteUtrecht - Ghenk (Henenessy IRL)
Would like to see videos of Kabakov penalties in Brann, Danes are not impressed by him...
ReplyDeleteRC given after OFR for Osmers in Vigo, stamp on the Achilles area.
ReplyDeleteThe "best" german ref-VAR duo is working again :D
DeleteComplete clip please
DeleteBrand is great.
DeleteIMO, incorrect recommendation for review. Lack of force and speed present. YC on field was acceptable. Now the temperature of the match has risen significantly with multiple YC being issued by Osmers.
DeleteAre you laughing ? Even the player knew was red. It’s amazing to see this new « trend » of « lack of force » to justify RC on SFP. That’s here a CRYSTAL ONE !
DeleteI'm laughing now after this ridiculous comment you made. Maybe you should brush up on your considerations for SFP, as force is one of the key factors! Are we going to punish every step/misstep on the achilles as a RC?
DeleteCelta - Lille = ugly foul and just YC by Osmers. OFR and good correction by RC for SFP. You can argue that german ref had to see it live. Just after, good no penalty for Lille and YC for dissent for Vigo player. YC for Lille for a late challenge and another Celta Vigo for dissent too. Hot minutes for german crew. Perhaps a little bit harsh for one Celta YC. (29’ and after)
ReplyDeleteAnd we can clearly notice that Osmers had « lost » Lille player involved and asked to his AR2 who helped him to detect the good one. Little bit unsecure here but good teamwork.
DeleteAgree, good teamwork by AR2 to identify the player
DeleteClip of Osmers OFR: https://streambug.org/cv/35c3b3
ReplyDeleteReferee point of view: https://streambug.org/cv/9a0e9e
DeleteWell, he saw clearly the point of impact and the intensity as well, so he thought YC was enough. VAR intervened, despite of that, so for Benjamin Brand extremely clear red card.
He should have spotted it live. In the bundesliga he gave only YC for a ugly foul too and it was wrong
Delete+1
DeleteInteresting situation because the challenge by Skriniar was worse in the 89' minute in Turkey and no VAR intervention. Hard to explain where is the consistency.
DeleteClear mistake of Osmers considering his view
DeleteNothing to report in Glasgow from Lukjančukas. Straightforward first half, full acceptance and control in an easy match to officiate so far.
ReplyDeleteHennessy gets in the way twice and hits the ball twice. The second time, he stops the play. The Genk player then pretends to kick the ball against him. Very curious.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOsmers is a very good referee. However, he is ineffective in dealing with time-wasting and, above all, with the constant play-acting and simulation by Spanish players. It is rare to see such a ridiculous level of exaggeration of contact and the invention of fouls. The German referee is far too passive in the situations mentioned.
ReplyDeleteStonewall penalty for nottingham forest in the last minute and the ref somehow books ndoye for diving. Clueless Pajac and var
ReplyDeleteCouldn't see any contact on the replays i've seen
DeleteQuiet game for Brooks in Rome. Stuttgart unhappy with a few free kicks given to Roma but don't think any were obvious wrong decisions.
ReplyDeleteWell I wasn’t happy with his foul selection either tbh
DeleteOverall, a very solid performance by the German referee Osmers in a difficult match, marked by numerous instances of player gamesmanship and decisions that were at times hard to read. It is unfortunate that the referee needed VAR intervention for the blatant foul in the first half, as otherwise his disciplinary line was relatively clear and strict. He should, in my view, improve his proactive management of time-wasting and simulated fouls or contacts by being more physically present and authoritative. All in all, however, it was a high-quality officiating performance.
ReplyDeleteOffside missed by AR + VAR in Genk goal vs Utrecht. Player clearly offside & blocking sight of the keeper.
ReplyDeleteAnd now very soft (wrong?) Penalty for Genk by Hennesy
ReplyDeletehttps://streamain.com/en/lft5BTQcanYCFy4/watch
ReplyDeleteShould this call have been assessed as clear and obvious mistake by VAR?
Here the contact exists, although its punishability may be subjective. Therefore, the referee's assessment does not constitute a clear mistake and the VAR must avoid to call
ReplyDelete@Chefren https://streamain.com/en/lft5BTQcanYCFy4/watch - THIS IS NOT a penalty but i dont believe VAR is supposed to intervene, because of the whole physical contact process. Very bad penalty anyways.
ReplyDeleteYes it’s simulation. Slight normal contact between the thighs and then he did a flip and dropped himself. They should stop allowing these nonsense calls and rewarding ridiculous simulation.
DeleteI think FIFA and UEFA need to make a fundamental decision on how VAR should deal with such situations. It's clear to me that even the referee watching the monitor would probably not have stuck to his decision, and that the sporting public doesn't want a penalty like that either. A penalty like that, which decides an important game, would probably remain a topic of discussion for a long time. Yes, there is physical contact, but how many referees would consider this punishable?
ReplyDeleteIn the Dutch competition this would always have been a VAR intervention
DeleteUtrecht - Genk, possible active offside.
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/824c3b
Seems like a clear active offside to me. Not the best night for Hennesy and his team.
DeleteBraga - Nottingham, penalty or simulation?
ReplyDeleteReferee decision (maybe advice AR2, excellent view for him) simulation.
https://streambug.org/cv/887046
Very interesting incident from Balakin game.
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/8b7e03
A penalty, originally whistled by referee was then changed as on-field decision as offside, following a call by AR2.
Then VAR analyzed it and confirmed to Balakin it wasn't offside, so penalty originally whistled without OFR.
But... if you watch the live sequence, you have strong arguments to think that Balakin had whistled the contact by keeper on attacker and not the previous handball. See his reaction, with the head movement only after the incident had already happened, and the attacker was touched by keeper.
For me, in such circumstance, Balakin should have been invited to rewatch because he had seen and detected another situation, however we can't be sure, as he looked to be then convinced about the handball.
One thing really stands out in this season’s UCL: huge leniency in disciplinary management. Bookings only for ultra-clear offences. The whole “don’t be the main protagonist” approach is clearly being pushed again. Question is: is this an actual FIFA guideline, or just the current refereeing culture?
ReplyDeleteVincic is top of the list as usual: only 10 YCs in 5 games (~2.0). Letexier is similar with 8 in 4. Italian and Spanish refs are extremely lenient, just like in their domestic leagues, basically allowing everything. Eskås is low (8 YCs in 3 games), and Marciniak sits at 12 in 4 games.
Taylor looks way more lenient than in previous seasons (13 YCs in 4 games) - maybe managing with the World Cup in mind and trying to avoid controversy. Not sure that really works for him?
Makkelie also stands out with only 12 YCs in 5 games. For him it seemed to work fine; he passed without much criticism.
On the other hand… Zwayer stands out with already 3 RCs - but not really avoidable. Turpin is surprisingly high for his standards: 16 YCs in 3 games.
Oliver stats looks pretty “normal”: 21 YCs in 5 games (and probably a 6th game next week). Nice to see Siebert already getting 5 games despite his no-nonsense style: 29 YCs and one famous red. Same with Kovacs - we all know his approach: 22 YCs in 4 games (likely a 5th match coming).
From Gondinho game.
ReplyDeletePositioning issue:
https://streambug.org/cv/f351e6
Possible RC for SFP:
https://streambug.org/cv/8017f0
About the second incident, one thing is sure, it's definitely impossible to ask for consistency from VAR about serious foul play, once again we can easily say that here in many cases other VARs would have intervened (enough for a red card) and you could never say they are wrong. So, what is the final solution with VAR and serious foul play? The same can be said for penalty area incidents.
Just to add as further remark, I checked the two mistakes by assistant refereest. It's indeed strange that officials from Portugal can miss very evident offsides. We are used to a rather high level at UEFA, that's a good thing, but then when these situations happen, it becomes more evident...
Honestly.
DeleteThe style of the Portuguese officials when they are officiating Liga Portugal games is very lenient and slow.
It seems that in some aspects of the match they are dozing off in terms of focus and attention.
For these and other reasons, since Proença there haven't been any Portuguese referees at the World Cup. Not even Soares Dias had the opportunity to be there.
The foul is blatant red. How can pro refs not know simple decision?
DeleteTo answer Lincoln, had the chance to watch Pinheiro in Inter-Arsenal and while he had a good performance, he did everything to minimize any potential mistake by whistling too many soft contacts in the first half.
DeleteDid it help him have a good performance? Yes
Is it the style of refereeing that we would like to see to ensure the game has a great flow? No
Watching Soares Dias before, I don’t think that both of them are even close to his level
Lincoln,
ReplyDeleteToo lenient and slow? Did you see that game? I saw! Did you see the personality of the Portuguese referee? I saw!
I've never seen him play in the Portuguese league, but I don't agree with your opinion.
Godinho had a very difficult game yesterday and did a very good job. Controlled game, players always accepted his decisions, many, many advantage rules, safe and firm in the hottest moments of the game, physically he is very, very good and managed to leave the game with both teams greeting each other cordially and with some closeness. I suggest you read the Turkish and English reviews of the referee's work, as I had this concern.
Did he make any mistakes? It's possible, but we can't keep creating labels for referees who, to be at this level, have to have quality and have already shown a lot of competence. His assistant referees could have done better in the two offside incidents, which at this level is not very usual and this deserves reflection from the Portuguese referee as a team. The new generations of referees in Portugal are different, just as happens in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, among others. Modern refereeing faces challenges that refereeing in the past did not. Football and refereeing itself have changed a great deal, and it's obvious that we cannot make comparisons with times when the only things they have in common are the football field, the ball, and the eleven players.
This is my opinion and reflection.
Very good from Marcenaro in Inter Pisa. What we thought would be a very easy game turned into a back and forth first half brilliantly handled by the italian.
ReplyDeleteFarai Hallam in his first premier league game with a big controversy in my opinion, not giving a penalty to city despite being called to the monitor
ReplyDeleteClassic case of one that UEFA would probably want given because of the "unnatural position" but PL fans don't like seeing being given because of the close range and the fact the defender was moving as it hit him. Can understand why Hallam rejected the review.
DeleteSorry, but that's the problem with Premier League.
DeleteHow on earth is possible that the referee says: "arm in natural position"? Arm was clearly open without reason. Defender went close to attacker and then he changed his arm's position. No matter all the rest, he hadn't reason to do so. If we allow that, we could justify every handball, every touch by arm.
Also, a clear abuse of the "proximity" argument, allows defender to commit hanballs. But well, if this is what they want in England...
I agree, Chefren, clear penalty to be given but, as always, a different world in England
DeleteThe thing is, natural position (for balance), and short proximity, along with what else is he expected to do, are all reasons that the expected decision by many in England will be no handball, and even more so, not a clear error worthy of VAR intervention. In most of the world, this would be seen as clearly open arm and punishable, but many (fans, players, officials, clubs) don't like Uefa and elsewhere's interpretation. Perhaps England being a UEFA VMO, and Fallam being exclusively used to an English expectation led to the difference in opinion. Personally, I'd probably support the on field decision either way (in England), but it is a close one
DeleteDiscussed this with a provincial assessor, he agreed that it's not a handball. Ball was very close when kicked already, not like he can react, arms can be easily seen as natural the way he is mid movement. Definetely seems like you can use the laws to bend it either way, but ultimately it's natural in theory.
DeleteFair play. It shows bravery in your first pl game to be called to the monitor and not give a penalty
ReplyDeleteIt’s a blatant unnatural position. Clear handball.
DeleteHamburg Derby, 7th minute
ReplyDeletehttps://streamff.link/v/82d311c5
I would have jumped in as VAR. Flying tackle + high possibility of injury due to character of contact (although no studs, etc.; ultimately the fouled player had to be substituted in 12') should be enough to send the referee to the monitor, imho. The referees should be allowed to use some thinking and not only blindly follow instructions about the hitting point.
"Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play." Let's say this challenge fits the Law 12 text pretty well... Although I wish things were different, the non-intervention is acceptable nowadays, I guess.
DeleteThat’s not a lunge but he endangered his safety. Red should be given. Very close to completely breaking his leg.
DeleteGerman referee boss Kircher recently stated that there are three criteria for SFP:
Delete- intensity
- no possibility to play the ball
- hit image ("Trefferbild" in German - meaning the manner how the actual impact happens)
He said, that it is SFP if two of those three points are clearly indicating it.
In this case, intensity clearly is high enough and the tackle is targeted towards the ball. So it comes down to the third condition. Here, the point of contact (above the foot) indicates SFP. However on the defender's side the contact also happens with the lower shin, which is atypical for SFP and therefore makes it less clear.
"Endangering the safety" is hard to apply as an independent criterion, because there also exist completely legal challenges, which somehow endanger the opponent's safety.
Overall for me more Red than Yellow, but not clear enough for VAR. Curious, whether DFB will comment on this at some point. (Probably not, because there aren't really discussions about it in the wider public...)
I was asked about the most crucial games in Champions League for MD8 and the possible assignments.
ReplyDeleteI had no time to answer before, here a try I can make about how to read the games and maybe the choices by committee.
PSG - Newcastle
Relatively important, but not that important. Both at moment qualified in the first 8, one or both could lose the spot. Regular Elite but maybe not an extremely top one.
Manchester City - Galatasaray
Chances for City to go in the first 8, while Turkish side quite sure of play offs. City at home, less importance to away-team, regular Elite referee, but maybe not a big one.
Liverpool - Qarabag
Both teams look to be quite sure about their final position, Qarabag with last win should be qualified. Liverpool at home (strong argument), here even a Category 1 possible for me, but rather an experienced one.
Borussia Dortmund - Inter
After an excellent start of campaign, the Italian side seems a bit lost, they should qualify, Borussia Dortmund without real chances for the first 8, in my opinion given the Italian team involved, it's possible to see a top elite, but in reality it wouldn't be needed.
Barcelona - Copenhagen
Danish side with a chance for play off but rather hard at Barcelona's home. Spanish team in doubt whether first 8 or not. To me, here a regular Elite could be assigned, but not very high level, even Category 1 in a different read would be possible, because Copenhagen away in a big stadium, but I tend to think they will give a chance.
Arsenal - Kairat
Nothing to say here. It will be the most interesting assignment to discover. More than a debut, it's also possible to see a female assignment here.
Leverkusen - Villarreal
German team expected to keep the status of qualified to play offs, Villarreal without any chance. Category 1 referee, even because a draw for Bayer could be enough to confirm their achievement.
Atletico Madrid - Bodo
Great win by Norwegian side in the last round, but not enough to dream more. They should be out even in case of win in Spain. Atletico with a chance to first 8, but my idea committee will not give big importance there, Category 1 possible, at maximum very low Elite (I don't add names / predictions to the post because it would become too long).
Benfica - Real Madrid
A classic CL game, but definitely less sonorous than the past. One can consider Portuguese side already out even if they win, they have too many teams ahead, while Real should be quite sure of the first 8. A game that is possible for important tests, maybe a new Elite referee appointed again, or a Cat. 1.
Frankfurt - Tottenham
German team out, English side trying to end in the first 8, not a crucial game, given the English involvement, even if away and not at home, it is possible to see a normal assignment here, clasic English - German game without focus on referee.
Club Brugge - Marseille
Belgium - France clash, and surely an important one, with a win, Belgian side would be in my opinion sure of qualification, while Marseille could be out. However, it's possible tat even with a defeat, Marseille could be qualified. I would give a certain importance to this game, because we have a team that can make it, but at moment out, against a direct opponent, elite referee, maybe even experienced one.
PSV - Bayern
Important only for PSV to keep the qualification, but they play against a big team. They are at home, to this makes the challenge even more possible. I would appoint an Elite referee, but maybe not the most experienced one, with German side alerady sure of the first 8, you can also read the game in a different way.
Ajax - Olympiacos
Very important for Greek side, with a win, they would be sure, with a draw, rather not. Ajax should only win but this could be not enough. It is another game we can consider important, but differently from the others, here we have a team already in the qualification zone of the standings. However I think we can expect an Elite referee.
Napoli - Chelsea
DeleteHere maybe the most crucial game of the round. Chelsea with a chance for the first 8, but more important than that, Napoli out from qualification at moment, but sure of doing it with a win. This will be given to a very top referee, no doubts, Knowing Rosetti, to me he has been surely thinking about Letexier for this one. Differently from other games, it's easier to make a prediction, even Italian teams involved. So the classic names like Letexier, Turpin, Marciniak, Vincic...
Monaco - Juventus
Juventus, after some issues, is now sure about play offs and for them it would be incredible to go into the first 8. Committee is surely not focused on that, so maybe a more relaxed assignment, made on the French side that could keep the qualification with a win. Elite referee expected, but less important than other games.
Union SG - Atalanta
Here a case in which I think both teams have already clear ideas about how it will end even before the game. Atalanta could dream the first 8 but then the defeat against Athletic, now no issues to end with a qualification for play off, while Belgian side hard to qualify, even in case of winning the game. Not real importance to this game because there are others before.
Athletic - Sporting
More important for Spanish side, as they want to keep qualification and they can do that with a win. Sporting with an excellent campaign, I don't think they will go crazy in case of qualification to play off round. Hard to think about the first 8 even if they are close. Assignment to be made based on Athletic need of a win, possible an Elite referee, but relative importance.
Pafos - Slavia Praha
Cypriot side with a rather good league stage, according to their expectations, it is a very last chance for them, and of course, being Czech team fully out from everyting, it's up to committee. I think that with 9 points (a win) they could be still in doubts, but given the level of the game and the opponents, to me we will not see a big assignment there.
So, in the end the biggest one seems to me Napoli - Chelsea, because (italian) team involved, at moment out from everything, but sure with qualification, against a team that can still fight for the first 8.
I would mention as second important game Barcelona - Copenhagen, similar situation, but big team at home, and Danish side away.
All these games are more important than the ones in which we have teams already qualified in another way, even if they fail their games.
Very curious, as said, about Emirates and the choice by committee, but as for the rest we can surely expect flexible choices.
Last observation, when I say "category 1 possible", of course impossible to see so many Cat. 1 in Champions League and mostly Elite will be assigned, but of course in case one should read the real reputation of the involved referee, a low Elite.. a high Cat.1 and so on..
I think, nearly all games will get an Elite referee. It happened on MD7, and the games on MD8 are rather more important than less.
DeleteArsenal-Kairat is the exception, but maybe even there with a comeback for Meler oder Jovanovic.
Furthermore there are enough Elite referees, who either didn't work on MD7 or have done less than 4 games in this season - so it would make sense to use them.
I agree on most of the games, however Atletico-Bodo and USG-Atalanta seem more important to me given both teams each need to win to achieve something and IMO it's not too unrealistic that a win will actually be enough.
I already put my predictions under the CL post, but I repeat them here, while we are on the topic:
PSG - Newcastle: Guida (di Paolo)
ManCity - Galatasaray: Gil Manzano (Cuadra)
Liverpool - Qarabag: Stieler (Brand)
Dortmund - Inter: Oliver (Salisbury)
Barcelona - Copenhagen: Zwayer (Storks)
Ajax - Olympiakos: Kruzliak (Fabbri)
Arsenal - Almaty: de Burgos (van Boekel)
Atletico - Bodo: Turpin (Brisard)
Leverkusen - Villareal: Eskas (Bebek)
Benfica - Real: Massa (di Bello)
Brugge - Marseille: Hernandez (Soto)
Frankfurt - Tottenham: Peljto (Schüttengruber)
PSV - Bayern: Schärer (van Driessche)
Napoli - Chelsea: Letexier (Delajod)
Monaco - Juventus: Sanchez (del Cerro Grande)
Saint-Gilloise - Atalanta: Marciniak (Kwiatkowski)
Bilbao - Sporting: Bastien (Dingert)
Pafos - Slavia: Walsh (Lasyk)
My predictions:
DeletePSG - Newcastle: Vincic (Dankert)
ManCity - Galatasaray: Guida (di Bello)
Liverpool - Qarabag: Stieler (Brand)
Dortmund - Inter: Sanchez Martínez (del Cerro Grande)
Barcelona - Copenhagen: Turpin (Brisard)
Ajax - Olympiakos: Eskas (van Boekel)
Arsenal - Kairat: Meler (Schüttengruber)
Atletico - Bodo: Massa (di Paolo)
Leverkusen - Villareal: Bastien (Dingert)
Benfica - Real: Schärer (San)
Brugge - Marseille: Marciniak (Kwiatkowski)
Frankfurt - Tottenham: Sozza (Chiffi)
PSV - Bayern: Gil Manzano (cuadra fernandez)
Napoli - Chelsea: Letexier (Delajod)
Monaco - Juventus: Hernandez (Martins)
Saint Gilloise - Atalanta: Peljto (Bebek)
Bilbao - Sporting: Oliver (Dallas)
Pafos - Slavia: Petrescu (Hategan)
For me Napoli Chelsea and Ajax Olympiakos are the two matches with the most importance in term of standings and will need big elite referees
DeleteI don't think napoli vs chelsea is a crucial game because napoli is a team that have no quality so it is not tough game for me the best for me will psg vs Newcastle
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that if you want to make predictions, you shouldn't stay at the quality of the teams involved, but you should look at the standings. PSG and Newcastle are two teams that can be sure of qualification, so this makes it different. On the contrary, when a team can qualify with a win in last game, it's more than crucial, regardless of quality.
DeleteWith all the money and the interests involved, you should at first look at that!
Yes but what gives more value for the game is the quality of players
Delete