Thursday 22 August 2019

Europa League 2019/20 - Referee appointments for Play-Offs (First Legs)

Referees in charge of 2019-20 UEFA Europa League Play Off - First Legs. 
22 August 2019, 16:00 CET - Nur-Sultan (Astana Arena)
FC Astana (KAZ) - FC BATE Barysaŭ (BLR)
Referee: Serhiy Boyko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Korniyko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)
UEFA Delegate: Orxan Hüseynzadə (AZE)

22 August 2019, 17:00 CET - Yerevan (Vazgen Sargsyan anvan Hanrapetakan Marzadasht)
Ararat-Armenia FC (ARM) - F91 Dudelange (LUX)
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
UEFA Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)
UEFA Delegate: Svitlana Shkil (UKR)

22 August 2019, 19:00 CET - Malmö (Swedbank Stadion)
Malmö FF (SWE) - Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv FC (ISR)
Referee: Paweł Raczkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Michał Obukowicz (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Radosław Siejka (POL)
Fourth Official: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)
UEFA Delegate: Aliaksandr Aliejnik (BLR)
Mentor for Delegate: Scott Struthers (SCO)

22 August 2019, 19:00 CET - Marijampolė (ARVI futbolo arena)
FK Sūduva (LTU) - Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT)
UEFA Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís (CYP)
UEFA Delegate: Ciprian Paraschiv (ROU)

22 August 2019, 19:30 CET - Rotterdam (Stadion Feijenoord)
Feyenoord (NED) - Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC (ISR)
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)
UEFA Delegate: Ádonis Prokopíou (CYP)

22 August 2019, 19:30 CET - Razgrad (Ludogorets Arena)
PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) - NK Maribor (SVN)
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sørensen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jens Grabski Maae (DEN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)
UEFA Delegate: Yelena Kobak (RUS)

22 August 2019, 19:45 CET - Copenhagen (Telia Parken)
FC København (DEN) - Riga FC (LVA)
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
Fourth Official: Siemen Mulder (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)
UEFA Delegate: Clive Whitehead (ENG)

22 August 2019, 20:00 CET - Warsaw (Stadion Miejski Legii Warszawa im. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego)
Legia Warszawa (POL) - Rangers FC (SCO)
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Haquette (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Fourth Official: Benoît Millot (FRA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)
UEFA Delegate: Metin Kazancıoğlu (TUR)

22 August 2019, 20:00 CET - Athens (Olympiakó Athlitikó Kéntro Athinón "Spýros Loúis")
AEK Athens FC (GRE) - Trabzonspor (TUR)
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Seidel (GER)
Fourth Official: Sören Storks (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)
UEFA Delegate: David Pugh (ENG)

22 August 2019, 20:30 CET - Giurgiu (Stadionul Marin Anastasovici)
FCSB (ROU) - Vitória SC (POR)
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazovič (SVN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Juan Antonio Fernández Marín (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: Lars Richt (SWE)

22 August 2019, 20:30 CET - Eindhoven (Philips Stadion)
PSV Eindhoven (NED) - Apóllon Limassol FC (CYP)
Referee: Aliaksiej Kuĺbakoŭ (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dzmitryj Žuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Juryj Chomčanka (BLR)
Fourth Official: Viktar Šymusik (BLR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Vítor Manuel de Melo Pereira (POR)
UEFA Delegate: Eamon Naughton (IRL)

22 August 2019, 20:30 CET - Ghent (Ghelamco Arena)
KAA Gent (BEL) - HNK Rijeka (CRO)
Referee: Daniel Stefański (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dawid Golis (POL)
Fourth Official: Damian Sylwestrzak (POL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Yuriy Baskakov (RUS)
UEFA Delegate: Christian Kofoed (DEN)

22 August 2019, 20:30 CET - Strasbourg (Stade de la Meinau)
RC Strasbourg Alsace (FRA) - Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomáš Somoláni (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Fourth Official: Filip Glova (SVK)
UEFA Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)
UEFA Delegate: Tammo Beishuizen (NED)

22 August 2019, 20:30 CET - Enschede (De Grolsch Veste)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) - Royal Antwerp FC (BEL)
Referee: Srđan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
UEFA Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)
UEFA Delegate: Róbert Kispál (HUN)

22 August 2019, 20:45 CET - Braga (Estádio Municipal de Braga)
SC Braga (POR) - FC Spartak Moskva (RUS)
Referee: Xavier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Íñigo Prieto López de Ceraín (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: José Enrique Naranjo Pérez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Pablo González Fuertes (ESP)
UEFA Referee Observer: Michaíl Koukoulákis (GRE)
UEFA Delegate: Maksimas Bechterevas (LTU)

22 August 2019, 20:45 CET - Glasgow (Celtic Park)
Celtic FC (SCO) - AIK (SWE)
Referee: Tamás Bognár (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balázs Buzás (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Péter Kóbor (HUN)
Fourth Official: Péter Solymosi (HUN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Vladimír Medveď (SVK)
UEFA Delegate: Edgars Pukinsks (LVA)

22 August 2019, 20:45 CET - Belfast (Windsor Park)
Linfield FC (NIR) - Qarabağ FK (AZE)
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane De Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Fedayi San (SUI)
UEFA Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos (CRO)
UEFA Delegate: Mikael Salzer (SWE)

22 August 2019, 21:00 CET - Turin (Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino)
Torino FC (ITA) - Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (ENG)
Referee: Artur Manuel Ribeiro Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Licínio Barbosa Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Alexandre dos Santos Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: João Pedro da Silva Pinheiro (POR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vázquez (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: Markus Stenger (GER)

22 August 2019, 21:00 CET - Barcelona (RCDE Stadium)
RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (ESP) - FC Zorya Luhansk (UKR)
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Pickel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)
UEFA Delegate: Gilles Petitmangin (FRA)
Mentor for Delegate: Pierino Lardi (SUI)

22 August 2019, 21:00 CET - Belgrade (Stadion FK Partizan)
FK Partizan (SRB) - Molde FK (NOR)
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: György Ring (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Tóth (HUN)
Fourth Official: Ádám Farkas (HUN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Michael Thomas Ross (NIR)
UEFA Delegate: Philippe Prudhon (FRA)

22 August 2019, 21:00 CET - Bratislava (Národný futbalový štadión)
ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) - PAOK FC (GRE)
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Pataki (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Zobenica (CRO)
Fourth Official: Igor Pajač (CRO)
UEFA Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)
UEFA Delegate: Kuanysh Kanapyanov (KAZ)

83 comments:

  1. So we have the first appointments for Elite referees in Europa League: Kulbakov and Kruzliak, recently promoted, then Soares Dias, Kassai and Bastien.
    Waiting for AZ Alkmaar (NED) - Royal Antwerp FC (BEL) assignment.

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  2. Prva Liga Slovenija

    NK Aluminij - NK Olimpija
    Ref: Damir Skomina

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  3. OT:
    Penalty or not (not awarded)?
    https://cdn-b-east.streamable.com/video/mp4-mobile/jw0be.mp4?token=d_ClBU6JsdHTpL17YdBGXA&expires=1566078120

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    Replies
    1. Let's use the non-expiring link instead...

      https://streamable.com/jw0be

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  4. Definitely penalty. Arm making body unnaturally bigger, moving towards the ball, high possibility that it was deliberate.

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  5. Replies
    1. In my opinion this incident should be checked by referee, otherwise we allow VAR to officiate directly the game. I really don't like this trend in England, I'm sure in other countries, referees will go to rewatch. Objective decisions are only about offsides and foul's position (inside / outside). Nothing more. I could add even more, as referee on the pitch, before allowing such a decision, I would always like to rewatch what happened and what I missed...

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    2. If they only do it for those "handball before goal" scenes, it's acceptable IMO, because those are factual decisions with the new LotG.
      Will be interesting, how this is handled in other leagues, I am not as sure as you whether we will always have OFRs for something like that.

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    3. I agree with Philipp S that VAR-only reviews in 'handball before goal' cases are acceptable. IMO VAR-only is even much better than OFR in these situations because after the implementation of the new laws it has became a factual, not subjectice decision. Why waste time and make OFR if it is nearly 100% clear that the referee's decision will be the same? So I hope it will be treated the same way in other leagues.
      But the rumors that there could be only a few OFRs in the whole season are quite scary. That would mean reviews only in cases of very, very clear and obvious errors (talking about PKs and RCs). Hope it won't be true.

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  6. Kulbakov with Melo Pereira. Great.......

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    Replies
    1. Any Greek ref? Maybe Sidiropoulos in second round. Papapetrou? I do not think so..

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    2. Papapetrou can't do a match. Only Elite and First Group referees are appointed on this round.

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  7. Another match for Bebek...
    This is 3rd round in a row that he's been appointed.

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    Replies
    1. Not an easy match for Bebek considering that Paok were furious against UEFA last week as Craig Pawson awarded (correctly IMO) 3 penalties to Ajax. There have been conspiracy theories behind all that which would make one think how miserable greek football world is.

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    2. Thats Balkan.
      When we lose,we blame everyone but ourselves.

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    3. Bebek has a tough mission. PAOK players will question every decision that he will make. Especially if the result won't be good for them.

      I am eager to see who has been appointed for the 2nd leg. Hopefully an Elite referee.

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    4. Thank you.

      Very difficulty task for him. Toumba is a hot stadium and he will face tremendous pressure from the crowd. Especially if the fixture is still open after the 1st leg result.

      I wish him every luck.

      Delete
  8. Good appointment for Kruzliak - Stratsbourg-Frankfurt could be considered a derby.

    Good to see Bebek again, in an important match. Partizan is always difficult, so good to see Kassai there.

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  9. OMG. How can you appoint a second-level referee who never refereed any top division game as fourth official at this stage of competitions while all the others are either FIFA officials or top-level referees in their countries? Polish FA is really amateur, sorry.

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    Replies
    1. I believe that you are refering to the Gent-Rijeka appointment.

      It's truly unbelievable.

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    2. Some referees are untouchable in Polish FA. You can guess why.

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    3. Same can be said for Greece. Last year Kominis had 15 appointments on 30 matchdays.

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    4. Chefren, 8 August 2019 at 21:17
      "Torino - Shakhter minute 15' very controversial goal allowed by Stefański. Player jumped on the opponent to score by head following a corner kick action. I think quite clear irregular action..."

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    5. I agree about Gent - Rijeka, bizzare choice of fourth referee.

      However, very good performance from Raczkowski in the last round and potentially Marciniak again in good form are good things regarding polish referees.

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  10. The third game for Serhiy Boyko this season.

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  11. Kulbakov has a new AR2, possibly due to a mistake in Denmark-Serbia Under-21.

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  12. I would like to outline some points that strike me in this round of appointments:

    * Well done to newly promoted 1st Cat. referees Sandro Schärer and Manuel Schüttengruber on getting a game this 'late' in the qualification process - one can wonder whether they will join CL roster this year.

    * After a very good performance in the Qarabag FK - APOEL FC game, Daniel Siebert gets quite a hot game (in an empty stadium?) under the eyes of Frank de Bleeckere. His compatriot Tobias Stieler has an important observer too. Interesting to see of the two who will ultimately reach more on a UEFA niveau. My feeling is that DFB pushes Siebert quite a lot; I see more potential in Stieler.

    * After getting the Trabzonspor - Sparta Praha game, Jakob Kehlet gets another match that could be considered quite hot. I get the impression that UEFA do not really know how to classify the Dane after his CL début - safe enough pair of hands, but not on CL level if you ask me.

    * Ivan Bebek seems to have regained UEFA's trust which quite surprised me; positively though. I really liked his performance in the Dynamo Kyiv - Club Brugge game (though mark should be 7,9) and although surely his chances for a third time in Elite are minimal, I hope he can become one of strongest 1st Cat. referees.

    * Very busy qualification period for Andris Treimanis who always got top games (PSV - Eindhoven - FC Basel, Celtic - CFR Cluj). Of all 1st Cat. referees in a similar 'boat' to him (Kabakov, Kovács et al.) it seems he is under a special focus by the committee. Surely a future Elite referee, but I miss how he is so far (Arsenal - Rennes) ahead of other names. Maybe Snoddy's presence there, (the?) extremely respected voice in UEFA, helps him a bit.

    * Race to attend UEFA EURO 2020 is entering a crucial phase. As we outlined in our analysis, there is no clear squad of eighteen(?) referees that will attend the EURO - surely some chances for referees who could be considered 'outside bets'.
    We have four Elite referees appointed on Thursday:

    => Benoît Bastien's window of opportunity appears minute. No appointments at a UEFA level in the last KO stage (my feeling is that he asked for it off, perhaps after not-enjoyable trips to Istanbul and Piraeus), for the time being I think he missed his chances in the Galatasaray - Schalke and Olympiakós - Milan games last season.

    => Aliaksiej Kulbakou returns after his nightmare U21 EURO. Arriving as the only Elite referee in Italy - convincing in Slavia Praha - Sevilla game was likely the decisive step - about to handle his first game with VAR system, he left as the referee with the least credits. Denmark - Serbia game will likely be a caesura in his career; crucially, he showed an inability to use the VAR system. If UEFA computed category revisions after U21 EURO, no chance that the Belarusian would have ascended. Very interesting to see if he gets any CL (VAR) insets this season, rather zero chances for the VAR-officiated EURO.

    => Artur Soares Dias and Ivan Kružliak have probably the most sonorous of the EL playoff matches, regarding teams involved.
    For the Slovakian, I think that the EURO likely comes a year too early, after his deserved promotion to Elite - game in Sinsheim under Marc Batta's eyes last winter was enough to convince UEFA to wait to promote him (this time last year he performed excellently in Partizan - Besiktas) and they likely still think he needs time.
    For Soares Dias, my feeling is that with good performances he can fill one of the final spots on the plane (rather, planes :-D) to EURO 2020 - observed by Hugh Dallas last season, I think he might finally have convinced the committee. Performing well internationally until Christmas should be enough for the Portuguese - in my eyes, he would deserve that, too.

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    Replies
    1. Concerning Siebert abd Stieler:
      I also think that they are the next German top referees.
      Stieler refereed last DFB-Pokal final and Siebert German Supercup, both with good performances.
      Also Siebert with his Champions League debut last season.
      I hope they will get more games in Champions League this season but I think so.
      This weekend Stieler and Siebert showed good performances too.
      Two interesting men.

      Delete
    2. It will also be interesting how Sascha Stegemann, the new german Fifa referee, will develop.

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    3. Brilliant analysis, Mikael, thank you. You have forgotten Kassai, though.

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    4. Thank you, xabi, that makes pleasant reading for me :-)

      Indeed, Kassai. Very interesting case, my feeling is that with good performances until Christmas he can join the Final list. Many things to say about him. Firstly, the guy has actually been very unlucky at EUROs - both times he attended it was very conceivable that he would handle the final, but Vad (2012) and then Ronaldo (2016) meant that he missed out. Second, we all remember his mistake in the Manchester City - Shakhtar Donetsk match (he can claim 'assist' for UEFA rolling out VAR earlier than planned) but a good performance in the Real Betis - Stade Rennais game was a form of damage limitation for 2018/19; actually his season started rather well. I can remember confidently declaring that "Kassai is back" after his handling of Burnley - Olympiakós, and he did well in Napoli - Liverpool... but then Manchester. Personally, I like his (new) style - showing it is still possible to be a manager and not player's friend. With some open slots, if he can manage to show good performances, and we should not forget Hungarian still has valuable skills and is one of few names who can handle a top match in UEFA on his day, I think he can make it - that will have to start in Belgrade, though.

      I would be really interested to hear how he is performing in Hungary, I only read from some article that he had problems with a player and Law 4 in a recent match?

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    5. Thanks, Marrkoo.

      How is he performing in NB1 generally speaking?

      Delete
    6. Great analysis, thank you. However, I think you are being too harsh to Kulbakov. It was also bad communication with VAR room and at first AR mistake to raise the flag so it was unlucky situation. I dont think that it tells much about his qualities and potential, which at least IMO are both very high.

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    7. Kulbakov's matches over the last year
      2018-08-07 Benfica - Fenerbahce (CL qualifiers 3rd round)
      2018-08-30 Shkendija - Rosenborg (EL play-offs)
      2018-09-11 Hungary - Greece (UEFA NL)
      2018-10-03 Dortmund - Monaco (CL group stage)
      2018-10-23 AEK - Bayern Munich (CL group stage)
      2018-11-15 Croatia - Spain (UEFA NL)
      2018-12-11 Galatasaray - Porto (CL group stage)
      2019-02-14 Malmö - Chelsea (EL round of 32)
      2019-03-07 Napoli - Salzburg (EL 1/8 finals)
      2019-03-14 Slavia - Sevilla (EL 1/8 finals)
      2019-03-25 Montenegro - England (Euro qualifiers)
      2019-06-07 Austria - Slovenia (Euro qualifiers)
      2019-06-19 Italy u21 - Poland u21
      2019-06-23 Denmark u21 - Serbia u21

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  13. OT:

    Btw, one year ago we knew and got shocked about the tragic passing of Soham.

    Such a passionate of football refereeing and good guy, I hope his family and friends could find the strength to carry on.

    He will never be forgotten. Rest in peace.

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    Replies
    1. Soham and his family always in my heart...

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    2. What a nice guy. He said to me that one day we should meet each over in Europe and discuss about football over a drink. I wish it was still possible...

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    3. Thank you all for your kind words. We will remember always Soham.
      I still can't believe that, one year has passed.

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    4. Rest in peace Soham...
      I never discussed with him personally but he was a nice guy and really passionate about refereeing.
      I hope his family found the strength to carry on !

      Delete
  14. SAUDI PRO LEAGUE

    18:00CET
    An-Nassr Riyadh - Damak
    REF: Matthew Conger (NZL)
    AR1: Tevita Makasini (TGA)
    AR2: Mark Rule (NZL)
    4OF: Dylan Kawana Alexander Waugh (NZL)
    VAR: João Capela (POR)
    AVAR: Nélson Moniz (POR)

    19:50CET
    Al-Ahli Jeddah - Al-A'adalah
    REF: Bakary Papa Gassama (GAM)
    AR1: Djibril Camara (SEN)
    AR2: El Hadji Malick Samba (SEN)
    4OF: Dennis Johan Higler (NED)
    VAR: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
    AVAR: Martin van den Kerkhof (NED)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, so is Collina confirmed as head of Saudi referees for this starting season?

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    2. Nope. Jacob Collin is the head of referees and Matteo Simone Trefoloni is some kind of super advisor.

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    3. Do you know more about Trefoloni role?

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    4. No. Maybe he's some kind of unofficial link between Saudi FA and Collina?

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  15. Rocchi appointed in serie A on Sunday evening, this should mean that in case of CL assignment, the game for him must be on Wednesday.

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  16. Correct penalty awarded by Siebert for Trabzonspor (23').

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  17. Kassai missed penalty? ~ 26'

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  18. Missed penalty for handball by Kruzliak in Strasbourg in 49/50th minute?

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  19. I think missed penalty handball by Kružliak and at least YC (shot on goal).

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  20. Crucial mistake by Kruzliak (missed penalty for Frankfurt + possible RC) in Strasbourg - Eintracht. Handball quite high in the air.
    There was also a penalty appeal by Strasbourg in 1st half but supportable to play on.

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    Replies
    1. yes around min 5, need more replay for this one.

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    2. Kružliak decided the match with that scene, RC and penalty for Frankfurt. Instead YC to Hasebe for dissent and 2 minutes added despite plenty of delay by Strasbourg...certainly no Elite performance.

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  21. Outrageous comments from 98’s World Champion Franck Lebœuf on French TV RMC Sport. Criticising the referee every 2 minutes, yelling for an offside even though the replay shows the contrary, saying that referee has never played football and doesn’t understand the game...
    Nowadays commentators are suspended for less than that but I don’t expect anything...

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  22. I can report a good, expected level performance of Benoît Bastien in the normal difficulty Legia Warszawa - Rangers FC game.

    That was a rather boring, quite slowly played game with not so many goal scoring opportunities. Both teams were focused on ending the game with clean sheet rather than on an open, enjoyable game. Several chances to score appeared in the closing stages though. No key match incidents to assess for the Frenchman.

    Six yellow cards were given in total - four to home team and two for Rangers players. Bastien used a stepped approach, allowing Tavernier (RAN) to committ some SPA-like fouls without even a warning at the beginning and forgiving Luís Rocha (LEG) rather a clearly reckless/SPA tackle in 20th minute (warning was given). After that, it was a by-the-book refereeing with four YCs given for SPA (24', 39', 51', 60'), one for dissent (64') and one for interfering with quick free kick execution (72').

    Some soft free kicks were awarded during the game what made (mainly Rangers) players frustrated a bit. Bastien with a very serious look through the whole game, working on communication/soft skills and more active positioning would be recommended.

    8.3 from me.

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  23. Very good Soares Dias so far, game under full control.
    0-1 was correct ONSIDE by AR2, now 1-3 excellent management by referee: advantage after a foul reported by AR1 who had also stopped to follow the play raising the flag, but Soares Dias allowed play to continue and Wolverhampton scored.
    Right now a warning to Wolves coach.

    Another remark, at the end of first half a player from Torino was booked for a reckless challenge while trying to hit the ball, there was a contact with opponent's head who was trying to contend the ball, this YC was maybe harsh (one could say that defender had put his head there, so no big faults for attacker), however not 100% wrong.
    Torino complained after half time whistle but Soares Dias was very cool and firm there, he invited players to stop the protests with strong body language.

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    Replies
    1. 89' correct penalty for Torino, maybe AR2 involved as well.

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    2. Yessss, excellent performance

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  24. Stefanski not brilliant on Gent-Rijeka. Challenging game and Stefanski and his team not quite up to the task IMO. Wrong outs and corners, uneven foul detection througout the game and not gained trust from the players of both teams. However, i didnt see any crucial mistake.

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  25. The two handball situations in Kruzliak’s match :

    5’ : https://streamable.com/war91

    50’ : https://streamable.com/necxr (+ possible RC for DOGSO ?)

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  26. 50' I have impression, when i pause the replay at exact moment when ball hit the arm, that referee didnt have good view as he was covered by the player who shoots towards goal. Maybe thats the reason he didnt have courage to make such a crucial decision.

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  27. Felix Zwayer with Thorsten Schiffner and Marco Achmüller in 2. Bundesliga on Friday. That could indicate a CL play-off.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I saw the AZ-Antwerp match. Overall a good match from Jovanović. There was a lot of aggression on the field in the last minutes. And afterwards. The referee for the return gets a challenging match. Wondering who that will be

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  29. Didn’t catch Bebek's match,but from I can see from Slovakian and Greek media,he did very well in hot atmosphere

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PAOK posted on his official twitter acount that they ask a penalty at 46'. I haven't seen it so I am looking for a video.

      Delete
  30. I agree with Chefren, very good performance by Artur Soares Dias in the Torino - Wolverhampton Wanders game.

    Though the game did not present many challenging calls for him I imagine it was simply EXHAUSTING for him with a huge amount of running to do and being put under special pressure by the players and audience particularly in the 1H (Google his name and see what Italian media were saying about him pre-match).

    His physical condition is immense, he ran from box-to-box from first minute to last, and he operated a strong diagonal - though by the end he sometimes took a too close position to the ball. I think, rather a question of mental than physical sharpness.

    Penalty call, surely with some info from Paulo Soares AR2, was fully correct at 88' and disciplinary control was flawless, though more-or-less all of the eight cautions sorted out were fully mandatory and expected.

    We can remember Soares Dias for his quite languid way of refereeing but this was not the case in this match, as he was an active presence right from the start, which was needed in this game.

    What I really liked about his performance - all the pressure was totally irrelevant for him, he was only focused on getting each decision correct. In the end he was pretty flawless - no chances for anybody to complain.

    While physically he kept up with the game throughout, I had the impression that psychologically the game took much out from him. When Belotti complained about his (unpopular, but de jure mandatory YC), there was not much charisma to solve this situation, I had the impression of a man who needed a rest - this would be my (sole) point for improvement.

    8,5 should be his mark. ARs too got each decision right, though maybe a visble (flag) signal for fouls in the nether regions of their respective vicnities might be better - AR1 had no chance to evaluate a goal v no goal situation at the 1-3.

    If UEFA used this match this match as an 'exam', then Artur Soares Dias certainly passed.
    A different kind of challenging game, with more conflicts and requiring softer management and game-reading skills - sth like Cluj - Slavia match this week handled (very well) by Cüneyt Çakir - would be the next logical step for him.


    Some video clips:

    => +46' YC for reckless tackle; management of protests at HT whistle
    https://vk.com/video-175468074_456239308?t=20m55s

    => 72' Very good advantage for 1-3 (YC given for LoR after the goal scored)
    https://vk.com/video-175468074_456239308?t=1h5m20s

    => 88' Penalty awarded (careless vs reckless?)
    https://vk.com/video-175468074_456239308?t=1h21m47s

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Excellent analysis, Mikael. I think it is the time for UEFA to give more challenging assignment to Portuguese. He is ready.
      We will see his games on next group stage.

      Delete
    2. there was not much charisma to solve this situation ? but what are you saying? and what was he supposed to do? shout behind him ? take him by the ears? look at him with spiraling eyes ? You're wrong to talk about charisma in this episode, it doesn't matter. He's got charisma to sell. Didn't you notice that during the 90 minutes?

      Delete
  31. Jaap Uilenberg gave an interview to De telegraaf and made a commnent for the AEK-Craiova match on 3rd Q. of EL. He said that a goal for Craiova was wrongly disallowed for offside.

    Here: https://www.telegraaf.nl/sport/488488136/logisch-dat-var-bij-ajax-is-het-gaat-om-ongelooflijk-veel-geld

    First time I have seen an UEFA official making a comment for a match that he observed.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Re. Bebek, this should be the scene that PAOK are refering to:

    => 46' Penalty?
    https://youtu.be/q42Kt14DJKI?t=2896

    Defender does not pull the attacker who cannot reach the centred ball, and then there is a normal (careless) footballing contact after that - no penalty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. Good play-on by Bebek.

      Delete
    2. any appointments of second matches of EL? Bebek was excellent yesterday. Paok would have complained no matter what the result was..Silly for teams to get to the habit to blame others when losing.

      Delete
    3. Also there is situation in 86', a contact between Paok GK and Slovan attacker. Play-on...

      Delete
    4. => 86' Penalty?
      https://youtu.be/q42Kt14DJKI?t=5273

      Goalkeeper fully cleanly takes the ball, and then there is a heavier but still normal football contact after that between the two players.
      Surely quite painful, but no foul - no penalty.

      Delete
    5. So that means Bebek is more and more regaining trust and proving good to his haters.

      Delete
  33. SAUDI PRO LEAGUE

    18:00CET
    Al-Hilal Riyadh - Abha
    REF: Dennis Johan Higler (NED)
    AR1: Terry Hoekstra (NED)
    AR2: Erik Kleinjan (NED)
    4OF: Erwin Blank (NED)
    VAR: Martin van den Kerkhof (NED)
    AVAR: Ingmar Oostrom (NED)

    18:10CET
    At-Ta'awun Buraidah - Al-Hazm Ar-Rass
    REF: Luís Miguel de Branco Godinho (POR)
    AR1: Luís André Ferreira Pinto de Campos (POR)
    AR2: Rui Manuel Cidade da Silva (POR)
    4OF: Matthew Conger (NZL)
    VAR: João Carlos dos Santos Capela (POR)
    AVAR: Hélder Miguel de Azevedo Malheiro (POR)

    19:50CET
    Al-Ittihad Jiddah - Ar-Ra'id Buraidah
    REF: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
    AR1: Kim Thomas Haglund (NOR)
    AR2: Magnus Lundberg (NOR)
    4OF: Danilo Grujić (SRB)
    VAR: Bakary Papa Gassama (GAM)
    AVAR: Djibril Camara (SEN)

    ReplyDelete
  34. OT: Las Provincias has interviewed Mateu Lahoz today.

    https://www.lasprovincias.es/deportes/futbol/tono-mateu-entrevista-arbitro-20190822204732-nt.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very pleasant interview, Mateu is a sincere and modest man. A true guide for young Spanish referees

      Delete
  35. Today Rizzoli held a press conference presenting the changes of LotG for this new season.
    Most interesting topic was handball. Rizzoli was very clear. He confirmed that in serie A referees will be always invited to rewatch incidents involving goals scored by hand / arm, differently from England in which VAR overrules referees.
    About the handballs detection, we are coming to a very similar assessment to offside, because a vital criterion will be DELIBERATE PLAY or DEFLECTION. In case of touch by arm not in natural position, foul will be whistled in all cases except a deliberate play by the same player then hitting the ball by arm. For example: a long ball, defender hits by head (deliberate play) and then the ball touches directly his arm: no penalty. Same situation but opponent's head and then arm, penalty. This becomes more objective.
    If a defender tries a clearance but he kicks the ball on his arm, even if open and very wide, no penalty. If the ball is touched by opponent before, then penalty, and no matter about the distance.
    In case of goal scored after a touch by hand / arm, as said, here in all situations foul to be whistled.
    A very interesting picture about VAR line of intervention in case of handballs whistled / not whistled by referee:
    https://i.postimg.cc/x1S4pJDr/handballs.jpg
    You can understand that, once a referee whistles a handball, VAR must assess these criteria before all the others:
    1) was this touch directly after a deliberate own play by same player?
    2) was this a touch by arm / hand?
    These two questions are the only clear cases in which handball is never punishable.
    I would say, very interesting.
    Unluckily, after having been streamed on youtube, video has been made private by AIA and you can't access, however it was in Italian so maybe not so much helpful for all of you :)
    Last remark: even if now we have clear guidelines, these criteria were already applied on last season, when rules were different, this was a very forced change

    ReplyDelete
  36. Why European leagues are leading VAR to its ultimate downfall:

    http://player23thereferee.com/opinionsanalysis/var-very-arbitrary-refereeing/

    ReplyDelete

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