UEFA Referees Committee has unveiled the appointments for the finals of European competitions. As it was expected by most of the readers of this blog, Milorad Mažić will officiate Champions League final, while Dutch Björn Kuipers will be in charge of his second EL final, after the 2013 edition. Czech Jana Adámková will officiate Women's CL final act.
Real Madrid CF (ESP) - Liverpool FC (ENG)
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Đurđević (SRB)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Nenad Đokić (SRB)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Danilo Grujić (SRB)
Fourth Official: Clément Turpin (FRA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Nemanja Petrović (SRB)
2017/18 UEFA Europa League Final
Olympique de Marseille (FRA) - Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Fourth Official: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mario Diks (NED)
2017/18 UEFA Women's Champions League Final
VfL Wolfsburg (GER) - Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
Referee: Jana Adámková (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Sian Massey (ENG)
Olympique de Marseille (FRA) - Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Fourth Official: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mario Diks (NED)
2017/18 UEFA Women's Champions League Final
VfL Wolfsburg (GER) - Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
Referee: Jana Adámková (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Sian Massey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Sanja Rođak-Karšić (CRO)
Fourth official: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Reserve official: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Fourth official: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Reserve official: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
A detailed analysis will follow soon.
Another unwritten rule broken.
ReplyDeleteIt's, however, weird that Kuipers is called again for a final. IMO, it shows how small is the Elite category in terms of reliable officials when it comes to quality. And I don't exclude the referee for the CL final.
Indeed... I had similar feelings when Cakir got the double SFs... Just shows a lack of depth in the Elite category and Collina has to take responsibility of that... We never had these types of situations in the last decade so why now!
DeleteKuipers for a second EL final is simply absurd and ridiculous. Then it’s normal not to have new top Elite referees, if this is the way appointments are done.
ReplyDeleteMazic’s final is obviously fully deserved.
That’s all.
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DeleteMany orhers who have not had a final deserved it.
DeleteOrsato
Aytekin
Turpin
Rocchi
Etc
It's a paradoxical question, but if Arsenal or Salzburg, won their Semifinal, I think we could have expected a different referee for the EL Final.
DeleteIf Marseille was not in final, i think Turpin was a good candidate
DeleteWell I'm shocked to be honest but very happy :D So basically the convention of one final for one referee is now broken and a referee can also be appointed for multiple CL finals as well in future in case the referee's performance are of a good standard... 2019 CL final for Brych??
ReplyDeleteI will write more later, but let me say for now that this should remain an extra-ordinary case, due to the situation that occurred in this KO stage. Impossible to find an alternative, maybe Kuipers replaced Marciniak in both CL semifinal and EL final.
DeleteOne could say, so why not Rocchi? As Kuipers will handle his second EL final, Rocchi could have handled both Super Cup and EL in the same season.
Yes I would've liked to see Rocchi too but don't know why Committee ignored him... Maybe Real Madrid v PSG but I don't know... But I don't think Kuipers in SF was a replacement as there was no way Marciniak could've been appointed to Bayern v Real after his current season plus Marciniak ruled himself out after the 1st leg was completed so not possible that Kuipers replaced Marciniak in SFs... 100% it's either Karasev or Skomina who replaced Marciniak!!
Delete
DeleteIt´s nonsense talk now about 2019 CL final.
Very sorry 😓 It was more of a tongue-in-cheek remark 😓
DeleteWell, I was convinced it was simply impossible to predict Europa League final referee and indeed, it was impossible.
ReplyDeleteI got 100% right CL appointment including fourth official and reserve assistant referee...
Well done! ;)
DeleteNice predictions and analysis!! despite the weird management by committee...
DeleteWhy? Why should Brych Referee the next final? What would be the sense?
ReplyDeleteI hope a new name will be in charge!!
Otherwise, it would be not only ridiculous again, but also extremely DANGEROUS!
Obviously only if Brych is the best performer of the season... Collina has literally broken all traditions and not long before we see a repitition in CL final too... But this underlines a poor management and shows the lack of reliable options which is a worry too... Same was the thought when Cakir got a double SF in 2016...
Deletewhat about the observers?
ReplyDeleteBjörn Kuipers:
ReplyDelete2006 - U17 EURO final
2009 - U21 EURO final
2013 - EL final (Benfica-Chelsea)
2013 - Confederations Cup final (BRA-ESP)
2014 - CL final (Real-Atlético)
2017 - U20 WC final (VEN-ENG)
2018 - EL final (Marseille-Atlético)
Just WOW!
2011 - UEFA Super Cup (Barcelona-Porto)
DeleteI just have a feeling that the Committee's actual plans might have been Skomina in Kiev and Mazic in Lyon... The night at Rome changed all the plans and Kuipers had to be brought in with Mazic being shifted to the CL final... Maybe that accounts for the delay in appointments as well!!
ReplyDeleteIf Mazic was planned for EL final, he could have been in Rome. So why not stick to the original plan (if there was one)?
DeletePoor management by Collina as I always said... I would've preferred Mazic in Rome ahead of Skomina any day but Collina thought differently!!
DeleteWith another final, Kuipers is now to be considered one of the best referees of the entire history of football.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is A big chance for the WC final.
DeleteYes considered by UEFA.
DeleteCongratulations to Milorad Mažić. Fully deserved. One of the best refs in the history of football. He was planned for this final since september.
ReplyDeleteThe way appointments were managed on the this KO stage is at least weird. A referee (Brych) received 4 CL appointments and twice the same team.
ReplyDeleteThe CL final referee had only 2 EL appointments. Since PLC is in office I don't remember a similar case. This shows me that it was a forced appointment from the beginning and probably because Mazic wouldn't have another opportunity.
Really astonished !!!
ReplyDeleteEach of use was expecting Mazic in CL, but Kuipers is something unexpected, in my opinion as result of the latest performances in the SF matches.
Anyway this is the result of a very bad management of both expert and newcomers Elite referees.
If they have had planned Skomina and Mazic they should not have risked the Slovenian in Rome. I think PLC, Dallas and Batta had a lack of planning since QF matches, at that time they should have plan the 10 referees for SFs and finals.
A lot of questions in my mind: why not Rocchi now in spite of Kuipers ? Why Skomina risked in Rome ? Why not Hategan in SF ?
But on top of all, I think we should send our best congratulation to Mazic, Kuipers and Adamkova and wish them an outstanding performance.
They kind of messed it up from the QF onwards... In SFs they gave the best refs but still it didn't go too well... And again they had to change the plans for final... From the very beginning I was just not happy with the management in this KO stage!!
DeleteO.T. ITALY CUP FINAL
ReplyDeleteReally a great gesture by Rizzoli; Damato deserves this farewell appearance
JUVENTUS – MILAN
DAMATO
DI FIORE – DOBOSZ
IV: GUIDA
VAR: IRRATI
AVAR: VUOTO
AA Ris.: POSADO
Very deserved... Has always been a safe pair of hands in Italy... Congratulations to Damato and team!
DeleteCongratulations to Mazic! And of course, congratulations to Kuipers too!
ReplyDeleteOne reason to appoint Kuipers may be that UEFA/FIFA wants him to get even more experience with Makkelie. Seeing that Makkelie is appointed as 5th official (while it's usually Van Boeke/Higler). One could also see it as a reward towards Makkelie.
And we can see it as a step towards a really good coorporation at WC-level, between Kuipers en Makkelie as VAR. That leads me to the believe that Kuipers is planned for something there.
However, is Kuipers thé best option? Of course, he had a expected season. Of course, he did better than some others. But did Orsato / Rocchi / Skomina / Hategan do so much worse? To be honest, I would have prefered one of those over Kuipers.
And Somina (CL) and Mazic (EL) would have been even better in my opinion. I rate Mazic high as a referee, but for me Skomina is a bit better. (please, don't blame me for that).
However, Mazic deserves this appointment after all those years he delivered mostly good performances. Nice to see that Turpin is rewarded too.
Skomina would've been ideal for CL final but Committee's gamble of sending him to Rome just backfired and the game didn't go well for Skomina :( Orsato and Hategan I don't think are ready for a final yet... But I think under these circumstances Rochhi would've been my preferred choice for the EL final just to avoid the repitition!!
DeleteEarly prediction : Szymon Marciniak (Poland) for the 2018 UEFA Super Cup in Tallinn
ReplyDeleteIvančica Sudac (CRO) will be delegate in Europa League final.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine that this time last week, Collina was planning to send Kuipers to Lyon. In any case, congratulations to all three refereeing teams (sth historic in UWCL, a fourth official from a different nation to the referee in the final).
ReplyDeleteSame here... I think the plan ahead of SFs was something like this :
DeleteSkomina in CL final and Mazic in EL final... Kuipers, Cakir, Brych, Mateu, Marciniak, Turpin, Karasev and Rocchi for SFs... These are all World Cup refs...
Now Mateu got ruled out because QF performance and in came Collum... Marciniak withdrew for injury concerns and they brought in Skomina who had a forgettable night in Rome...
Mazic had to be moved up to the CL final and Kuipers appointed to the EL final... Could've been easily Rocchi though but maybe Real Madrid v PSG rumours of Dallas not being happy is rather true! I think these might have been the possible sequence of events...
It makes no sense whatsoever not to have appointed Mazic for any KO stage appointments in UCL prior to the Final. If it was to have avoided controversy prior to the Final, then what faith do they have in him? If he’s good enough to be refereeing the Final then didn’t some of those teams in the KO stage deserve one of Europe’s top referees?
ReplyDeleteI think UEFA place far too much emphasis on a single mistake and/or poor performance. Everyone has off days and that alone shouldn’t exclude you from further appointments. Salah has been well below par for the past 3 matches - should Liverpool now drop him from the Final? Of course not!!
Personally I think he’s decent and a well deserved appointment - I wish him and his team well.
But Mazic being kept out of CL in KO stage has actually proved to be advantageous for Mazic... He has neither encountered Real Madrid nor Liverpool this season so there will be no pressure on him in that front... With so much of polemics around Real Madrid and Cakir and Oliver being bashed so heavily by media and fans, there is no way anyone can put any pressure on Mazic before the big final... I'm sure Mazic will deliver a very good performance!
DeleteIMO for the WC, the less VAR interventions a referee had the bigger the chance he get a KO-game. Is that a logical idea?
ReplyDeleteNot for me. I think the way he deals with them is more important.
DeleteIf the way he deals with it is well-structured and in rest, his chances will improve. If it's like the historic duo Gassama - Turpin, it will get more difficult...
That's how it works in cricket I must mention... The umpires are marked on how many decisions they get overturned by the decision review system... The ones with lesser overturns are ranked higher and referee the tournament finals!!
DeleteFor an individual situation it should be considered a better performance by the referee, if he solves it correctly himself than if he solves it correctly with the help of the VAR. But solving it wrongly (with or without VAR) is of course the worst.
DeleteIn general, if we have good VAR interventions in nearly every match, this would be a bad sign for the quality of refereeing.
I was glad, that Collina mentinoned something in that direction during a recent interview.
ReplyDeleteBad designation of Kuipers. Collina and Friends
getting worse.
Bad Collina,bad Batta,bad Dallas
DeleteI have to say that there is something I don't like at all. Not regarding the main officials (congratulations to them!), who are experienced referees and seem to be a wise choice given how things have gone in the last weeks regarding both mistakes and harassment to Oliver. But I cannot understand why Marciniak's performance in KO stage still allows him to theoretically handle a SF (even if he renounced because of an injury) and be fourth official in a final.
ReplyDeleteThe thing I don't like is that if a bad match or a crucial and relevant mistake takes one referee down, why doesn't the same apply to another different referee? In short: Marciniak did not deserve to be in Lyon in any role, this season at least. Yes, it is more a symbolic role than a really active one (even if the fourth official provides input to the main referee), but that symbolic appointment is unjustified in my opinion. He has been really good in the last seasons and maybe then it was deserved, but the performance principle has to apply for the most recent situations, otherwise, why not Eriksson or Kassai, who both have been top form in the past? Doesn't really make sense.
You've made a very valid point and in this regard one can even argue that if Marciniak was indeed planned for a SF after a performance filled with big and small errors and he simply looked rattled that night...then why wasn't Mateu Lahoz considered for a SF when he had one big mistake and the rest of the match was really good overall plus he managed Guardiola very well too... So if Marciniak was a candidate for a CL SF in Rome or an EL SF in Madrid or Salzburg, then there is absolutely no reason why Mateu couldn't handle a semi-final in either competition... Same criteria should apply for all...
DeleteReferees with most European Cup finals (including Super Cup) Károly Palotai - 5
ReplyDeleteRudolf Scheurer - 5
Alexis Ponnet - 5
Concetto Lo Bello - 5
BJÖRN KUIPERS - 4
Source : https://twitter.com/GracenoteLive/status/993453016991916032
Thanks to @david_02 for posting Austria's cup final on the blog.
ReplyDeleteI saw observer will be Robert Sedlacek, I remember he encountered some problems earlier this year.
For our Austrian readers, could you inform as to what happened to Mr Sedlacek?
Are you sure that you do not confuse Robert Sedlacek with Fritz Stuchlik?
DeleteThanks @Peter, indeed I was
DeleteKuipers’ appointment reflects the bad performances we had from most of the referees this year. I think that the time has come for PLC. Who could be his substitute?
ReplyDeletePs Let’s hope for at least finals without errors!
Maybe Milorad Mazic can be the head of UEFA refereeing after he retires in 2019??
DeleteI'd prefer good Montero Perez after bad Collina, bad Dallas and bad Batta.
Delete@Peter We can surely expect "good designations" after that :)
DeleteBad Soham, bad Peter ;)
DeleteOT & special attention to SviatM: Skomina (with Praprotnik & Vukan) and the president of the Slovenian football association Mijatovic were present today at the opening of the Russian house of fans (within the Russian centre for science and culture in Ljubljana), where fans will be able to watch the most interesting WC matches http://www.rtvslo.si/sport/nogomet/na-odprtju-ruske-hise-navijacev-tudi-skomina-in-mijatovic/454186
ReplyDeleteWow) thanks for these news, Andreja;)
DeleteI’m from Ukraine and I know Russian very good) and I’m very happy that You mentioned me here) I visited Skomina’s match at UEFA EURO 2012 between Netherlands and Denmark and I fell in love in refereeing and I started to watch every game of your compatriot! I worry about his very performance, so match in Rome was horrible for him and me too....
Keep me informed, if it is not difficult for You;)
SviatM, you're welcome 😃. I know you understand Russian language that's why I mentioned you not to miss the article/vidéo 😉. I agree with your (and of others on this blog) opinion that Skomina's officiating in Rome was not on a high level as used to be prior to that match. I believe that not only we who watched but Skomina himself was the most dissatisfied person with his performance. The sad fact is that usually the referee's mistakes are remembered much stronger and longer time than the past good performance.
DeleteYou're right. That said it's just a one off bad night. Every referee has them sometime or the other. I'm sure Skomina will be back stronger in the World Cup and then the next season.
DeleteSo, let`s enjoy FIFA World Cup 2018 and hope to see Skomina in Madrid in 2019 ;)
DeleteWhat is the occasion? I can't understand the language! :(
ReplyDelete@Soham, it's written in the post, the place for fans ("the Russian house of fans") was opened today where they will be able to watch the matches of the World Cup which starts on 14 June in Russia 😉. Skomina and both of his ARs, who will officiate at the WC, were invited to the occasion. There is also a video below the article. I know it's difficult to understand, video is part in Slovenian & part in Russian language. 😃😉. Skomina gave an opening whistle at the event 😀.
ReplyDeleteIf I was a Slovenian, I would go there definitely to attend at least those games where Skomina will be refereeing!! 😁
Delete👍😃
DeleteNick Walsh (new Scottish FIFA referee) missed a penalty and a RC:SFP in the Scottish Premiership Playoff, Dundee United - Livingstone, in the first half just finished.
ReplyDeleteUCL Final
ReplyDeleteUEFA Delegate: Adonis Prokopiou (CYP)
Source: https://www.cfa.com.cy/Gr/news/34110
UWCL final referee observer: María Luisa Villa Gutiérrez (ESP)
ReplyDeleteWho are observing Mazic and Kuipers??
Delete