The Slovenian Elite referee, after a very long injury, has decided to retire from refereeing, starting a different adventure in football.
The most successful Slovenian football referee Damir Skomina has announced during a today's press conference at NNC Brdo that his refereeing career is over.
Skomina started in 1992, and made his debut at the Primorska League match between Rakek and Korta, and in April 2000 in the 1st Slovenian football league in the match between Beltinci and Primorje.
In October 2008, after six years on the international list and in his seventeenth refereeing season, he got for the first time the chance to hear the Uefa Champions League anthem, by officiating a game in the competition. In the same year, he also became the first Slovenian at the Olympic Games, while at the 2008 European Championships he was fourth official.
Skomina took a new step forward in 2012, when he became the first Slovenian referee at the Uefa European Championships and the first Slovenian referee to receive the honor of officiating in the Uefa Super Cup final. This was followed by the Uefa European Championship 2016 in France, where he was one of three referees who refereed four matches. In addition, he regularly refereed European club competitions, where he was increasingly entrusted with the most prestigious matches. In 2017, as the first Slovenian referee in the Uefa Europa League final in Stockholm, he led the match between Manchester United and Ajax.
In 2018, he also made his debut at the WC, which was a new historical milestone for Slovenian refereeing in general. And then the crown of his career, the Uefa Champions League final 2019 between Liverpool and Tottenham.
Damir Skomina's success should be a challenge to many young referees who follow in his footsteps. He was in the middle for hundreds of domestic and international matches, most of them in the 1st Slovenian football league, where he refereed 354 matches. He ended his field career last November: in a match between home team Brugge and Borussia Dortmund, he was forced into retirement by an injury. It was also his only match in his long career that he ended prematurely.
The article on Slovenian Football Federation:
KARIERA DAMIRJA SKOMINE
It is a sad day today to hear news of the retirement of Damir Skomina in the media!
ReplyDeleteBut that's life; even the most remarkable careers come to an end one day. It's a pity he is not able to do it on a ⚽ pitch.😔 Thank you, Damir Skomina, for everything you did to promote Slovenia and Slovenian football referees. We are very proud of you and wish you a speedy recovery and all the best in pursuing your new career, which undoubtedly shall be related to football.
Hvala in srečno Damir Skomina!
all the best Damir! Thank You
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the new president of NK Izola😍
ReplyDeleteSei stato uno dei miei preferiti, sei stato un fuoriclasse. Buon lavoro a Izola ma il fischietto ti mancherà. Spero che tu possa trovare una nuova felicità, quella che mi hai sempre trasmesso vedendoti arbitrare. Ti auguro tutto il bene possibile .
ReplyDeleteShocking news! Congratulations for this amazing career - sadly, the end is not what a referee like Skomina deserves.
ReplyDeleteSkomina said in his statement that he knew his career was over already in March when informed so by the doctors. He also stated that his only regret is that he didn't get a chance to conclude his path properly, at least with a farewell match.
ReplyDeleteAll the best
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad day for the refereeing world. They simply don’t make referees like Skomina anymore. He is up there with Kuipers and Cakir for me as one of the best fifa referees ever. Let us not forget that he was Fifa listed in 2003, 18 years ago! Skomina has been around for so long it’s hard to believe he is only 45. He is what I call a ‘special’ referee, a natural talent with deservedly a glistening career. I wish him the very best in the future.
ReplyDeleteAgree, a great referee with natural talent. All the best
DeleteHe need 1 more surgery and it will takes another 9 month for recovery, that's why he ended his career😭
ReplyDeleteAll the best Mr. President
Do you know what his actual injury was? I know it was knee injury and that’s it
DeleteHis "last" words today that the football pitch is the ground for players and the silent is the best sign of good referring. Respect.
ReplyDeleteSad news for me; I always have appreciated his style, some time a little bit lenient, but always fully aligned to the rules. Thanks a Lot Damir and my best congratulation for your outstanding carrier. I wish you all the best for your future in personal and professional path.
ReplyDeleteI'm really curious to know when mateu Lahoz, Cakir and Orsato (who are close to the end) will retire. It will be a strong generation change in the elite class