Thursday 22 December 2022

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup - Selected Officials

Thank to Arbitro Internacional on Twitter, please find below the list of selected officials for Women's 2023 World Cup.



Australia & New Zealand, 20 July - 20 August 2023

UEFA
Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
Maria Ferrieri (ITA)
Cheryl Foster (WAL)
Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Marta Huerta de Aza (ESP)
Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)
Ivana Martincic (CRO)
Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Tess Olofsson (SWE)
Esther Staubli (SUI)
Rebecca Welch (ENG)

Assistant Referees:
Natalie Aspinall (ENG) 
Paulina Baranowska (POL) 
Elodie Coppola (FRA) 
Francesca Di Monte (ITA) 
Polyxeni Irodotou (CYP) 
Karolin Kaivoja (EST) 
Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE) 
Susanne Kung (SUI)
Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)
Michelle O’Neill (IRL) 
Franca Overtoom (NED) 
Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP) 
Katrin Rafalski (GER) 
Lucie Ratajova (CZE) 
Sanja Rodak (CRO) 
Maryna Striletska (UKR) 
Mihaela Tepusa (ROU)
Anita Vad (HUN)
Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)

VAR: 
Ella De Vries (BEL) 
Marco Fritz (GER) 
Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP) 
Massimiliano Irrati (ITA) 
Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP) 
Paulus Van Boekel (NED)

OFC
Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL)

Assistant Referees:
Sarah Jones (NZL) 
Maria Salamasina (SAM)

CONMEBOL
Edina Alves (BRA)
Emikar Calderas (VEN)
Maria Belen Carvajal (CHI)
Anahi Fernandez (URU)
Laura Fortunato (ARG)

Assistant Referees:
Mariana de Almeida (ARG) 
Monica Amboya (ECU) 
Neuza Back (BRA) 
Mary Blanco (COL) 
Daiana Milone (ARG) 
Leila Moreira (BRA) 
Migdalia Rodriguez (VEN) 
Loreto Toloza (CHI)

VAR:
Nicolas Gallo (COL) 
Salome Di Iorio (ARG) 
Daiane Muniz (BRA) 
Juan Soto (VEN)
Leslie Vasquez (CHI)

CAF
Vincentia Amedome (TOG)
Bouchra Karboubi (MAR)
Akhona Makalima (RSA)
Salima Mukansanga (RWA)

Assistant Referees:
Carine Atezambong (CMR) 
Diana Chikotesha (ZAM) 
Soukaina Hamdi (MAR) 
Fatiha Jermoumi (MAR) 
Fanta Kone (MLI) 
Mary Njoroge (KEN) 
Queency Victoire (MRI)

VAR:
Adil Zourak (MAR)

CONCACAF
Marianela Araya (CRC)
Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (CAN)
Melissa Borjas (HON)
Katia Garcia (MEX)
Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)
Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
Tori Penso (USA)

Assistant Referees:
Chantal Boudreau (CAN) 
Enedina Caudillo (MEX) 
Karen Diaz (MEX) 
Felisha Mariscal (USA) 
Brooke Mayo (USA) 
Kathryn Nesbitt (USA) 
Shirley Perello (HON) 
Sandra Ramirez (MEX) 
Mijensa Rensch (SUR) 
Stephanie-Dale Yee Sing (JAM)

VAR:
Carol Anne Chenard (CAN) 
Drew Fischer (CAN) 
Tatiana Guzman (NCA) 
Armando Villarreal (USA)

AFC
Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Kim Yu-Jeong (KOR)
Oh Hyeon-Jeong (KOR)
Casey Reibelt (AUS)
Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN)

Assistant Referees:
Makoto Bozono (JPN) 
Joanna Charaktis (AUS) 
Kim Kyoung-Min (KOR) 
Lee Seul-Gi (KOR) 
Park Mi-Suk (KOR) 
Heba Saadieh (PLE) 
Naomi Teshirogi (JPN) 
Ramina Tsoi (KGZ) 
Xie Lijun (CHN)

VAR:
Abdullah Al-Marri (QAT) 
Christopher Beath (AUS) 
Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)

83 comments:

  1. Really speechless about the selection of Abdullah Al Marri after what we saw. This means that Women's WC, clearly, is seen in a totally different way.
    One can also underline that it is interesting to see Beath working as VAR this time.
    About Ferrieri Caputi, as I said in past, very accelerated process to have an Italian name at this WC. Category 3 until a certain time ago, now Category 1 (thank to Cat. 2 abolishment), the only UEFA referee not belonging at moment to Elite. If you ask me, that's another signal that both FIFA and UEFA want more flexibility in selecting their referees...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't agree regarding Al Marri. Yes, he made 1 or 2 big mistakes (depending on the evaluation of TUN-FRA) at the WC and was rightly not used anymore. But should that really mean, that his career is basically over and he can't be used for future big FIFA tournaments? He apparently was seen as the number one AFC VAR at the WC - Evans had less games and Bin Jahari none.

      Delete
    2. Yes, it should be over.

      The level of actual technical incompetence he showed in FRA-TUN would astound some here if they understood. His inability to operate effectively as an AR put a referee in an impossible situation and ultimately put FIFA in a situation where it simply had to summarily dismiss a pretty valid protest. Luckily, it was a match that didn't really matter.

      And then there's the issue of his subjective judgment, where he simply failed to understand and implement very clear FIFA instructions that everyone here should no cold. And while Faghani is to blame for accepting the bad advice, this incompetence ruined the chances of a seemingly world class referee at getting the WC Final.

      He was one of the best VARs in Asia? Great. Someone needs to be the tallest midget. He was terrible. He is nowhere near what the level of a professional VAR should be. And it's embarrassing that he's invited, immediately, to another FIFA event.

      Delete
  2. OT:

    FIFA Referees from Belgium. (*)=new

    Referees:
    Lothar D’Hondt* (1994), Erik Lambrechts, Jonathan Lardot, Bram Van Driessche, Nathan Verboomen, Jasper Vergoote* (1992), Lawrence Visser

    AR:
    Nico Claes*, Yves De Neve, Jo De Weirdt, Romain Devillers, Mathias Hillaert, Florian Lemaire, Kevin Monteny, Thibaud Nijssen, Rien Vanyzere, Ruben Wyns

    VMO:
    Ella De Vries*, Erik Lambrechts, Bram Van Driessche*, Nathan Verboomen*, Lawrence Visser*

    Women referees:
    Viki De Cremer, Caroline Lanssens, Jana Van Laere*

    WAR:
    Ella De Vries, Joline Delcroix, Mélissa Lejear*, Irmgard Van Meirvenne*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! So, Alexandre Boucaut and Nicolas Laforge are out. I think they are quite good referees but unfortunately didn't impress UEFA Referees Committee.

      Delete
  3. I expect Germany will be disappointed not to see Ms Hussein in the list of UEFA referees. And I suspect that Claudia Umpierrez has fallen out of favour with Uruguay and CONMEBOL due to misogny.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ever a man of my word -- at least when it suits me :D -- so here are my reviews of the refs at FIFA WC2022 which I promised to write:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. << AFC >>

      Faghani: After pre-WC doubts, I fell back ‘in love’ with the Iranian this time. A real referee!! If some missed fouls in BRASRB are the price to pay for someone who actually leads the players and manages his games, then so be it. PORURU, contrary to his first game, was fantastic. Early card contrary to the guidelines, SPA and DtR cards contrary to what FIFA coach - he didn’t give a s**t and won my absolute respect for it. The handball is weird. Somehow I feel like because it was 1-0 -> 2-0 call he just reluctantly accepted it. FIFA had to send him home with Uruguay after the GS… I’m sorry. Idk if Faghani writes Christmas cards, but if I were Abdullah Ali Al-Athba Al-Marri, I wouldn’t be expecting one from him…

      Al-Jassim: A good(-enough) referee, terribly managed. The key point - it is nonsensical to choose such an official, who needs his cards, in modern FIFA lunacy… of course, he was the best Qatari and had to be there. I’m sorry for the third place mess, now everyone thinks he is just an idiot and he really isn’t at all. :/

      Beath: What merits did he show in MEXPOL? I didn’t see any… Elfath was ‘saved’ but I don’t think the Aussie can really complain about being thrown overboard, what second game was there for him, to which his refereeing of would have improved? I didn’t see one. Option for 2026 but he should lose out to (pitch-invaded :/) King, really.

      Mohammed: Not that good, sorry. First game was very boring and still he looked a bit shaky, so he was sacrificed on CMRSRB. Both teams were kicking, pushing, aggro-ing each other for the first half-an-hour and he was completely powerless to stop it. Then Cameroon scored and the last hour was a beautiful match! :D His merit? - NO, at least IMO, the teams just decided then to play football. Rightly ignored for a third game. Terrible tournament for AFC, the best ‘bellweather’ confederations when assessing ‘what is the state of world refereeing’ gave a clear answer…


      << CAF >>

      Gassama: WAS MINUTES AWAY FROM GETTING POLKSA!! So: he wasn’t so bad for FIFA, but his use expired when Sampaio got carried and not him… NEDQAT wasn’t great, indeed rather 6 than 7, tbh shouldn’t have been there in the first place, really.

      Sikazwe: Excellently observed by ESR - not fit enough. Even his early warning, distantly shouting at some player, was the signal that his selection was misplaced… haplessly whistling a backpass offside with his Mozambican linesman was the perfect image. Wouldn’t have taken him and unfortunately I was proved right.

      Gomes: Disappointment, a big one for me. Idk why he felt the pressure (retirement?), even walk-in-the-park FRAAUS wasn’t convincing. JPNESP was also easy and still he generated a negative resonance (not just the goal thing with another poor CAF linesman, this time from Lesotho). Deservedly nothing more. He was a good ref though overall in his career and I wish him happy retirement!

      Ghorbal: NEDECU was VERY hard. Sooooo many duels in the 1H, and survival was his aim. Succeeded, though it wasn’t pretty - it was the ultra-lenient 2H which annoyed me most. AUSDEN *was* his knockout assignment, sound performance by giving the needed cards, but nothing more. The best unrejected CAF/AFC left after GS, but did he deserve a KO game (despite good key calls with both ARs)? Not really TBH.

      Delete
    2. << CONCACAF >>

      Barton: Overrated by Law5. Nice facial expressions and ultra-lenient disciplinary only gets you so far. He didn’t activate a proper disciplinary control in either three games!! Held on in BRASUI which deserves RESPECT, not easy there, but he wasn’t really ready for sth more challenging. Not in 100% full emotional control of himself always, especially in ENGSEN. You can understand it for young Salvadorian, his format of refereeing, but still… Nice WC for him though, and obvs a big talent from what I saw in CONCACAF arena, so maybe he could reach sth in USA/MEX/CAN 2026.

      Elfath: Got found out, TBH. PORGHA was very hard and not only did he fail, he didn’t come close to succeeding. Two easy next games (for WC level) can’t change that… remember, he comes from “be an actor” school, and nice facial expressions etc don’t AUTOMATICALLY mean the players ACTUALLY respect you, etc. However, in overall scheme of everything, a decent enough ref and valuable option as NON-UEFA/CONMEBOL. Obvs denied SF by Morocco, so they had to use plan b (Ramos). I hope he has a good game when he referees WC 2026 final…

      Ramos: I hope FMF find somebody better for 2026 - Santander? Ramos Rizo? Katia García? Codesal still knows the basics?… survival was Ramos’ aim, four times he succeeded, but goodness me he is so far from the top… the best resume of modern football that nobody got injured off his refereeing in 2022!! WC2002 would be funny with such refs…

      Escobar: Hilariously bad WALIRN, I was laughing out loud for at least ten minutes after FT (no exaggeration here). Such an easy game by taking consequent action but he just refused each time :D. Did he listen in DOGSO classes, do they teach that in CONCACAF… will/can he return for 2026, there is no Hall now, let’s see.


      << OFC >>

      Conger: I underestimated him! He was fantastic in TUNFRA, without fault even. Many courageous/correct play ons. Genuinely: respect, sir! Mukansanga, Al-Marri, MD3 debut… he was set up to fail. Thanks to the incompetent Qatari VAR, he did exactly that.

      Delete
    3. << CONMEBOL >>

      Sampaio: I must say, both Brazilians proved me wrong and were quite good. POLKSA perfectly showed his merits, many in 2022 wouldn’t have been ready for this match. I liked that he showed cards when HE wanted and didn’t listen to guidelines etc. Maybe having Seneme behind you and not purely at teams/associations behest helps… obviously a decent ref but FRAENG was a bizarre/exaggerated appmnt and he messed it up at the end.

      Claus: He did well, much better than I expected to be fair. Seneme prefers not him. I started celebrating, no exaggeration, his caution for reckless stamp in ENGIRN - indeed disciplinary was no dystopia by him, which is what I expected. Definitely not at the top (still the same passive figure…) but quite good definitely and 3/3 in Brazil would be fairer than 2/4, but when Wilson prefers Wilton, there isn’t much you can do…

      Rapallini: Urgh. By far the biggest disappointment of Qatar. I even praised his personality pre-WC ffs… his performances were a joke in that regard. Got through three games (the only ‘sacrificed’ ref to actually survive… his reward was being sacrificed again :D). Did enough in terms of decisions in all three games (lost it in SRBSUI by the end but still). AFA - please find somebody else for 2026…

      Tello: Well done sir, a good tournament. Two group games delivered, ratcheted up for a QF, it wasn’t always optimal, but he did enough and passed through MARPOR. Not at the very top but a sound referee for sure, given his profile, did even really well I’d say.

      Valenzuela: Respect! A ref from Venezuela succeeded in ENGUSA and FRAPOL, you cannot tell me this isn’t impressive! His style was *actually* interesting, so that is sth for this WC… so interesting indeed that the ‘cards at a minimum’ stuff (esp in his GS tie) didn’t really bother me. Not faultless, also in Law4…, but who cares, he did well. Hopefully he can beat Llobregat (indeed the great WC refs historian’s radar missed him…) and return in 2026.

      Matonte: Sorry but what was the point of taking this guy? :D. Fourth official, gets given an easy game, another fourth official, goodbye. Andrés Cunha stayed at home for that?!? XD. Dear me… at least FIFA saw how mediocre he was, but still.

      Delete
    4. << UEFA >>

      Orsato: Another real referee, at the top, simply refereed his games as HE wanted to, did very well, bravo sir! Best thing he did - was EXTREMELY attentive to ‘seeing out’ his games, being strict in those moments, (actually) showing cards for deliberately clattering through opponent from behind with a standing foul (-> reckless), brilliant. I can’t excited about the penalty in ARGCRO, though I can about 6’ - HE WAS LUCKY THERE!! But much deserved luck. Nothing but respect for the Italian, my heartfelt compliments, he COULD run and do more than ‘siga, siga’. I’m sorry, quite genuinely, for suggesting the contrary, it was out of order on my part…

      Makkelie: I actually WAS right about his form, not much gets past me hahaha! ;). ESPGER should be shown as a referee evaluators exam - if you think he was good without problems, the door is there, if you saw a referee NOT at the top, then you understand this art and my respect… POLARG was sacrificial, actually quite easy, but the penalty was poor and then there was no place for the Dutchman after that. I DON’T BLAME HIM for being demotivated (the CL and then Al-Khelaifi WC follows…), but I hope we can see him at the top again soon.

      Taylor: Solid enough, but remember why Rosetti likes him so much - less about skills, more about GETTING IT. Luboš-lite wasn’t perfect this time (fulltime in GHAKOR, last 15mins in CROBEL), so I think FIFA were fair with him…

      Oliver: Nice tournament, again, for him - but there is a LIMIT to his success. He hit the wall in his EURO QF, and also hit sth similar in CROBRA. After (rightly) not giving a SYC in 83’, he faded into the background, was distant, and rather survived after that… we have two very solid Elite refs in England, but we are NOT talking about Quiniou/Vautrot (ie. two guys at the REAL top) that should be quite clear…

      Mateu: I’m sorry, the group stage was at the top, I can’t decide if NEDARG was sacrificial, but he tried so hard to not (have to) show a RC and in the end it was a disaster, only Escobar was worse. A very modern story, wtf could he do, but when you are such a personality, refereeing tales ALWAYS tell us you will be used like that, the sacrificial lamb, I’m really sorry… :(((

      Vinčić: Did well in ARGKSA, one of the hardest GS games, it seems everyone was guided by clown troll Hatfield and agreed he was bad… group games were probably his limit though, I agree, overall decent tournament for him.

      Siebert: All the other sacrificed refs (Rapallini to SRBSUI then MARESP, Makkelie to POLARG, Mohammed to CMRSRB, was there another one?) were victims of being BAD or below expectation. Of course it isn’t nice, but this is tournament life. However, the German can be annoyed as he was ‘punished’ for a (surprisingly) GOOD TUNAUS, very good even, and they sent him to GHAURU while keeping others safe (the same happened to Al-Ghamdi in 2010)… FIFA knew what would happen and then rejected him anyway, in front of everyone. Shame. I hope Siebert isn’t too downheartened, but GHAURU can’t have been great for the self-esteem…

      Turpin: A modern story, he could referee much better, Frenchman chose the passive way, ECUSEN was his hardest test and he passed, overall decent (enough).

      Frappart: The game went well! Fair play, even if the players were benevolent, the pressure must have been immense (see Díaz…).

      Marciniak: The master, FRADEN and especially ARGAUS were already at the TOP, this was clear to me, and the final was amazing. RESPECT!!! The best referee since THE best ever, Agnolin? Only Frisk can fight him for this title and even then… If I spoke before the tournament about the GREAT MEN of history, of refereeing, then FOR SURE this guy (“please don’t intervene because I know I’ll get it right myself”) is one. BRAVO, bravo, bravo!! Chapeau, sir.

      Delete
    5. Mikael, this is by far a more detailed analysis than the one I posted and again, thanks for all your efforts there! I didn't have the chance to go so deep because I didn't watch certain games, nevertheless one interesting point for discussion is Oliver. I read what you wrote and I absolutely agree. To make a more general statement, at least from my point of view, I never understood which style Oliver has. Differently from oter referees, very well-known and with their way of handling, I was always in trouble to understand more about the English. It seems as he just officiates a game but withouit having real extra-skills, coming out, I don't want to say that he doesn't have good skills, but just some particulars that could help us to understand more about him. I think that he is a referee a bit isolated on the field, it seems that all is about decisions making but not more. For me a very good referee deserving to stay in Elite, but I don't know how much a real talent, despite of the big experience in Premier League. I don't know what you think about that...

      Delete
    6. Mikael, I absolutely love your analysis! There's somewhere where read all your previous blogs about WC/Euros? Thanks maestro

      Delete
    7. Saudian Referee Fahad Al_Mirdasi could have good world cup if only they (TURKEY Al_Sheikh) didn't throw him away from refereeing

      Delete
    8. Great analysis Mikael! I agree 99%, only I think you are too kind to Vincic. Not good at all in ARGKSA

      Delete
  5. Does anyone know what happened to the referee from Hungary Kulcsar?

    ReplyDelete
  6. If I'm not mistaken, Heba Saadieh becomes the first Palestinian to referee at a major FIFA tournament (although she was at the U20 World Cup this past summer). She's based in Sweden and is a regular in the Damallsvenskan, but represents Palestine internationally.

    ReplyDelete
  7. No Riem Hussein is a big surprise for me! Germany has a long tradition for great women's referees and now no referee on the pitch.
    Also Katalin Kulscar just disappeared...

    It is just a scandal for me that 39-year-old Claudia Umpierrez was not selected after a conflict within her oen federation.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Interesting article by Rafał Rostkowski:
    https://sport.tvp.pl/65243436/rafal-rostkowski-szymon-marciniak-co-tydzien-moze-sedziowac-w-czolowych-ligach-swiata

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was thinking that maybe I could change the photo that appears on the Wikipedia pages of some of the top referees to a more recent one. But there are copyright issues. Any idea where I could find some good free license images? Getty Images is a huge, very good database, but this is not an option. I tried to update Marciniak`s photo with one from WC a few days ago but it was deleted by a bot. There are a couple of free images websites but the images are shitty or too old.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you take a screenshot of the TV broadcast would that be considered a copyright violation?

      Delete
    2. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Screenshots
      From my understanding, no, I can`t use them. I think I'll give up.

      Delete
  10. Anyone know when the UEFA Referees Categories will be announced for the second half of the 2022/2023 season?

    ReplyDelete
  11. OT FIFA Referees from Finland
    Referees: Mohammad Al-Emara, Joni Hyytiä, Antti Munukka, Oliver Reitala* (1994), Petri Viljanen
    AR: Jan-Peter Aravirta, Jukka Honkanen, Olli Jantunen*, Mika Lamppu, Veli-Matti Leppänen, Juuso Mantere, Sami Nykänen, Turkka Valjakka, Riku Vihreävuori
    Women referees: Ifeoma Kulmala, Lina Lehtovaara, Minka Vekkeli, Lotta Vuorio*
    Women AR: Heini Hyvönen, Laura Koskinen*, Alisa Levälampi, Jenni Paavolainen, Tonja Weckström

    ReplyDelete
  12. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=667094391864397&set=a.596251642282006

    We ended this WC with the sensation of overused CONMEBOL and underused AFC (strange management anyway), but the number of appoinment is surpisingly identical to that of 2018 edition. The true winner is: CONCACAF !!

    ReplyDelete
  13. FIFA romanian referees: Ovidiu Hațegan, Istvan Kovacs, Radu Petrescu, Horațiu Feșnic, Andrei Chivulete, Marcel Bîrsan, Marian Barbu, Iuliana Demetrescu, Alina Peșu, Ana Maria Terteleac, Cristina Trandafir, AR:Vasile Marinescu, Ovidiu Artene, Mircea Grigoriu, Sebastian Gheorghe, Radu Ghinguleac, Valentin Avram, Mihai Marica, Alexandru Cerei, George Neacșu, Ferencz Tunyogi, Petruța Iugulescu, Mihaela Țepușă, Alexandra Apostu, Daniela Constantinescu, Roxana Ivanov VAR: Ovidiu Hațegan, Istvan Kovacs, Radu Petrescu, Horațiu Feșnic, Marcel Bîrsan, Andrei Chivulete, Iuliana Demetrescu, Sebastian Colțescu, Cătălin Popa, Marian Barbu Only changes are in AR list, where George Neacsu and Ferenc Tunyogi replaced Mircea Orbulet and Vladimir Urzica.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://law5-theref.blogspot.com/2022/12/abdulrahman-al-jassim-in-third-place.html?showComment=1671352955763#c4925730035646996736

      Delete
  14. In general i think the VAR selecthetion of this tournament shows a massive weakness of the developments in FIFA. One could argue that the experience level of the women VAR are too low due to missing national training in national women competitions, but are Irrati, Fischer etc. the best at assesing situations at FIFA W WC. I am not to sure, but it is the safe choice, but it is a missed chance to enhance skill level of women VARs and thats a shame.

    ReplyDelete
  15. German AR Jan Seidel gave an interview about his WC experiences:
    Basically, I found the tournament very positive. From the whole organisation around it, from the weather conditions as well, of course. And the tournament itself went well for us, so we can be satisfied.
    We worked a lot in the physical area. We've had a fitness trainer at the DFB for years who supports us, who also does one-to-one training - if desired - and plans a unit for each day. Depending on what the body needs and what the requirements are for a tournament. In cooperation with a physio's practice in Berlin and a second physio, I then tried to develop an optimal training plan, which started in the summer. From then on, I kept it up until the World Championships.
    During the WC, it was wanted, that we watch as many games as possible. So that you can learn something from the others when things are going well. That you know what's going on, what's being discussed or what might be interesting scenes in terms of rules. For years, our team has been discussing sensitive issues by mobile phone during matches. That was also the case at the World Cup. I can say that I really followed every game. I've never managed to do that completely before.
    We analyzed every WC game [with Siebert and Foltyn] and partly also with the two [German] video assistants, who were, however, often with other teams. Our team often watched together. There was a common room where we could do that. And when it was late, everyone watched in their own room. We then evaluated the important scenes via chat or at breakfast the next day. In addition, FIFA held a "debriefing" every day after a match, i.e. a meeting where the most important scenes were discussed. That gave you one more reason to watch the games, so you knew what it was all about and you were meaningful.
    We also had the chance to explore Doha a bit in the hours when we were free and there was no football. Two or three times we were in the city and had a little look at the old town, which was very nicely decorated. With lots of restaurants. From Azerbaijani to Georgian restaurants, everything was there. I didn't expect that either. If you go there and you don't know Doha, you might also think that there are three high-rise buildings there and that's it (laughs).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A World Cup is different from a Champions League match. We had also officiated a Champions League quarter-final second leg recently, so that's close, I'd say. But the World Cup is simply something special. You have to try to keep the emotions as low as possible and judge the scenes objectively. And I think that's generally easier for the referees than for the players, as we've seen.
      @GHAURU: We had tried to fade out all these constellations in the group in the sense that we wanted to concentrate on the scenes as much as possible. But of course you have to know that when a team scores a goal, like South Korea, Uruguay suddenly needs a third goal, which wasn't necessary before. And it was precisely at that point, when the goal was scored against Portugal, that you saw it start to get critical and emotional. Up to that point, the game was under control. You can see from that that the cause was rather the result of the parallel match. And it's then difficult to slow the players down and bring them down.
      We have agreed with the video referee that when important scores occur that are relevant for our game, we want to have the information. That also helps us in the match management, because we know that from now on every decision is really brutally important and you have to take a closer look and put a special focus on individual scenes. So we have the knowledge that a striker might now try to get something out of it because they can't do it playfully. That's what happened to us. You have to be prepared for that. With all the critical decisions, though, I have to give Daniel a lot of credit. He was standing very close and analysed it very well. Both penalty decisions were the way FIFA wants them to be. That was also confirmed the next day.
      Of course, from Uruguay's point of view, it was frustrating. And it's nothing new that the players, some of whom were playing in their last World Cup, get frustrated and try to channel this frustration somewhere and direct it at the referees. I think Daniel reacted very strongly with his body language and handed out cards after the end of the game. But no matter what you would have done in this situation, you wouldn't have been able to calm the players down. There's nothing to be gained from that and you should go to the dressing room as quickly as possible. Because every second you stay out there, it gets worse.

      Delete
    2. We were one of ten European referee teams at the World Cup - and by far the least experienced team, both in terms of age and international experience. In addition, we had not yet refereed a European final. All the other nine had. Therefore, it was clear to us that it would be a great achievement if we managed two matches. You could also see that great referees went home with one game or none at all. Those were the ones who were more affected. We can be satisfied with our tournament. Hopefully we can build on that at the next tournament.
      A World Cup match is the best thing you can achieve. The first World Cup game we refereed, Australia against Tunisia, gave me the shivers before the game. Because you realised what you had achieved. More is not possible. The World Cup is the greatest thing ever.
      We tried to approach these games as routinely and down-to-earth as possible. But you have to say retrospectively that the pressure situation at the World Cup is different when you realise that the whole world is watching. And what adds to that is that we didn't have a European team in the two games. We are very used to European football. There are other systems of play, other characters and a different temperament. You saw that with the Moroccans, for example, with how much passion they play football. And Uruguay was like that too.
      In terms of age, we are not yet the ones talking about the last tournament. We still have a perspective. Once we've calmed down a bit and come to terms with everything, the next big goal is the Euro in our own country, that's clear.
      Actually, our plan was not this World Cup, but the next one. The last two years have been very steep and unexpectedly uphill. That's why we are still sticking to the idea that "our" World Cup should come in four years.
      Source: https://www.sportschau.de/regional/rbb/rbb-die-drucksituation-bei-der-wm-ist-eine-andere-100.html

      Delete
    3. Agree very much with what he says. And I am very happy that it seems that they are Not too unsettled because of the Uruguay Players

      Delete
    4. Thank you very much for translating the article!

      Delete
    5. "We were one of ten European referee teams at the World Cup - and by far the least experienced team, both in terms of age and international experience. In addition, we had not yet refereed a European final. All the other nine had. Therefore, it was clear to us that it would be a great achievement if we managed two matches. You could also see that great referees went home with one game or none at all. Those were the ones who were more affected."

      This part really hurt me...

      Delete
    6. Because they don't think to have the same chances Like others or because others had Just one game that were more experienced?

      Delete
    7. Lovely to read, thank you for sharing! It is certainly interesting to learn that FIFA viewed his decision in the 58th minute correct, there was a lot of debate here about that one, of course. And also, something that I was asking earlier in the tournament is answered: for Siebert at least, he wanted the VAR feeding him score updates from the opposite match, and it is explained quite well here why that is a benefit: it is a big inflection point in his own match, and the best referees need to be aware of such moments.

      Delete
    8. For those who are interested, I also recommend the statements by the final officials already translated under this post:
      http://law5-theref.blogspot.com/2022/12/analysis-marciniak-masterclass-polish.html

      Delete
  16. Janny Sikazwe and Victor Gomes have retired. My best wishes to both of you, guys!. You were great ambassadors of African refereeing!

    https://www.facebook.com/FootballAssociationZambia/videos/548637900230843/

    https://www.news24.com/sport/soccer/psl/charismatic-ref-victor-gomes-retires-after-flying-sa-flag-at-qatar-world-cup-20221220

    ReplyDelete
  17. OT: Check out my website refereekithistory.com for a complete history of kits worn in World Cups (and other leagues too). 2022 WC just added – all WCs from 1978 to present are there.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Interesting incident in Saudi King's Cup R16 game between al-Hilal and al-Ittifaq. It seems that Istvan Kovacs changed his initial YC decision himself after seeing studs marks on a fouled player's leg (or after an unofficial advice from Ovidiu Hategan). What are your thoughts? Reckless or SFP?

    https://streamable.com/dbsvr2

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely SFP, clear on replay. Al Dawsari is lucky to not break his leg

      Delete
    2. Saying that changing card colour is risky. I understand the temptation (assuming you’ve missed something obvious) but Atkinson did it to Son a few years ago which was an awful call

      Delete
    3. RC definitely not a mistake, the foul is, let's say, unusual, but the intensity is high and contact is clear. However, this is exactly the kind of management I want referees to avoid. If Hațegan's advice, then go for OFR. But I think that Kovacs took the whole responsabilty for decision.
      To sum it up: for me, YC - supportable; RC - preferably; at least uninspired management

      Delete
  19. Finally, AIA has published the choices for 2023.

    https://www.aia-figc.it/news/simone-sozza-davide-imperiale-aleandro-di-paolo-martina-piccolo-e-davide-innaurato-nominati-internazionali-20924/

    As expected, Sozza new FIFA referee, he will remain in the VAR list. New assistant referee Imperiale, replacing Preti (he was in Orsato's team). New VAR official Di Paolo, absolutely deserved.

    Orsato confirmed on the list, more particular changes could have been made, but as always, AIA doesn't want to take "extreme" decisions, delaying always on important matters (Pairetto, Fabbri...).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "He will remain in the VAR list" I meant Irrati, replaced as referee!

      Delete
  20. OT:

    FIFA Referees from Portugal. (*)=new

    Referees:
    Artur Soares Dias, João Pinheiro, Tiago Martins, Fábio Veríssimo, Luís Godinho, António Nobre, Vítor Ferreira, Gustavo Correia and Miguel Nogueira.

    AR:
    Paulo Soares, André Campos, Rui Teixeira, Pedro Mota, Paulo Brás, Pedro Ribeiro, Bruno Jesus, Tiago Costa, Pedro Martins and Luciano Maia*

    VAR:
    Artur Soares Dias, Tiago Martins, João Pinheiro, Luís Godinho, Hugo Miguel, André Narciso*, Fábio Melo* and Hélder Malheiro*

    Women referees:
    Sandra Bastos, Catarina Campos, Sílvia Domingos, Teresa Oliveira and Filipa Cunha*

    WAR:
    Andreia Sousa, Olga Almeida, Vanessa Gomes, Cátia Tavares and Ana Lóide Silva*

    ReplyDelete
  21. Alves Batista, Borjas and Staubli are the candidates.
    In my opinion

    ReplyDelete
  22. One should maybe start from the officials called at Men's WC to make this list of possible candidates. So Yamashita and Mukansanga could be considered to have something more than the others (Frappart is left out because she officiated last final). In addition, I think that some names made by Diego are correct, Borjas has a very big reputation, Alves Batista as well having attended Men's tournaments in past. Keighley had an outstanding 2015 World Cup in which she could hava been assigned to final, rewarded with a semifinal. In 2019 not the same good performances, and now let's see for her third WC. A path that looks similar to Irmatov so far, hopefully for her with a different outcome in the third edition. But as always, that's only on paper... and nothing more.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Chefren please i need how much incidents ofr var interventions in wc 2022 ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can read here the excellent work by Mike (Victoria Gooner) with all VAR interventions listed in all games, including exact reason: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HMk0QYNLmuUToZrTA0S9TBsUJpp9-YPX3Zab7qO-lvE/edit

      Delete
  24. Does anyone know the Saudi Arabia appointments for today?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sven Jablonski (GER) has Al-Ittihad vs Al-Taawon (VAR Daniel Schlager)

      César Ramos (MEX) has Al-Nasr vs Al-Hilal (VAR Ovidiu Hategan)

      Delete
    2. al-Ittihad - at-Ta'awun
      Sven Jablonski - Mark Borsch, Robert Kempter - Abdullah ash-Shahri
      [Daniel Schlager, Fahad al-'Umari]

      an-Nasr - al-Hilal
      César Ramos - Alberto Morín, Miguel Hernández - Majid ash-Shamrani
      [Ovidiu Alin Hațegan, Badr ash-Shamrani]

      Delete
    3. Does anyone know why the foreign referees sent to Saudi Arabia?

      Delete
    4. The same as in Greece, Cyprus and others: local (big) teams don't trust / accept / respect local referees for the biggest games.

      Delete
    5. Which in turn serves to demotivate and limited the growth and advancement of the local referees. The reason why Greece will not have a World Cup referee any time soon.

      Delete
  25. Still the worst news coming for Guida, forced to leave the game today after the long absence, due to another physical problem, replaced by fourth official in the middle of second half... very sad for him. I think his career could be in danger at moment. We will see.
    Meanwhile we have the first full female trio ever in serie B (so far only a maximum of two officials out of three had been women in serie A or B) with Ferrieri Caputi coming back from Bayern - Benfica in Women's CL with Di Monte and Trasciatti, in charge of Frosinone - Ternana today (Rocchi is at stadium to observe them).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very sad, he was in a very strong position to get the promotion to the Elite Category. :(

      Delete
  26. It went unnoticed but Nawaf Shukrallah ended his referee career in October. He has become a refereeing analyst for Saudi Sports Channel. Thanks for everything, Nawaf (and good luck in your new role)!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CjqIW6xtCAn/

    ReplyDelete
  27. Before every Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 game referees paid tribute to Johan Hamel who has passed away on 16 November at the age of 42 after suffering a stroke in training.

    https://streamable.com/p3uzho

    ReplyDelete
  28. Quite a controversial match for Turpin.

    5 correct bookings,but not consistent in match at all.

    No protection for a player like Neymar at all,players can foul him all they want and get away with it.
    That's not just Turpin's problem ,but whole Ligue 1 refs are struggling with that, also PSG are difficult to ref cause they have some hot heads in their team.

    Then penalty in last seconds.

    Too easy on the whistle,but I was expecting that cause maybe he had feeling that he needed to compensate some things.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Masterpiece from Clément Turpin at Parc des Princes. A coherent first half, without cards, rather close to the Turpin we saw at the World Cup: in dialogue with the players, preferring pedagogy and warnings rather than cards. And then he freed himself in the second half, where I found the pre-Covid Turpin who was flying over all his matches, not afraid to issue cards. The decision to send off Neymar for two yellow cards in 2 minutes (the second one for simulation) is sensational, and would have been widely applauded if it had been whistled by a certain Polish referee in a certain World Cup final :)

    https://streamable.com/b5dnwp

    It is an absolutely masterful refereeing decision!
    Another positive point is his communication with the players, which is permanent throughout the game. He ensures the confidence of the players and really excels in this field.
    The only negative point is the confusion at the end of the game. Turpin whistled a penalty, but in the next second a goal was scored: he should have let the advantage go (complicated when a penalty must be whistled! 99% of the referees would have whistled but to leave the advantage would have been wonderful).
    Bravo Mr Turpin! He showed that we could count on him for the end of the season!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let's call this the "Marciniak effect," as I'm not sure Turpin wouldn have whistled that had not Marciniak first given a YC for simulation in the WC final. I would love to see more referees follow suit, but the thing is that players aren't ready for a stringent enforcement of that rule, as evidenced by Neymar's reaction. It would be like a police officer letting everyone speed over 100 km per hour and then suddenly start pulling everyone over for doing the same.

      Delete
    2. Sorry but no way that was masterclass.

      He struggled in managing Neymar and fouls towards him.

      Yes 2 bookings he showed to him were correct,but minutes earlier same foul happens on him and not even foul was whistled.

      Good match,but masterclass,com on now.



      Delete
    3. Really unfair to Turpin to call the 2CT "the Marciniak effect." A star player just got a deserved caution less than a minute earlier, for which he protested in the referee's face. How many elite referees (a UCL Final referee, no less) would simply ignore a blatant attempt at cheating 30 seconds later?

      Let's not get too wrapped up with making Qatar the center of our universe. Turpin would have made the same decision in this spot in October as he did yesterday, I'm quite sure of it.

      Delete
    4. "A deserved caution" / "for which he protested in the referee's face"

      I'm not a Neymar fan at all, but I can totally understand Neymar's dissents here.

      Turpin applied his usual 'surviving modus' style, mediocre, saving early YC's, saving blatant YC's, trying to be as lenient as possible in a wrong way.

      Neymar was fouled many times before his 1st YC but no YC's were shown or not even a whistle was blown. Can imagine he was annoyed although it didn't look pretty. Turpin was inconsistent. The 2nd YC was well-spotted - I liked that. Finally the penalty kick. Soft and supportable however, should've waited for the advantage - player was already cheering the goal. If that penalty kick was missed, boy oh boy... The referee would be screwed in Paris.

      I conclude, very well spotted simulation. Other than that, weak performance.

      Delete
    5. With all due respect Sir, I don't think you watched the game carefully. Turpin's handling of the Neymar case was quite precise and gradual. During the first half, Neymar was fouled 3 times. During the third foul, Turpin took the Strasbourg captain aside and gave him a warning (indicating with his fingers the number 3, for 3 fouls, and clearly indicating that the next foul on Neymar would be punished with a yellow). This happens in the 40th minute.

      After half-time, in the 49th minute, Neymar receives a 4th foul and the offender is immediately booked by Turpin. Thereafter, Neymar will suffer 2 careless fouls, making 6 in total. The two cautions for Neymar are then correct and even brave. The management was excellent.

      Delete
    6. Ref +1. It does seem like people really aren't watching the games properly.

      Delete
  30. It is not 100% confirmed, but everything seems to indicate that the American Jair Marrufo has withdrawn.
    He hasn't whistled a game since July 16 and there are several reports that he is gone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing is publicly confirmed, but I think it's highly doubtful Marrufo will ever whistle again. The only question seems to be whether he's an MLS VAR or some sort of administrator.

      There allegedly was a plan for him to take over CONCACAF from Hall after WC22, but that might have been short-circuited by Hall's early departure and Rizzoli's presence. I believe both Marrufo and Rizzoli have applied to replace Webb at PRO, but of the two only Rizzoli is a serious candidate. If Rizzoli goes to PRO, perhaps Marrufo goes to CONCACAF--but, as you might imagine, I don't think that's a good idea as Marrufo has no managerial experience.

      Will be very interesting to see where Marrufo lands. He might be stuck as a VAR.

      Delete
  31. With all of this about the Women's World Cup, we know that there are still 3 remaining slots that will be defined in February.
    Specifically, in group F, where France, Jamaica and Brazil are (subtracting 1 team) BUT, if I'm not wrong, the winner of Route C would be reaching this group.
    But on Route C they are fighting for their ticket: Paraguay, Panama, Papua New Guinea and Chinese Taipei.

    Seeing this, if Paraguay wins Route C, they would be sharing a group with Brazil...From the SAME confederation

    If Panama wins Route C, it would be sharing a group with Jamaica...From the SAME confederation

    If Chinese Taipei or Papua New Guinea win, there would be no problem with the confederations...But...If logic prevails, the favorites are Panama and Paraguay but if this happens, the rule would be breaking...

    So?
    Either I'm completely wrong and I read it wrong or it's an organization error...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The same happens in group E, where the United States, Vietnam and the Netherlands are.
      1 ticket is missing, it is being disputed by Cameroon, Thailand and Portugal in Route A of the playoffs.

      Suppose Thailand surprises and qualifies...Thailand and Vietnam are from the same confederation...right?

      Then??

      Delete
    2. I understand your point but to reduce confusion and complications for the draw, FIFA only used the confederation of the SEEDED team(s) to restrict the confederations, and in the case of Route A, this was Portugal, Route B was Chile, and Route C was Chinese Taipei and Papua New Guinea

      Delete
    3. Adding to that, it was mathematically impossible to create a draw with only one (two for UEFA) teams per confederation. As play-off C contains AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and OFC, the only valid draw would be to put it in a group with 2 UEFA and 1 CAF. However, all CAF teams were in the same pot as the play-off placeholders, so they couldn't be drawn against any of them. As Gabriel stated, they use the confederation of the seeded team(s) to try and keep the confederation rules assuming the "expected" team wins the play-off.

      Delete
  32. OT: In their WC refereeing review, DFB focussed on the following scenes:
    1) RC in WALIRN (Escobar): Correct for both SFP and DOGSO. Referee should write SFP in the match report, because it is the heavier offence.
    2) JPNCRC (Oliver): Foul by Calvo should be a RC for DOGSO.
    3) BRAKOR (Turpin): Penalty is correct (careless kicking)
    4) QATSEN (Mateu): Afif vs Sarr: Correct no penalty (contact caused by unnatural movement by the attacker)
    5) BELCAN (Sikazwe): Correct handball penalty (left arm unnaturally away from the body)
    6) PORURU (Faghani): Wrong handball penalty (arm position resulting from a natural body movement)
    7) FRAPOL (Valenzuela): Officials should have detected the jewelry earlier. After the detection, they shouldn't have stopped the game until it was removed, but let the player do it while the game continues.
    8) TUNFRA (Conger): Goal decision may be changed after the end of the game, but not after a restart.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Ending 2022 in style with another derailed match under Lahoz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What an insightful observation, mr. Hans.

      Delete
    2. Tbh yeah, Mateu Lahoz's performance in the Catalan derby just now was a mess.

      Delete
    3. Yes he is to blame.

      But also complete Barca team,from the start they complained and did not agree with his style and decisions.
      When you go into the match like that,no wonder we saw what we saw today.
      Even before the match they were not happy with his appointment and what more to expect?

      No ref is good for them,they will always claim that they got robbed and that's sadfrom a club like that.

      Penalty was great decision,but card management oh my...

      Delete
  34. It is time for Mateu to retire! Something is wrong there. Scandalous penalty, I can't believe he whistled that minimum contact as a PK. He was praised here for not whistling IMO clear penalties recently, even on the WC and then he gave PK for this. And after that what he did - no words!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Clear penalty,Alonso removed Espanyol's player boot.

      If that's not pk,then I dont know what is.

      Delete
    2. Thought it was an excellent penalty tbh. The guys boot came off as a result of the contact.

      Delete

Thank you for writing a comment on our blog!