Tuesday, 1 July 2025

2025 FIFA Club World Cup - Discussion

Discussion about referees' performances at 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Round of 16 

Saturday 28 June 2025, 18:00 CET
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Palmeiras (BRA) - Botafogo (BRA)
Referee:François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Fifth Official: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Video Assistant Referee: Jerome Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Support Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER

Saturday 28 June 2025, 22:00 CET
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
SL Benfica (POR) - Chelsea (ENG)
Referee: Slavko Vinčić SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: Said Martinez HON
Fifth Official: Walter Lopez HON
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Support Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

Sunday 29 June 2025, 18:00 CET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Paris Saint Germain (FRA) - Inter Miami (USA) 
Referee: Wilton Sampaio BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Boschilia BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires BRA 
Fourth Official: Mustapha Ghorbal ALG
Fifth Official: Mokrane Gourari ALG 
Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo COL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Leodan Gonzalez URU 
Support Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Pacheco MEX 

Sunday 29 June 2025, 22:00 CET
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami 
Flamengo (BRA) - Bayern München (GER)
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay CHI
Fifth Official: Miguel Rocha CHI 
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rob Dieperink NED
Support Video Assistant Referee: Shaun Evans AUS 

Monday 30 June 2025, 21:00 CET
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
FC Internazionale (ITA) - Fluminense (BRA)
Referee: Ivan Barton SLV
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran SLV
Assistant Referee 2: Henry Pupiro NCA
Fourth Official: Tori Penso USA
Fifth Official: Brooke Mayo USA 
Video Assistant Referee: Tatiana Guzman NCA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Erick Miranda MEX
Support Video Assistant Referee: Mahmoud Ashour EGY

Tuesday 1 July 2025, 03:00 CET
Camping World Stadium, Orlando
Manchester City (ENG) - Al Hilal (KSA)
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno VEN 
Fourth Official: Yael Falcon ARG
Fifth Official: Maximiliano Del Yesso ARG 
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Soto VEN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Hamza El Fariq MAR
Support Video Assistant Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP

Tuesday 1 July 2025, 21:00 CET
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Real Madrid (ESP) - Juventus (ITA) 
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL 
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Espen Eskas NOR
Fifth Official: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski  POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Support Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Al Marri QAT 

Wednesday 2 July 2025, 03:00 CET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta 
Borussia Dortmund (GER) - Monterrey (MEX)
Referee: Facundo Tello ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Pablo Belatti ARG 
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade ARG 
Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Benitez PAR
Fifth Official: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Lara CHI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
Support Video Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal USA

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32 comments:

  1. Arbiter1 July 2025 at 21:50

    OT:
    What does everybody think of the player walkouts at this tournament?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren1 July 2025 at 22:11

      We have a term we use here… "americanata" :) it could be already known by US people. Personally, I see it as an attempt to give the competition more appeal, as if it were something extraordinary. Clearly, this is part of a narrative we saw pushed for months, including all the previous media campaigns. I also believe it’s a way to distract TV audience from possible empty seats in the stadium.
      About the first half, I couldn't guess about a so easy and boring game for Marciniak, I'm disappointed, now the second part.

      Delete
    2. Yannes B1 July 2025 at 22:12

      FIFA want's to celebrate itself way too much, so i am not a big fan of those walkouts

      Delete
    3. Arbiter1 July 2025 at 22:24

      I agree with both of you. It's FIFA's futile attempt to create a spectacle in an unpopular (forced) competition. I just hope that no league adopts this type of player walkouts. It's unnecessarily long and overly intrusive.
      I personally liked what English Premier League used to do way back in time. Where the players would run out onto the pitch together. I was quicker and to the point.

      Delete
  2. Ref1 July 2025 at 22:32

    One of the referees from this Round of 16 might be appointed to the final.It seems like a repeating strategy we've seen before. In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Szymon Marciniak's last match before officiating the final was in the Round of 16. Similarly, in this year’s UEFA Champions League, István Kovács last match before being appointed to the final was also in the Round of 16.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. usaref1 July 2025 at 23:31

      I would gamble now and say Oliver gets it. FIFA isn’t afraid to use him despite neutrality. South American teams respond well to him. He’s been very good. Man City is eliminated. And it gives him an opportunity at a final that is rare. Maybe won’t be him. Odds favor the field. But if I were to bet on one official now, it would be him.

      Delete
    2. usaref1 July 2025 at 23:39

      Of course, I forgot Chelsea could still ruin that plan.

      Delete
  3. M1 July 2025 at 22:50

    85th minute,no report should suggest how easy this match is.

    Players are playing the game and focusing only on that.

    Some could even say Marciniak was wasted for this match.

    And as I was writing this,Bellingham gets YC.

    ReplyDelete
  4. M1 July 2025 at 23:00

    Only 2 or maybe even 3 situations worth of writing:

    -Correct YC to Bellingham
    -correct rejected penalty
    -Great body language when preventing scuffle between Rudiger and Gonzalez I think

    ReplyDelete
  5. diego6121 July 2025 at 23:01

    Bored game… An exaggeration to have assigned Marciniak to this game.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Målilla2 July 2025 at 10:26

      Maybe no unfair play because of this appointment or more correct it is because of this appointment!!

      Delete
  6. ITAREF1 July 2025 at 23:09

    Easy match also thanks to an excellent Marciniak, as several times happens.
    Stile, great authority and personality, technique and modulation of decisions: in my opinion 8,70

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VG2 July 2025 at 09:12

      I don’t know how much they like to give extrapoints in FIFA and UEFA but 8,7 in a game with almost nothing happening seems impossible.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2 July 2025 at 10:33

      +1

      Delete
  7. Anonymous2 July 2025 at 06:51

    Predictions:

    Fluminense vs Al Hilal: UEFA referee (*)
    Palmeiras vs Chelsea: Ramos

    PSG vs Bayern: Abatti
    Real vs BVB: Beida

    Fluminense - Al Hilal vs Palmeiras / Chelsea: Faghani
    PSG/Bayern vs Real/BVB: Tello

    Final: depending on the teams. It could go to Barton or a UEFA official - potentially compromising neutrality again - with Barton as 4th Official.

    (*) I believe Turpin was the original plan, but due to the unexpected pairing between two non-UEFA teams, the question is whether Turpin’s passive style suits this match. One could also make a case for giving an opportunity to Makkelie (he had no OFRs, a solid reputation in heated games, and despite a long career he has never officiated a FIFA knockout) or Felix Zwayer (new to FIFA tournaments; testing him now is arguably easier than at the 2026 World Cup). Let’s see.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S2 July 2025 at 07:56

      My QF predictions
      FLU-HIL: Turpin (FRA) - Beida (MTN) - Brisard (FRA), van Driessche (BEL), Dankert (GER)
      PAL-CHE: Faghani (AUS) - Fischer (CAN) - Guzman (NCA), Miranda (MEX), Ashour (EGY)
      PSG-BAY: Ramos (MEX) - Valenzuela (VEN) - Pacheco (MEX), Villareal (USA), di Bello (ITA)
      RMA-BVB: Oliver (ENG) - Makkelie (NED) - Bebek (CRO), El Fariq (MAR), Evans (AUS)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2 July 2025 at 09:54

      If Oliver is a candidate for the final — which I believe to be the case — he will not be appointed to the quarter-finals. None of the UEFA officials will officiate 4 games.

      Delete
    3. Philipp S2 July 2025 at 13:14

      I agree with that. But with Chelsea still in the competition, it can't be guaranteed, that Oliver can work after the QFs (same as with Turpin and PSG). While Marciniak and Vincic are available for the last games in any case.

      Delete
  8. Yifei2 July 2025 at 10:09

    My predictions:

    Fluminense vs Al Hilal: Turpin
    Palmeiras vs Chelsea: Beida

    PSG vs Bayern: Abatti
    Real vs BVB: Ramos

    Semi-finals: Marciniak, Faghani

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jojo2 July 2025 at 14:56

      Predictions from my side:

      Fluminense - Al Hilal: Turpin
      Palmeiras - Chelsea: Faghani
      PSG - Bayern: Ramos
      Real - Dortmund: Beida

      Delete
  9. Quilava2 July 2025 at 13:29

    Francisco Soto Balirac has been announced as new CTA-RFEF president.

    A lawyer by profession (working at Garrigues, one of the most prestigious law firms in Spain) and tax law professor at Vigo University, he was a referee in Galician regional categories between 2002 and 2015.

    Members of the technical comission are still TBD.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Euro Soccer Ref2 July 2025 at 14:15

      Interesting choice! Is the president of CTA chosen by RFEF (executive committee)?
      I hope he will be better than both Velasco and Medina in this role. Spanish refereeing has been extremely poor last seasons and it should change asap. The same should be said about Italy...

      Delete
    2. referee observer2 July 2025 at 17:51

      If I read it correctly he wasn't a la liga referee. How is this possible?

      Delete
  10. Rui Almeida2 July 2025 at 13:41

    Faghani will be in the Final.

    ReplyDelete
  11. M2 July 2025 at 14:44

    No reports for Tello should suggest that he had good match.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ITAREF2 July 2025 at 17:09

      Right ! .
      8.60 by my side

      Delete
    2. Mikael W2 July 2025 at 18:10

      I watched the game. I’m unable to make clips, but here were the most interesting moments from the match:

      5min - confrontation
      7min - potential penalty (grappling)
      53min - potential penalty (handball)
      60min - potential penalty (pushing)
      62min - confrontation

      Tello is a very good referee, with excellent movement, but I remembered now just how chaffing the way he uses his Valkeen is 😅. He awarded two YCs in this game, both correctly: to Bellingham (28’; fouling in a SPA scenario) and Guirassy (+93’; striking). I think that Tello, with both Arg clubs out, will referee one of the semifinals.

      Delete
  12. ITAREF2 July 2025 at 17:23

    My predictions:

    Fluminense vs Al Hilal: Turpin
    Palmeiras vs Chelsea: Faghani

    PSG vs Bayern: Eskas
    Real vs BVB: Mekkelie

    Fluminense - Al Hilal vs Palmeiras / Chelsea: Letexier
    PSG/Bayern vs Real/BVB: Tello

    Final: Marciniak

    ReplyDelete
  13. usaref2 July 2025 at 18:01

    I’m prepared to be very wrong.

    But I’ll say Oliver for final. Marciniak and Faghani semis.

    Ramos - Palmeiras/Chelsea
    Beida - Real Madrid/Dortmund
    Abatti - PSG/Bayern
    Turpin - Fluminense/Al-Hilal

    ReplyDelete
  14. Simeon Vinchev2 July 2025 at 18:05

    Prediction 04.07.2025
    Fluminense - Al Hilal Clement Turpin FRA
    Palmeiras - Chelsea César Ramos MEX

    ReplyDelete
  15. Upstylon2 July 2025 at 18:28

    Thanks to Arbitrointernacional:

    Fluminense-Al Hilal
    Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
    Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
    Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries (NED)
    Fourth Official: Said Martínez (HON)
    Fifth Official: Walter López (HON)

    Palmeiras-Chelsea
    Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN/AUS)
    Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin (AUS)
    Assistant Referee 2: Ashley Beecham (AUS)
    Fourth Official: Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB)
    Fifth Official: Andrey Tsapenko (UZB)

    ReplyDelete

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