Wednesday 7 March 2018

Champions League 2017/18 - Referee Appointments - Round of 16 (Second Leg, II)

Polish Szymon Marciniak and Czech Pavel Královec will be in charge of Wednesday's games.

07.03.2018, 20:45 CET
City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester (ENG)
Manchester City FC - FC Basel
Referee: Pavel Královec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Slyško (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivo Nádvorník (CZE)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Petr Ardeleánu (CZE)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Karel Hrubeš (CZE)
Fourth Official: Jiří Moláček (CZE)
UEFA Referee Observer: László Vágner (HUN)
UEFA Delegate: Eduard Dervishaj (ESP)

07.03.2018, 20:45 CET
Wembley Stadium, London (ENG)
Tottenham Hotspur - Juventus FC
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Fourth Official: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)
UEFA Delegate: Thibault De Gendt (BEL)

199 comments:

  1. So, Skomina/Mazic/Lahoz for
    Roma - Shakhtar
    ManUtd - Sevilla
    Barcelona - Chelsea

    or maybe for UEL clashes like Milan - Arsenal ?

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  2. Kuipers is fit and had a good game yesterday... May he be a candidate for a game say Manchester United v Sevilla??

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  3. Marciniak's designation is a bit surprising taking into account he had a top clash in Ekstraklasa yesterday and is going to be VAR today.

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    Replies
    1. The top clash might have been a preparation for the UCL game??

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  4. Another excellent assignment for Marciniak with a fully open clash. I expected him in Barcelona, but of course in terms of importance this appointment is the same.
    In Manchester, we will see Královec: committee is trying to recover the "Old Czech" we knew, until two years ago, before Roma - Real Madrid KO stage 2016. Prior to that date, he was a rising star, but then after that too many weak performances and a poor form. The last edition of RAP has confirmed that he did definitely too many mistakes in Manchester United - Saint-Étienne, EL KO game, one year ago. Indeed, after that, he didn't get other games. I hope that he can recover in terms of reliability, because having a top Elite referee from a "neutral" country would be a more than important thing for committee.
    So now, we can expect Makkelie only in Besiktas - Bayern, I would find strange to see him out from CL KO stage, while Zwayer has already got a game. In addition, Mateu Lahoz, if planned for CL Round of 16, can officiate only Roma - Shakhtar Donetsk. I think we wil see him there.

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  5. Looks like Kralovec got some good ratings from FdB in the Lokomotiv Moskva v OGC Nice UEL game... Good appointment for him considering he didn't get any UCL KO game last year!!

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  6. Kim Milton Nielsen from Denmark, who was in charge of Champions League final in 2004 and semi finals in World Cup 2002 is back. He, together with Uno Tutk will observe referes in Netherlands in U17 mini tournament.

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    Replies
    1. Wow! He wasn't present at course for new observers, wasn't present last year at all, too. Surprising appointment. Congratulations to Mr Milton Nielsen.

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    2. Will he be seen in senior matches too in due course??

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  7. Updated predictions:

    Besiktas - Bayern
    Makkelie (NED)

    Barcelona - Chelsea
    Mazic (SRB)

    Roma - Shakhtar
    Mateu (ESP)

    Manchester United - Sevilla
    Skomina (SVN)

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    Replies
    1. The idea of having Mazic in Camp Nou just doesn't fill me with confidence... I don't think he is suitable for such a huge game with such potentially challenging atmosphere...

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    2. I think we have only Mazic and Skomina as options there.
      My reasoning is that: if Skomina is planned or at least considered for CL final, I wouldn't appoint him in such a game.

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    3. It is very strange to see Skomina again in Italy with Shakhtar. At matchday 5 it was match between Napoli and Shakhtar

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    4. If Kuipers wasn't injured, the Barcelona v Chelsea match had his name written all over it... He still has chance of doing a game next week in CL as he's perfectly fit now as we saw yesterday in his game but still I think he is favourite for Milan v Arsenal in UEL!!

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    5. @Soham
      " I don't think he is suitable for such a huge game with such potentially challenging atmosphere..."

      I hope you mean atmosphere on the pitch? :)

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    6. Yes the combative atmosphere that may end up on the pitch... Mazic sometimes struggles in such cases!!

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    7. Can you give me an example, except Atletico-Real, that's probably the dirtiest football match after El clasico?

      Btw he is recognised in UEFA as a referee for hot atmosphere (Greece, Turkey, SCO-IRL etc)... so, I don't agree with you :)

      Dirty matches and combative matches are not the same thing.

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    8. Any predictions for Europa League?

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    9. Ok, let's try!

      Milan - Arsenal
      Björn Kuipers (NED)

      Dortmund - Salzburg
      Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)

      CSKA - Lyon
      Tobias Stieler (GER)

      Atletico - Lokomotiv
      Ruddy Buquet (FRA)

      Sporting - Plzen
      Gediminas Mazeika (LTU)

      Marseille - Athletic
      Michael Oliver (ENG)

      Leipzig - Zenit
      Liran Liany (ISR)

      Lazio - Dynamo Kyiv
      Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)

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    10. @DrMr Camp Nou is always an intimidating place to referee and we found that out last time v PSG... Now I'm not Mazic would be a poor choice for the game, I'll never say that but at the time I feel Manchester United v Sevilla is a more suited game for the Serbian... Also Barcelona-Chelsea has some history so yes that's all what my view was like :)

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  8. Skomina with Shakhtar in Italy again?

    Matchday 5
    Napoli-Shakhtar 4-0

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    Replies
    1. I think Roma v Shakhtar is for Mateu Lahoz... Even if Skomina gets it I don't see any problem with it!!

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  9. Handball situation from Friday in Bundesliga:
    https://www2.pic-upload.de/img/34931166/ezgif.com-gif-maker22.gif
    https://www2.pic-upload.de/img/34931170/ezgif.com-crop2.gif
    Referee/AR decided for corner, this decision was maintained after an on-field review.
    What do you think?
    (Referee: Cortus, VAR: Drees)

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    1. No penalty.
      Short distance, no intention to play the ball, arm was in natural position (that's natural position when you jump)

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  10. Mazic got game in JSL in wednesday.
    One thing worrying me is that Srdjan Jovanovic didnt had any game last 4 weeks. He was 4th official 3 times.

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  11. Handball by Chiellini, very difficult to spot and difficult to assess as well. He was lying on ground. Deliberate action?
    In any case, I think AAR2 was the only official able to see that, in case.

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    1. I think it is a right call. Penalty would be to harsh in my opinion

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    2. Marciniak and Chiellini handball again :D

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    3. Coming to the decision it's borderline really... I'm more inclined to back the referee here

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    4. Borderline? OMG...
      Never a penalty, what he should do with his arms? Natural position and no intention, you have similar situations on every RAP.

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  12. Missed penalty in 17min for Juventus

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  13. Penalty missed by AAR1? Marciniak too far away there. Many complaints by Juventus.

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    1. Stonewaller missed... Crucial mistake IMO... Is Marciniak struggling with his positioning?

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    2. Clear penalty! Marciniak had bad position and therefore it is his mistake too. One shoudn't rely only on his AAR. Strange that all 3 refs missed that clear foul. Before that in 7th minute wrong offside call by AR2 (no flag), and afterwards I believe again wrong no flag, but this time from AR1 (no reply, but I am pretty sure). For me, totally unexpected mistakes from Polish team - I see them as one of top 5 refereeing teams in Europe.

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    3. Replays are clear... really blatant. Lack of focus?

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    4. @Teo Isn't his best season clearly this one... Every referee goes through it to be honest

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  14. Crucial mistake in my opinion. Should be a penalty for Juventus. No contact with the ball and clear contact with player from behind

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  15. I don't know if you saw the replay but in situation in 17 min, Marciniak put his whistle in the moouth and then withdraw it. Obvious AAR instructed him not to whistle a penalty. Absolutely crucial mistake no doubt. I think this mistake could cost Marcinak EL final this season if he was considered for it.

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    1. Forget UEL finals... Might be out from UCL QF and SFs for starters... Already 7.9 :(

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  16. Penalty wasnt whistled,ok.
    But what about reaction by Juve players after that non call,some players were protesting and making contact with Marciniak and no bookings there.

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    1. By then Marciniak might have figured out he got it wrong

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    2. If there is something about Marciniak on the pitch. He struggles to stamp his authority and get respect in games that get chippy and difficult. He ends up stopping the game too often and issuing entirely way too many cards.

      His disciplinary line is all over the place.

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    3. He is still relatively new compared to other big refs... Surely he will get better... But what you say isn't incorrect as that's exactly what happened in Venezuela v Uruguay U-20 World Cup SF match... He was very close to losing control there!!

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    4. Showing a caution in that situation would have been one of the worst. There is no worse caution to show, than showing one after the referee clearly missed something. He would have punished Juventus twice.

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    5. Dissent can get a YC... Moreover they made contact with Marciniak too which they shouldn't be doing!!

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    6. Too few disciplinarians and Law's of the Game dictators amongst current Referee's worldwide. Referee's have been allowed to stray too far away from the simple principle that enforcement of The Law's of the Game as they are written.

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  17. Yet another fine example of a AAR "earning" his paycheck. I ask again. What are AAR's on the pitch for? I mean this is bad! The Tottenham player made contact TWICE with Costa.
    So who's backing Marciniak on this one?

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    1. No one... Marciniak's positioning was absolutely poor as well... He was a lot far away

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    2. Must have completely missed it... Can't think of any other explanation!!

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    3. So what exactly is that AAR looking at on that particular play? What is he supposed to be focusing on? I find it absolutely impossible to believe that the AAR didn't see either of the two touches on Costa's legs/feet.

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    4. Which is why the ref team is being criticised... Don't be over- animated!!

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    5. So Nando sincerely asking what the duties of the AAR are, is being "over animated"? Interesting!

      Yet in your "smart" response you didn't or were unable to actually tell Nando what AAR's are supposed to do or what their duties are.

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    6. Mistakes happen right?? The AR missed it... It was a mistake... So should we now ask for his head?? And why do you both appear only when a referee has a poor game?? Always ready to blast and criticise referees who are not Mexican... Where were you both yesterday when Brych provided an excellent performance in a tough game?? Never seen you praise referees when they do well but always ready to overreact when one of them has a poor game... Get over it now!!

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    7. I was asking about the AAR not the AR on that play. I reread previous posts and neither of us are asking for anybody's head as you have dramatically have stated. I'm genuinely interested in knowing what the roll and the duties of the AAR are. Something that you still fail to explain. Seems to me that nobody is able to answer that question.

      About Mr. Brych. Congrats to him and his crew. However I can't comment on a match that I didn't watch. However I am watching today's match.

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    8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    9. Thank you for watching the match... Otherwise he wouldn't have been enlightened with your beautiful comments...

      I intended to write AAR only in the previous comment, was a casual mistake that I missed an A... As for your question, I think Chefren, RayHD, CroRef might be able to give you a better answer than I'll be able to, so over to them for it...

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  18. 15/J & 7/T... wohoo if someone said that CR7 yesterday was a VC what is that???

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    1. Something similar happened in last season Juve match against Monaco when Glik stepped on Higiain.

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    2. Yes and Kuipers either missed it completely or didn't deem it worthy of a card... Is it covered in the RAP?? Would be interesting to know how UEFA assessed it!!

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    3. Yes Soham, it is reported as clear RC missed by Kuipers, deliberate action by AS Monaco player there.

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    4. Exactly as we all had guessed over here... Kuipers definitely had a lapse of concentration that time and missed the RC... Does that mean it was a 7.4 for him in that game as there was also a missed penalty as per RAP??

      Coming to the situation in today's game, it is another crucial mistake by Marciniak then??

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    5. Yes to all questions.
      7.4 for Kuipers was the mark because the RAP admitted at least two crucial mistakes...

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    6. That means Marciniak currently running on a 7.4??

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    7. I think 7.8 at the moment. Handball situations will be backed probably and since one crucial mistake, and regulary it is on 8.1-8.2 level, I guess 7.8 at the moment.

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    8. Thank God for the excellent U20 World Cup that Kuipers had, his upcoming season wasn't affected in any way... Unfortunately Marciniak won't be having any such opportunity before the World Cup

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    9. @CroRef Chefren says that the missed RC for Barzagli is a crucial mistake... In such a case its definitely 7.4 as there are 2 crucial mistakes then!!

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    10. Oh sorry, Soham i forgot about that red card. If that is considered as crucial mistake, it is 7.4.

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    11. Yes unfortunate but I'm sure the Polish will learn from these mistakes and return even stronger :(

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  19. Gotta love that intentional stamp by Barzagli on Son. Which of course Son kicked out at Barzagli.

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  20. VAR is the only solution, I hope that Čeferin will change idea about that, referees are human and they will do always mistakes.
    Impossible to avoid that. In such an important competition, especially KO stage, it is difficult to accept some decisions, considering that one could have all the technological instruments to take it.

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    1. There was an interview with Čeferin last week in a Slovenian newspaper; he is not reluctant to the use of VAR, but is more fond of its prudent introduction. He said that there should be a fluent run of a match ensured and VAR should reasonably serve its purpose. There are many issues to be solved prior to VAR introduction and in oppose to FIFA he does not want to run hasty in such important decisions.

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. Barzagli violent conduct, stepping deliberately on the opponent?

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    1. It's getting very difficult for Marciniak... And now Tottenham scores... The missed penalty will be crucial 😢

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  23. It is actually very sad. You work all season, you earned commitee trust to be appointed for important match in knock out faze, and the one mistake, and all that trust is gone as Marciniak probably wont be appointed in CL this season anymore, maybe he won be appointed even in EL. Unfortinatelly, watching a game, I have a feeling Marciniak is not in form he was in group stage.

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    1. Sad? It happens. Now he's gotta deal with the fallout. It's just a game he'll be fine. It's bad, but not yet on a Ovrebro or Hansson level.

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    2. Mr. Castrilli it's sad when one match spoils all chances for the rest of the season isn't it?? Marciniak was at his absolute best in the last seasons so we expect a lot from him!!

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    3. @CroRef If the 2nd half doesn't go well, his season will be over :( Looks like he won't get any more UCL matches... In case of decent 2nd half, UEL QF may be possible... With other referees doing well, can't see him going further after this hugely inconsistent performance!!

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    4. Sad is war, famine, and things as such. This is but a game. Ovrebro had a nightmare game as did Martin Hansson and Webb in South Africa. But did their lives end? No they carried on in other more fitting roles away from the pitch.

      So for now Marciniak and his crew have to deal with the deserved criticism and learn from their mistakes. What they don't need now is to be coddled and sheltered. Tough love in order to grow and learn.

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    5. Our outlook towards life is different and thus I disagree with you... Might not be sad for you bit it's sad for me that's it... Opinion varies from person to person!!

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    6. Once one becomes "emotionally" involved or connected with a referee one loses the ability to be objective. Ones fandom clouds ones ability to fairly asses the performance of a referee. We all know all too well except roots for who on this blog. To the point where certain Referee's who are not even involved in matches, never the less their names still come up. Why? God only knows.

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    7. Explain yourself plz... I don't get your point in context to the discussion... Have you seen anyone defending Marciniak at all?? And about your 2nd part I'm sure you're referring to me mentioning Kuipers... Let me tell you that his name came up because we were talking about a missed RC in Juventus v Monaco last year which was similar to Marciniak's missed RC... You've a problem with that as well?? And I think feeling sorry or being sympathetic for a referee who had a poor game in no way means we are not being objective... Everyone admits here that Marciniak had a bad game at the wrong time of the match... What more do you expect from us??

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  24. Missed clear YC for Khedira for pulling shirt

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    1. Marciniak is rattled. Poor guy is all over the place.

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    2. Yes :( I hope he doesn't end up losing control :(

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  25. Poor first half by Marciniak with one crucial mistake very influencing for the outcome, as for now.
    Let's wait for a better second half, in any case it will be difficult to forget what happened. A pity, because the Polish spoiled himself in a crucial moment of the season.

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    Replies
    1. How would you assess that stamp by Barzagli, Chefren??

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    2. In my opinion he could have avoided that. I would say deliberate. Less deliberate than the famous incident of Juventus - Monaco one year ago but still... Barzagli very lucky to escape from a RC.

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  26. Two handball penalty incidents
    https://streamable.com/1ttja
    https://streamable.com/n6jrn

    Penalty incident, tackle
    https://streamable.com/iis7u

    Missed violent conduct
    https://streamable.com/n6fjk

    Wrong YC to Alex Sandro
    https://streamable.com/9bvj4

    Missed YC for holding, SPA
    https://streamable.com/miq2u

    Most likely the worst Marciniak's game in UEFA competitions. It seems that the hot atmosphere in Poland around him and Referees Committee has its impact on him.

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    Replies
    1. Every referee goes through these tough times :( Cakir in Spain v Italy in Euro, Kuipers in Chelsea v PSG and so on... I hope Marciniak can come back well and I'm sure he will!!

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    2. Wow Ray... Excellent spot on the handball 1... That looks like another stonewall penalty missed... I missed it while watching the match!!

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    3. IMO no punishable handling in both occasions. The rest were clear mistakes. Barzagli stamped two times on Son's leg, second time intentionally for sure, and commit a foul before that. Disappointing performance so far from Marciniak, but also from the rest of his crew.

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    4. I believe Marciniak will be backed by Uilemberg on first hanball situation. For the second I am not sure, for me more penalty than not, but as one of Croatian UEFA's observers once said to me: if there is even a 1% of doubt on some call, referee will be backed what ever he decided.

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    5. I dont think it was penalty. The ball came from head to arm. Not much Chiellini could have don about that.

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    6. In both handball situations, Marciniak can be backed.
      Problem is all the rest...

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    7. Why the first handball is not a penalty??

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    8. One more Marciniak's mistake: no card for dissent at least for one Juve player after missed penalty. Remember last night: Brych missed foul on Veratti (it was ref's mistake) but correctly gave second YC for dissent.

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    9. Generally, kicking or heading the ball into your arm is not penalised because of not deliberate action.

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    10. Then no problem with the first one!!

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  27. It looks to me like Juventus playera also saw the replay in half time since some of them had something to say to Marciniak beforr second half. I just hope Marciniak and team did not see that replay because situations like that can have huge influence on referee. All in all, I hope Polish team "forgot" first half and they wont be influenced by situations from first half.

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    Replies
    1. Will be hard for a "human" not to be affected by such a poor first half performance

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  28. Deseeved yc for Benatia.

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  29. This is becoming a very, very hot match for Marciniak... 55 played and already 6 yellow cards issued!!

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    1. And several missed...

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    2. I think there will be red card (s),Pjanic looks like a good candidate...

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    3. Not to mention Chiellini and some other Juventus players...

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  30. With a very important observer like Uilenberg in the stands, this was the worst time for Marciniak to deliver such dross :'( 2nd half has been a bit better though

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  31. If I am not wrong, nobody bas mentioned Kralovec. This means everything is ok there?

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    Replies
    1. Not sures many are watching that considering this mouth watering clash at Wembley is already on offer...

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    2. Beacse nobody watches that game

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  32. 77' : Handball appeal by Tottenham waved away by Marciniak

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  33. Btw, great no offside call by Tomasz Listkiewicz prior the 1st Juventus goal. Also perfect positioning there https://www.clippituser.tv/c/glqvwn

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    1. Very good 2nd half for Szymon.

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    2. Okayish and acceptable at best... Nothing more than that...

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    3. I would want fudbaler as the observer in all my matches 🙊

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  34. Missed offside in 89min by AR2 that almost led to goal..

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    1. It is AR1 because cameras are on the contrary side than the benches.

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  35. Terrible mistake by AR1 and luckily Tottenham hit the post there!
    In case of goal, a more than deep nightmare for the Polish crew until the end! Let's forget immediately this performance...

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    Replies
    1. We won't see the Polish crew anymore this season in the UCL for sure at least!!

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    2. AR2.
      There must be VAR in these UCL match.
      Doubt: where would the VAR watch the match, at the stadium or in the central location (match center in UEFA?)?

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  36. Clear offside missed from AR2 in 90 minute - second time this evening.

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  37. Almost second crucial mistake with missed offside

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    1. I think you mean third?? Because the crew is already on two mistakes!!

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    2. Generally, a lot of mistakes, but i only recall missed penalty for Juventus as crucial one before this offside

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    3. Missed RC for Barzagli

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  38. Marciniak and crew very fortunate that the ball didn't go in. Clear offside missed by AR.

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  39. What happened with Dybala and Sanchez?

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  40. Confused, rattled, scared, nervous, shaken look on Marciniak's face says it all.

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  41. Chefren do you think that Tottenham and Juventus being two comparatively better teams Marciniak somehow managed to recover a little in the 2nd half?? If this was suppose Barcelona v Chelsea would it have been an even bigger nightmare??

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    1. I think so, it would have been surely bigger for Marciniak in that case. Second half was luckily better and not a totally nightmare for referee. In addition, luckily Juventus won...

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    2. But now Tottenham can make complains about the missed RC... Either way would be difficult to give him another game!!

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    3. Both players should have a red card if you mean the violent counduct situation. THe Tottenham player tried to kick the Juventus player as revenge but missed.

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    4. We can forgive Marciniak for that... Brych didn't send off someone yesterday for something similar!!!

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  42. Better second half by Marciniak but that mistake by AR at the end... luckily without consequence. I hope that Polish crew can recover before WC, I wouldn't appoint them in another game in this KO stage. And I'm really sorry because I think Marciniak was a candidate at least for EL final, and he would have surely officiated a CL semifinal in case of good performance today.

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    1. So no more appearance for Marciniak this season in CL?

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    2. I'm really sorry for him, but I think he shouldn't be appointed. Too many blackouts not only from Marciniak but also from the assistant referees. That's of course not good, at moment they have just to recover for a good WC.

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  43. One crucial mistake by Marciniak (not given penalty for Juve in the 1st half), otherwise solid performance.

    What I especially like about Marciniak's style of refereeing is how he communicates with the players and sometimes even explains his calls.

    More refs should do this in my opinion.

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    Replies
    1. "...otherwise solid performance" surely you must have been watching some other?? Maybe it was Kraveloc in Man City v Basel??

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    2. I'm really sorry, we can't say "solid" in any case.
      We can try to back referee regarding all the incidents, but we would have then at least a clear crucial mistake and other minor stuff, leading to a maximum mark of 7.8.
      Impossible to give more than that. And 7.8 sounds already as a high choice there.

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    3. But LOTG say that the referees should not explain how their decisions.

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    4. 1 missed penalty, 1 missed violent conduct, 1 wrong YC, 1 missed YC... Lots of other minor mistakes... So for Marciniak it will be around the 7.3 area... Plus at least 2 offside errors by the ARs that I can recall... Collina won't be able appoint this crew for any further CL match if performance principle is anything they go by!!

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    5. I think 3 missed penalties. The handling to me is punishable by Juventus. The word deliberate is being read in the wrong way in my opinion. They both made unnatural movements on an expected ball and moved their arms deliberately.

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    6. The first handball seemed to be a penalty to me as well but Ray pointed out that heading the ball to the arm is generally not penalised... So fair call I would assume??

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  44. I would say 2 crucial mistakes for Marciniak and several -0.1 situations (missed or wrongly given YCs). Bad positioning in some occasions and his body language and nervous look shoved that he was not completely sure about some decisions. He wont get more than 7.2 unfortunately and I think it will be lowest mark he ever got.
    AAR1 will go with 7.8 probably. AR1 with two big and clear offside mistakes, luckily not the crucial one. AR2 saved the crew with two excellent decisions prior Juve's goals - therefore missed PK is not that crucial anymore. I hope we would see Marciniak once again, probably in EL QF match, beside this poor performance, especially in first half.

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    1. The missed RC becomes very crucial now... Also I agree that the over display tonight was just poor... The body language wasn't good, looked very nervous at times devoid of confidence and positioning wasn't great at all times... I think EL QF is of secondary importance now, what is more important is he should be recovering properly for the World Cup now!!

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    2. It is possible that we will see this team in the second leg of a well decided EL quarter-final. This will give them a chance to get back to basics ahead of the WC. The performance tonight leaves a lot of room for improvment by all team members (missed YC/RC's, penalty, offsides, and overall game management). The really tough part is that most of these missed calls surrounded major goal scoring opportunities. I don't think sitting them for the rest of the season is the best idea for their psyche, but they will understand by going from a "top tier, wide open game in a huge stadium in UCL" to a "well decided, second leg of a UEL quarter final" the mesage being sent. While tonight's performance was forgetable, we can't expect the referee (from anywhere) to be perfect every single game. It is unfortunate that his bad game was this one.

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  45. I am really curious now about Barcelona-Chelsea. Surley Mazic and Skomina are candidates, but as we saw tonight, one very hot match and just one mistake could cost them a lot. But, I do not see to much referees who could be appointed there: Skomina, Mazic, maybe Kuipers if he is fit now, not sure about Eriksson and Kassai but I dont think so, Turpin is good now but need more top clashes before Barcelona-Chelsea, Karasev is risky choice. Maybe
    Roochi again, or even Cakir, he did two semi finals in the same season, why would not he become the first to refetee both legs of some match. Since there is always a surprise from commitee.every season, Cakir in Barcelona would fit this year ;)

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    Replies
    1. Cakir did the 1st leg of the match. So he is out of Camp Nou.

      Can UEFA give that to Brych as well? :)

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    2. Well, what history (Collina's age) taught us is that we can always expect unexpected.

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    3. That is my point with Cakir. Two years ago nobody could imagine the same referee be appointed two times in CL semi finals. The very same year Clattenburg referees CL semi finals Nmand then a fjnal, also never happened before... So maybe the time has come to have the same referee in both legs of the match, I would not be surprised.

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    4. Eriksson and Kassai will be a big NO for me... Karasev and Turpin will be too risky hence no... Mazic may get it but I won't like to read his name for such a big game... I would put Skomina in charge of that or else Kuipers provided he's 100% fit... Cakir is steady and decent enough but not that Cakir of the old to merit an appointment to both legs!!

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  46. Another thing we can underline is what RayHD had pointed out before the game, Marciniak was very busy in the last days, handling games and then working as VAR only two days ago. He had not a so long time with a free mind to prepare this game, and I must say again, this appointment came a bit unexpected, of course not because of Marciniak himself, but given the other appointments he had and personally I expected him in Barcelona. I think this time committee made a mistake with a wrong appointment, of course you can't know that before the performance on the pitch, but a referee for a game like this needs at least 2 or even 3 full days without any duty before the date.

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    Replies
    1. Fully agree. Sorry, but this schedule should have been avoided!!!

      1/03 - top-clash, 1st vs 2nd in Qatar Stars League (Doha)
      4/03 - top-clash, 1st vs 3rd in Ekstraklasa (Warsaw)
      5/03 - VAR in Ekstraklasa (Białystok)
      7/03 - top-clash in CL (Londyn)
      + a very hot atmosphere in media regarding his late penalty call in Legia-Lech
      + a very hot atmosphere in media regarding the referees' boss and whole refereeing in Poland

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    2. I think Polish FA made a mistake there. There was no need to appoint Marciniak in domestic championship before important uefa match. There must be another aveilable referee: I always considered Pawel Gil as safe pair of hands, Stefanski, Rackowzki, Frankowski.... Probably there are some other great non fifa referees in Poland who could replace Marciniak....

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    3. Gil is not a favourite of RefsCom. Players don't like him, too. He gets weak games and is responsible for VAR (someone like Drees in Germany).

      Stefański had the Legia-Jagiellonia game (1st vs 2nd) in the previous matchday and violated the LoTG. He has been appointed in the next matchday but for another game.

      Raczkowski is from Warsaw. Frankowski could have been an option.

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    4. Probably the Qatar trip should definitely have been avoided a week before UCL match... And then all those domestic games, the VAR appointment was absolutely unnecessary... By the way, I just saw an indirect, sarcastic tweet on Marciniak's handball decisions from Lech Poznan's verified account... Tough few days for Marciniak at a very wrong time...

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    5. This explains everything. No one is a robot, in last 7 days Marciniak was going from plane to hotel, than on the pitch, again hotel, plane, pitch, VAR, plane, hotel, pitch... All top clashes... He didn't have any chance not to make mistakes in this kind of match. And now he is paying big price for that. Remember Cakir? He got second CL semifinal in a week or so, made crucial mistake (whistled penalty and foul occur outside the penalty area), after that he failed to recover and had disastrous European Championships. Marciniak was simply overloaded and I feel very sorry for him. Hope he will recover fast.

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    6. Really unfortunate when the Committee makes poor decisions and the referee has to pay for it... Deniz Aytekin paid the price last year for a poor decision by Committee and now Marciniak under the eyes of Uilenberg... I hope for a quick recovery of the Polish crew!!

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    7. I saw video now from Legia-Lech match - IMO big mistake. I am aware that rules in Poland are different (which doesn't help to Polish UEFA referees), but this simply cannot be penalty. Especially not in 89 minute in the match that can decide the title.
      https://www.trollfootball.me/videos/view/legia-warsaw-2-1-lech-poznan-86-kucharczyk-controversial-penalty-from

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    8. Why take an assignment for a League in the Middle East (Qatar)? It surely isn't for the "top notch" level of play. Monetary reasons? I'm sure that those league's pay these Euro Referee's very well in order for them to make that treck. So it can be said that Marciniak's greed led to him being overwhelmed and overworked.

      I find it counterproductive for these Middle Eastern to constantly import Referee's. How do they expect for their own homegrown Referee's to improve if they can't even get a match? But this is yet another example of how money and greed is ruining the beautiful game.

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  47. My problem is with the appointment.

    Marciniak is a very talented referee and no doubt he has an excellent development those past 2 seasons. But I fear that UEFA has pushed him way too much. And as result he has this weak performance.

    He could easily have gotten another match.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pushing someone way too much might backfire in the long run... See Kassai and Clattenburg as examples... But overall Marciniak's development and progress has been managed well by the Committee till now!!

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    2. Refs are only human. They have a life outside of refereeing that can make them lose focus. Today Marciniak and his team missed several fouls or didn’t use the correct diciplinary actions but these things can happen. He has shown before that he can handle big games.

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    3. I don't get your point about Clattenburg.

      As for the Kassai issue, UEFA is the sole responsible there.

      They appointed him for the CL final on 2011. At the age of 36. Which means 9 years before the mandatory retirement. I am not saying that he didn't deserved it but it was way too fast. After that final and Vad's huge mistake on Euro 2012 he couldn't recover.

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  48. After tonight I'm not sure how UEFA can say no to VAR in UCL matches. We surely can't continue to have the situation where teams from Spain, Germany, Italy, etc. have VAR in their national leagues but for crucial UCL games they have to do without and have the referees make wrong decisions.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Second half

    85' - Buffon's dissent
    https://streamable.com/hfebt

    88' - handball
    https://streamable.com/e89p5

    90' - Missed offside
    https://streamable.com/g22l2

    90+3' - Unsporting behaviour or violent conduct? Missed YC at least...
    https://streamable.com/r2j6e

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    Replies
    1. The minute 93 situation is a clear violent conduct to me.

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    2. That looks like a violent conduct... Elbow used as a weapon... And that case it will be another missed RC and yet another mistake (crucial ?) for Marciniak in this game!!

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    3. Wow, I totally missed that, and obviously Marciniak missed it, too. RC by no means. This is going from bad to worst for Polish guy.

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    4. One more penalty incident (this time holding), but again Marciniak should be backed as the holding stops in the key moment
      https://streamable.com/j51y6

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  50. On the (clear) missed penalty in the first half.
    Referee-AR1-AAR1 (Marciniak-Sokolnicki-Raczkowski) were standing in these positions: https://ibb.co/jh5Cxn
    Marciniak was standing too far away to have any clear perception on it, he is a very muscular referee but his positioning and movement on the pitch isn't ideal sometimes
    Sokonicki is actually in quite a good position to see into the tackle, but if AAR1 shouts "NO, NO NO" into the micro there isn't really much he can do
    Raczkowski is too static IMO, he stands in the position to assess 'Inside/Outside' and does not make any lateral movement, and has a zero angle into the tackle. If AAR1 moves even a small amount to his right, I think the Polish team would have decided correctly. As play is moving vertically towards the goal, AAR1 is in a perfect position if JUV player is goalside, but he isn't so indeed he should shift to his right. The late(r) fall of the JUV player surely made it look as if there was no actual foul.

    It would be better, IMO, if the officials move to here:
    https://ibb.co/m956OS

    Ever since Marciniak made a fantastic (8,6) EL KO debut in Benfica-PAOK in 2014, we have been 'waiting' for the night like this, through many top clashes he always showed good performances. Hopefully he can recover before WC.

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    Replies
    1. It just happens... Every referee goes through these... And I'm sure like the finest in the profession he will come back stronger than before 😇

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    2. No it would not be better if the AAR stopd there. He is supposed to stand parallell to the penalty area line to see if a foul occurs inside or outside.

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  51. Reading here and there, it seems as nothing relevent happened in Manchester City - Basel, apart from the YC issued.

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  52. Predictions for remaining 4 games :

    Manchester United v Sevilla : Milorad Mazic (Serbia)
    Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk : Sergei Karasev (Russia)
    Barcelona v Chelsea : Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
    Besiktas v Bayern Munich : Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

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    Replies
    1. I think, nowadays it`s impossible to have Russian referee at the game with Ukrainian team :(

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    2. Oh yes I completely forgot that principle UEFA maintains... Reluctantly I swap Karasev and Mazic 😓

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    3. For the reason mentioned by Sviat, in case of appointment for Karasev, I think Manchester United - Sevilla is the only option there.
      To add, Skomina officiated always Italian teams in his recent games, I don't know how much it is possible to see that again, but indeed the game in Rome seems to be for him. In any case, I agree that these should be the four names for next week.

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    4. Mine are:
      Manchester United v Sevilla : Skomina
      Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk : Mazic
      Barcelona v Chelsea : Kuipers
      Besiktas v Bayern Munich : Thomson

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    5. Well, Thomson has retired as FIFA referee, Philipp :)
      Why not Makkelie there?

      Delete
  53. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both Valeri and Irrati are again out from appointments. It is possible that they have been called again by FIFA for next week's seminar, as VAR specialists. I knew that all the referees from UEFA had to attend the seminar starting from Monday 19/03, but maybe it is different for VAR officials, after the confirmation by FIFA.
      In any case, Orsato has this game on Sunday evening.
      Rocchi will appear as VAR tomorrow: this could be a signal of a possible appointment in CL on next week, but it is very difficult to guess him in any game...

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    2. Paweł Gil will be present at seminar for VAR from Asia, America and Oceania (12-16 March) and is not appointed this matchday, too. Maybe there is a date change or they need to prepare well for the seminar. I suppose all VAR specialists from countries that implemented the system in their leagues will be present at both seminars.

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    3. Thank you again, very important info for me.

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  54. I managed to watch the Man. City vs Basel game and I can report excellent fitness, some great advantages (one-hand signal) and very good calls from Roman Slysko. Below some situations

    11' - handball incident
    https://streamable.com/g3dxz

    30' - simulation?
    https://streamable.com/zy1fz

    44' - YC Lacroix, reckless use of arm
    https://streamable.com/uohda

    47' - penalty incident
    https://streamable.com/1wjm4

    76' - YC Gabriel Jesús, reckless studs tackle
    https://streamable.com/huq20

    83' - handball penalty incident
    https://streamable.com/s6fla

    83' - potential SPA
    https://streamable.com/0fv80

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    Replies
    1. Excellent, many thanks from my side.
      30' it is indeed a simulation, contact sought by attacker.
      47': nothing there.
      76': YC is ok
      83': Not a deliberate handball.
      Should be an expected level performance for the Czech team.

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    2. Yeah, surely an expected level.

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    3. Good to see the old Kralovec returning :)

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