Discussing referees' performances at 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
Group Stage, MD2
Group G
Sunday 22 June 2025, 18:00 CET
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Juventus (ITA) - Wydad Casablanca (MAR)
Referee: Said Martinez HON
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez HON
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez HON
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Video Assistant Referee: Erick Miranda MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Shaun Evans AUS
Support Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Al Marri QAT
Group H
Sunday 22 June 2025, 21:00 CET
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Real Madrid CF (ESP) - Pachuca (MEX)
Referee: Ramon Abatti BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniolo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves BRA
Fourth Official: Espen Eskas NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Juan Lara CHI
Support Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Group H
Monday 23 June 2025, 00:00 CET
Audi Field, Washington
FC Salzburg (AUT) - Al Hilal (KSA)
Referee: Wilton Sampaio BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Boschilia BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires BRA
Fourth Official: Jean Jacques Ndala Ngambo COD
Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo COL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal USA
Support Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Group G
Monday 23 June 2025, 03:00 CET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Manchester City (ENG) - Al Ain (UAE)
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal ALG
Assistant Referee 1: Mokrane Gourari ALG
Assistant Referee 2: Abbes Akram Zerhouni ALG
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani IRN / AUS
Video Assistant Referee: Mahmoud Ashour EGY
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Leodan Gonzalez URU
Support Video Assistant Referee: Fu Ming CHN
Group B
Monday 23 June 2025, 21:00 CET
Rose Bowl, Los Angeles
Atlético Madrid (ESP) - Botafogo (BRA)
Referee: César Ramos MEX
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin MEX
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bisguerra MEX
Fourth Official: Gustavo Tejera URU
Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Erick Miranda MEX
Support Video Assistant Referee: Tatiana Guzman NCA
Group B
Monday 23 June 2025, 21:00 CET
Lumen Field, Seattle
Seattle Sounders (USA) - Paris Saint Germain (FRA)
Referee: Cristian Garay CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Rocha CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal CHI
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Lara CHI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo COL
Support Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Group A
Tuesday 24 June 2025, 03:00 CET
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
FC Porto (POR) - Al Ahly (EGY)
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno VEN
Fourth Official: Omar Al Ali UAE
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Soto VEN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Leodan Gonzalez URU
Support Video Assistant Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Group A
Tuesday 24 June 2025, 03:00 CET
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Inter Miami (USA) - Palmeiras (BRA)
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Michael Oliver ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Shauns Evans AUS
Support Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Al Marri QAT
Tuesday 24 June 2025, 21:00 CET
Geodis Park, Nashville
Auckland City (NZL) - Boca Juniors (ARG)
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Jean Jacques Ndala Ngambo COD
Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rob Dieperink NED
Support Video Assistant Referee: Mahmoud Ashour EGY
Group C
Tuesday 24 June 2025, 21:00 CET
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
SL Benfica (POR) - Bayern München (GER)
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Espen Eskas NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Jerome Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Support Video Assistant Referee: Hamza El Fariq MAR
Group D
Wednesday 25 June 2025, 03:00 CET
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Espérance de Tunis (TUN) - Chelsea (ENG)
Referee: Yael Falcon ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Del Yesso ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez ARG
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo COL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
Support Video Assistant Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Group D
Wednesday 25 June 2025, 03:00 CET
Camping World Stadium, Orlando
Los Angeles FC (USA) - Flamengo (BRA)
Referee: Salman Falahi QAT
Assistant Referee 1: Ramzan Al Naemi QAT
Assistant Referee 2: Majdi Al Shammari QAT
Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Benitez PAR
Video Assistant Referee: Mohammed Obaid Khadim UAE
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Al Marri QAT
Support Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
A few remarks on the MD3 referee appointments.
ReplyDeleteInter vs. River Plate was the perfect match for Barton. My interpretation; FIFA wants to keep Barton on board a little longer. MD3 matches can be more (media) sensitive, since teams that are eliminated often feel free to publicly criticize and blame the referee for their loss. Tantashev, who isn’t AFC’s number one, gets the challenge. Meanwhile, Faghani can start prepping for the knockouts. I have to say, the “shelter strategy” is a bit disappointing.
Zwayer doing Urawa twice is definitely odd. He obviously can’t officiate Fluminense because they share a group with Dortmund. Still, I find this policy hard to read. Maybe this is the perfect kind of game to keep Zwayer in the tournament a little longer? Also kind of… tucked away?
And then there’s Letexier, who seems to fast-track straight into the knockouts, even though there are clearly tougher matches than Benfica–Bayern. I have thoughts about that — especially considering Turpin had the better season, by far.
A thankless task for Nyberg. On one hand, he deserved more after his first match. On the other hand, there are many European heavyweights present, and FIFA is treating this tournament with deadly seriousness…
And finally: Eskas as fourth official is not a good sign. No trace of István Kovacs — and if he were still around, surely we would’ve seen him as a fourth official by now.
you forgot that still we have games in Group G and H. and, also we have City vs Juve. also, i don't know the situation from group H where is Real Madrid.
DeleteI've been very critical of Vincic before, but last night he adapted very well to a typical "Copa Libertadores"-style game. He could have shown a couple more yellow cards, but he always had control of the game and stood firm in an extremely difficult match to referee. That only comes with experience as a referee. He dismissed the players' complaints when they asked for a red card, and he spoke when necessary. He showed the appropriate yellow cards, and the expulsions were correct. He perfectly understood the atmosphere and the temperature of the match. In other words, he applied the rules, but he also understood the game. Very well for him.
ReplyDeleteWell, the performances of Vincic this year remember me to a rollercoaster. At least he is on top now.
DeleteJuve 7 is making this game more difficult for the officials all by himself. Exaggerating every little contact trying to get his opponents in trouble. Other than that, not too much for Martinez to do, he's managed well...
ReplyDeleteThere were at least 2mins of stoppages in ET for injuries, he could have allowed that corner
Agree. Similar approach to his first game, a rather early but soft YC (soft stamp on heel in 23‘ to WAC#22) but then no more card issued and even a clear SPA offence ignored in 37‘.
DeleteCautioned WAC#22 has to be careful in 2nd half, a few borderline fouls committed already.
48' clear YC missed for reckless and also reaction by player after foul whistled, very poor this one!
ReplyDeleteAlso missed YC on thuram and on the foul on Cambiaso
Delete49' The whistle had long long gone before that ball was kicked completely across the pitch. Yes, the Juve player needing treatment means no real delay, but that was blatant
ReplyDelete61' Again, kicking the ball forcefully well after the whistle, followed by imaginary card waving. There is zero reaction to any of this from Martinez, meaning its starting to happen more and more, and the temperature is rising
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't like at all this officiating, from some aspects, not so different from Ramos...
ReplyDeleteHow bad is this refereeing from Martinez…
ReplyDeleteI didn’t catch his first game, how did he do if someone saw it??
I thought he was pretty good in his first game, close to very good
Delete90'+3' Vlahovic wins a penalty by initiating a fall and exaggerating a soft contact. To me, not even a foul.
ReplyDeleteVery soft penalty, but not totally wrong. Not convincing display by the referee from Honduras.
DeleteRed card by Abatti. Very clear and the way Madrid have been playing, it’s been coming..
ReplyDeleteIt's not even a foul, he grabbed the shirt but he didn't really pull it to justify the fall. Also not a clear goal scoring opportunity whatsoever.
DeleteI think you’re on your own there, presumably you’re a Madrid fan too so your judgement is clouded somewhat. As clear dogso as it gets
DeleteIt is a very clear red card, if you want to question on the foul, OK, but once whistled, it doesn't exist any explanation to justify no RC.
DeleteThe pull is soft/fleeting and the player exaggerates the fall, but a foul/RC is still the expected decision. Clear Dogso once given... I do think a LoR holding could (should) have been cautioned in the 4th min, but the trend is to not open cards early with situations like that
DeleteOnce whisteled var can’t intervene.
DeleteClear rc good spot
ReplyDeleteA few minutes ago possible penalty, keeper playing ball but then committing an "unexpected" step on foot on opponent, I think we could describe it in this way. Fully agree that this wasn't a clear and obvious mistake, given the totally unexpected situation and the full fair action before.
ReplyDeleteIn these cases, it's important to remember that the attacker has to take responsibility as well - where's the keeper supposed to put the foot? IMO the first one on the ball should never be punished unless they are doing something very dangerous.
DeleteI don't have the time but the long check for a potential PK for Pachuca was a really close call, that for me could have been an OFR and possibly a PK at the end
ReplyDeleteAbout Martinez: In his first game the performance was good, now just average imo. His technical skills are great, but he still needs to act more precautious in terms of disciplinary issues. But maybe some guys on CONCACAF would not like him doing that...!?
ReplyDeleteClear penalty missed by ghorbal especially as he had a good view. Var saved him.
ReplyDeleteAlso had to rescind Aït Nouri's yellow card given for SPA
DeleteHmm. Regarding the management of the French officials:
ReplyDeleteLet’s suspect that Clément Turpin will be appointed for Thursday’s Juventus–City clash. That would make sense, especially now that his compatriot François Letexier has been handed Real Madrid. But the timing of Turpin’s second appearance — very late in the group stage — doesn’t exactly bode well for his knock-out stage prospects. With little rest time available before the Round of 16, and considering referees typically need a period of (mental) recovery and downtime, it suggests Turpin may not be in FIFA’s primary plans for the later stages. At this point, both Michael Oliver and Slavko Vinčić appear to be locked in for the knock-out rounds, with Marciniak and Letexier likely penciled in — assuming they perform solidly in their opening games. All signs point to a maximum of five UEFA referees being used beyond the group stage.
There’s also an added complication for Turpin: PSG. And while he may still be in contention for a potential quarter-final or even a semi-final, much depends on confederation neutrality. Whether UEFA is prepared to bend that principle remains to be seen. I doubt it.
It does raise an interesting question: who at UEFA/FIFA decided that Letexier deserves a knock-out appointment while Turpin, arguably the more consistent performer this season, might fall out? So far, Letexier has done little to stand out on FIFA’s radar…
Regarding the final candidates:
In recent tournaments, we’ve often seen the following pattern for referees who go on to officiate the final: Matchday 2 + Round of 16 + final.
This sequence applied to Szymon Marciniak at the 2022 World Cup, as well as to Glenn Nyberg. At this tournament, the officials who appear to be following that same trajectory are Slavko Vinčić, Michael Oliver, and also Ivan Barton — who, in my view, are the main contenders for the final. As impressive as Vinčić has been, part of me hopes Oliver will be the one to cap off his career with this honor. He’s been in strong form throughout the UEFA season, but with English teams reaching the latter stages, his assignments were limited — with only the UEFA Conference League semi-final to show for it. A final would be fitting compensation imho.
I would be more optimistic for Turpin: I think, a QF is the logical path for him (if he actually works on Thursday). Yes, PSG and confed neutrality might be a problem, but the English and German referees have it even worse, with possibly two teams in the QF.
DeleteTherefore I would rather not give Turpin JUV-MCI to keep him available for those two teams in the QF.
Letexier should get a R16 (if his first game goes alright), but more seems unlikely IMO as he still is one of the least experienced UEFA referees.
I mean, Turpin has been planned for two group stage matches before the tournament even started, while Oliver, Letexier, Marciniak (and likely Vincic as well) could advance straight to the knockouts after just one group stage appearance.
DeleteThat makes me wonder: on what basis are these decisions made, and why does Letexier seem to be “favoured” over Turpin? Of course, Turpin still has a shot at a quarter-final, but to get there, he’ll have to be compete with names like Zwayer, Taylor, and others—unlike the four mentioned above.
And agree, I also don’t consider Letexier is the leading candidate for the final. Not because of form or his qualities, but more because I expect Vincic and Oliver to receive a stronger push. A Bayern–Benfica appointment doesn’t exactly scream “headline” in a FIFA context, whereas Vincic was given the chance to shine in a Derby d’America. And he took that chance. Good for him — but not everyone gets such a prime opportunity. That should be acknowledged too.
For me in a FIFA tournament Turpin is more consider than Letexier, his U20 WC was probably his last FIFA tournament and it didn't went well, which is different for Turpin who was expected to get a SF or final of the WC in 2022 if french didn't go all the way. IMO Turpin should be ahead of Letexier and there is still a lot of games, and btw Letexier haven't touch the pitch yet so we must take our time to already think about SF or final. But i don't see how we can say Turpin will be left over.
DeleteOnly VARs released right now, it seems so difficult to make the last appointments for group stage..
ReplyDeleteIsn’t this the pace the appointments were released up to now? Every other day a new set for MD+2 and MD+3 is released (only this time there are no MD+3’s).
DeleteIt's amazing for me how Ramon Abatti Abel refs so much better in the international stage than in Brasileirão Série A.
ReplyDeleteGood no call from Ramos for Atletico penalty appeal at 24'
ReplyDeleteFirst 24 minutes from Ramos were no issues, surprisingly appropriate foul selection from him. Then a good no-penalty decision in the Botafogo penalty area in 25' (possible simulation, and I don't think he sold it very well anyways), a clear missed foul by Botafogo just outside, and a possible reckless foul by Atletico in the 27th minute deemed careless. Things are heating up.
ReplyDeleteHow is it possible thar Simoeno can stay in the TO match after match?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, he at least needs a yellow card at some point...
DeleteSimeone seems to have a different laws of the game and all pro refs in the world have agreed to let him do whatever he wants.
Delete37' interesting potential penalty for Atletico. Defender clears ball but then makes contact with his studs to the attacker's shin in the followthrough. I think no-penalty is the best decision here but it is a very subjective one.
ReplyDeleteI just don't think you can give a penalty (or foul) for that. It's a very natural follow through and the attacker is the one arriving late in desperation. Defender didn't do anything careless, per se. And he definitely didn't do anything worse.
Delete33' for me is much more problematic. It's a foul and yellow card. Ramos is staring right at it. He doesn't whistle. He then stops for the injury. He and his team can't figure out a just result during the injury stoppage and somehow stick with a dropped ball restart. I mean, surely the VMO team at least checked for SFP, which would then signal to him it was at least a bad foul.
OFR after a very long check by Mexican VAR...
ReplyDeleteBTW the Mexican referee should have whistled something on the pitch. He now decided for the previous foul, this was reason why long check.
DeleteThis is the main situation where announcements make sense for VAR. Whole stadium would likely be very confused about why there is a VAR check resulting in a free kick
DeleteFar too long. If this is what is to come next year then good luck to FIFA
ReplyDeleteA good situation for the stadium announcement and actually quite well explained by Ramos.
ReplyDeleteBehaviour of both teams has been awful
Honestly not as bad as I expected in terms of the behavior of the teams.
DeleteToo hot and too few fans to let the game turn into chaos.
Delete44' Yet another penalty appear for Alvarez, again some contact on the foot, but he falls quite easily. For me it is not enough. VAR says penalty but foul beforehand for a push, which itself is supportable but quite soft in context. To me, a better decision would have been to play on without a review.
ReplyDeleteActually, seeing it again, definitely a foul on the push. The penalty itself still seems soft to me, the attacker should have stayed on his feet there. Regardless, a fair final outcome is the most important.
DeleteIn my opinion, the main issue is that Ramos missed both incidents, getting his VAR into trouble.
DeleteDefensive foul or play on are both fine if decided on pitch.
Yep,that's the beauty of Ramos' matches.
ReplyDeleteYou feel every time match could get out of hand,his style is unique and we non CONCACAF viewers have to realise that.
Calm game in Seattle. Good job by Garay so far.
ReplyDeleteAnd now after halftime whistle he (Simieone) stands in the middle with the referees. Do you think he says:Well done?? We talk about parents around the field with youngsters but what is this??
ReplyDeleteHe is for sure not saying great job😀
DeleteI am usually one of the biggest advocates for sanctioning coaches for entering the field to confront the referees; however, in this case i can understand not doing so. The tunnel is on the opposite side of the field from the benches, so the coaches and subs are all walking across the field anyways, and what we saw on the broadcast was not demonstrative or confrontational from Simeone.
DeleteRewatched the mentioned incidents.
DeleteIn 24' I think a penalty call would have been supported by VAR due to the contact with second defender, but I agree with referee's decision to play on, attacker tried to use this one for the call.
33' is very clear YC for studs, big miss by Ramos, hard to accept, he immediately stopped play because maybe informed by VAR about a check of a possible SFP.
37': penalty was possible, but without the attacker close, the action by defender would have been assessed as 100% clean, it's always very hard to punish such incidents, but yes, one could read a reckless action here, despite of the previous touch on ball. I think these situations are very sophisticated in modern refereeing and you have always a feeling you can take a too harsh decision if you call it. I agree with VAR to stay silent, but clear arguments for calling it (fans will never agree, and maybe that's a point).
44' one could indeed say more freely use of VAR than UEFA games, but that's nothing new. We rarely see OFR in which also previous fouls are analyzed (this should indeed mean that referee missed two potential incidents live). The unwritten rule about intervantion should be that if the possible penalty happens after a rather clear foul for the other team, referee shouldn't be called. Otherwise with such OFRs like this one, you have a feeling VAR is re-officiating the game and that's not the aim.
BTW after a rathe positive start, again not the best display by Mexican referee, really impossible to understand what Collina sees in him, having appointed his crew again for this game... my personal opinion...
Now Simeone with pushing GK and nothing about that is done.
ReplyDeleteJust a late note about this:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/0f7878 (Thank you Chefren for the clip)
If Kooij or van der Eijk were the ref, it would be 100% a fast red.
But it was just a Dahane Beida so just a normal fault Haha
The behaviour on the field is terrible, 5-6 players walking in the back of the referee after each decision and of course they don't support him, no actions!
ReplyDeleteBarboza with handling the ball and then we have on of the most blatant protests and asking for YC by Llorente..
ReplyDeleteOf course,nothing was done.
68' Botafogo-Atletico has to be a YC for the Atletico player for that (yellow) card gesture, that's way over the top, especially the arm throwing when the ref doesn't give it
ReplyDelete72’ How is this not a yellow card for Botafogo #20 !! Clear reckless lunge
ReplyDeleteIts Ramos... Stop expecting good decision making...
DeleteBtw the offender's reaction is the icing on the cake Haha
I know. But even for his standards that’s yellow. I don’t actually think his overall display has been too bad otherwise - the OFR seemed a rather pointless exercise
DeleteCorrea since he got in the game has been showing 3 ,4 time atleast card sign.
ReplyDeleteAll that will matter to Fifa is that no game control was lost and that there were no controversies .
So I fully expect him in K.O. round.
I fully expect him in the Final (tongue-in-cheek)
Delete93' Delibrately blocking a quick freekick/not retreating 10yds, no management. Then throwing the ball several metres forward of where the foul took place, turn a blind eye.
ReplyDeleteAlso, possible reckless about 3mins prior by Botafogo, no gesture, chat, or YC after the advantage.
And then a delay taking a FK, YC shown, and no time added to the 6mins. This doesn't feel like the management of an elite referee, sums up his tournament so far
To add, standing forehead to forehead with AR1 is apparently fine and dandy. Ramos was not as bad as the previous match, but no leadership or taking control of the players. So weak and yet we will probably see him again...
DeleteYep,Galan can say or do whatever he wants.
DeleteSame goes for Llorente and Correa.
Honestly, Ramos was not so bad today. The players were willing to play and the game didn't ask for much from the referee, besides the penalty appeals, which were mostly well-handled.
ReplyDeleteI think that control that he had was only due to result,where Atletico surrendered mentally,it was obvious.
DeleteIf result was any closer we would have seen some tense moments,but notion that he was alright was going to carry him to the next round.
Many missed yellows,letting dissents as you can not punishing any kind of bad behaviour is very dissapointing from any ref at this level.
Incredible that Collina allows referees like Ramos. New rules are crystal clear and they were pushed mostly by Collina.
ReplyDeleteYellow card gesture 4 times from Corriera not even warning . Staying in front of ball to not allow quick freekick take nothing to, smashed ball with hands by Paul nothing. He just dont care Ramos allows anything.
I know this referee and he has always been like this, average only 2 cards per game international but with this strict new rules I thought all referees has to follow them.
I don't think that Collina and rest of crew eill asess this as average or bad performance.
DeleteThey will say he did alright, as no teams has right to complain and ge did without any controversies, which was needed after his 1st game.
I know you are right. But can not understand that referees allows on this level 4 times yellow card gesture in front of their face from same player without any sanction.
Delete@ M, do you know if they will clear yellow cards before U21 semifinals?
ReplyDeleteI dont know for sure,but knowing professionals and their rules,they apsolutely should clear cards before semifinals.
DeleteYes, they will according to Article 50.04 (in German language):
Delete"Verwarnungen aus Spielen der Endrunde, die nicht zu einer Sperre geführt haben, verfallen nach dem Viertelfinale. Sie werden nicht ins Halbfinale übernommen."
45' If the situation in ATMvBOT was enough for a penalty earlier today, surely this should have been reviewed for a penalty for Palmeiras.
ReplyDeleteLowkey, have not been impressed with any of Kwiatkowski's work recently.
Not clear how much intense was this touch and in my opinion it's possible attacker exaggerated contact. I prefer this approach over the one where VAR calls for every situation, but yes once again, when we have such incidents we should wonder what about VAR, we see always different decisions based on who is in charge and that's not good. To me, this is the problem with VAR as it is used today in refereeing. Impossible to have consistency and it was introduced for other reasons.
DeleteInteresting isn't @smala017... I personally prefer no penalty in both situations for "soft" careless fouls.
ReplyDeleteCertainly the first situation in ATMvBOT as attacker has back to goal & IMO is looking for contact from defender to win a penalty for his team in this situation
What a game in New Jersey!
ReplyDeleteRewatching this game now. Potential DOGSO situation in the 54th minute, yellow card given for SPA. I think in a classroom setting, with the benefit of pausing the video at the moment of the foul, most referees would say DOGSO here. I would suspect that VAR would send this play for review in some leagues like MLS.
DeleteAlright, so we’ve got two decisive matches in Group H, a Brazilian clash in the Round of 16, and Inter Miami vs PSG.
ReplyDeleteJuventus vs City is nothing more than a fight for the emperor’s beard (although the winner would normally avoid Real Madrid) — surprises notwithstanding.
Perhaps assigning Turpin there is a bit of a waste.
In any case, there will be plenty of discussion in the RefCom.
Sampaio on PSG v Inter seems likely.
DeleteI'd think Oliver on the all-Brazil clash.
And I don't think using Turpin on a match to avoid Real Madrid is a waste at all. Plus it allows him then to be used for a QF or SF; makes total sense to me.
OT: Referee promotions and demotions in Spain have just been published.
ReplyDeletePromoted to LaLiga:
Iosu Galech Apezteguia (1991, Navarre)
José Luis Guzmán Mansilla (1996, Andalusia)
Miguel Sesma Espinosa (1995, La Rioja)
Removed from LaLiga:
Pablo González Fuertes (1980, Asturias, age limit)
Mario Melero López (1980, Andalusia, age limit)
Juan Luis Pulido Santana (1983, Canary Islands)
Despite reaching age limit, César Soto Grado gets a special derogation and is extended for another year, but Mateo Busquets Ferrer (1994, Balearic Islands) will inherit his FIFA badge in January 2026
Referees promoted to Segunda:
Luis Bestard Servera (1994, Balearic Islands)
Alonso de Ena Wolf (1993, Aragón)
Gorka Etayo Herrera (1996, Basque Country)
Alejandro Morilla Turrión (2000, Navarre)
Alejandro Ojaos Valera (1993, Murcia)
Quilava, does that mean that Soto will remain with Fifa until Jaunary/July 2026, and will he have a chance to officiate Copa Del Rey final next year. Also,any news about new president of CTA.
Delete@Ref Fot
DeleteActually, Soto Grado and the 2026 Copa del Rey final becomes a huge question mark now. I can't find/prove it now, but I'm almost positive RFEF regulations state that the Copa del Rey final must be handled by an international referee, and Soto Grado won't be FIFA by then as he will officially leave the list on January 2026.
Re: your second question, guess everything should be known in the coming days. Biggest candidate to succeed Medina Cantalejo seems to be Fernández Borbalán, but I read somewhere that LaLiga wants RFEF to appoint a sort of CEO who will be a non-refereeing person, leaving technical matters to Borbalán or whoever succeeds Medina. Also, Spanish professional referees have recently created their own union in a similar fashion to French SAFE, with the aim of protecting themselves and their interests and take legal action against stuff like the infamous RMTV videos.
@Quilava
DeleteIs no one leaving La liga VAR list? I believe in previous seasons a referee can only be a dedicated VAR for 2 seasons. In this case Pizarro Gomez and Del Cerro Grande should leave VAR list.
Other stuff:
DeleteARs promoted to LaLiga:
Rubén Campo Hernández (1991, Valencia)
Mario Martín-Consuegra Díaz (1996, Madrid)
Iván Ríos Vargas (1991, Andalusia)
Ion Rodríguez Portela (1997, Basque Country)
ARs promoted to Segunda:
Juan José Córdoba Carboneras (1994, Castilla la Mancha)
Ricard Esteve Valenzuela (1993, Valencia)
Brais García Valín (1998, Galicia)
Alaiz Gutiérrez Martino (1998, Navarre)
Manuel Herrera Ruiz (???, Andalusia)
Borja Jiménez Contreras (1996, Murcia)
Referees promoted to 1ª RFEF (third category):
José María Aranda Delgado (1996, Andalusia)
Pol Arenas Mora (2001, Catalonia)
Víctor Manuel Broncano Suárez (1994, Extremadura)
Ignacio de Santisteban Adame (1997, Andalusia)
Ekaitz Ikiñi García Arriola (1994, Basque Country)
Marcelo Ibáñez Juárez (1998, Murcia)
Pedro Oreiro Hermida (1996, Galicia)
Alfredo Ramo Andrés (1998, Aragón)
Gerard Rius Riu (2000, Catalonia)
Juan Francisco Roca Robles (1997, Murcia)
Federico Javier Saiz Villares (1994, Balearic Islands)
Referees promoted to Women's 1st division:
Melissa López Osorio (1993, Extremadura)
Raquel Suárez González (1995, Castilla y León)
Paola Cebollada López (1995, Aragón) becomes new FIFA. The AR with the famous offside howler in last women's Clásico refereed by Olatz Rivera Olmedo (Andrea Peña Peña) got demoted.
Disclaimer: In this post and the previous ones, years of birth have been modified so that referees born later that 1st of July count as born in the following year.
@Ref Fot
DeleteNope, as far as I know no one is leaving the specific VAR category.
Just an interesting note, Andrea Peña Peña, the assistant referee involved in El Clasico Femenino who made a serious mistake decisive for the final score, has been dismissed.
DeleteOf course such a mistake without VAR is very different from the same mistake made with VAR...
Marciniak refereed well in Miami-Palmeiras. Despite being quite tense, the game was not technically challenging, but I think the Pole can also take credit for that as he was an extremely steady hand on the match, whose presence was very well respected. Kwiatkowski's decision to support at 45' (second clip below) does seem a bit incommensurate to the penalty which Porto were awarded against Inter Miami, but perhaps he equivocated a scene from earlier on (first clip) in not doing so.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.streambug.io/cv/d6abd8
https://www.streambug.io/cv/3cf0ae
The correct and confident caution to 'Inter Miami no10' in the second clip is also worth noting. A good scene to underline Marciniak's strengths came when the Brazilian team scored their first goal, and roughhouse Miami defender Falcon immediately went into the goalnet to try and prevent a quicker restart. The referee from Poland quickly blew and ran towards the conflict point, and upon seeing Marciniak, Falcon immediately stopped holding onto the ball and any potential trouble immediately dissipated. Given the often poor behaviour in this tournament, I'm not sure that Falcon would have acted the same way were one of the other twenty-eight refs at the tournament in charge of this game.
OT:
ReplyDeleteBelgian referee boss Jonathan Lardot wants to send Belgian referee(s) to the European Championship/World Cup again and will receive help from old and experienced referees.
Jonathan Lardot himself will remain technical director of the PRD (Professional Refereeing Department).
The 3 referees who will help with this are:
* Jaap Uilenberg: Will be involved in the re-drafting of the PRD.
* Daniele Orsato: Will be coach of the Belgian referees.
* Cüneyt Çakır: Will be the personal mentor of Jasper Vergoote, who is part of the exclusive UEFA Talent Program.
https://www.nieuwsblad.be/sport/voetbal/turkse-ex-topref-moet-jasper-vergoote-op-een-wk-of-ek-krijgen/73349674.html
Alberola Rojas, mejor árbitro de la temporada para el CTA.
ReplyDeleteEl castellano-manchego se lleva todos los premios individuales de la campaña tras un año de gran nivel.
I still don't really fancy him but his Vicente Acevedo award (trophy that CTA-RFEF gives to the #1 ref in their internal rankings every season) comes across as quite deserved, Alberola had a very (very) good domestic season.
DeleteYes, I believe that the Spanish future lies with Alberola Rojas and Busquets Ferrer.
DeleteGroup G
ReplyDeleteThursday 26 June 2025, 21:00 CET
Audi Field, Washington
Wydad Casablanca (MAR) - Al Ain (UAE)
Referee: Drew Fischer CAN
Assistant Referee 1: Micheal Barwegen CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa CAN
Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Benitez PAR
Video Assistant Referee:
Assistant Video Assistant Referee:
Support Video Assistant Referee:
Group G
Thursday 26 June 2025, 21:00 CET
Camping World Stadium, Orlando
Juventus (ITA) - Manchester City (ENG)
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Istvan Kovacs ROU
Video Assistant Referee:
Assistant Video Assistant Referee:
Support Video Assistant Referee:
Group H
Friday 27 June 2025, 03:00 CET
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
FC Salzburg (AUT) - Real Madrid (ESP)
Referee: Dahane Beida MTN
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos ANG
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Yiembe KEN
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Video Assistant Referee:
Assistant Video Assistant Referee:
Support Video Assistant Referee:
Group H
Friday 27 June 2025, 03:00 CET
Geodis Park, Nashville
Al Hilal (KSA) - Pachuca (MEX)
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Jean Jacques Ndala Ngambo COD
Video Assistant Referee:
Assistant Video Assistant Referee:
Clearly, the referee from Mauritania positively assessed in his first game and now definitely the best assignment for a CAF referee at this tournament. Still, you can expect Real Madrid win against Austrian side, but the game is nevertheless crucial, the losing team could be eliminated. It seems there are big plans for him, it is good that Collina and FIFA observed his development in Africa like we did at last AFCON...
ReplyDeleteAnd.. a word on Kovacs, with Turpin again in charge of Juventus - Manchester City (he had this game in CL a few time ago), the Romanian will be fourth official. One should analyze the difference between his performance (rejected) and Ramos, but maybe the tone of mistakes and the very poor attitude when he forgot player was booked, were not liked...
The referee from Canada at his second game, and one can draw conclusion the last one, given that it is a fullyb meaningless tie.
Yeah, Ramos was positively assessed, too. I never expected something like that from Collina.
DeleteThat the referee of the CL final only has 2 games and only 1 as a referee, which was a disaster, I think the word "disappointment" is very soft. Adding the Czech Republic-Turkey, Kovacs has shown that for "high level" and "demanding" games he does not have the ability to carry the game and always end chaotically. (And that he has never made a South American/African game...)
ReplyDeleteExcellent game for Dahane, Makkelie and Turpin with expected games.
I think Vincic, Oliver, Tello, Marciniak, Barton, Faghani are locked names for the round of 16.
I dont agree,but I dont disagree.
DeleteMaybe in terms of playing styles he does struggle when teams play dirry and are on the edge..
But we have plenty examples where he shines and let's the game flow with his style:
City-Real
Liverpool-Psg
Atalanta-Leverkusen
Serbia-Slovenia
Inter-Atletico
Even Barca-Psg was excellent.
I mean I could go on and on, but sometimes he doesnt have his night.
But notion that he always struggles and does not have ability to handle chaotic matches is not backed.
Looks like he was hungover from whole season and did not realise that Atletico and Psg were not playing friendly match.
You might wonder why Zwayer and Makkelie weren’t simply switched. That would’ve made perfect sense — and it would have spared the German from refereeing Urawa twice in record time.
ReplyDeleteSo what’s the reason?
Zwayer’s match is scheduled a day earlier, which technically keeps him in contention for a Round of 16 appointment. For Makkelie, that’s virtually off the table.
It could also come down to the nature of the fixtures: Japanese teams are generally easier to handle (minimal dissent), making Makkelie’s assignment the more “challenging” one on paper. But Zwayer had the better season, so that shouldn’t be an argument.
One last consideration: Zwayer’s game is set in a more appealing environment (LA versus Nashville), which might be a considerate gesture from FIFA — given that his chances of progressing to the knockouts are slim, with the German teams still in play and the likes of Oliver, Vincic, Marciniak, Letexier, and Turpin in the mix.
Didn't watch a replay for the situation in 18', but Letexier very convincing with gesture and he had a perfect positioning to assess it.
ReplyDeleteTo follow, correct YC for a reckless challenge.
I'm glad we finally saw a replay of the possible penalty... I think generally the TV direction all tournament has been dreadful. Always focussing on the wrong things, and seldom showing the right replays.
ReplyDeleteOn that, no penalty correct, the attacker was looking for it rather than trying to play the ball. That being said, more of a push than the foul Ramos gave yesterday to get out of giving a penalty... But Letexier well positioned and spot on
Good decision by Letexier and Cyril Mugnier to disallow the 61’ Bayern goal, Kane clearly in an offside position blocking the goalkeeper’s line of view as the ball passes very close to him.
ReplyDeleteIt very much seems that way, although I would like to see a view from the high behind camera to confirm that. But of course, replays of important moments are too much to hope for in this tournament. Equally would have like to have seen what caused the Bayern players to be on the floor before Otamendi's outburst, but again, we're shown nothing
DeleteFantastic to see the replay of this play from the referee camera, as they showed later on.
DeleteClip of Letexier's refcam view of the offside interference call:
Deletehttps://twitter.com/DAZNPortugal/status/1937611130035114186
That's a great addition, insane POV hope that it will be used in many countries
DeleteA yellow card when someone kicks the ball away! Ah, the joys of a European referee...
ReplyDeleteReally accomplished piece of refereeing by Letexier, very good performance with excellent calls in key episodes.
DeleteWow! Nyberg’s game ends a draw. A good performance by him in an easy game, surely one of the biggest surprises in football history!
ReplyDeleteA good performance by Glenn Nyberg is one of the biggest surprises in football history? 🤭
DeleteI can see how it reads like that😂 you know what I meant
Delete