Monday 6 June 2022

UEFA Nations League 2022/23 - Referee Appointments MD2

Matchday 2 of 2022/23 UEFA Nations League. Please find below referee appointments. 



League D - Group 2
5 June 2022, 15:00 CET - Serravalle, San Marino Stadium 
SAN MARINO - MALTA
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Akif Amirali (AZE) 
Fourth Official: Rauf Jabarov (AZE) 
Video Assistant Referee: César Soto Grado (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Iker De Francisco Grijalba (ESP)
UEFA Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE) 
UEFA Delegate: Ariel Scheiman (ISR)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Francesco Mineo (SMR) 

League C - Group 2
5 June 2022, 18:00 CET - Larnaca, AEK Arena 
CYPRUS - NORTHERN IRELAND 
Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB) 
Assistant Referee 1: Ridiger Çokaj (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Denis Rexha (ALB) 
Fourth Official: Kridens Meta (ALB) 
Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Mauro Vivenzi (ITA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG) 
UEFA Delegate: Jiří Novák (CZE)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Panayiotis Feloukas (CYP)
Mentor for Delegate: Thibault De Gendt (BEL) 

League C - Group 4
5 June 2022, 18:00 CET - Gibraltar, Victoria Stadium
GIBRALTAR - NORTH MACEDONIA 
Referee: Alain Duriex (LUX) 
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Da Costa (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: Claude Ries (LUX)
Fourth Official: Laurent Kopriwa (LUX)
Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche (BEL) 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jan de Vries (NED) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Mark Steven Whitby (WAL)
UEFA Delegate: Froso Ppekri (CYP)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Adrian Bacarisa (GIB)
Mentor for Delegate: Scott Struthers (SCO)

League B - Group 4
5 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Solna, Friends Arena 
SWEDEN - NORWAY 
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG) 
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley (ENG) 
Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Timothy Wood (ENG) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn (GER) 
UEFA Delegate: Laura Montgomery (SCO) 
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Peter Ekström (SWE)

League C - Group 4
5 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Razgrad, Ludogorets Arena
BULGARIA - GEORGIA 
Referee: Fabio Maresca (ITA) 
Assistant Referee 1: Giovanni Baccini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bresmes (ITA) 
Fourth Official: Francesco Fourneau (ITA)
Video Assistant Referee: Luca Pairetto (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sergio Ranghetti (ITA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)
UEFA Delegate: Felix Grigore (ROU)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Dragomir Draganov (BUL)

League A - Group 2
5 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Lisbon, Estádio José Alvalade
PORTUGAL - SWITZERLAND
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2:Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz (ISR) 
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pascal Muller (GER) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)
UEFA Delegate: Mark Bos (NED) 
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Hugo Marcelino Guerreiro (POR)

League A - Group 2
5 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Prague, Eden Arena 
CZECH REPUBLIC - SPAIN 
Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA) 
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Ramouni (FRA)
Fourth Official:  Jérémy Stinat (FRA)
Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Frédéric Haquette (FRA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP) 
UEFA Delegate: Roy Cathcart (NIR)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Karel Vidlák (CZE)

League B - Group 4
5 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Belgrade, Stadion Rajko Mitić
SERBIA - SLOVENIA
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP) 
Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP) 
Fourth Official: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP) 
Video Assistant Referee: Alejandro José Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: José Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Marián Ružbarský (SVK)
UEFA Delegate: Fernand Meese (BEL)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Dragan Bogičević (SRB)

League C - Group 2
5 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Pristina, Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri
KOSOVO - GREECE
Referee: John Beaton (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel McFarlane (SCO) 
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Potter (SCO) 
Fourth Official: Steven McLean (SCO) 
Video Assistant Referee: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Martin Pérez (NED) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM) 
UEFA Delegate: Björn Fecker (GER)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Visar Kastrati (KOS)          

League B - Group 2
Match Cancelled
ISRAEL - RUSSIA

League D - Group 1
6 June 2022, 18:00 CET - Riga, Daugava
LATVIA - LIECHTENSTEIN
Referee: Mario Zebec (CRO) 
Assistant Referee 1: Hrvoje Radic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Kruno Saric (SCO)
Fourth Official: Dario Kulusic (CRO) 
Video Assistant Referee: Dario Bel (CRO)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tihomir Pejin (CRO)
UEFA Referee Observer: Drago Kos (SVN)
UEFA Delegate: Jonathan Leese (ENG)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Vadims Direktorenko (LVA) 
Mentor for Delegate: Kris Bellon (BEL)

League B - Group 2
6 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Reykjavik, Laugardalsvöllur
ICELAND - ALBANIA 
Referee:Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Betts (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Harry Lennard (ENG)
Fourth Official: John Brooks (ENG)
Video Assistant Referee: Peter Bankes (ENG)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
UEFA Referee Observer: Juan Antonio Fernández Marín (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: Styrbjörn Oskarsson (FIN)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Pétur Sigurðsson (ISL)

League A - Group 1
6 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Split, Stadion Poljud
CROATIA - FRANCE 
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Giovanni Ayroldi (ITA) 
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Luca Zufferli (ITA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)  
UEFA Delegate: Irakli Nakaidze (GEO)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Edi Šunjić (CRO)

League C - Group 3
6 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Trnava, Štadión Antona Malatinského
SLOVAKIA - KAZAKHSTAN 
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Silver Koiv (EST) 
Assistant Referee 2: Sten Klaasen (EST) 
Fourth Official: Joonas Jaanovits (EST) 
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San (SUI)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Stefan Horisberger (SUI)
UEFA Referee Observer: Edward Foley (IRL)
UEFA Delegate:Victor Marius Radu (ROU)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Tomáš Mokoš (SVK)

League A - Group 1
6 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Vienna, Ernst-Happel-Stadion
AUSTRIA - DENMARK
Referee: William Collum (SCO) 
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Francis Connor (SCO) 
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson (SCO) 
Video Assistant Referee: Kevin Blom (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Edwin Van De Graaf (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA) 
UEFA Delegate: Thura Win (ENG)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Gerhard Gerstenmayer (AUT) 

League D - Group 1
6 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Andorra La Vella, Estadi Nacional 
ANDORRA - MOLDOVA
Referee: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sladan Josipovic (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthias Sbrissa (SUI)
Fourth Official: Luca Cibelli (SUI)
Video Assistant Referee: Lukas Fähndrich (SUI)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Alessandro Dudic (SUI)
UEFA Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)
UEFA Delegate:Ivan Borissov Lekov (BUL)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Joel Saura Fort (AND)

League C - Group 3
6 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Novi Sad, Stadion Karađorđe
BELARUS - AZERBAIJAN 
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE) 
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Klyver (SWE) 
Assistant Referee 2:: Marcus Lundgren Klitte (SWE) 
Fourth Official: Granit Maqedonci (SWE) 
Video Assistant Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rob Dieperink (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Christos Nicolaides (CYP)
UEFA Delegate: Maksims Krivuņecs (LVA)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Ivan Stamenkovic (SRB) 

League B - Group 3
7 June 2022, 18:00 CET - Helsinki, Olympic Stadium
FINLAND - MONTENEGRO 
Referee: Allard Lindhout (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Charles Schaap (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Roy De Nas (NED)
Fourth Official: Richard Wilhelmus Martens (NED)
Video Assistant Referee: Jeroen Manschot (NED) 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ingmar Oostrom (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)
UEFA Delegate: Michael O'Brien (ENG)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Jan Peter Aravirta (FIN) 

League A - Group 3
7 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Munich, Fußball Arena
GERMANY - ENGLAND 
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Carlos Yuste (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: José Luis Munuera Montero (ESP)
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoechea (ESP) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Sascha Amhof (SUI)
UEFA Delegate: David McDowell Zor (SVN)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Josef Martin Maier (GER) 

League A - Group 3
7 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Cesena, Stadio Dino Manuzzi 
ITALY - HUNGARY 
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Beqim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Alain Bieri (SUI) 
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Fritz (GER)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rafael Foltyn (GER) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)
UEFA Delegate: Rudolf Řepka (CZE)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Rrok Gjinaj (ITA) 

League B - Group 3
7 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Zenica, Stadion Bilino polje
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - ROMANIA 
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER) 
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Robert Schröder (GER)
Video Assistant Referee: Benjamin Brand (GER) 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE) 
UEFA Delegate: Emil Ubias (CZE) 
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Tarik Kečo (BIH)

League C - Group 1
7 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Vilnius, LFF stadionas
LITHUANIA - TURKEY 
Referee: Novak Simović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikola Djorovic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Miloš Simovic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Milan Mitic (SRB)
Video Assistant Referee: Fran Jovic (CRO) 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ante Culjak (CRO) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA) 
UEFA Delegate: István Huszár (HUN)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Robertas Tautkus (LTU)

League C - Group 1
7 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Tórshavn, Tórsvøllur
FAROE ISLANDS - LUXEMBOURG 
Referee: Rob Hennessy (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Clarke (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Wayne McDonnell (IRL)
Fourth Official: Rob Harvey (IRL)
Video Assistant Referee: Gianluca Aureliano (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Salvatore Longo (ITA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
UEFA Delegate: Gerard Lawlor (NIR) 
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Petur Reinert (FRO) 

League B - Group 1
8 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Dublin, Dublin Arena 
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND - UKRAINE 
Referee: Filip Glova (SVK) 
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Polacek (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Jekkel (SVK)
Fourth Official: Michal Ocenáš (SVK)
Video Assistant Referee: Kevin Blom (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Edwin van de Graaf (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Pascal Pierre Garibian (FRA) 
UEFA Delegate: Christian Kofoed (DEN)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Declan Hanney (IRL) 

League B - Group 1
8 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Glasgow, Hampden Park
SCOTLAND - ARMENIA 
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Weiss (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Jasmin Sbanovic (AUT) 
Fourth Official: Christopher Jaeger (AUT)
Video Assistant Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Stefan Lupp (GER) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)
UEFA Delegate: Emmanuelle Puttaert (BEL) 
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: William Machray (SCO) 

League A - Group 4
8 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Brussels, King Baudouin Stadium
BELGIUM - POLAND 
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK) 
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko (SVK) 
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor (SVK)
Fourth Official: Peter Kralovic (SVK) 
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Markus Sinn (GER) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Sabri Celik (TUR) 
UEFA Delegate: Diana Andersen (DEN) 
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Stijn Hutsebaut (BEL) 

League A - Group 4
8 June 2022, 20:45 CET - Cardiff, City Stadium
WALES - NETHERLANDS
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE) 
Assistant Referee 1: Mahabod Beigi (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Soderkvist (SWE) 
Fourth Official: Bojan Pandzic (SWE) 
Video Assistant Referee: Pawel Raczkowski (POL) 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jørn West Larsen (DEN)
UEFA Delegate: João Morais (POR)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Matthew Johnson (WAL)

155 comments:

  1. Here comes the chance for Maresca, a referee with great potential

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is interesting to see the appointment of Maresca in this game, because it has been clearly made based on his form. He ended serie A season with an excellent level of officiating. He has been among the most reliable referees, being appointed for I think about 10 games in a row if not more, amongh with all the other trusted names by Rocchi. He had been presented at international stage in September 2020 with that game between Ireland and Finland, but then since that his performance became again below expectations (and indeed no good assignments in UEFA), now a new attempt, I wish the best for him, when in top form he is among the best Italian referees we ever saw, I would dare to say, for the reasons I already mentioned on this blog earlier.

      Delete
    2. What he did was he changed his style a lot.

      His last 5-6 games he was very lenient,communicating with players and not issuing cards at every opportunity.

      Hopefully he will continue with this right path.

      Delete
  2. Just got Word that Michael Oliver is the Front Runner for the Super Cup. Of all UEFA referees selected for the World Cup only himself and Daniel Seibert doesn’t have a major UEFA Final which ranks them the least experienced out of all UEFA referees(doesn’t count in the Eyes of the FIFA Ref committee because anybody can be used) while the Irony about it is that Oliver has one of the best CVS in FIFA tournaments. The presence of a German team already rules Seibert out who recently got the Arab cup final.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What is CVS?

      Delete
    2. CVs as in Curriculum Vitaes resp. Curricula Vitae for the Latin experts - or résumés for the French-loving Americans or chemins de vie for the real Frenchmen ;)

      Delete
  3. Oliver is the obvious choice for the Super Cup, but Taylor did it very recently. Would they really have an English ref twice in such a short amount of time? Soares Dias would be an alternative, but I can’t help but include the possibility of a political appointment. The Super Cup has been used that way before (Frappart), could we see a Ukrainian ref for the Super Cup?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. An Ukrainian referee seems difficult as they have mostly no match sharpness.
      As Taylor's appointment is two years ago and he didn't get a final at the end of this season, I don't think, this is a problem for Oliver. But yes, Soares Dias would be the first alternative.
      My prediction:
      Oliver, Burt, Bennett, Gözübüyük – Kavanagh, England, Kwiatkowski

      Delete
  4. John Beaton an other excellent scottish referee, I hope to see him in more crucial games when Var officially enters Scotland!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beaton excellent, was this comment left by a comedian, there are no excellent Scottish referees. The exact opposite is the case.

      Delete
  5. Jesus Gil with potentially hot match,we all know how challenging matches can be between Former Yugoslav countries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe between Croatia and Serbia, not between Serbia and Slovenia, especially considering current low quality of Slovenian team.

      Delete
  6. Great match for Guida. I think he will become ELITE next year

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Surely for a long time so far he has been Category 1 on paper, but Elite in reality with great assignments, including the period after that, Massa was promoted but not him... there is something wrong if they don't promote it, but I still think it is difficult to see him Elite for certain reasons.. let's see now on next update of categories.

      Delete
    2. Guida deserves élite category... no doubt... now is already too late!

      Delete
  7. BENELUX appointment in Gibraltar, maybe the first time in UEFA with at least one official coming from one of the three countries!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Collum in front of the eyes of Rocchi, UEFA finally getting serious about demoting referees?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Compensation appointment for Del Cerro Grande with Germany - England, after having missed WC. Maybe this will be his last big international game. Looking at the appointments of VAR, I can say that indeed UEFA is demanding to national federations to select the names, in Croatia - France we will see Luca Zufferli as AVAR, he is a new serie A and B referee, first year this season, he had a injury that prevented him for officiating for almost the whole season and then he specialized himself as VAR. Great experience with such a game for him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Similar story for Pascal Müller from Germany. He is (and remains) on the 2. Bundesliga referee list, but is injured since Oct 2019, so he is de facto a specialized VAR with 20 games in 1.BL this season. And now his international debut as AVAR.

      Delete
  10. Good appointment for Lindhout. Only referee from Second Group in League B so far.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same for Gishamer on Wednesday.

      Delete
    2. I would mention Glenn Nyberg appointment in Wales as well, I think he is now in a very clear focus by committee, new Swedish attempt after Ekberg for Elite, Maybe this time it will go better, for what I could watch, a very interesting referee.

      Delete
  11. A very deserved international debut in a official UEFA game for Gianluca Aureliano, after having been added in the list of FIFA VMO. He absolutely deserved this appointment, being one of the best Italian VARs in recent seasons, what I like is that he is very deep and detailed in his work, analyzing every possible situation and trying to be always more and more loyal to LotG. I can't remember a mistake he made in this role, differently form other VARs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lazio-Sassuolo 1-2 (11/07/2020) :)
      I partially agree with you, but di Paolo was for sure the best this year, wasn't he?

      Delete
    2. Congratulations for your memory, I had forgotten that game, I think you mean the offside decision, right? It was a clear mistake to disallow the goal scored... and yes, Di Paolo has been surely the best this season, but on a quite similar level Aureliano, no discussions with him, maybe not so much praised because he had by far less games as VAR than Di Paolo, who is a specialized one.

      Delete
  12. Very surprised with the appointment of German VARS in Italy vs Hungary seeing as Germany are in the same group.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, but it even happened in Champions League (e.g. Dankert in Sevilla-Salzburg, van Boekel in Dortmund-Sporting, di Bello in Atletico-Porto)

      Delete
  13. OT:
    Long-read report on how Edgardo Codesal and team performed in the WC 1990 final can be found in the link below below (plus analysis of the other fifty-one matches of Italia '90 can be found on the blog too!).

    https://wc90ref.blogspot.com/p/thefinal.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. Idk where is Peljto so far, I think he deserves League A match.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only half the games appointed so far, so no need to worry IMO.

      Delete
  15. Very good appointment for Nyberg, congratulations

    ReplyDelete
  16. One thing I wonder: Why do national federations so often seem to choose wrong referees to advance in the systems?

    In my country, I saw several very talented referees in e.g. 3rd level. Excellent match control, excellent communication with players. All teams loved their style of refereeing.

    Then, season after season, referees with high ambitions, but with a lot of insecurity and tendency to "ass-licking" were promoted. Refereeing with their cards. Insecure people with no perspective in their life beyond refereeing, who never went a day to school beyond high school.

    So in the end, the talents retired, while these referees now struggle in the top divisions. The people who retired have gone on to become business owners and executives, lawyers, doctors and sales managers. Intelligent people, natural leaders with big self confidence. They weren't the busiest pleasing the referee's committee, because refereeing was not their entire life, but most importantly, they had confidence in that their performance on the pitch was what counted (and there, they were excellent)... They thought they didn't have to be pleasers and that it shouldn't have counted, but they were wrong.

    This is reality from one of he biggest federations in Europe. Why is it this way? And I'm sure it's not only in my country this is the situation.

    ReplyDelete
  17. You are for sure 100% correct, but in the end quality will win. It is just important to have grind and commitment till the end. Some stop - but they change maybe in their new business the country or the world ;)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Poor offside call by AR2 in CZE - ESP, he had wrongly disallowed a goal scored, clearly ONSIDE. VAR intervention and goal assigned.

    ReplyDelete
  19. VAR intervention in Portugal - Switzerland and disallowed goal for handball. I muist say this was very difficult to spot live for Grinfeeld, even during OFR I needed time to realize...

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have never see a handball, for ne clear head by pepe...

    ReplyDelete
  21. Bad refereeing by greenfield @POR-SUI

    ReplyDelete
  22. Yet again, Norwegian referees seem to be missing.

    Eskås, recent Cat 1 promotion but has been unconvincing
    Steen, Cat 2, in very poor form nationally and delivered a poor performance in his only UECL game (Slavia Praha-Maccabi, 10 yellowcards and a goal to be disallowed) last year.
    Saggi, recent Cat 2 promotion, promising and in good form, would be the top name for a Nations League game now I predict.

    Other FIFA referees - Moen (still on the list but only for formal reasons), Hansen (demoted to cat 3 this year), Hagenes (needs more time) and Kringstad (recurrent injuries and absences)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Very questionable penalty whistled by Taylor, he didn't seem convinced either

    ReplyDelete
  24. The penalty by Taylor can't be removed by VAR, but very close to simulation, for me that soft contact has zero effects.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Attwell has to cancel that. That’s why he is not going to the World Cup

      Delete
  25. PORSUI 26': IMO Grinfeld missed a SYC for a reckless stamp by SUI22

    ReplyDelete
  26. Grinfeld missed YC stopping promising attack for SUI 10 35'

    ReplyDelete
  27. Tayler does not have many rights tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  28. POR - SUI, disallowed goal for handball after VAR intervention:
    https://streamff.com/v/4d08a9

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is not clear evidence for handball. Wrong intervention for me.

      Delete
  29. Now another VAR intervention in Portugal, penalty changed in free kick, foul outside. I think Grinfeeld could have spotted directly it, clearly outside the box.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Kosovo - Greece, referee J. Beaton (SCO):
    Second YC https://streamja.com/WLO2Q
    Straight RC https://streamja.com/5KRAq

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both very supportable decisions.

      Delete
    2. Both correct decisions

      Delete
    3. Is really this a second YC for SPA ? I'm not convinced about that, to harsh IMO
      Straight RC correct decision, DOGSO

      Delete
    4. Open path towards the goal at the moment of the foul, therefore I think, it has to be SPA. It also doesn't help, that it clearly was an intentional foul and not an accident.

      Delete
    5. @Philipp S yes it's true but also we have 4 defenders. I'm not saying we don't have any elements for SPA but is this a clear SPA to give a second YC ! I don't think so

      Delete
  31. Many Scottish referees in action these past few days and upcoming days, good to see Nick Walsh and Willy Collum being rewarded with these games

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, I definitely think nick walsh has been improving week by week.Hope to see him in some more games.

      Delete
  32. San Marino - Malta, penalty removed after OFR.
    https://streamff.com/v/4ef7a0
    I agree with Soto Grado, quite long analysis before calling Aghayev, but this wasn't a penalty, contact can't be spotted, more than soft, clear and obvious mistake.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Very happy with the appointment of Lindhout as well. Let´s see if Higler gets anything this week. Maybe Lindhout is ahead of him now, as would be a perfect example of appointing on merit. Higler is THE WORST referee in dutch league

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Higler is definetely not always that good indeed.. however as a Dutchman I can say that at least Kooij is much worse than Higler. I havent seen a ref with so much arrogance and bad calls (no feeling of his games at all in my view) in a long time. Unfortunately Kooij is UEFA ref too.. so we can prepare for the worst to come.

      Delete
    2. Indeed, Lindhout is more in focus of the committee now. He did the SF Youth League and in 2022, he often joined Makkelie’s team on the pitch as 4th official, while Higler had more appointments as AVAR. I think Lindhout is the more modern and background-minded managing ref. His lenient style works very well with teams that are focused on playing fast and fluent football. Will be interesting to see if he can adapt his style in more challenging games... IMO Higler’s style works better in potentially problematic, or foul games.

      In Eredivisie, Higler’s appointments were just slightly better. Higler did the Klassieker, more top games and the 1st relegation PO-final. Lindhout had a better and more consistent season though, but imo, his appointments were less challenging.

      Delete
    3. Regarding Joey Kooij, he had some big issues with, in particular, his consistency in foul detection. He didn’t look good the last time I watched him.
      However, being the Devil’s advocate, we are talking about a 30-year-old with less than 40(?) games on the highest level. What else do we expect? He needs to gain experience on the highest level and probably a very good coach. I can’t recall Makkelie’s level after just 40 games, but maybe you do?

      Tbh I think Kooij has more ‘presence’ on the pitch than many other referees of his generation. I don’t think his presence is too arrogant as well. Rather very confident? But that’s a thin line…

      Delete
    4. And what about Sander van der Eijk?

      Delete
  34. AUT DEN delayed due to power failure

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read that there is a difficult situation in Vienna, not only at stadium, so maybe game will be played tomorrow...

      Delete
    2. Game will begin at 22.15 Vienna time

      Delete
  35. Missed penalty for Slovakia by Tohver

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If NO VAR intervention, this should mean it wasn't a clear and obvious penalty.

      Delete
    2. ICE- ALB one thing i noticed is the level of the fouls for Pawson is not the same as in England, to many soft fouls tonight.
      17' clear wrong offside call by AR2
      43' penalty appeal for Iceland, shoulder to shoulder attacker falls easily, correct no call by Pawson.
      44' very clear advantage missed by Pawson in favor of Albania, IMO he whistled intentionally to let VAR chek the situation in penalty area but it was wrong

      Delete
    3. 44 ' penalty appeal + advantage https://www.veed.io/view/c8641dff-0cb8-46ed-8748-b0c52e93e86c?sharingWidget=true
      67' missed YC https://www.veed.io/view/a0dbb78d-f57c-48c5-a7e0-de0498255eb6
      79' missed second YC for SPA? https://www.veed.io/view/ed2fef4a-8e92-47ad-a9c4-85b57ee8fe6d

      Delete
    4. I agree with everything you said, correct no penalty, but then what a missed advantage, I don't think he whistled for VAR purposes, he should be used to VAR coming from PL, rather, he didn't realize how the action was about to develop and he even looked at attackers... 67' is a clear YC, while in 79' it is a situation in which in my opinion SPA is at referee's discretion, when a team loses the possession of ball and there is a quick counterattack, you have always the idea of a YC, even more when the attack is quick, in this case, given the position where the foul occurred and the other defenders, I would agree with a SPA decision, but still not a 100% one.

      Delete
  36. AUT - DEN is rescheduled to start at 22:15 CET after an additional warm-up. Funny anecdote: The power failure in almost the whole second district of Vienna just ended when Austrian famous pop musician Falco's refrain "Out of the dark, into the light" was played. 😂

    ReplyDelete
  37. Andorra - Moldova, OFR for changing YC in RC for SFP:
    https://streamja.com/6KROA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good VAR intervention, pretty clear SFP

      Delete
    2. Indeed, good VAR intervention, but this SFP should be spotted immediately by the referee. Referee close to the action, no obstructed view, ... and considered this action as reckless

      Delete
  38. Guida’s team in Croatia is delivering a sub-par performance tonight.. Last symbol is the Croatian penalty, Guida raising one arm after VAR review but also pointing at the penalty spot (VAR was also checking possible offsides)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, strange communication there. He should have done the VAR symbol and then clearly point to the penalty spot IMO.
      The penalty itself is also not so clear, with the attacker making an unexpected step back, I think.

      Delete
    2. Was about to say traditional signal is Big television screen whistle point towards the spot.

      Delete
    3. https://v.fodder.gg/v/p9kfq0 Penalty is also caused by attacker who goes slightly back and contributes to collision, but the contact by defender can't be denied. A supportable call, from the pitch you can have the idea of a clear foul and maybe you don't perceive exactly the action of attacker. However, never enough for VAR intervention. About the management, very strange indeed, I didn't understand what happened. Basically, I think he was informed by AR about offside after having whistled penalty, but then I don't understand why he didn't make VAR gesture to announce the change of decision, and why he still had his raised arm while saying to players "no offside". I think he was a bit confused given the difficulty of the action, but at the end correct decision was taken (no offside, then penalty, because already whistled) and that's most important thing. No problems for the rest of the game.

      Delete
    4. Got the clip?

      Delete
    5. About Guida, I saw he put his hand on his ear on the Vida YC. I saw it was sort of a "scissors" tackle and I think it has already been assessed differently (SFP) in some other games (I am no expert though).
      Was it an "orange" card or a clear YC for this tackle? Iwas thinking live that an OFR was going to be called

      Delete
    6. It was orange one,and commentator daid it was checked and no further actions were needed.

      Delete
  39. Good performance from Collum is AUT-DEN

    ReplyDelete
  40. PGMOL have confirmed that Former FIFA referees Mike Dean, Michael Atkinson and Jon Moss have retired. While FIFA assistant referee Natalie Aspinell has been promoted to Select Group 1 (Premier League list) for the 2022/23 season.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom Bramall promoted as a referee as well

      Delete
    2. I only mentioned the fifa ones. Sorry I didn't mention Tom but he's only like 32 according to the PGMOl so he's probably got a chance of being a fifa referee.

      Delete
  41. If they have to promote one Dutch referee in category 2, it must be Lindhout. He has two important qualities: you don’t notice him at all and he is always respected by players.
    Sure, there are small areas of improvements and he isn’t the most charismatic ref, but he ticks many of the other boxes: modest, in the background ref, trusts his team, not easily fooled by players, lenient with disciplinary sanctions however fully in control. UEFA2022 approach. Would be interesting to see him in a more challenging game.

    ReplyDelete
  42. No thread for UAE - AUS playoff? It's a pretty boring game so far 30 minutes in, the most Tantashev has had to deal with was fixing the location of a throw-in.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Germans aren't very happy with CDCG for blowing with an English player down. They'll be moaning if it was their player.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Pefect involvement by CDG so far, ignored "nothing" fouls, now players just getting on with it. Not sure why goal review took so long though, clearly offside, good decision

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They probably checked, whether there was a deliberate play by the defender.
      Only two fouls whistled in the first 30 minutes...

      Delete
    2. I don't agree, Ex Eng Ref.
      Several minor mistakes (misjudging fouls some of which you call "nothing" fouls, standing in player's way, showing YC to Ruediger instead of Schlotterbeck in the first place ...) double up to a performance below average.

      Delete
  45. Spaniard enjoying himself 😆 8 minutes seems a bit long, expected 5

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. Maybe it is the actual sum of the stoppages for VAR, injuries and the substitution. But I think, most Elite referees still would have only given 3 to 5 minutes in a first half for that.

      In other terms, dCG not completely accepted by the players, with some dissent after doubtful minor decisions.

      Delete
    2. Yes, and even the German coach making dismissive gestures because all small decisions are against the Germans

      Delete
  46. Full expected level for Schaerer in first half, easy game, nothing to report, good impression.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The first throw in 7’ was the best moment. AR1 changed a totally clear throw in for Italy. Some minutes later so bad postion nearby of the penalty area at one of Hungarian attempt. So not perfect but is good indeed.

      Delete
  47. 45' in FRO-LUX: DOGSO handball on the goal line, but tight offside in the build-up. Not clear, what the initial decision was (neither penalty nor offside clearly shown), but correct outcome after a VAR check.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Two straight red cards and a penalty in this game, for sure to be watched. I'm not so much surprised, as I said, Aureliano is a very strict VAR. I don't know if he intervened, but I can guess at least one of these two cards as SFP maybe after OFR :) We will know.

      Delete
    2. First RC was given without on-field review for DOGSO. Absolutely clear, nothing to discuss.
      Second RC was awarded for violent conduct. No chance for Hennessy to spot what happened.

      And FRO2 was very lucky not to be sent off after the gesture he made to Hennessy, while he booked him for (massive) dissent.

      Delete
    3. Penalty was given after on-field review, clear trip.

      Delete
    4. Thanks for the updates!

      Delete
    5. Hard to spot any contact for the first RC, but it probably existed. DOGSO then is clear.
      The penalty could/should have been spotted by the referee, indeed clear tripping.

      Delete
  48. OFR in Lithuania - Turkey and penalty whistled:
    https://streamja.com/bwPp6

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rather wrong decision IMO. Players is slipping, so I don't think, it's a deliberate action and then the arm is in a natural position, i.e. in the logical consequence of the falling movement.

      Delete
    2. I agree with penalty decision. Defender makes a deliberate dive, risking blocking the ball with the hand/arm, which he eventually did.

      Delete
    3. +1 Jacques, exactly how I saw it too.

      Delete
  49. Penalty for England after OFR

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Offside would be a lot better

      Delete
  50. Should VAR really have intervened in GER-ENG?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely not. Is Kane not offside though?

      Delete
    2. Clear foul but to me offside. Challenging an opponent for the ball when the ball is close.

      Delete
    3. I agree. The ball didn’t just deflect off the German player, seemed like a clear play of the ball

      Delete
  51. Video Germany - England: https://v.fodder.gg/v/1qfn9d
    The offside materializes before the foul: they run together for about a second, with ball coming. Enough to whistle, for me mistake by VAR, that should have shown to Del Cerro the possibility to call offside.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course, all said, if the offside position by Kane is confirmed, but it seems so, last teammate touches ball.

      Delete
    2. difficult to see, but clearly a deliberate play by a german defender

      Delete
    3. To me it look likes deliberate play by the German player from the main angle but I need better ones

      Delete
    4. It’s soft and there where many more stonewall fouls not given

      Delete
    5. I don't think it's offside despite Kane being in offside position, due to deliberate touch by GER16.

      Similar to Mbappé goal in NL final.

      Delete
    6. In case of deliberate play by German defender, VAR is allowed to intervene for the possible penalty, indeed, but I don't see this deliberate play. Let's wait for better videos. About the foul itself, one can wonder whether enough for an intervention, very difficult situation, for many reasons, to me, difficult to consider it as clear and obvious mistake.

      Delete
    7. For me is very difficult decision by VAR. To me, a player with the ball at the toe looked untouched

      Delete
    8. Saw it now. Clearly a deliberate play and therefore no offside and a clear penalty. Yellow card is reasonable rather than red.

      Delete
    9. I agree Chefren. The videos (at least those shown in German tv) did not show clearly, if there was a deliberate play or not. VAR must have had addiditional views with a better sight of the action, since this question was apparently decided quickly and CDCG in his OFR only had to decide if there was a foul or not. And this call was easy to make.

      Delete
    10. I think, as one can see how the ball clearly changes the direction, it is clear, that the ball was played by defender. So, the question is, was it deliberately or not.
      In this case, there is no possibility by law, that, if the ball is played by the defender, the playing itself is not deliberately.

      Delete
  52. VAR seems to interfere so inconsistently. Obviously it depends of the person in charge but certain scenarios don’t require the VAR but they involve themselves anyway. Strange

    ReplyDelete
  53. I think it’s time for Munuera to be sidelined for a bit. His games are full of controversial VAR (non-)interventions, just as it happened with Attwell for a while.

    ReplyDelete
  54. The laws of the game state:

    “a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing the ball and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as it has occurred before the offside offence”

    Could one argue that, if no deliberate play by defender, that Kane was fouled before offside? At what point is Kane considered to be attempting to play the ball or challenge the opponent for the ball?

    At the time, as an England supporter, I was actually surprised by the OFR as contract was probable but not clear or obvious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Took about 15 views of the replay to see the contact. Munuera called the OFR very quickly. Even The referee took ages at the screen and didn’t seem convinced. There is something about the Spanish referees and VAR’s which seems to be very inconsistent like Attwell. How 3 Spanish VAR’s are going to the World Cup is beyond me

      Delete
  55. Schaerer in second half: two correct YC for reckless challenges, and a third one in last minutes of the game for SPA in the midfield, Hungary about to have a promising attack after a quick play by keeper. In this case the Swiss punished the action merely targeted on opponent, without interest in the ball. Some referees wouildn't have issued it, but it looks definitely correct.
    Unluckily in the very last minute of added time, for an extremely incredible constellation, he stopped an OGSO in the midfield accoridng to following picture:
    https://ibb.co/FqWgJfc
    Ball was perfectly targeted to the player in the midfield, who would have had free space to run, without opponents, to goal. Maybe not DOGSO for the long distance, but the action looked like a very crucial one. The Swiss was lucky that score couldn't have been influenced by that, but be sure there would have been many complaints, inded commentators were angry for that situation even without a real outcome in the game.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Schaerer was a pleassure to watch also at the stadium. The match was under control and the yellow cards seemed correct. Maybe the last minute stopping didn't look too bad, but maybe from the Hungarian stand it looked worse.

      Delete
  56. Who was the best referee in Spain in the history if we knew that no spainish referee refereed wc final from 1930 until 2018 ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the best is Lahoz, no doubt about that

      Delete
    2. Lahoz is better than Garcia aranda and mejuto and Medina doubt

      Delete
    3. To me Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez and Manuel Diaz Vega

      Delete
    4. but still for me its impossible for Lahoz to get WC final, he's good but for some circumstances he doesn't deserve that, he is in his maximum (only for SF WC)

      Delete
    5. same fate as Cakir with different style of refereeing but same circumstances, not all agree with their style/political factors.

      Delete
  57. Video with crucial situations from Far Oer - Luxembourg:
    https://www.veed.io/view/7363dfa0-661b-405e-9cfc-bba9cd339756?sharingWidget=true
    The incident in 45' mentioned by Philipp is missing, impossible to find a decent full game download.
    It looks like Hennessy had a very challenging game, in my opinion penalty should have been spotted directly on the pitch, he was close. About the first RC for DOGSO, as already written by somebody, it is not clear which kind of contact and its intensity, but without contrary evidence, VAR must support.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The penalty isn`t that clear. I even think no penalty is still supportable, if Hennessy spotted every movement, as the striker's movement is as well into his opponent, as the movement of the defender is into the striker

      Delete
    2. Partly agree Anonymous, though (m)any in-box situations where the attacker is running away from goal could result in supportable play ons for that sort of reason. Penalty is the right call for me, LUX player is too clever for his opponent who impedes/trips him. What do you think UEFA will make of Aureliano's intervention(s)? And the non-intervention at 84' (CROCZE at EURO vs. VILBAY with Taylor/Attwell)?

      Delete
  58. Watched the match of Lindhout. Didn't had any big problems in this match. Full acceptence as far as I've seen. So no big test for him but a good performance he can close off his season with.

    ReplyDelete
  59. About Austria - Denmark. I've read some media reports stating that a sinkhole was in the middle of the pitch during the game and players had to play around it. Some state it was there after the match was played.

    Anybody here with the correct answer. Was it during or after the match there.

    ReplyDelete
  60. re. Hennessey:

    45 - https://streamable.com/wixyaa
    67 - https://streamable.com/5l59gy
    70 - https://streamable.com/tjlhax
    78 - https://streamable.com/yjdw40
    84 - https://streamable.com/ug2sog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 45' - What was the on-field decision and what did the AR communicate?

      67' - Contact hard to detect so a bit of guess work here by Hennessey, but I think the reaction of the sent off player tells us he got it right. Interestingly, this is one of those cases where it is important (if you have doubt) to "guess" in the positive direction and make the VAR prove the foul didn't exist. Because if you don't whistle, the VAR probably doesn't have enough evidence to say it was a clear foul.

      70' - Surprised at the intervention and reversal. Hennessey is right there. And the attacker does drag his leg. Could it be a foul? Sure. Clearly and obviously a penalty once waved away? Not for me.

      78' - I can understand why/how this is VC. It likely is. But I am a bit surprised that it was sent down and confirmed with ONLY that angle available.

      84' - This might be the most interesting one for me. In a normal match, not enough for a send down. But once you've already used a lower threshold for OFRs in 70' and 78', I have a hard time saying this isn't a clear foul. It's a matter of consistency.

      Delete
    2. 45'
      On field decision was penalty and probably RC,not given but expected.

      But player that received the ball was offside,that was final outcome with VAR help.
      So no penalty and RC.

      Delete
    3. @anonymous, are you sure or just guessing?

      I never see Hennessey point to the spot. And there's no "probably red card, not given but expected" option. It's also a bit odd that he lets the goalkeeper hold the ball the entire time if the planned restart was a PK and not an IFK.

      My point here is that the decision on the field could have been offside (delayed flag) and then Hennessey and his AR have noted a penalty/red card would exist IF the scenario wasn't offside. That would be proper. In fact, that would be amazing officiating and best practices for VARing, which would be noteworthy given this is an Irish crew with no regular VAR experience.

      But "calling" a penalty, not giving the red card, and waiting to see if it was offside is not the correct route. Not at all, in fact.

      So I'll ask the question more directly: did the AR call offside and the check confirmed offside? Or did the AR miss the offside, help "call" the pen/red card (neither of which was ever communicated by the referee) and then the VAR corrected the missed offside?

      One option is very very good for this referee crew. The other is quite bad.

      Delete
  61. In these days, until tomorrow (I don't know when it started), there is a seminary in Turkey for Women's EURO officials, held by UEFA in cooperation with TFF.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Does anyone know of Sebastian Gishamer (AUT) in the Scotland game as I have never heard of him, can anyone share a view on him?

    ReplyDelete
  63. Glova is allowing to much physicality for my taste in IRL-UKR

    ReplyDelete
  64. Worrying incident in Scotland v Armenia match.

    Armenia player throws a bottle towards the assistant referee after Scotland’s third goal is originally awarded. The goal is eventually rescinded for offside.

    Although thrown from a distance, surprised and disappointed VAR has not alerted referee or noticed this incident.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can only assume this was totally missed by var as its an absolutely crystal clear red card

      Delete
    2. I found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgJmrcPlsss
      Very far away from assistant referees, if there aren't more detailed videos, I think it is impossible to go for the punishment because the player is definitely too far away from the official and you can read his behavior just as bad reaction against what happened. The throw of bottle should have been clearly targeted to assistant referee, in order to be sure and punish him.

      Delete
    3. https://twitter.com/premiersportstv/status/1534623726909931520?s=21&t=Q5t5FMWbC0HwAi1eYjfF7g

      If you can access the video on this a Twitter link, you can see from a second angle. The throw is clearly directed at the official.

      I would argue for the benefit of the game and how we want football to be perceived, this action must be sanctioned. Otherwise it brings football into disrepute, in my opinion anyway.

      Delete
    4. Video indeed not available, if anybody has this one to share...

      Delete

Thank you for writing a comment on our blog!