Appointments of match officials at 2026 FIFA World Cup, Group Stage.
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Match #49
Group C
25 June 2026, 00:00 CET
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
SCOTLAND - BRAZIL
Referee: César Ramos MEX
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin MEX
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bisguerra MEX
Fourth Official: Espen Eskas NOR
Reserve AR: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Abdullah Alshehri KSA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Match #50
Group C
25 June 2026, 00:00 CET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
MOROCCO - HAITI
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Joao Pinheiro POR
Reserve AR: Bruno Jesus POR
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Bram Van Driessche BEL
Match #51
Group B
24 June 2026, 21:00 CET
BC Place, Vancouver
SWITZERLAND - CANADA
Referee: Ramon Abatti BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves BRA
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Soto VEN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Antonio Garcia URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Jarred Gillett ENG
Match #52
Group B
24 June 2026, 21:00 CET
Lumen Field, Seattle
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - QATAR
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrrego VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno VEN
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR: Jun Mihara JPN
Video Assistant Referee: Tatiana Guzman NCA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Leodan Gonzalez URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Shaun Evans AUS
Match #53
Group A
25 June 2026, 03:00 CET
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
CZECH REPUBLIC - MEXICO
Referee: Yael Falcon Perez ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Del Yesso ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez ARG
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay CHI
Reserve AR: José Retamal CHI
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Lara CHI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Rodolpho Toski BRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Ivan Bebek CRO
Match #54
Group A
25 June 2026, 03:00 CET
Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe
SOUTH AFRICA - SOUTH KOREA
Referee: Facundo Tello ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Pablo Belatti ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade ARG
Fourth Official: Andrés Rojas COL
Reserve AR: Alexander Guzman COL
Video Assistant Referee: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Nicolas Gallo COL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Bastian Dankert GER
Match #55
Group E
25 June 2026, 22:00 CET
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
CURAÇAO - IVORY COAST Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Leodan Gonzalez URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Juan Soto VEN
Match #56
Group E
25 June 2026, 22:00 CET
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
ECUADOR - GERMANY
Referee: Tori Penso USA
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt USA
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
Video Assistant Referee: Joe Dickerson USA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Fu Minch CHN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Khamis Al Marri QAT
Match #57
Group F
26 June 2026, 01:00 CET
AT&T Stadium, Arlington
JAPAN - SWEDEN
Referee: Ivan Barton SLV
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran SLV
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro NCA
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida MTN
Reserve AR: Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos ANG
Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo COL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Guillermo Pacheco MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Rodolpho Toski BRA
Match #58
Group F
26 June 2026, 01:00 CET
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
TUNISIA - NETHERLANDS
Referee: Katia Garcia MEX
Assistant Referee 1: Sandra Ramirez MEX
Assistant Referee 2: José Enrique Naranjo Pérez ESP
Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Benitez PAR
Reserve AR: Milciades Saldivar PAR
Video Assistant Referee: Erick Miranda MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Mohammed Obaid Khadim UAE
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
Match #59
Group D
26 June 2026, 04:00 CET
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
TÜRKİYE - USA
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal ALG
Assistant Referee 1: Mokrane Gourari ALG
Assistant Referee 2: Abbes Akram Zerhoun ALG
Fourth Official: Omar Al Ali UAE
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al Hammadi UAE
Video Assistant Referee: Antonio Garcia URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Mahmoud Ashour EGY
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Juan Lara CHI
Match #60
Group D
26 June 2026, 04:00 CET
Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara
PARAGUAY - AUSTRALIA
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation JAM
Reserve AR: Caleb Wales TRI
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Hamza El Fariq MAR
Match #61
Group I
26 June 2026, 21:00 CET
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
NORWAY - FRANCE
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Reserve AR: Zhou Fei CHN
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Abdullah Alshehri KSA
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Abdullah Alshehri KSA
Match #62
Group I
26 June 2026, 21:00 CET
BMO Field, Toronto
SENEGAL - IRAQ
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Khalid Al Turais KSA
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al Abakry KSA
Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Match #63
Group G
27 June 2026, 05:00 CET
Lumen Field, Seattle
EGYPT - IRAN
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR: Jun Mihara JPN
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Shauns Evans AUS
Match #64
Group G
27 June 2026, 05:00 CET
BC Place, Vancouver
NEW ZEALAND - BELGIUM
Referee: Adham Mohammad Tumah Makhadmeh JOR
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Al Roalle JOR
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Soto VEN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Erick Miranda MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Antonio Garcia URU
Match #65
Group H
27 June 2026, 02:00 CET
NRG Stadium, Houston
CAPE VERDE - SAUDI ARABIA
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA
Reserve AR: Zakhele Thusi Granville Siwela RSA
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Joe Dickerson USA
Match #66
Group H
27 June 2026, 02:00 CET
Estadio Akron, Zapopan
URUGUAY - SPAIN
Referee: Ismael Elfath USA
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins USA
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Carlos Mora CRC
Video Assistant Referee: Tatiana Guzman NCA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Armando Villarreal USA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Khamis Al Marri QAT
Match #67
Group L
27 June 2026, 23:00 CET
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
PANAMA - ENGLAND
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim QAT
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri QAT
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al Maqaleh QAT
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Lara CHI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Khamis Al Marri QAT
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Abdullah Alshehri KSA
Match #68
Group L
27 June 2026, 23:00 CET
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
CROATIA - GHANA
Referee: Drew Fischer CAN
Assistant Referee 1: Micheal Barwegen CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa CAN
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Rodolpho Toski BRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Match #69
Group J
28 June 2026, 04:00 CET
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
ALGERIA - AUSTRIA
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev UZB
Assistant Referee 1: Andrey Tsapenko UZB
Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin UZB
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia MEX
Reserve AR: Sandra Ramirez MEX
Video Assistant Referee: Leodan Gonzalez URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Shaun Evans AUS
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Armando Villarreal USA
Match #70
Group J
28 June 2026, 04:00 CET
AT&T Stadium, Arlington
JORDAN - ARGENTINA
Referee: Istvan Kovacs ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida MTN
Reserve AR: Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos ANG
Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Marco Di Bello ITA
Match #71
Group K
28 June 2026, 01:30 CET
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
COLOMBIA - PORTUGAL
Referee: Alireza Faghani AUS/IRN
Assistant Referee 1: Georga Lakrindis AUS
Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Lindsay AUS
Fourth Official: Said Martinez HON
Reserve AR: Walter Lopez HON
Video Assistant Referee: Jerome Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Mahmoud Ashour EGY
Match #72
Group K
28 June 2026, 01:30 CET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AtlantaDR CONGO - UZBEKISTAN
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempte GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz GER
Fourth Official: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Reserve AR: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Jarred Gillett ENG
Big charge that Morocco will face the Netherlands in the next round
ReplyDeleteCharge = Chance
DeleteSo I guess this means Pinheiro, Garay and Eskas won't appear again.
ReplyDeleteDoes it mean that being appointed as a fourth official basically rules Pinheiro and Eskas out of getting another game as referee?
ReplyDeleteHard to say. It seems very unlikely that they get another game on MD3, but a R32 could still be possible.
DeleteEspecially for Eskas it would be quite harsh to limit him to one game before he even did that. Also Garay and Pinheiro weren't that bad.
The question really is, whether FIFA wants to give two games to most referees or rather focus on their top 20-25 in the KO stage.
The match is in Miami!
DeleteIf Eskås' appointment as fourth official means he won't have another match before even finishing the first, it confirms that meritocracy simply doesn't exist at FIFA.
ReplyDeleteMeritocracy means not only merits in the tournament. It also means merits before the tournament.
Delete:)
DeleteHard to believe that fourth officials have ended as main referees, it's impossible if we look at Pinheiro, that is expected to geat at least another game.
ReplyDeleteNot a good sign for Makkelie to be appointed in a not very important game. Haiti has no chance to qualify for the next round, while Morocco is for sure qualified even if they finished the group stage on the third place
ReplyDeleteThis ! Quite surprised especially when insiders have been saying he has been ' promised the final '
DeleteI’ve not heard any insider stating Makkelie is promised the final, something FIFA obviously would not (never) do. Only the blog’s troll of cynism said so.
DeleteApart from that, if it would be true, exactly for the reason of less importance/spotlights a convenient (second) game for a prospective final referee ;)
Surprising to have no UEFA referee on RSA-KOR with not so many available games for UEFA referees on MD3 (if confed neutrality holds). And Tello could have been useful e.g. in JAP-SWE.
ReplyDeleteWell, congrats all officiating teams on appoitments, about Makkelie, trust me guys,every game matters, and games that are predicted as easiest one, are always hardest for officiating,so the good test for Makkelie!
ReplyDeleteWhat an honor, Cesar Ramos will referee Scotland.
ReplyDeleteGenuine or sarcastic? :)
DeleteKatia Garcia is missing from appointments since her game on Friday.
ReplyDeleteSo either there are health problems or she is prepared for a game in the middle.
I also miss Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh in matches 42 - 54. I know I'm being really persistent about this topic, but I still think that with over 100 matches (including actually meaningless ones on the last group matchday), at least one (= less than 1%) should be given to the OFC.
DeleteGiven a game now
DeleteI’m wondering why the committee wants to take a risk with appointing a ref whose home country can be a potential opponent of one of the teams he is refereeing.
ReplyDeleteFor all the referees we know that they are not influenced by this fact. But the rest of the soccer family isn’t.
In this case it is Makkelie, but it could be somebody else. Are there no other options for this match? Anybody who has a clue why committee would appoint like this?
In general, because there are too many potential opponents right now and it would limit appointing options too much.
DeleteIn the specific case of Makkelie it could have indeed been avoided, because the first two teams of groups C and F play each other.
Thanks Philipp. Could you imagine a protest from a nation in cases like this, so when the appointment already is public, and then a change by FIFA committee? I can only imagine it before the appointment is made public.
DeleteOr is there a difference between UEFA and FIFA. When reading this blog I get the idea that clubs can refuse a referee within CL, EL or ECL. Or am I wrong.
I expect Scotland-Brazil to be a bloodbath. At least 2 red cards and an our lady of Guadeloupe card.
ReplyDeleteI expect four yellow cards at minutes 1, 8, 27 and 64 — perfect cubes. No miracles required.
DeleteIdiotic, stupid comments—incomprehensible; please delete.
DeleteReally sad, senseless and unnecessary comment. Please do not stoop to such a low level, this is really bad and awful. It's sad to see such things written...
DeleteSorry you have no sense of humor. If you are going to take that so seriously, then I will too. I have remembered that CWC game very well since it happened. It was a stain on the image of football. The amount of verbal and physical abuse that he took without punishment was absurd. Everyone who watched that game thought “wow this fifa referee is allowing this, I guess I can get away with it too” He was mobbed, bumped, grabbed, screamed at, chased, followed, swarmed, and nothing. No cautions, no send offs. It hurts all of us when referees at the highest level fail to punish dissent and mobbing. So yes, I am very disappointed in him after that game.
DeleteIt's math, guys. Simple math and logistics.
ReplyDeleteThere are 16 games over 4 days on MD3. Plus R32 starts right after. You're flying all round a continent. You cannot serve the 16 games by only using the reserves.
No, Garcia and Kawana-Waugh are not suddenly going to be given whistles on MD3 when literally every match (save US-Turkiye) will have some meaning.
There are also 16 R32 matches and then the normal 8 R16 matches. You might need 24 referees for that alone.
It seems that too many of you are thinking like this is a 32-team tournament. It's not. Eskas, presuming he performs well in his match, will get at least a R32 game. Note Eskas is getting the "home" Miami match and doesn't have to travel anywhere. There will be similar situations. Maybe Garay is being punished for his match, but that won't be the norm.
OK, but the math can also be different.
DeleteWe currently have 10 pure support referees. If they work every second day (which is possible with sensible choice of venues), they can cover 20/24 games on MD3. So you need 4 games covered by the main referees, of which two logically are the Miami ones. Of course, you can choose anyone for those games, who is not planned for a game in the days around. But wouldn't it be most logical to assign those referees, who are currently planned for one game only (if they exist)?
41 referees with a first GS game -> 31 of the 41 with a second GS game -> 24 of the 31 with a R32/R16 game is also mathematically plausible, I think. It would mean "eliminating" approx. a quarter at each step.
In 2022, we had 7 out of 29 referees with only one game. Why shouldn't it be 11 out of 41 in 2026?
* 10 out of 41
Delete16 games over four days??? Last I checked 12x2=24 not 16
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteSource ?
DeleteFully expected predetermined and protected path for Makkelie.
ReplyDeleteFor Thursday, I would say
ReplyDeleteECU-GER: Tantashev
CUW-CIV: Hernandez
TUN-NED: Penso
JAP-SWE: Tejera
TÜR-USA: Beida
PAR-AUS: Letexier
Predictions
ReplyDeleteEcuador – Germany: Tantashev
Curacao – Ivory Coast: Eskas
Tunisia – Netherlands: Penso
Japan – Sweden: Barton
Türkiye – USA: Kawana-Waugh
Paraguay – Australia: Letexier
Predictions
ReplyDeleteEcuador – Germany: Ghorbal
Curaçao – Ivory Coast: Marciniak
Tunisia – Netherlands: Al Jassim
Japan – Sweden: Al Fath
Türkiye – USA: Nyberg
Paraguay – Australia: Taylor
The USA - Turkey match is irrelevant.. I'm waiting for a female referee.."
ReplyDeleteIt was impossible since both female referees are from CONCACAF
DeletePenso for Ecuador v Germany. Big test..
ReplyDeleteNyberg again with CONCACAF - CAF game. Penso and Barton deservedly with high profile second appointment. Ghorbal gets dead rubber, which was only option after first performance.
ReplyDeleteThere was another option : him being the 10 (now 12) referees to only get a single game
DeleteConfirmed:
ReplyDeleteEcuador - Germany: Penso
Curacao - Ivory Coast: Nyberg
Tunisia - Netherlands: Garcia
Japan - Sweden: Barton
Turkiye - USA: Ghorbal
Paraguay - Australia: Turpin
A couple of strange choices, once again. You give a spot for Katia Garcia, but leave out the OFC representant. Ghorbal appointed despite the previous performance. And a pretty difficult game for Penso, I was expecting something different.
ReplyDeleteI deliberately didn't want to go into Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh again and point out that usaref was at least off with his assessment regarding Katia García. Anyway, Tori Penso is set to officiate again as a referee just three days after serving as the fourth official. So we might also see the New Zealander at the last group-stage matchday in Group K or L as a referee, even though in his case (serving as the fourth official late in the evening CET) it would rather be only two days later, and it also remains unclear how the games on the second matchday in these groups will end.
DeleteIt is surely "in spite of" rather than "despite" for Ghorbal - given his match is a full dead rubber and he entered the WC as the most senior of the five CAF referees, I would say it is pretty clear he was rejected for Haiti-Scotland (as is the correct ruling if you deem, as I would, +95' to have been SFP). Turkey-USA formulates the same purpose for refereeing as Bulgaria-Denmark in 2004 or Denmark-Germany in 2012.
DeleteNaranjo forming an ad hoc crew with the Mexican women seems bad news for Hernandez? The appointment of Barton is perfect however; FIFA chose this particular assignment so well!
İVAN BARTON 🔥
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteConfederations rule still kept.
ReplyDeleteTurpin with a decisive game for qualification, same for Barton and that's very good for the referee from El Salvador, I agree with this choice.
For Nyberg a game in which Ivory Coast should win to qualify.
In the same group, second game for Penso: with Germany having 6 points, should be rather a chance for Ecuador but difficult.
The level has been raised after first game, also, national team under the spotlights (Germany), but the game is not very crucial if you think that Ecuador can't do it.
Interesting remark: after Frappart four years ago, Penso assigned to Germany as well.
For Ghorbal, it's clear the assessment after first game and indeed he gets TUR - USA, absolutely without any interest.
He got a game because he was starting from a solid position as CAF referee nr. 1 but then all changed, at least so far.
And Garcia with a debut as well, they "used" Tunisia situation, absolutely the worst management of a technical staff at WC, they don't have any goal, but NED on the other side has the chances for a direct qualification (still, if I'm not wrong, they are already sure of third place in the worst case).
German politics, media and also tv experts appreciate female referees very well and FIFA knows it.
DeleteThe Japan Vs Sweden match is a very key match given the situation of the group. Barton must be rated highly and it shows that the committee were totally satisfied with his last performance
ReplyDeleteYes, good game for Barton.
DeleteHowever it takes one option away from URU-ESP and COL-POR.
If confederation neutrality is not broken there, we have Elfath and the Asians, right?
IMO Faghani didn't really apply for such a game in his first appearence (and has the URU-POR history).
Al-Jassim and Tantashev had good first games, but can they be trusted with such big games? (also both not possible in group K)
Knowing that, I would have preferred Barton for one of those (and a CONMEBOL referee in JPN-SWE).
On the other hand, from UEFA we still have 3 of their very best and 3 more with a lot of CL experience available. There are also 6 confed neutral games for them remaining, so that would fit (direct R32 also possible, of course). But maybe putting one or two of them on URU-ESP or COL-POR would be a wise choice now.
DeleteOf course, COL-POR could be less important, if both win tomorrow. But I don't think, it will be an easy game even in that case.
If necessary, you could also use César Ramos a third time in the group stage. I spontaneously remember the legendary June 27, 2010, when Jorge Larrionda and Roberto Rosetti came under heavy criticism during the Germany vs. England and Argentina vs. Mexico matches: For the Uruguayan, it was already his fourth appearance in this tournament, for the Italian, only his second. FIFA certainly sometimes acts quite flexibly in comparable situations.
DeleteTrue, because Ramos' next game is in Miami, so not much travel involved. But would still be bad planning IMO. Certainly for SCO-BRA there would have been alternatives (e.g. Faghani or Al-Jassim).
DeleteFor completeness, one should also mention Mohamed and Fischer, who might become options, if they perform very well tonight.
I'm asking because I don't know.. Why is Sandro Schärer only being appointed as the 4th official?
ReplyDeleteI think this will be his 5th match in a row.."
I asked the same question days ago with no reply. In 2025 international poll he rated a top 10 position. Why is he being punished, or ignored or ? It makes zero sense to me.
DeleteMaybe @Cefren knows the answer
DeleteI thought it was determined that his purpose here is as a support official?
DeleteInterviews in German are open-ended. Between the lines, it seems he did expect to have a Group game. He never stated he was only support.
DeleteThis is the first time in 16th years that switzerland has refs at WC. Schaerer did not come with a complete CH team, but it seems he made it clear he would be happy to lead a mixed team.
DeleteChefren, any ideas here? Or others with deep knowledge?
Collina probably thinks that a game as a main referee is too much, given that he didn‘t attend any FIFA tournament before. In his Swiss German interviews, he never really talked about his role and his goals, maybe he didn‘t know his role exactly or he didn‘t want to destroy the expectation already before the tournament by saying that he will be only a support official.
DeletePerhaps he is too honest and forthright? I paste the interview text here for you to read.
DeleteWie gehen Sie mit Superstars auf dem Feld um?
Mein Mindset ist: Es gibt keine Sonderbehandlung. Mir ist egal, ob mir ein Senior vom FC Trübbach oder ein Weltstar gegenübersteht. Ich versuche, alle gleich und mit dem nötigen Respekt zu behandeln. Wichtig ist, dass man sec einen Entscheid fällt, die Spieler wissen lässt, wo die Grenzen sind und sich nicht erweichen lässt, denn die Spieler und Trainer wollen das nicht. Das Problem ist, wenn man beginnt, sich Gedanken zu machen, wer vor einem steht ... Wobei ich sagen muss, dass ich dies in der Hitze des Gefechts oft gar nicht realisiere.
What you mentioned is something I also have the impression about. He seems very direct and honest and doesn‘t fear the conflict. Imo this is an attitude you certainly as a referee on this level to be willing to come forward. But perhaps, that causes some problems sometimes, although I don‘t think that that is the reason for getting no games.
DeleteJust some remarks at the end: Where have you found this interview with him?
Even if I understand German, it would be kind to translate it into English before posting here because some other readers would maybe also want to read it.
Its clear that referees like danny makellei , ghorpal , beida , nyberg get low assessment for their games may be 7.4
ReplyDeleteFirst it would be appropriate to show respect also to referees who are not your idol and write their names in a correct way ("Makkelie“, "Ghorbal“)
DeleteSecond, I cannot understand what are the reasons for your assumption. Nyberg f.e. is appointed for a crucial game. Why would FIFA do this if they are not satisfied with his first performance (btw I had also the assumption after his first game that this could be his last because he gave no penalty in two situations but this appointment shows that I was not right)?
This assessment isn’t clear to me: Could you please explain using the example of Glenn Nyberg why you’re convinced that FIFA might have rated his performance as 7.4? Specifically, what could they have deducted points for and how many – I’d like a detailed breakdown.
DeleteFirst every get assessment after the game these assessment will be like this
Delete8.5 -8.9 very good ( top tier perfomance in a difficult match
Or demanding match
8.3 - 8.4 good ( expexted level for a standard , less challenging match)
8.2 - 8.0 satisfactory ( but with areas identified for improvement )
Below 8.0 need significant improvement for features a clear important mistake
According to former referee and referee analyst in beinsport saud alathba there was clear penalty for ghana so i think glenn nyberg and all referees i mentioned this will be thr last match they officiate
According saudalatba most referee get 8.3 joao pinheiro and clemen turpin they were the highest rated
DeleteJoao pinheiro get 8. 5
Clemen turpin 8. 4
Who or what is Saud Alathba?
DeleteIn an interview, former Austrian FIFA referee Günter Benkö once said that both of his 1998 World Cup matches were rated 8.8. Apparently, he not only delivered a very good performance, but every World Cup match was generally given a higher rating. I find it hard to believe that, with only two exceptions, 8.3 is now the highest standard rating.
DeletePinheiro definitely had the best performance so far, 8.5 is way too low. 9+ for sure.
DeleteI would appreciate it if you first familiarized yourself with exactly how the observer system works, how referees are assessed, what the different scores represent, and the reasoning behind those scores.
DeleteA score of 7.4–7.0 represents either a weak performance with one clear and significant error, or a performance with two clear and significant errors. Claiming such ratings for the referees you mentioned is quite absurd, as it would be very difficult to justify either a weak performance combined with a significant error, or two significant errors, in those matches.
You should also take the conclusions drawn by former referees or television pundits with a grain of salt. This is evident, for example, in the appointments for the next round, particularly in the case of Glenn Nyberg.
Casually throwing out a 7.4 rating does not add any value to the blog.
I'm thinking of Penso going far in this tournament if she does well in the group stage at least a semi final/3rd place or even the final, everything considered no UEFA team in the final that only opens the door for anyone ready at the exact moment. Maybe a year for women and USA I guess
ReplyDeletePotential special kits for the final :
ReplyDeletehttps://www.footyheadlines.com/4103727976/exclusive-leak-adidas-to-release-special-gold-referee-kits-2026-world-cup-final.html?BCEUC=KCPR3
No problem with the idea of special kits here and there, but can’t believe there are now 7/8/9 different versions, but they have refused to use the purple for some reason, and there haben so many games with a GK clash with the referee, often with even the same adidas stripes on the shoulder!
DeleteWow Cuadra Fernández and Muñiz Ruiz both demoted and they will not referee again. Sad but nobody can say it was unexpected. Galech and Guzman Mansilla also demoted but will continue in La liga 2.
ReplyDeleteHUGE revolution and some surprises at the Spanish lists:
ReplyDeleteFIFA 2nd Cat refs Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz and Guillermo Cuadra Fernández get removed from the LaLiga referee list and will become specific VMOs. Newcomers José Luis Guzmán Mansilla & Iosu Galech Apezteguía are also removed, but they just get demoted to LaLiga2 instead of becoming VAR.
Víctor García Verdura (expected) & Alejandro Quintero González (eh...) will replace them in the FIFA list from January'27.
The referees promoted to LaLiga replacing the 4 names mentioned above:
Luis Bestard Servera (Balearic Islands, 1994)
Jon Ander González Esteban (Basque Country, 1985)
Carlos Muñiz Muñoz (Aragon, 1995)
Manuel Jesús Orellana Cid (Andalusia, 1992)
ARs promoted to LaLiga:
Fernando Estela Bravo (Aragon, 1990)
Samuel García Aguilera (Castilla & León, 1992)
Carlos Martínez Caballero (Valencia, 1990)
Roberto Tejero García (Andalusia, 1990)
Referees promoted to LaLiga2:
Abraham Domínguez Cervantes (Andalusia, 1987)
Juan Manuel Gordillo Escamilla (Valencia, 1993)
Daniel Miranda Bolaño (Extremadura, 1993)
Pablo Morales Moreno (Andalusia, 1995)
Olatz Rivera Olmedo (Basque Country, 1996, Women's UEFA Elite)
Gonzalo Romero Freixas (Catalonia, 1994)
Wow,really big evolution in Spanish officiating, but fully meritocratic. Really sorry for four referees,but,it was expected. Happy especially because of Garcia Verudra and Quinteto Gonzlaez. One more question, does Soto Grado continiue for one more season?
Delete@Ref Fot
DeleteYes, he does.
You made my day better. Thank you,Quilava!
DeleteThe 4 demotions seem fair although maybe Galech is unlucky as it was his first season and he didn't seem as bad as Guzman. Interesting that Muniz Ruiz is now VAR only at the age of 35. Also is there a list of the 4 AR's leaving La Liga?
DeleteNever mind I've found the AR departures.
DeleteAngel Nevado (long time Manzano AR1)
Eliana Fernandez (Female Fifa AR)
Jose Carlos Escuela
Jose Luis Martinez
Only Fernandez will be in the 2nd tier next year (others retiring). Adrian Diaz and Guillermo Santiago will be on the FIFA AR list replacing Nevado (retiring) and Diego Barbero
Is this the first time a Fifa referee has been demoted from La liga due to performance reasons? I also notice Mario Melero and Gonzalez Fuertes have left the VAR list…
DeleteSaud alalthba former fifa qatarian referee and work as a referee analyst in beinsport and alkass
ReplyDeleteWhat does this comment mean
DeleteWe were talking perfomance of the referees
DeleteHe was referring to a comment many posts above, somebody asked who Saud alalthba. Abdisaziz was mentioning the ratings he gave on beinsport for the referees
DeleteWill be interesting how Ghorbal approaches his game. If one is honest, this is as far as he will go in this tournament. So do you follow FIFA's approach and set a high bar in what could be a very testing game or stick with you own approach and call everything and set a low bar. I will watch with interest
ReplyDeletePredictions for Friday
ReplyDeleteNOR-FRA: Taylor
SEN-IRQ: Zwayer
CPV-KSA: Letexier
URU-ESP: Tantashev
NZL-BEL: Claus
EGY-IRN: Oliver
But not clear at all.
DeleteKovacs and Marciniak could get take the places of any of the UEFA referees here.
Letexier and Oliver could be reversed.
URU-ESP is hard to appoint as discussed above. At least Elfath is an alternative, if he isn't saved for COL-POR.
NZL-BEL easily also could be Tejera, Al-Jassim or Tantashev.
Tejera possible instead of Claus?
DeleteJust saw your secondary comment - I was also think Tejera for that match. I was think Elfath would do a more contentious game, if both Portugal and Colombia win today then both would more or less be through - so I don't think there's a need for Elfath ( who I rate as top bracket amongst the referees in this World Cup )
DeleteObviously, only 12 refs left for the final 12 GS matches, including:
ReplyDeleteUEFA: 6 (Taylor, Letexier, Marciniak, Zwayer, Oliver, Kovacs)
AFC: 4 (Faghani, Tantashev, Makhadmeh, Jassim)
CONCACAF: Elfath
CONMEBOL: Tejera
For URU-ESP and COL-POR, only 3 candidates: Elfath, Faghani, Tantashev. Among them, Faghani can’t officiate URU (handball Qatar WC), Tantashev can’t officiate POR (same group with UZB).
Tantashev and Tejera can ref CRO-GHA and ALG-AUT, or maybe Faghani.
NZL-BEL: Makhadmeh
PAN-ENG: Al-Jassim
All remaining 6 fixtures by UEFA refs (predictions):
NOR-FRA: Taylor
SEN-EGY: Zwayer
CPV-SAU: Letexier
EGY-IRA: Marciniak
DRC-UZB: Oliver
JOR-ARG: Kovacs
Predictions
ReplyDeleteNorway – France: Taylor
Senegal – Iraq: Oliver
Cape Verde – Saudi-Arabia: Letexier
Uruguay – Spain: Elfath
New Zealand – Belgium: Claus
Egypt – Iran: Zwayer
For Michael Oliver (so far), it's more of a European Championship than a World Cup, after FIFA apparently considers all-European derbies unrefereeable by other confederations, and the Englishman is now assigned NORFRA after NEDSWE. His fellow countryman Anthony Taylor is refereeing Senegal in the parallel match of the same group, who are currently considered England's most likely opponent in the round of 16.
ReplyDeleteYes, confirmation, that FIFA doesn't care about the potential R32 pairings.
DeleteI thought Taylor and Oliver would've been swapped for these appointments, for variation if nothing else!
Deleteround of 32
ReplyDelete4 big UEFA names appointed, where Letexier and Marciniak get the direct duels for qualification. Oliver's game is only for place 1, while the teams in Taylor's game have some chances, if results in other groups go their way.
ReplyDeleteSo on paper, the Englishmen seem more "protected", but we will see, how the games develop.
Makhadmeh with an quite important pairing after a decent first game makes sense.
And for Elfath this is the chance to underpin his ambitions in a potentially quite challenging game.
Big appointments for all 4 officials.... good performances should mean they are rewarded with big knockout games later on
ReplyDeleteWell,test after test for Letexier as he is appointed for very important match. Also as Marciniak. Expected appoitments for Oliver,Taylor,Elfath with regular appoitment for Makhdameh. Congrats to all of them.
ReplyDeleteGood appointments altogether I'm very impressed with the Refcom for being spot on for GS match Day 3. It will be interesting to see who gets Gillett as VAR of the 2 Englishmen Taylor and Oliver.
ReplyDeleteLetexier and Marciniak both get appointed as expected for a smooth ride to the knockout stage.
Makhadmeh and Elfath with point to prove to the Refcom with challenging matches on paper.
About Iván Barton: FIFA banned journalist from the 2026 World Cup for calling referee a thief: live insults condemned him
ReplyDeletehttps://metro.co.uk/2026/06/23/world-cup-commentator-banned-fifa-on-air-attack-28891370/
Bravo fifa
DeleteOT: U20 & U17 Women's World Cup referees, according to Árbitro Internacional:
ReplyDeleteU20 (with VAR)
AFC (3): Asaka Koizumi (JPN, 1988), Casey Reibelt (AUS, 1988) & Kim Yu-jeong (KOR, 1988)
CAF (2): Shamirah Nabadda (UGA, 1995) & Antsino Twanyanyukwa (NAM, 1992)
CONCACAF (4): Alyssa Pennington (USA, 1996), Lizzet Garcíá (MEX, 1990), Marianela Araya (CRC, 1988) & Myriam Marcotte (CAN, 1992)
CONMEBOL (4): Anahí Fernández (URU, 1993), Charly Deretti (BRA, 1987), Dione Rissios (CHI, 1990) & Milagros Arruela (PER, 1992)
UEFA (5), Alina Pesu (ROU, 1989), Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU, 1990), Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi (ITA, 1990), Silvia Gasperotti (ITA, 1993) & Marta Huerta de Aza (ESP, 1990)
U17 (no VAR)
AFC (3): Dong Fangyu (CHN, 1990), Lara Lee (AUS, 1987) & Oh Hyeon-jeong (KOR, 1988)
CAF (3): Ghada Mehat (ALG, 1995), Josephine Wanjiru (KEN, ???) & Shahenda El-Maghrabi (EGY, 1989)
CONCACAF (5): Carly Shaw-MacLaren (CAN, 1996), Deily Gómez (CRC, 1995), Karen Hernández (MEX, 1994), Natalie Simon (USA, 1994) & Vimarest Díaz (DOM, 1996)
CONMEBOL (3): Adriana Álvarez (ARG, 1996), Alejandra Quisbert (BOL, 1992) & Paula Fernández (COL, 1996)
UEFA (4): Caroline Lanssens (BEL, 1990), Fabienne Michel (GER, 1992), Michalina Diakow (POL, 1991) & Miriama Bočková (SVK, 1994)
Out of the five European women at the U20 tournament, two Italians and two Romanians each? Is the idea to test in a direct duel which of the two ladies is the number 1 in their respective country?
DeleteU20 with VAR is one of the last tournaments for Women's WC 2027.
DeleteU17 without VAR should include the names on focus for the future.
Lassens, Michel, Diakow and Bockova at moment all category 1 in UEFA, most of them having also been part of Talents and Mentors (if I'm not wrong all of them, unless Michel).
Does Anyone have a list of selected officials for the U19s Euros in Wales starting on Sunday please? - seen a post floating about that Sam Barrott has been selected but not seen anything else.
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance
In the ÁrbitroInternacional opinion, the favorites for the Cup final are Elfath and Ramos!
ReplyDeleteWow!!!!
If FIFA wants confederation neutrality the only options for Zwayer are Jordan-Argentina and Kongo-Uzbekistan. Both not very interesting games, the latter more than the first. We will see…
ReplyDeleteSame for Kovacs
DeleteAbout the comment of Ref Fif, Elfath absolutley, Ramos- at least 7 referees better and more favourite than him,so he must wait for his opportunity some next time!
ReplyDeleteJordan-Argentina is dead rubber, no stake. Similar situation as in Turkye-USA. No good sign for the referee who will get it. And I think it will be Zwayer, his first performance should be rejected.
ReplyDeleteYou may say not a good sign but it's still a football match nonetheless. It's impossible to not have a referee for the match. And it has to be someone getting the match
DeletePredictions for Saturday
ReplyDeletePAN - ENG: Tantashev
CRO - GHA: Claus
COL - POR: Fischer
COD - UZB: Zwayer
ALG - AUT: Al-Jassim
JOR - ARG: Kovacs
Not expecting a game for Tejera & Faghani?
DeleteI think Faghani / Tantashev could take ALG - AUT . I think Tantashev should on merit be given a non dead rubber .
Tejera possibly given another game instead of Claus.
I really don't rate Zwayer but I guess I'm in the minority .
Tejera vs Claus is a close call for me. I think, Claus had the better first game (and has more experience, of course), but I don't know, whether it is predetermined for him to only get one game.
DeleteI thought, that 3 AFC would be too much in this set - and Faghani had the worst first performance out of the three. But yes, probably unlikely, that he gets nothing.
I agree, Tantashev would deserve something better, so maybe switched with Al-Jassim - but the Qatari also was good...
Of course an early R32 would be an alternative for all discussed names.
Your predictions below look quite good to me. :)
I think, Fischer should also get a second game, but maybe direct R32 makes sense for him.
I am not as experienced as most on here but I suspect Fischer may be in the ' pre determined to get 1 game ' category but on merit , you're probably right - he deserves another game
DeletePredictions
ReplyDeleteJOR - ARG : Zwayer
ALG - AUT : Faghani
(Could see Tantashev here)
COL - POR: Al Jassim
COD- UZB: Kovacs
CRO - GHA: Tantashev
PAN - ENG: Tejera
Predictions
ReplyDeleteJOR - ARG : Eskas
ALG - AUT : Benitez
COL - POR: Al Jassim
COD- UZB: Kovacs
CRO - GHA: Tantashev
PAN - ENG: Tejera
My prediction
ReplyDeleteArgentine vs jordan : hernandez
Austria vs algeria : faghani
England vs panama : beida
Ghana vs croatia : pinheiro
Colombia vs portugal: tantashev
Congo vs uzbekistan : fischer
Tantashev is surely conflicted out of that fixture because Uzbekistan is in the same group
DeletePredictions
ReplyDeletePanama – England: Tajera
Croatia – Ghana: Al-Jassim
Colombia – Portugal: Faghani
DR Congo – Uzbekistan: Zwayer
Algeria – Austria: Tantashev
Jordan – Argentina: Kovacs
Congrats! You guessed 3 matches absolutely spot-on! :)
DeletePanama – England: Al-Jassim
ReplyDeleteCroatia – Ghana: Fischer
Colombia – Portugal: Faghani
DR Congo – Uzbekistan: Zwayer
Algeria – Austria: Tantashev
Jordan – Argentina: Kovacs
I was convinced that Zwayer (given a sacrificed appmnt) and Kovacs (given a rejected appmnt) would be vis-a-vis. FIFA acted in excess even to my theory about not liking Kovacs! The other assignments are very good and make sense.
DeleteTo clarify: the correct score for Tunisia-Japan would be 8,1 and USA-Australia would be 7,7/8,0. Neither performance was good, but the treatment of the Romanian referee is actually unfair and not justifiable - you cannot blame him for the missed penalty. It’s clear that FIFA jumped at the opportunity to throw overboard an official whom they very apparently dislike!
DeleteIf Zwayer referees DRC-Uzbek like he’s been refereeing in the last two seasons for UEFA (strictly!), then he will be very good in that match and can play himself back into contention for a KO game.
Although FIFA obviously doesn‘t like him I am very optimistic that Kovacs will get one k.O. match (maybe Round of 32) if he does well in his second game. He officiated a champions league final and I think we can conclude that he is in terms of general abilities one of the 10 best referees of the tournament.
DeleteIf FIFA doesn't like Kovacs, why did they honor him by giving him the 1,000th match of the World Cup?
DeleteDo you think Japan v Tunisia is a good appointment ? It's just a coincidence that it was the 1000th game - if it was a more competitive match , he wouldn't have got it
DeleteI guess you didn't watch the video... Collina explicitly announces it at the meeting with all the referees present, honoring Kovacs and presenting him with a jersey specially prepared for the 1,000th match. The 1,000th match was highly important to FIFA.
DeleteI’m still not convinced what to make of FIFA and Kovács: Argentina vs. Jordan is of course sporting-wise meaningless and would rather have been a case for the New Zealander. On the other hand, I don’t know whether, for this match involving global star Messi, a referee was deliberately chosen who is expected to protect that player to the greatest possible extent for the remainder of the tournament.
Delete'Collina clarified that Kovács was selected because the committee considered him the best referee for the match, making his appointment to the 1,000th milestone game a "coincidental" extra honor.'
DeleteYeah ' highly important '
Hi, the Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 in match #51, Antonio Garcia ist from Uruguay not from Mexico.
ReplyDeleteMost surprised with Fischer getting deciding match, but he deserved it with first performance. Does Martinez as 4th official mean that he was rejected for not awarding penalty yesterday at that is his farewell appointment?
ReplyDeleteIt could mean it, but I think the decision might have been taken independently, because the game is in Miami and a Spanish-speaking 4th official makes sense with those teams.
DeleteSo Benitez, Tejera, Claus without second game in GS, the same for Eskas . No more match for Beida, his WC was finished, the same for Garay.
ReplyDeleteJust one match for Na Ming, Garcia, Al Ali, Hernandez Hernandez, Herrera: they supposed to be just a suppor referee and they obtained one match. Let's see about Claus: maybe he will have a second match considering the not good performance of Abatti.
Yes, that's the big question now: Will the referees with only one game be considered for a direct KO game or are they out?
DeleteIt is noteworthy, that most of these referees are among the least experienced from their confederation. So it seems to be a possibility that the decision for one game only was taken quite early and independent from tournament performances.
I think, Eskas is the only one, who clearly deserves a second game, while Claus and Pinheiro also can be considered in the top 24. For everyone else, no further game can be justified by the performance level.
Also, we should not forget, that there still are 24 games to play, so some of the MD3 referees could lose their KO stage place there, which might open up new chances for the referees with one game.
For me impossible joao pinheiro does not get another match at least
DeleteTejera for me was really strong definitely top 24 expected him to get a 2nd appointment
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ReplyDeleteSo at the end of thr group stage we got the following summary:
ReplyDeleteAFC: FAGHANI, AL JASSIM, MAKHAMHED, TANTASHEV: 2 matches
MA NING - AL ALI (with only 1 assistant so probably reserve): 1 match
CAF: GHORBAL - OMAR - ATCHO - JAYED: 2 matches
BEIDA: 1 match
CONCACAF: FISHER, PENSO - ELFATH - RAMOS - BARTON - MARTINEZ: 2 matches
KATIA GARCIA (with only 1 assistant so probably reserve): 1 match
CONMEBOL: FALCON - TELLO - SAMPAIO - GARAY - ABATTI - VALANZUELA: 2 matches
GARAY - BENITEZ - TEJERA: 1 match
CLAUS - HERRERA (with only 1 assistant so probably reserve): 1 match
UEFA: All two matches except: PINHEIRO- EKSAS - HERNANDEZ HERNANDEZ
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSo 30 referees obtained the 2nd match in GS stage. In my opinion we will have 24 different referees before quarterfinal, so it's probably that Claus, Pinheiro and Eskas will obtain one match, and just 21 of 30 will obtain the third match (in my opinion no more match for Amin, Jayed, Ghorbal, Abatti and Kovacs and maybe someone more).
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteTreatment Alireza Faghani is getting annoying at this point
ReplyDeleteFaghani had a solid first match (France-Senegal) and his second assignment (Portugal-Columbia) shows FIFA's trust in him for huge matches. I hope Faghani will continue to impress and be the top candidate for the Final.
DeleteI agree that his first match was solid. I however have a slightly different read on his appointment where Portugal v Colombia is high profile I.e 2 big teams - it is also not a contentious match with Colombia already through and Portugal all but mathematically through.
DeletePersonally, I read Tantashev's appoint as a better appointment as it's a contentious fixture for both teams . Both teams aren't through and are also not eliminated , I.e both with everything to play for.
I might be being a bit bold in saying this, but I'd like to understand why they appointed two Argentinian judges to the same panel?
ReplyDeleteMy feeling regarding the appointments for the group stage is that the performance was irrelevant in the case of almost all the referees. The opinion/bias/ranking of Collina and Busacca before the start of the tournament remained unchanged by the performances. The went ahead with their original plan and changed nothing. They choosed from the begining who would get 1 game, who would get 2, who would be in spotlight, who in shadow, who will have decise games and who will not. You can't simply overlook so many things related to the performance in the first game of the referee. There were some who deserved more and some who deserved less, but the second category has more referees than the first one. And I doubt this will change in the KO stage. So far I am a rather dissapointed with the management.
ReplyDeleteI think you be partially right. But I doubt Al Jassim & Fischer were originally marked down as having 2 games . Katia Garcia as well I think was not guaranteed a game until the tournament was in progress. Fischer is a clear example of being rewarded for a strong first game - not only was he given a 2nd game but a 2nd game of consequence .
DeleteMy prediction which UEFA referees will reach the kO stage
DeleteTurpin
Letexier
Oliver
Vincic
Kovacs
Marciniak
Mariani
maybe a 8th referee (Zwayer or Makkelie)
I would be aghast if Taylor doesn't get a KO game . I think he's above Vincic Kovacs Mariani Zwayer & Makkelie
Delete...and why no Eskås after such performance, one of the best so far, Nyberg wiithout problems upcoming match tonight?
DeleteI will not write who I think deserved more, but in my opinion the following got more than they deserved based on their performance in the first game: Faghani, Atcho, (Ghorbal?), Jayed, Penso, Abatti, Marciniak, Zwayer. I don't say they should jave remained on just 1 game (not all of them at least), but the 2nd game importance made it an undeserved appointment.
DeleteAgree with all except Faghani . To me he was superb.
DeleteWe surely disagree on that rejected penalty incident. To me that was a penalty, you must be thinking it was a good decision.
DeletePrediction Sunday:
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa - Canada: Maurizio Mariani, Alberto Tegoni, Daniele Bindoni (all ITA), Juan Benitez (PAR) - Marco di Bello (ITA), Ivan Bebek (CRO), Jerome Brisard (FRA)
Prediction Sunday:
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa - Canada: Espen Eskas
DR CONGO - UZBEKISTAN
ReplyDeleteAVAR1: Dennis Higler (NED)