Saturday 16 July 2022

2022 UEFA Women's Euro - Referee Appointments for MD3

 Matchday 3 of 2022 UEFA Women's EURO group stage, referee appointments. 



Group A, 15.07.2022, 21:00 CET
St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton 
NORTHERN IRELAND  - ENGLAND 
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI) 
Assistant Referee 1: Susann Küng (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Franca Overtoom (NED)
Fourth Official: Riem Hussein (GER) Stéphanie Frappart (FRA) 
Video Assistant Referee: Harm Osmers (GER) 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Caroline De Boeck (BEL)
UEFA Delegate: Ana Raspopović (MNE)

Group A, 15.07.2022, 21:00 CET
Brighton & Hove Community Stadium, Brighton & Hove
AUSTRIA - NORWAY 
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulina Baranowska (POL)
Fourth Official: Ivana Projkovska (MKD)
Video Assistant Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska (POL)
UEFA Delegate: Ginta Pēce (LVA)

Group B, 16.07.2022, 21:00 CET
Stadium MK, Milton Keynes
FINLAND - GERMANY
Referee: Tess Olofsson (SWE) Emikar Virginia Calderas Barrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Almira Spahić (SWE) Migdalia Rodriguez Chirino (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lucie Ratajová (CZE) Mary Blanco Bolivar (COL)
Fourth Official: Ivana Projkovska (MKD) Marta Huerta de Aza (ESP) 
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Luis Godinho (POR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Caroline De Boeck (BEL)
UEFA Delegate: Ronit Glasman (ISR)

Group B, 16.07.2022, 21:00 CET
Brentford Community Stadium, London
DENMARK - SPAIN
Referee: Rebecca Welch (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Lisa Rashid (ENG)
Fourth Official: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jenny Palmqvist (SWE)
UEFA Delegate: Tamar Chichinadze (GEO)

Group C, 17.07.2022, 18:00 CET
Bramall Lane, Sheffield
SWITZERLAND - NETHERLANDS
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad (HUN)
Fourth Official: Lorraine Watson (SCO)
Video Assistant Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska (POL)
UEFA Delegate: Iva Olivari-Ulisa (CRO)

Group C, 17.07.2022, 18:00 CET
Leigh Sports Village, Wigan & Leigh
SWEDEN - PORTUGAL 
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (FRA) 
Assistant Referee 1: Elodie Coppola (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Fourth Official: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Blaženka Logarušić (CRO)
UEFA Delegate: Laura Montgomery (SCO)

Group D, 18.07.2022, 21:00 CET
New York Stadium, Rotherham
ICELAND - FRANCE
Referee: Jana Adámková (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajová (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Sukenikova (CZE)
Fourth Official: Lorraine Watson (SCO)
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Chris Kavanagh (ENG)
UEFA Referee Observer: Blaženka Logarušić (CRO)
UEFA Delegate: Lamprini Dimitrou (GRE)

Group D, 18.07.2022, 21:00 CET
Manchester City Academy Stadium, Manchester
ITALY - BELGIUM
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Staša Špur (SVN)
Fourth Official: Ivana Projkovska (MKD)
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska (POL)
UEFA Delegate: Maria Mifsud (MLT)
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197 comments:

  1. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 11:47

    A reversal of MD 2 for Staubli/Hussein - I just find this such a strange appointment. Is there really the need to repeat the officials from a pool of 9 others to choose from.

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  2. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 11:49

    Projkovska from Rotheram to Brighton the next day - not much rest for her either. This could easily be avoided.

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    1. Philipp S13 July 2022 at 11:52

      She isn't appointed in Rotherham on Thursday.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 11:54

      sorry your'e right it's Watson

      Delete
  3. Mapet13 July 2022 at 12:21

    Prediction MD3 group B:
    FIN-GER Calderas Barrera (VEN)
    DEN-ESP Adámková (CZE)

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    1. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 13:08

      Prediction MD3 group B:
      FIN-GER Welch
      DEN-ESP Martincic

      Delete
  4. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 12:22

    Predictions
    Monzul (UKR) and Lehtovaara (FIN) are experienced referees, however not assigned to sonorous games so far. I dare to bet, they will handle a Semi final or Final. It helps that they are from a neutral country as well.

    That indicates a Italian and Portuguese VAR crew. I'm curious about the 3rd team. I assume, this must be a referee from a neutral country as well... Perhaps Martinčić or Adámková?

    Foster and Huerta de Aza in the QF, if their 2nd performance is good enough.

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    1. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 12:47

      Can't disagree with Monzul & Lehtovaara - front runners for 2 of the last 3 games (and neutral which helps)
      I actually think Foster (home nations (political choice and performance based of course)) may be in with a shout for a semi -final.
      Huerta (if Spain don't progress beyond QF) could be up there too!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 12:48

      Foster has also worked with Kwiatlolski twice now, so there could be the 3rd!!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 13:46

      Yes agree. Foster could handle a SF as well (a game that does not involve England), with the Polish VAR crew. Let's wait for her performance in the 2nd game. 1st one was good and she already did a SF Champions League, so why not.

      Huerta de Aza did a QF Champions League and perhaps she is not from a neutral nation (Spain can still qualify), so I predict a QF for her. SF referees should be from neutral countries.

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    4. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 13:50

      With England next, I think (stranger things have happened though) that it will be difficult for Spain to get past England based on performances.
      I do think if she performs well today, then a QF match I surely on the cards for her

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 13:52

      Yeah, but I assumed committee already selects the semi-final referees before the quarters :)

      Delete
  5. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 14:04

    Off topic

    Any ideas who will officiate the Dutch supercup - on 30 July?
    Maybe Lindhout?

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    1. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 14:34

      Makkelie should be kept for more important matches between the two and Gözübüyük is out after what happened at the end of last season, so my guess would be Lindhout as well. It could be Higler or an experienced ex-FIFA ref (Nijhuis would be my guess in that case but Van Boekel also an option) though, it will be interesting to see what KNVB decides

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 15:21

      Same observation. Uefa also moved their focus from Higler to Lindhout, who I found the more consistent ref. I think he could be a decent Cat.1 referee. Lindhout never officiated a final domesticatie - A supercup would be the best start for him.

      Delete
    3. RikB13 July 2022 at 18:58

      Higler did the supercup before. Lindhout never did a 'classico' like Ajax-PSV before. Personally, I don't find him a very strong referee, but he he has been improving.
      I think that Van Boekel could be a good option, but he seems a bit out of focus in The Netherlands. Nijhuis got more sonorous appointments, and honestly, he did have a good season. I could imagine him getting it.
      I would actually hope for a chance for Kamphuis, but I don't think that would be realistic. He seemed a bit stuck in his development, and also, he just had bad luck a lot of times.
      If Kevin Blom comes back, he would also be an option. He's always been a reliable referee in The Netherlands, also been active as a VAR (but ruled out now for the WC) so I could imagine him getting it as a reward for his career.

      I hope for Blom or Kamphuis, but I think that Lindhout will be the man in the middle.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 20:10

      It’ll be Higler for Dutch Supercup on July 30, for sure!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 21:21

      Why Higler? He already officiated the JCS in 2019. Lindhout’s international assignments are also better. Give him a shot

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 21:55

      Because Higler is going to be appointed, just wait and see

      Delete
  6. Samuele Marchetti13 July 2022 at 14:32

    Is it possible to appoint a polish observer with a polish AR2? That's very strange

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    1. Mikael W13 July 2022 at 15:26

      UEFA got too cavalier about this sort of thing in Rosetti's time IMO. Does anyone remember the TTT article in April/14 about conflicts of interest - Rosetti himself appointed to assess Skomina's EL SF when the second linesman was Italian Cariolato? Now is completely normal in Rosetti's UEFA! :D

      I can understand the argument about VARs - observers assess on-field quartet's work from the stands, while UEFA quality control assesses the VMOs, in order to be completely consistent in assessing interventions and so on. But it fosters a too lazy 'intellectual approach', and you end up with situations like this (btw: Wierzbowska was lineswoman herself actually, including for WC 2003 final, her now-husband reached SFs of WC 2002 as well).

      Also it should be noted - often important people can't really be a**ed and prefer to leave the 'donkey work' to someone else 'less important' to formally write everything up; the really important impressions are not really the appointed observers, especially for big games. Last ECL final is one such example - host association is happy with 'prestigious' observer appointment, while the entourage of 'actually' important UEFA ref people in the stadium draw the conclusion that matters. I don't doubt that Mr Jareci is a very competent observer, but is naïve to think that Rosetti and co. really give so much as a second thought about his impressions of a final that he + others watched in the ground. I get the feeling that while Collina was a very technically focused person and actually enjoyed - or at least didn't mind - writing up reports and so on (both Clattenburg's CL and EURO final, was the famed Italian as observer), Rosetti is a rather different type of man and refereeing leader. Maybe we can say Collina is more like 'us' :P.

      Of course: you can be sure that Rosetti/Damková will watch all games on the television at this tournament (obviously!), and these impressions count for much more than eg. Palmqvist's etc.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 19:56

      In addition to that, all (or most) written assessments are being reviewed by the UEFA Refereeing Officers, so they have indeed the last word and decide on further appoointments.

      Delete
  7. Mikael W13 July 2022 at 14:39

    Staubli is being 'Çakir-ed'. Quite remarkable that almost definitely they toss away a referee with 2xEURO and 2xWC experience after only two GS matches, the latter a dead rubber. Is obvious that the Swiss, like Çakir, has fallen out of favour. I can understand it - Staubli's performance in GERDEN was not so good, no 'deep' assessing of disciplinary incidents, last two cards of the game (latter was the SYC) were rather exaggerated and uneccessary. But also Çakir didn't convince me until CROESP tbh, when he then showed best performance of the whole EURO. Because less matches, Staubli won't even have that chance here. Quite a big gamble to de facto jettison her when one reflects on the overall level of some others refs, IMO (I expect that Küng will be AR2 for a QF/SF and ES then fourth official).

    She is 'victim' to her experience in getting the hosts game, though of course is completely dead rubber, so the 'perfect' appointment from UEFA's perspective. Perhaps the decisive signal is Overtoom accompanying her - at least in men's niveau, I didn't see such a weak AR in quite basic aspects (working as a team member eg.) since WCs 98/02 as the Dutchwoman's performance at Olofsson's side in BELISL. Good that UEFA are receptive to a visibly poor performer, they are least watching the games closely like us. Irodotou should join the Swedish duo, this would be a good and fair choice (also we can guess that CYP official has good grasp of English being originally with Foster-O'Neill, so this should also work well or at least fine with Olofsson & Spahić I'd guess :)).

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    1. Anonymous13 July 2022 at 19:53

      For some reason, I have the feeling that Foster is being prepared for the final, if no British team.

      Delete
  8. Chefren14 July 2022 at 11:47

    Welch with van Boekel, it seems that committee realized there isn't anymore room for English VAR in big games. I'm really sorry for English readers but I must say this is very fair and I praise the fact that they noticed it.

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    1. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 12:13

      Well, I'm pleased for Welch as she was having a good game. So, Kavanagh takes the hit for that, UEFA must have judged VAR should not have got involved for review. Van Boekel is a good choice! Big game for her and obviously Uefa not worried it's probably ESP v ENG QF.
      Martincic as 4th again, could that mean only 1 x GS match after yesterday. Otherwise would have to be group D.
      Depending on how UEFA judge things, Frappart can only do group C (be interesting if they ditch Millot as well). From her angle impossible to see the shirt pull IMHO. So, I think they may do the same with Welch and appoint a separate VAR.
      Pleased for Olofsson, deserved another game albeit nothing really on the match - shows the committee liked her performance s I only had her originally scheduled for 1 x game.
      Adamkova, Calderas, Demetrescu, Frappart, Hussein, Martincic left for last 4 games. It will be interesting to see who they choose and which 2 only get 1 x game.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 12:21

      As stated earlier, Caldera, Demetrescu, Frappart & Hussein can do C whilst Adamkova, Caldera, Demetrescu, Hussein & Martincic for group D.
      Let's see!!

      Delete
  9. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 11:53

    Telek not with Staubli because it is the Austria group?

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  10. Mikael W14 July 2022 at 12:34

    I fully expected Welch's non-rejection (believe me, Englishwoman's overall performance - even igoring whole SFP OFR - was by far the worst of the whole EURO atow), but decisive DENESP appointment is a pretty terrible choice IMO. Both on an internal HR and actual practical level.

    If Massey-Ellis was actually appointed at Foster's side in FRABEL and then later replaced so she could work again with Welch, one can have the impression that someone intervened and changed the committee's idea for them.

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    1. Mikael W14 July 2022 at 12:36

      Oh yes, and the winner of this match will play... England! :D

      UEFA really try to out-do themselves time-after-time.

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    2. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 12:58

      Can't agree with you on her performance being the worst of the tournament sorry!!
      I'm not English, I'm Italian!!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 12:59

      Still the choice for the decisive game must be a political one, the other game would have been the better option for Group B. I don't think she deserved a group C game either!

      Delete
    4. Mikael W14 July 2022 at 13:31

      Anon@12-58: I saw the Brych BELPOR performance. Never caught the rhythm in foul detection, and went it really bad when Welch was painfully passive at the moments she had to be firm + preventative (41', 44', 52', 54'). Crazy SFP challenge was a natural consequence of this approach, 'cherry on top' that after Kavanagh's intervention it wasn't even given a RC. I didn't expect it to be rejected (would have been deserved tbh), but the best match of whole MD3 as a reaction to this performance is actually too much, really. Especially as this tie directly determines England's QF opponents.

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    5. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 14:02

      @Mikael, respectfully there have been some incredibly passive moments all through the tournament form different officials, Adamkova springs to mind.
      Then we go to the overly fussy Staubli in other match to poor foul detection for me with Caldera (especially in the first half). I wasn't a fan of Hussein either giving a very soft penalty IMHO. Huerta struggled a bit yesterday too.
      Interestingly, the BBC in England have been praising the standard of officiating. On Frappart's match the commentator even stated she is the most capable one here!
      To add this off we have VAR with the German team disallowing a good goal for Eng, Kavanagh intervening where he didn't need to and Millot not intervening when he should have done.
      For me, this doesn't mean that in the bigger scheme of things they have had a bad game, they are development areas as we all learn. It's those key incidents that will overall determine how we and everyone else really judge the officials whether we like their style or not!
      Having said that, IMO the appointment for Welch to get a really decisive match and top it off with potentially ESP being involved with ENG is poor appointment strategy by the committee. As I mentioned before, the other group B game was probably fitting with a change of VAR.
      It does leave the committee with a conundrum for group C though. And to be honest with the way some of the appointments have been handled I would not be surprised to see Frappart in group C with Caldera or Hussein in the other game.

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    6. Mikael W14 July 2022 at 14:46

      - Adámková was quite far away from good, but I didn't think the Czech was that bad. Sure, she brought ≈zero personality skills to the table, but at least she was concentrated, closely following incidents, working hard to keep the overview etc (6). The not-given DOGSO at 68' is crystal clear according to interpreting the laws as a text, too, but I guess not in 'modern era'. By contrast to her, all Welch had to do was present outer firmness and enforce the laws with the score at 4-0 and Italy getting visibly frustrated, and sorry she badly failed in this regard (4).

      - Hussein was by far the best IMO, so her penalty call is quite irritating. It would be very silly to reject the German over that one call though. Staubli is tricky to assess, despite good leadership style, she didn't process disciplinary incidents 'deeply', leading finally to two rather exaggerated cards (the latter SYC) in 2H additional time. The game was decided at that point though.

      - It is nice that BBC are covering each game in big detail (I remember during WWC 2011: five games live on red button, the final on BBC3, that was it...) but to be honest the tone of some bits of the coverage are rather irritating. Of course to some extent it is right to chart the significance of the tournament and so on, but sometimes I forgot that I tuned into a football tournament and not a moral lecture on equality of oppotunity... so, especially given they explicitly interviewed Monzul, Striletska, Foster, one should temper how much weight you give to BBC's praise. The comments about strong level of officiating you mentioned were by Pearce during GERESP, right?

      - He stated that the level of officiating was much better than 2013 and 2017, right? I disagree - the overall level of match control was actually much better in those two tournaments. I reviewed many matches / scenes from EURO 2013 recently, actually. Overall the level was quite good but there were quite a high number of rejections owing to clear missed penalties (Albon, Palmqvist) plus poor (Spinelli) and extremely poor (Vitulano) performances. Also the final performance (Dorcioman) - a very interesting one - was a bit regrettable in the end. 2017 I don't recall so well, but besides Vitulano (too poor in both games) and Pustovojtova (verrryy weak ISLSUI for which she was directly rejected), the level was basically quite/really satisfying iirc. This time, I've found it rather unconvincing TBH. The ideological, rather than practical, approach of Rosetti and co. nowadays is much more damaging for the women than the men IMO.

      - "For me, this [talking about VAR mistakes] doesn't mean that in the bigger scheme of things they have had a bad game, they are development areas as we all learn. It's those key incidents that will overall determine how we and everyone else really judge the officials whether we like their style or not!": if I understand correctly, strongly disagree with this! This isn't U17/U19 EURO, but a major tournament where teams worked their a**es off to qualify for two years. They deserve better than this sort of attitude and mostly relativising performances into styles that we 'do and don't like' IMO. Isn't there a contradiction there too - if we judge mostly on KMIs (as you advocate if I understood), then Frappart-Hussein-Welch would already be packing?

      - Agree that FINGER was better for Welch. Will be interesting to see how Group C and D shake out, too.

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    7. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 16:28

      Thanks @ MIkael
      I think we have to disagree on a few points overall in regards to what Welch, you say she badly failed and I disagree. Look, I'm not saying she was the best performer out there during the tournament but saying she was the worst is not how I have seen it. Adamkova, was week generally and I expected more form her tbh.
      I can't comment on the previous editions as I didn't watch that much, I'm not saying I agree with the BBC either but yes you're right it was Pearce in the GER ESP game.
      Each referee has their own style which is my point more than anything and I'm sorry, but you can agree or disagree, When it comes down to it the key decisions need to be correct and consistent in the approach of handling a game. Not whether someone is fussy or not. That's the way it is!!
      No one is talking really about some other performances of the referee because they were expected level and no major talking points or KMI's.
      For example - Personally Foster I think was OK in her game but she didn't wow me. But an expected level.The only reason we are not talking about her is because from memory there was no major issues to resolve/occur. I hope I'm making myself clear. Now, she can referee what's in front of her and some would say her approach helped the match. Ultimately, the Frappart/Welch incidents didn't occur in her game.
      I'm using VAR as additional issues where for example with Welch originally giving a red and then rescinding down to a yellow, we would not be having the same conversation IMO, Kavanagh should not have got involved.
      With Frappart, lot's of people were talking about her angle. For me it's a clear case of the VAR MUST get involved here because there is no way she would have seen the pull.
      The offside call is just wrong by the German VAR team. So in all 3 cases, they have not helped in really the only KMI in the game. Hence why I think Welch has got a second game and Kavanagh hasn't. The level of consistency isn't there from UEFA Why has Osmers got the VAR role now, they should have sanctioned him too as he would have been involved in the decision as AVAR and that is black and white and not subjective.
      Will we see Millot for not getting involved?
      Sanction the VAR's for not doing their job!!

      Delete
    8. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 17:24

      Just to add to this, I don't think anyone has had an absolute shocker in their games - some more difficult than others obviously. I was not advocating for anyone to be sent home after just 1 game either.
      I do feel that Kavanagh, Dingbert & Millot all need to justify their reasons (be very hard for Dingbert in particular with the offside) Millot needs to have very good reason not to interfere and Kavanagh needs to explain why he did!!

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    9. Philipp S14 July 2022 at 18:36

      Which offside call did Dingert get wrong? I didn't find anything in the comments for his two games.

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    10. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 18:56

      MD2 with Hussein

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    11. Philipp S14 July 2022 at 22:16

      OK, but which situation (goal, minute)?

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    12. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 05:46

      He might be referring to the penalty kick, since there walere no offside problems in that match...

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    13. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 16:02

      A) AVAR correctly called onside (Rapalski was mistaken to raise the flag, although she had a clear sight).
      B) The switch between the Germans' VAR and AVAR could be premeditated and not doing with any demotion/promotion of any of them. A similar case can be seen with the changing roles of Valeri and Mariani.
      C) I don't think the German non-intervention in the penalty-kick decision made by Hussein should be punished. It was a controversial 50-50 decision, as we can gauge from the different views expressed on this site, and not "a clear and obvious error".

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  11. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 16:58

    Yes, the level and inconsistency of VAR's at this EURO is worrying somehow.

    -Kavanagh: out
    -Millot: could be out
    -Sanchez: mistake 3-1 Sweden?
    -Valeri and the soft penalty call for Portugal: I bet, he will be backed by the Italian big boss, however VAR is NOT invented for soft contacts where you need a slowmo and microscope to actually see the contact

    Whose next?

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  12. Anonymous14 July 2022 at 23:01

    Frappart replaces Hussein as 4th official in NIR-ENG.

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  13. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 06:11

    I can see why they chose van Boekel with Welch.
    -So far the Dutchmen worked with Demetrescu and Olofsson, who are (correct me if I’m wrong) not the first names that come into Damkova’s mind to handle a QF. If the Ref teams are fixed, the EURO could be over after the group stage for an experienced VAR like v.Boekel.
    -England and Netherlands do not meet in de quarter finals. I think, if Welch has a very good performance in her 2nd game, it opens a door for her to get a QF with the Dutch VARs again. Political influence is big, it’s her home nation, she had a good season internationally, etc etc.

    Sure, based on performance principle she could have been home, but I can see why they don’t do it. She didn’t choose the right approach in ITA-FRA. Too lenient, but I have to admit that so far her 1st game was one of the most challenging to manage, Italy is never easy, many frustration fouls, while with all the respect Caldera, Demetrescu or e.g. Huerta in the 1st game had incredibly fair games. They could stay in the background without too much management. It can feel a bit sour to be sent home after such a challenging sonorous game at the EURO in your home nation(!), after a successful season, while some others are ‘rewarded’ after the most easiest game you can get. But hey, that life…
    I’m glad for Welch that she gets a 2nd chance though. ;)

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    1. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 08:16

      Besides the political argument, I also think Welch is saved by the not-so amazing performances of her colleagues. If the level of refereeing was higher at this EURO, committee had plenty of 'experienced' options for the QF, SF... Then things could be different.

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  14. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 10:42

    Demetrescu for SUI-NED, Frappart for SWE-POR (with Polish VAR)

    So we have Calderas Barrera, Martincic, Adamkova and Hussein (apparently out with COVID) left, who will only get 1 game then?

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    1. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 11:03

      So, Millot takes the hit from the GER v ESP game just like Kavanagh. Right decision IMO!

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    2. Mapet15 July 2022 at 11:22

      Since Adamkova’s AR1 Ratajova is working tmrw (FIN-GER) there will probably be no group D match for Adamkova

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    3. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 12:18

      Then Caldera would be the other logical choice.

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    4. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 13:46

      With Adamkova reportedly having COVID too - this explains it!

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  15. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 10:57

    It's a tough one - Adamkova hasn't done anything apart from POR v SWI on 9th July. I know a lot of people were unhappy with her approach to the match, maybe UEFA were too?
    Caldera has had 2 appointments 1 x R & 1 X 4th, Huerta has been appointed to 3 games in various forms and so has Martincic.

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  16. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 10:58

    If I were to guess, Adamkova for the France game and Martincic for the Italy game saving Caldera as 4th in a QF potentially.

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  17. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 11:00

    Huge game for Demetrescu!!

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  18. Elliot15 July 2022 at 11:14

    Clear from these appointments that UEFA wasn't very happy with Millot's non-intervention in GERESP…

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 11:30

    The Italian VAR crew also switched. Not sure what that means.

    UEFA either wants to protect Valeri (?) after so many VARs are ruled out already, or they didn't agree with the OFR (POR-NED). I found the PK too soft and no VAR stuff. We'll see.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren15 July 2022 at 11:38

      It can be normal and planned in the meaning that they work with different referees so maybe some games are for Valeri and others for Mariani, I think in case of serious mistakes, as we are seeing for other VARs, they would have been totally ruled out at least for a while...

      Delete
  20. Chefren15 July 2022 at 11:40

    So, a bit with surprise for me, because differently from Kavanagh in this case there were possible arguments for Millot, it seems as indeed another big mistake was made by VAR at athis tournament, otherwise clearly he would have got the assignment with Frappart.
    One can agree that VAR had to force intervention because he could be quite sure that Frappart hadn't seen properly the holding (last replay). But... if thery go on in this way, all VAR will be over until the finals..

    ReplyDelete
  21. Chefren15 July 2022 at 11:44

    Regarding the appointment, big step for Demetrescu if compared to previous game, while a normal assignment for Frappart (expected for her) after a big match. The Romanian didnt have too much to do, I think committee backed the decision of not issuing second YC.
    The rest was expected level.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Peter15 July 2022 at 11:50

    Some (maybe) interesting statistics: Demetrescu was appointed twice both as referee and as fourth official whereas Adamkova had just one game as referee (and none as fourth official) so far. There seem to be some arguments why the Romanian lady is appointed four times and the Czech lady just once (or twice if she will be considered in group D). Also Martincic was appointed twice as fourth official, maybe indicating that she will go directly to the knock-out stage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter15 July 2022 at 12:01

      (Or be out of tournament after the first appointment. I didn't follow her game but having a look at her palmares, she didn't handle any knock-out game in last season's Champions League - could also mean that she is not regarded one of the candidates for the second phase.)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 12:09

      She did CL Semi Final First Leg
      24 April 2022
      17:00 CET - Décines-Charpieu (OL Stadium)
      Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) - Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
      Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)

      Delete
    3. Peter15 July 2022 at 12:14

      Ooops, sorry (and thanks for the correction)! No idea why I missed her name.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 13:13

      Adamkova is out with COVID as well…

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 13:43

      Crikey!!

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 13:46

      Feel for both of them!!

      Delete
  23. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 11:59

    IMO inevitable to not use Adamkova in one of the two final games in groupstage, especially if Hussein is out(?)

    Maybe a 2nd game for Caldera, although after mistake by VAR Sánchez, I'm not sure they can use Caldera again. Depends on whether or not she speaks English?
    Otherwise a 2nd game for Martincic. Or one referee with a 3rd game. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 11:59

    I have a feeling Demetrescu was a replacement for Hussein (reported to have COVID). Both Adamkova & Martincic had group C which ruled them out, whilst they may save Caldera for group QF (4th) or group D. Perhaps Frappart not originally assigned for this match and direct to a QF but UEFA had limited choices with Hussein out which caused an issue for them.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 12:22

    It's also interesting that officials like Frappart/Demetrescu have 4 appointments each and Welch has 2 (no 4th) - most have 3 altogether

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 13:48

    So with Adamkova and Hussein reportedly with COVID, then Martincic & Caldera should be for the last two fixtures. Really unfortunate for both officials and lets hope the recover quickly

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 16:18

    Romania has some young and promising female referees like Demetrescu and Peșu. Future is bright!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 16:48

      ... and a Ref Com chairman that is able to open the UEFA doors for them and their male colleagues. Romania used to have 1 top male ref (Rainea, Igna, Craciunescu) and 1 top female refs (Ionescu, Albon, Dorcioman) at diferrent times, but never multiple referees (Hategan, Kovacs, Petrescu, Fesnic, Demetrescu, Pesu) assigned to top competitions at the same time! Vassaras seems very successful in his position!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 16:58

      Indeed

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 22:26

      Uefa corruption you mean. There are many better referees in small countries but because they have a “uefa referee expert” they get everything. Corruption in uefa referees has been around for many years and still continues

      Delete
    4. matei1415 July 2022 at 22:33

      Unacceptable comment by Anonymous 22:26. Admin intervention please. Vassaras is doing a great job, credit to him!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 23:22

      Matei, do you honestly believe that exactly the same referees would have received all these high-level appointments without the presence of a UEFA referee expert (former UEFA Referees Committee member) as the chairman of referees in your country?

      Delete
    6. matei1415 July 2022 at 23:47

      One thing is to question the meritocracy of some appointments, another thing is to write about corruption.

      Of course, things changed radically in good when Vassaras arrived, anyone can see that. Nobody can deny that he has influence. I am sure that there are also good referees from smaller countries that are under a shadow but at the same time, no Romanian referee is in a category that he does not deserve.
      About Hategan and Kovacs, I am sure they fully deserve their current status. Hategan would have deserved more from his career, Kovacs has a bright future ahead. About Pesu and Demetrescu, I don`t know, because I don`t really follow women football. Petrescu is a fair First Category referee, he still has enough time to progress. I would say Fesnic deserves his category too, even though I was surprise of the promotion because of the lack of games he had before. I even wrote a comment about this at that time. Before the Tottenham-Rennes appointment with Dallas, I was not even thinking about a possible promotion.

      So far this season, no extra-ordinary appointments for Romanian referees imo.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 17:04

      If Vassaras became chairman in say Faroe Islands or Gibraltar, they too would have an elite referee, it is corruption of the highest order. It has always been the same, a referee makes 1 mistake from a small country = career finished. A referee from a big country makes 1 mistake = never mind, learn next time, here is a champions league group stage appointment

      Delete
  28. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 21:03

    Frappant replacing Hussein as 4th official

    ReplyDelete
  29. Ex Eng Ref15 July 2022 at 21:10

    VAR taking too long. Personally I dont think either are handball, so probably correct outcome if not for the right reasons

    ReplyDelete
  30. Davidcrammond15 July 2022 at 21:10

    Long long check on the penalty. Ofr and overturned for a England Handball in the buildup.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 22:32

      What minute? Watching the other game...

      Delete
    2. Cassius15 July 2022 at 22:46

      at the very beginning of the game, minute 6 I think.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 21:12

    Perfect OFR

    ReplyDelete
  32. Ex Eng Ref15 July 2022 at 21:35

    Player kicked ball at opponent, hit her arm (x2) neither player moved arm towards ball, Eng player had no time to react, NI kept her arm tucked

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous15 July 2022 at 21:43

    Correct OFR. I like Staubli's style a lot though. Don't understand why the experienced Swiss was assigned to this game in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Cassius15 July 2022 at 22:56

    Monzul with full control from what I saw. Very convincing but it was also a fair game. Two well placed YC were all that was needed today.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Daniel Bailey15 July 2022 at 22:57

    Two possible SPA offences towards the end just had a warning, which was perfectly fine within the context of the match. Other thing I've noticed in both this match and throughout the tournament is how many offsides are whistled when the defending side get the ball and start to play out, with advantage never played. Maybe a consequence of fewer referees having as much experience with VAR in matches? No added time also nice to see in a comfortable match like that. Not overly challenging, but a good match for Staubli

    ReplyDelete
  36. Chefren16 July 2022 at 11:15

    Video of the OFR in Staubli game:
    https://streamff.com/v/ce24d1
    VAR intervention is fully correct for the previous handball, to be punished and missed by referee. In case it hadn't happened, I think the penalty should have been confirmed, this was a borderline situation, one can say that without touch by arm, ball can hit the body, but the arm can be described not in a fully natural position.
    The interesting thing is that VAR showed the penalty call itself, while they could have directly and only worked on the previous situation, once called Staubli at the monitor. Or at least they could have started with it, they made the contrary, but no problems in the end.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 11:20

      Do you think Staubli has a chance getting a SF match? I think she’s, in comparison to other big mistakes, one of the most consistent referees at the tournament.
      Furthermore, she is refereeing at men’s highest level in Switzerland; why doesn’t UEFA give her a chance like Frappart, Martincic, Monzul in men’s competition?

      Delete
    2. Chefren16 July 2022 at 11:32

      I think she will get a KO stage game, not sure about a semifinal, but maybe at least a quarterfinal. I think that NIR - ENG didn't need a top referee, but we know that "UK derbies" are always treated in a certain way by committee, in addition there were limited options. I thought Demetrescu could have handled it, but she got another game.
      I also think that she will not be penalized too much for the handball OFR, but so far I can only say she is expected in KO stage. The next assignment will say us more.

      Delete
  37. Chefren16 July 2022 at 11:38

    Waiting for the last set of appointments for GS, I'm curious to see whether Calderas will get a second game. Absolutely impossible to make an assessment based on her previous match, it was too easy. I think that a very suitable option is indeed Iceland - France, while in the other game (you know all the story about Italy and committee) there should be a safe referee. But if the mistake by Spanish VAR is confirmed, so it is a problem to assign her a VAR. I think that if we will see Spanish VAR again, it should mean that committee didn't assess their work as mistake, otherwise definitely too serious to get another assignment. We will know soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 11:43

      Calderas replaces Olofsson today in FIN-GER. There seems to be real COVID issues.

      Delete
    2. Mikael W16 July 2022 at 11:56

      Best options to repeat Staubli (with Telek as second AR) and Monzul in Group D games? Only 72hrs rest but I can't really see the other options. Can report that the Ukranian was (very) good in AUTNOR game last night, seems Switzerland's ref also performed strongly according to comments.

      Delete
    3. Philipp S16 July 2022 at 12:13

      The other options for group D are Huerta and Martincic, or am I missing something?

      Delete
    4. Peter16 July 2022 at 12:13

      Wouldn't Martincic also be an option for one of the two games?

      Delete
    5. Chefren16 July 2022 at 12:21

      Oh, big COVID issues, now the discussions about appointments and choices can be absolutely pointless, I'm really sorry...

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 12:51

      Agree, it's anyones guess now for the last 2 games. All I would say is that although Lehtovaara & Foster already in Group D may also now be called into action somewhere.

      Delete
  38. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 12:17

    Calderas with a Portuguese VAR. Makes sense.
    It was reported somewhere here that she might not speak English well, but many Portuguese are able to communicate in (basic) Spanish. And VAR Sanchez obviously takes a hit for his mistake in the Sweden game…

    ReplyDelete
  39. Ex Eng Ref16 July 2022 at 12:27

    If you need to save referees for KO games, why not give one of the matches to a support ref? Would seem an ideal opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S16 July 2022 at 12:35

      But the ideal opportunity for that would have been FIN-GER. Not relevant for the group result and Projkovska or Watson could have worked with Olofsson's assistants.

      Delete
  40. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 12:32

    Hi all,
    I was wondering why Italy and Netherlands don’t have a female referee at the highest level. Imo quite remarkable. Italy: a country with a rich referee history, big focus on refereeing in general and some good players. And Netherlands, the reigning EURO champion, WC finalist, etc. Hence, I’d think in both countries there must be enough attention for Women football.
    From a refereeing perspective, what is going “wrong” in these countries, any insights?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S16 July 2022 at 12:41

      Just one observation to add: The Netherlands even haven't had a EURO (or WC) referee since 1997, while Italy at least had referees at the last two EUROs.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 12:51

      The Netherlands has been working on this recently: Blom works as a mentor for female referees now, female referees are assigned to top games in the women’s league (still not all of the games due to a shortage in female refs) and female referees have been making promotions. Overtoom is now in 2nd division (lowest professional level) and Shukrula is in 3rd division (highest amateur level) and she is expected to be the first female head referee to handle professional games

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 12:53

      To add to that: the teams that won the EURO’s and reached the WC final were mostly players from outside the Dutch league - the level in the Dutch women’s league still isn’t great, so that could be a reason why the referees are behind the development of the national team itself

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 13:35

      Okay, good that they are working on it, but still surprisingly late compared to other countries.

      Any signs that Shukrula will be promoted within 1-2 years or so? And how about Italy?

      Delete
    5. RikB17 July 2022 at 11:55

      Shukrula hasbeen working as a fourth official in the professional league since two years. After this year, usually there should follow a promotion, or an end to this path. She is a well-respected referee though and she is making good progress. I expect her to referee matches soon.

      For the Women Eredivisie: I refereed some matches at that level myself. The level is really rising, and the last match that I did was live on national television. About 50.000 people looked at it - not to be arrogant, but to show that the attention for it is very much growing. However, I am just an amateur referee, and I was perfectly capable of handling the match. The fact I do those matches sometimes, is because there are not enough female referees. A couple of years ago, there were just about 40 in the whole country. And even if the number is growing, it still remains very low. That means that the group of referees is just pretty small. The other Dutch referees (Van der Helm and Peeters) officiate in the amateur leagues, Peeters at national level and Van der Helm not even that, at this moment.
      Dutch women football is really rising, the level is going up every year, and some female referees are improving a lot, but the numbers are just very, very low.

      Delete
  41. Chefren16 July 2022 at 12:37

    The fact that fourth official has been changed as well in Olofsson game, unless it is for COVID reasons involving the Macedonian, shows us indeed that Calderas needs always Huerta de Aza at her side and if possible Spanish or Portugues VARs.
    I would also add, given this situation, we could easily expect to see again VAR and referees who made mistakes, it is impossible to manage everything.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 12:55

    Considering Martincic has only had 1 game then Im sure we will se her in group D. Someone is getting a 3rd GS game - then I wouldn't be surprised if the are used in the last 3 games somewhere

    ReplyDelete
  43. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 14:48

    According to Arbitro Internacional Venezuelan Emikar Calderas and her team will replace Tess Olofsson in Finland-Germany tonight, Olofsson suffering a Covid-infection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 14:50

      And confirmed on UEFA’s website

      Delete
  44. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 16:41

    Could it be that UEFA is waiting with the group D appointments in the hope that either Hussein or Adamkova will test negative?

    ReplyDelete
  45. Quilava16 July 2022 at 21:38

    Why does Welch keep two YCs in the same shorts pocket?

    I fail to see the 'functionality' there, first time I see such a card showing procedure.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Ex Eng Ref16 July 2022 at 21:52

    Think you will find one is to write on, she produces together, then turns one to fill it in.

    Other than that, very good half, in what has been quite a low key game given that at least 1 of the teams needs to win

    ReplyDelete
  47. Ecosse16 July 2022 at 22:46

    If enough referees are sidelined with covid is there a possibility of one of the reserve referees getting a match or is that unlikely

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16 July 2022 at 22:53

      Martincic and Huerta de Aza are both 4th official today and they could do group D, so I don’t think so. I really think they are waiting for a negative test from either Adamkova or Hussein so they can appoint Martincic and one of them

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 07:18

      @Anonymous They are repeating the VARs of yesterday. The appointments were announced > max 2 hours after yesterdays games, so it’s possible they wanted to wait and see if no blatant mistakes were made

      Delete
  48. Herbert17 July 2022 at 00:36

    Martincic and Adamkova appointed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 01:11

      Glad that Adamkova has recovered so soon, hope this won’t impact her performance

      Delete
  49. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 07:12

    Kavanagh back as VAR? :O

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 07:13

      Sorry *Avar

      Delete
    2. Chefren17 July 2022 at 08:21

      Yes, I think this appointment has been made because they couldn't have him at this tournament just only for a game, let's remember the AVAR has not power in terms of final decisions, all is always made by main VAR.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 09:56

      I don’t agree with you on this, Chefren. For example, in the finals that Kuipers did in the past (U20 and Euro), all the crucial decisions were made by his compatriots, who worked as AVAR (Makkelie in U20 and Van Boekel during Euro).
      And on paper the VAR is always responsible, but especially here in the Netherlands the AVARs have a very important role in terms of assisting or sometimes even overruling when they don’t agree with the VAR. But maybe in Italy it’s different…

      Delete
    4. Chefren17 July 2022 at 10:41

      Yes indeed in Italy it is different and I know this for sure and I think UEFA has the same approach about that, you can see very often young or not experienced referees in the role of AVAR.
      We can't know more about that, but surely it can also depend on the relations VAR - AVAR in case. In that case, I think that at this tournament, only main VARs take decisions. THe Portuguese (who was AVAR) would have easily denied the intervention for Kavanagh in the previous game, you should agree about that...

      Delete
  50. Philipp S17 July 2022 at 08:33

    First QF predictions
    ENG-ESP: Calderas, Rodriguez (VEN) Blanco (COL), Monzul (UKR) - Martins, Godinho (POR)
    GER-AUT: Welch, Massey, Rashid (ENG), Lehtovaara (FIN) - Mariani (ITA), Kavanagh (ENG)

    ReplyDelete
  51. Chefren17 July 2022 at 08:44

    So we can argue that it was only for COVID reasons if two referees were forced to stay with only one game in GS, Olofsson and Hussein.
    About the Swedish, maybe this could have been possible also in normal conditions, while not predictable for the German, but it would have been very interesting to see which game, in case, she would have got, after the poor first performance.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Peter17 July 2022 at 09:10

    I wonder whether we will see Austrian assistant referee Sara Telek again: She was appointed only once for GER-DEN with Esther Staubli who then was assigned to the British derby in group A (including Austria) with Franca Overtoom instead of her. Maybe Telek was intended to be paired with Riem Hussein (with whom she also was assigned to last season's Champions League final) but could not be considered due to the German's COVID issues (or Telek,too, was tested positive). Assuming that Germany's national team is the outstanding favorite against Austria, a quarter-final appointment might however be the last realistic chance for Hussein to get a second game. Another option for Telek would be to pair her again with Staubli.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 12:30

      Agree. She had a very good performance in her first game, so I would expect her in the QF, as long as COVID doesn’t interfere. Would be a shame if she would end up with only one match.

      Delete
  53. matei1417 July 2022 at 10:35

    Chefren, don`t take it as a reproach, but why don`t you update the replacements made at the top of the page like usual?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren17 July 2022 at 10:51

      You're right Matei, sorry for this miss!

      Delete
  54. Chefren17 July 2022 at 11:08

    Some incidents from Denmark - Spain

    13' - Possible free kick for a challenge by keeper
    https://streamff.com/v/876ac9
    I think that in this case, given the ball already kicked and going out, referee could have whistled without issuing any card. Not a SPA, because we can also say that with the action of kicking ball, attacker was rather interested in getting fouled afterwards. As Rebecca Welch directly made goal kick gesture, I think she made this assessment.

    26' Penalty appeal by Spain
    https://streamff.com/v/ff2768
    A very interesting situation, at first let me say absolutely correct decision by VAR to support. Then, about the call by referee, in this case I think penalty was possible for the contact made with the left (second) leg of defender against attacker, however basically you don't have the perception of a very crear foul and such situations are always at referee's discretion, so I would agree with referee, even more because she showed this approch in other occasions during the game. Also, the attacker in my opinion made everything to "feel" a contact.

    52' Possible SPA
    https://streamff.com/v/1cd87b
    My first thought about this incident is that it wasn't more than SPA in all cases, so OK by VAR again (perfect performance by Van Boekel in this game). The action by defender can be seen both as "not enough", but at the same time worthy of a whistle because directly on the opponent, to stop her. In case of free kick and YC, would have been a supportable decision by the English. Never DOGSO due to the position of the ball (difficult to reach) and also possible intervention of another defender, who seems to be not 100% out.

    85' - Handball incident
    https://streamff.com/v/3a6a3f
    Clearly outside the box, that's another tricky situation, I don't know whether Rebecca Welch saw it, because I would have expected a gesture in case. These are the situations in which a referee whistles always handball due to the movement of the arm of defender and very often there is a subsequent VAR intervention. In this particular case, the big point for discussion is always the same. You can see both arms trying to protect body, but if the defender touches the ball, in that position, one could still say that arms increased body volume, for a fully correct decision perceived by all people, both arms must be close to body and the impact with ball must be frontal (on the chest). All the different circumstances make always a grey area. Indeed Van Boekel checked the incident and VAR showed that they controlling a possible penalty. Being the touch clearly outside, I think this was unnecessary and, as very important point for improvement for VAR in all VAR games, I would say that more communication is needed for other circumstances, like when a foul is a clear one but outside, but they don't communicate that. In this case all people could see it was outside, so not a strict need of sending such information.. and I think that in case of handball inside the box she would have been called to OFR because very likely she totally missed it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 11:42

      Interesting situations

      ‘26: Danish #3 plays the ball with her left leg (and slightly touches the Spanish at the same time). But I also had the perception that the Spanish player trips herself. It looks like she sticks her right leg on purpose behind the leg of Denmark #3.
      ‘52 is also interesting. The pull is an offence, however I think Rebecca decided to play on because ball was out of reach. Some by the book referees would onvioulsy whistle the foul though. For me perfect example of ‘big picture’ vs the by the book approach. Both approaches are not wrong for me!

      Delete
    2. Philipp S17 July 2022 at 11:58

      My opinions:
      13': Free kick and YC (reckless foul): I don't really see, why this tackling should be ignored.
      26' No penalty is the better decision as the attacker mostly creates the contact
      52': Blatant holding, should be a free kick and a YC (if not SPA, then LoR). It is purely the defender's fault as the holding seems completely deliberate.
      85': Absolutely grey zone. I think with current interpretation, it's more a handball than not. Some clarification is needed for these situations.

      Delete
  55. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 11:56

    I have seen the full game (DEN-ESP). A decisive game, but it was a rather fair one. Players focused on playing football. I can understand why UEFA appointed Welch despite her weak performance in the 1st game, as this game suited Welch’ style perfectly. The leniency was fully accepted by the players and didn’t lead to rough fouls or whatsoever. Welch and her team contributed to the attractive game with pace. No wait for VAR checks. I enjoyed it.

    From a disciplinary perspective, she was not faultless. 1st YC could have been saved. In 2nd there was a blatant reckless tackle unpunished. Overall picture was good. Let’s wait and see if she gets a QF assignment…

    ReplyDelete
  56. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 12:13

    Is the Final referee supposed to do a quarter final match?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren17 July 2022 at 12:15

      Given the structure of the tournament, we can at least say that this is the most expected solution, because it would be quite strange to see a referee directly to the final from group stage (of course, unless emergency reasons), and difficult as well to see a referee with both a semifinal and a final. But we can't know before...

      Delete
    2. Peter17 July 2022 at 12:30

      On the other hand: Given the number of COVID issues, UEFA maybe does not want to take any further risk and might retain the final referee directly for it. UEFA could, for example, await whether England or Spain will win the first quarter-final game, appoint the referee from the successful country for the last quarter-final game and retain the other one for the final (although I would prefer Foster as Britain's representative over Welch).

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 12:30

      Thanks. In that case, there are just 6 CR spots in the knock-out.

      The following names are ‘locked’ imo based on experience and performances:
      -Monzul (Italian VARs)
      -Lehtovaara (Martins)
      -Foster (Kwiatkowski)

      Three remaining spots are a bit more difficult.
      -Normally, almost impossible to ignore the experienced Frappart and Adamkova (?) if fully recovered, we don’t know if the virus will bother her - and if they both have good 2nd game in group stage. Let’s see.

      If both Adamkova and Frappart get a KO-game, Either Huerta (with non-Spanish VAR) or Welch (non-English VAR) can slot in as the sixth name. Unfortunately I don’t see Staubli appointed, considering her ‘treatment’ :/

      Or committee must have a different approach this time and gives younger referees a shot. COVID can also mess up things, so absolutely useless to make full predictions :)

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 12:46

      Welch has the benefit over Huerta de Aza, based on the age factor, euro in her home nation and she did a semi in CL. Although I would like to see Huerta again.
      Perhaps, Martincic can also shake things up if she has a PERFECT 2nd game, who knows

      Delete
    5. Peter17 July 2022 at 12:56

      I think that we should see Foster again: In the case that England defeat Spain, maybe in the last quarter-final game, elsewise in a semi-final game or even the final. Maybe also Monzul could be fix for the known political reasons but referees usually do not get both a World Cup and a EURO final.

      Delete
  57. Ex Eng Ref17 July 2022 at 12:52

    I think Foster will go direct to SF2, Lehtovaara and Monzul will do QFs as I think both have chance of final. Staubli is the wild card for me depending on covid outcomes. I would also give Frappert a QF based on experience.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Chefren17 July 2022 at 18:23

    OFR in SUI - NED for a penalty assigned by Iuliana Demetrescu, I think correct intervention by VAR, keeper saved ball, and then I'm not even sure there was contact with opponent after that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 18:24

      Dutch commentator completely accepts intervention and cancellation of the penalty

      Delete
    2. Herbert17 July 2022 at 18:30

      It was absolutely no penalty, it was a clear and obvious mistake and it was a very correct intervention. Good work by VAR Mariani.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 20:11

      I have to say that I am very disappointed with the refereeing including the VAR at this Euro. it hasn't been this bad in a long time. Sometimes I have the feeling that since the VAR came into existence, people no longer look at the referee's understanding of football. a pity. there are better ones. Where is kulcsar, grundbacher, nervik or permila larsson?

      Delete
  59. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 18:26

    I think the Dutch player didn’t even claim a penalty, by looking at players’ reactions this could have been avoided, I think

    ReplyDelete
  60. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 18:41

    I sure hope we don’t see Demetrescu again. Her foul derection is ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Chefren17 July 2022 at 19:55

    Long VAR analysis and OFR for the 1-3 goal, originally allowed by assistant referee, then confirmed after VAR. 5 minutes of added time not played, it starts now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 19:57

      No blame for AR, impossible to see

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 20:02

      The on-field decision was offside

      Delete
    3. Philipp S17 July 2022 at 20:03

      Difficult decision, because several questions have to be answered.
      I think, regarding offside it comes down to the question, whether the Dutch player touched the ball. If yes, then it must be offside, because the (potential) following touch by the Swiss can only be a deflection. If not, it can't be offside in any case.
      As this is a factual decision, I don't really understand the OFR for that. If the pictures don't bring clarity, the initial decision should remain.
      However, the OFR could have been done for a potential handball penalty as the arm of the Swiss player seems to touch the ball - and this might be enough for an Italian VAR...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 20:06

      But the penalty would only be if the goal was disallowed, which would be a factual decision, but the decision after OFR was goal, so I don’t think the OFR was for a penalty

      Delete
    5. Ref_170717 July 2022 at 20:12

      I kind of agree, Philipp. Either you check it by yourself (also considering that they had the proper angles to evaluate whether there was a touch by the Dutch player) and give the referee the information or you confirm the decision on the pitch as there is no proof that the decision was wrong or, after 1-2 minutes, you recognise that you would need even more time and invite the referee to decide from the proper angles.
      Personally, I always prefer to give the referee the opportunity to decide in such intransparent and complex situations. It is better for the referee (imagine you wait 4 minutes and not seeing the pictures everyone is able to see), better for the acceptance on the pitch and also quicker in the procedure.

      Delete
    6. Philipp S17 July 2022 at 20:33

      @Anonymous: Yes, good remark.

      @Ref_1707: I don't think, an OFR should be done, if there are no conclusive pictures, but instead in those cases the perception of the officials on the field should count.
      An OFR should always mean, that the VAR can say "I show you something, which you haven't seen on the field and probably changes your decision".

      Delete
  62. Daniel Bailey17 July 2022 at 19:57

    90' Very long (4+mins) VAR check, but looks to be the right decision. I don't think the attacker touches the ball, so onside and goal correct for me

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 20:02

      The ball went from Switzerland to the Netherlands and then the Swiss player probably hit it with her shoulder. It's crazy for me to decide deliberate play in the situation. In a header duel, the ball is passed from the shoulder.

      Delete
  63. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 20:00

    Crazy last minutes for AR1

    ReplyDelete
  64. Ref_170717 July 2022 at 20:03

    Endless VAR check + OFR in SUI-NED (4-5 minutes). Situation was difficult, task was to detect whether the Dutch player touched the ball. Nevertheless, 4-5 minutes only to invite Demetrescu to have an OFR is not acceptable in my opinion. If you take a long time to check an offside incident, it is better to immediately ask the referee to go to the monitor and not after a four-minute-check by yourself. Selection of the angles were good during the OFR, but the overall procedure must be improved. Hope they also checked whether the attacker was in an offside position in the moment of free kick execution as there was no intentional play by the Swiss player pursuant to the new LotG.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 22:02

      Is possible put here the clipe?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 22:09

      Anonymous, are you Pierluigi Collina?

      Delete
  65. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 20:05

    Swiss defender headed it onto the shoulder of other Swiss defender. So this was deliberate play. Dutch player did not touch it at all.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Chefren17 July 2022 at 20:09

    Prediction England - Spain quarterfinal: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 22:52

      Isn’t this the only match for Frappart? She had Sweden today so I assume she’s out for that one, she can’t do France and GER-AUT would decide the French opponent, so if she isn’t given England-Spain and France wins (quite likely I would say), she would be out already

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17 July 2022 at 22:54

      My prediction would be:
      ENG-ESP Frappart
      SWE-? Staubli
      GER-AUT Monzul
      FRA-NED Welch

      SF1 Lehtovaara
      SF2 Foster

      Final probably Monzul

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 00:14

      For me too ENG V ESP Lehtovaara / Staubli / Martins
      GER v AUT Welch/Martincic/ Van Boekel
      SWE-? Huerta de Aza/ Calderas/Sanchez
      FRA V NED Monzul/Adamkova/Valeri

      SF 1 - Frappart/Staubli/Dingbert
      SF 2 - Foster/Martincic/Kwiatlolski

      Final & 4th : Monzul and/or Lehtovaara / Valeri

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 11:02

      ENG-ESP: Frappart
      GER-AUT: Foster
      SWE-?: Staubli
      FRA-NED: Monzul

      SF: Lehtovaara, Martincic
      Final: Huerta

      Delete
    5. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 13:10

      Isn’t there an unwritten that a referee (Monzul) cant do a WC final and EURO final?

      If so, she will be assigned statigst to a semi final as she is from a neutral country

      Delete
    6. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 13:34

      I think UEFA may make an exception (politically motivated to award Ukraine something) - if not, I (22:54) would swap Monzul and Lehtovaara

      Delete
    7. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 16:46

      Surely Frappart won't get this final after 2019? Would make sense for Frappart and Monzul to do the SF. Lehtovaara, Foster, Huerta and ??? for the QF and one for the F after?

      Delete
  67. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 02:46

    The one constant I've noticed amongst most of the referees at Euro 2022. Is the worrying poor level of foul detection. A few (and I do mean "a few") referees have been somewhat better. But overall it's been quite below the expectation for referees at this level of play.
    Iuliana Demetrescu was especially weak in that aspect today. From her erroneous attempt to award a phantom PK (thank you VAR for your intervention) to her constant struggle to properly judge charges by players into players' backs. A challenge into van den Donk's back comes to mind. A play in which the Swiss player literally ran through her back. Not surprisingly van den Donk was upset with Demetrescu, only for the referee to have the gall to cop an attitude towards van den Donk for correctly admonishing the referee for her mistake. A good referee with just an ounce of tact smartly and calmly engages with the player and simply offers a, "hey my mistake, I missed it. But I'll keep an eye out for it". There's no need to get a pissy attitude with a fouled player and further escalate the situation.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 07:12

    Hey Euro-centric folks. You can take solace in the fact that the level of officiating has been just as bad, if not worse in the other Women's competitions currently being played.

    2022 CONCACAF W Championship: TBH, the level of officiating looks as if Brian Hall is still running the show with his tactics, directives, and misdirected ways. A positive aspect is that VAR has been solely run by women. At times in an erroneous manner (Chenard) though.

    2022 Copa America Femenina: Let's begin with the fact that Seneme and his fellow members of the CONMEBOL Referee Committee downplayed the importance of the tournament. Not even bothering to utilize VAR in the competition. On the field, it shows that the referees have been instructed to be as permissive and lenient as possible. Fouls not whistled and cards not given have led to matches becoming overly physical and in danger of boiling over. I must say that Braz (POR) and her UEFA crew have put in the best performance so far. Good foul recognition, presence/leadership on the pitch, and most importantly, cards were given when required, In this aspect, she totally disregarded what the CONMEBOL referees were doing.

    2022 Women's AFCON: These CAF women referees are seriously deficient in their ability to recognize fouls. What frustrates me the most about these women. Is that they try to make up for their deficiencies by attempting to intimidate the players into believing that they are right. So if you think that VAR has had to "bail out" the referees too often at the Euros. It's been worse in Africa. As we all know. Salima Mukansanga has been chosen for Qatar 2022. After seeing her performances at this competition. I'd have to say that she doesn't even have the ability to properly handle/manage a men's Sunday pub league match.

    Unlike past times, when most confederations boasted a decent pool of highly capable referees. Referees that were able to handle any match on any given day. Currently, the number of referees with those capabilities is definitely limited worldwide. But UEFA definitely has most of the top female referees currently.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 16:42

      The Concacaf Women's Championship final will be played tonight between the World champions (USA) and the Olympic champions (Canada) - the top women's match!

      Delete
  69. Lady.ref18 July 2022 at 07:27

    Well, if one female referee has to officiate a match in Qatar, it should be Frappart on some dead rubber. At least she has the experience on the highest level in her country. Don’t see it happening for Yamashita or Mukansanga. I encourage inclusivity and diversity, however quality should always prevail. Some things just take time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lady.ref18 July 2022 at 07:48

      In case you are wondering, it seems my account is already hacked. Forgot to hide e-mail. Rookie mistakes! But this works fine too.

      I’m not overwhelmed by the level of refereeing and VARs at this EURO as well. Transition period or poor leadership? I suspect the latter

      Delete
  70. Chefren18 July 2022 at 13:48

    Regarding the first QF appointment, England - Spain, I would say that they are maybe waiting for today's games because one of the two VARs could get the appointment. I see as option the Italians as well, but nobody apart from that, given that English and Spanish officials are out. I would say that, by knowing how tournament is going, UEFA would have maybe preferred to call more VARs and mostly from nations not in the tournament. The management of appointments for them, after various mistakes, seems to be really "challenging". So far we have the Portuguese and the Dutch as very reliable options... and the Polish officials the only 100% neutral option.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 13:53

      Yes I thought the same. Or they wait for the last two final matches to complete the puzzle. For instance Italy can still qualify which can influence the VAR appointments

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 14:33

      Lehtovaara [Martins] for ENG-ESP makes sense to me, otherwise no reason to delay the appointment

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 15:22

      Are the VARs at the stadium or at UEFA HQ, same as last year's men's Euro?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 15:43

      Maybe Adamkova and/or Martincic are an option for the final stages as well - the appointments could change based on whether they receive a QF or not

      Delete
  71. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 13:50

    OT
    It has been written many times on this blog that the performance principle is no longer leading for the UEFA referee committee. Rosetti & Co. want to keep FA’s happy. Let me say clear: I fully disagree.

    It may sound CRAZY and yes, a little bit ‘cynical’ from my side, but based on that observation, we can already determine the countries that are “first in line” to have a referee in one of the UEFA finals 2022/2023.

    England obviously. Michael Oliver is one of the favorites for the Supercup. I also think, Rosetti won’t hesitate to assign Anthony Taylor to the CL final or EL final, if no English teams are in the final. He is clearly one of his favorites and his age (44 in October) can be a factor as well.

    Next up, we have Poland. It has been a while since Marciniak did the Supercup (2018) and - correct me if I’m wrong - they have some influence within the board.

    Germany has pushed Siebert a lot in the last years. I can see him being assigned to one of the smaller finals within 1-2 years or so. It’s been a while for the Germans.

    For the Spaniards (Gil Manzano), it won’t take very long either.

    Björn Kuipers’ refereed the EURO final in 2021, therefore impossible to see his countryman Makkelie in a CL final on short term.

    Meanwhile, the 39 year old Dutchman and Michael Oliver (37) have already officiated more matches in their entire careers than e.g. the Italian senior Daniele Orsato (source: Transfermarkt). “Oh they still have plenty of time.”

    Yuck. Without joking: don’t take this post too seriously. This is just to illustrate the crazy leadership atm. I hope I’ll be very wrong! Let’s see… and enjoy football and refereeing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. matei1418 July 2022 at 15:05

      I agree with all the names. But hey, that is not only because politics. They are the best referees UEFA has.
      Marciniak should have whistled the UEL final last season based on performance imo, this is why I see him favourite for this season. Apart from Taylor, Makkelie is the only name that comes in my mind for the UCL.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 17:01

      I see Marciniak as one of the frontrunners for a CL final. He did a Supercup - semi final CL … the final is a logical path. Comparable to Mazic, Clattenburg. He is slightly older than Makkelie and the Polish may have the upper hand, as the Dutch just had a ref in EURO final.

      Delete
  72. pita falta18 July 2022 at 15:52

    You forgot about Vincic and Kovacs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. matei1418 July 2022 at 16:18

      I did not forgot about them but I have strong reasons to believe that neither of them will get UCL/UEL/UECL final this season.

      For Vincic, the next logical step is the UCL final. But this is way too soon. I already read in newspapers that since Ceferin started his mandate, Slovenia is the only nations to have referees in 3 European finals (2 Skomina, 1 Vincic). 2025 earliest the UCL final for Vincic imo.

      Kovacs was last season in UECL final. I am 99% sure that he won`t be in this season in UEL final because it takes place in Budapest. For UCL he might not be ready yet but if he will continue his progress like recently, 2024 could be a great year for him.

      However, both of them are an option for the Nations League Final.

      Delete
  73. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 16:44

    "Since Ceferin started his mandate, Slovenia is the only nation to have referees in 3 European finals (2 Skomina, 1 Vincic)" - if that is correct, it says it all! Wow!

    ReplyDelete
  74. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 16:56

    Also Netherlands (Kuipers in EL 2018 and EC 2021; Makkelie in EL 2020)

    ReplyDelete
  75. Peter18 July 2022 at 16:57

    And also France (Champions League: Turpin, Europa League: Turpin, Super Cup: Frappart)

    ReplyDelete
  76. matei1418 July 2022 at 17:01

    Probably the article was counting only UCL and UEL finals.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 17:29

    I have the feeling that Makkelie won’t referee the Champions League final before 2025.

    As of 2012, the EURO finals were always officiated by referees with a CL final experience.
    Kuipers refereed the Euro 2021 final. If we consider political arguments, it is almost impossible that UEFA will appoint another Dutch referee at the EURO 2024 final in Germany. Therefore, I’d rather expect that the CL 2023 and 2024 finals will be officiated by referees from countries that have a shot at EURO 2024.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. matei1418 July 2022 at 17:34

      Good point. This might indeed open some doors for Marciniak.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18 July 2022 at 17:50

      For me, it is also clear why Turpin has been pushed so much in 2022 (CL final and invitation FIFA CWC): UEFA wants him to be one of the frontrunners for the WC final 2022.

      Delete

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