Wednesday, 1 October 2025

Champions League 2025/26 - Referee Appointments - Matchday 2 (II)

2025-26 UEFA Champions League, referee appointments for the second set of MD2 games, to be played on Wednesday 1 October. 



1 October 2025

18:45 CET - Brussels (Lotto Park) 
ROYALE UNION SAINT-GILLOISE (BEL) - NEWCASTLE UNITED FC (ENG)
Referee: Urs Schnyder SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher SUI
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
UEFA Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli ITA 
UEFA Delegate: Vignir Már Þormóðsson ISL

18:45 CET - Baku (Tofiq Bəhramov adına Respublika Stadionu)
FK QARABAĞ AĞDAM (AZE) - FC KØBENHAVN (DEN)
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Patrick Inia NED 
Fourth Official: Jannick Van Der Laan NED
Video Assistant Referee: Rob Dieperink NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jeroen Manschot NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB 
UEFA Delegate: Jovan Šurbatovic SRB

21:00 CET - London (Emirates) 
ARSENAL FC (ENG) - OLYMBIAKÓS SFP (GRE) 
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Eric Wattellier FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO 
UEFA Referee Observer: Markus Nobs SUI 
UEFA Delegate: Mauro Tonolini ITA

21:00 CET - Leverkusen (BayArena) 
BAYER 04 LEVERKUSEN (GER) - PSV (NED) 
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE 
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck SWE
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Alen Borošak SVN
UEFA Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin SVN
UEFA Delegate: Edgars Pukinsks LVA

21:00 CET - Villarreal (Estadio de la Cerámica)
VILLARREAL CF (ESP) - JUVENTUS FC (ITA) 
Referee: István Kovács ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica ROU 
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Szabolcs Kovacs ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Cătălin Popa ROU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Johannesson SWE 
UEFA Delegate: Aristeidis Stavropoulos GRE

21:00 CET - Naples (Stadio Diego Armando Maradona)
SSC NAPOLI (ITA) - SPORTING CP (POR)
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED 
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout NED
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury ENG 
UEFA Referee Observer: Martin Hansson SWE
UEFA Delegate: Alojzije Šupraha CRO

21:00 CET - Monaco (Stade Louis II) 
AS MONACO (FRA) - MANCHESTER CITY FC (ENG)
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Ángel Nevado ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Fourth Official: José Luis Munuera ESP
Video Assistant Referee: César Soto Grado ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi SMR
UEFA Delegate: Ignas Marcinkevičius LTU 

21:00 CET - Dortmund (Signal Iduna Park)
BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER) - ATHLETIC CLUB (ESP)
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL 
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Wojciech Myc POL
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
UEFA Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson SWE
UEFA Delegate: Thomas Grimm SUI 

21:00 CET - Barcelona (Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys)
FC BARCELONA (ESP) - PARIS SAINT GERMAIN FC (FRA) 
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett AUS
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Meßner AUT
UEFA Delegate: Angelo Chetcuti MLT

121 comments:

  1. I think Georgian referees are being punished. Do you agree with me?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Punished for what? You can expect Kruashvili in Champions League, but he doesn't get too many games, he is mostly in Europa League. Let's wait for tomorrow assignment for knowing more about them.

      Delete
  2. Ethnic Turkish although Dutch citizen Gözübüyük in Azerbaijan I think its not ideal...

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  3. It is very wrong to appoint a Turkish referee to an Azerbaijani team. Copenhagen should appeal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gozubuyuk is not Turkish... he is born an raised in the Netherlands.. so he is Dutch!

      Delete
  4. Very strange assignments regarding VAR, we never saw something like that, a full mix. Sounds like a message by committee, all referees must work with all VAR at this level.. well, this wasn't the same before. Some very surprising choices for sure.
    Very good for Oliver who got this one after Ajax - Inter, but once again, we can't say there are many alternatives for committee.
    Classic Elite referees with Italian teams in games that can be challenging, Villarreal - Juventus and Napoli - Sporting.
    These two games clearly differently treated if compared to Atalanta and Inter yesterday. Good moment for Nyberg.
    Letexier will have a rather normal game compared to his standards.
    Rizzoli to check Schnyder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After a solid and convincing performance in Newcastle, I expected Nyberg in a match involving Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish teams, such as Napoli vs. Sporting. Even so, he's actually in good form.

      Delete
  5. Oliver,Makkelie and Kovacs get the most challenging matches,especially Oliver,I expect there hostile enviroment and big game for viewers and Oliver.

    Kovacs gets tricky match,both temperamental teams and we saw last time he handled Spanish team,there was lot of problems.

    Makkelie also gets temperamental teams and his style can maybe be problem with these teams.

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  6. I expected a much bigger game for Gözübüyük. Makkelie domnestic in a bad period, hopefully he can recovery from that in Napels

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  7. Chevren you see what I talking for you yesterday ie going , this is absolute humiliation for the Portuguese referees as well as Portuguese football

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  8. UEFA should change Serdar Gözübüyük on the Qarabag-Copenhagen game.

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  9. As a Copenhagen fan i think Copenhagen should appeal this appointment

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    Replies
    1. It's like appointing a Danish referee to this game. It's not fair.

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    2. Gozubuyuk is Dutch, not Turkish, born and raised in Haarlem

      Delete
    3. lool.. look at his name and surname. He is 100% Turkish :) He speaks Turkish very well. He has pictures with Turkish Shirt :) link for you .. https://www.tff.org/Resources/TFF/Auto/34e4532db77c44bdadebd0ec266164f0.jpg

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    4. He has Turkish roots, and yes a Turkish name, so.......not the Turkish Nationality......don't see the problem, to be honest! he before also refereed the Georgian team....and why an in your eyes Turkish referee (although Dutch nationality) can not referee a team from Azerbeidzjan, and a Romanian for exemple can ref a Serbian, Spanish can ref Portugeese...German can ref Dutch......and so on... give me a good reason???

      Delete
    5. I off course don´t think that Gözüböyük will be biased in the game, but i think it is a problem with his Türkish roots. For me it is like appointing a Faroese referee to a game with danish teams. I think it is a problem also with the connection between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Hopefully everything will go well, but i just think UEFA have a lot of other referees to choose from which would be more sensible

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    6. Have you ever seen an Azerbaijani referee assigned to a Turkish team's game ? Or a Turkish referee assigned to an Azerbaijani team? This has never happened before. I'm sorry, but it's unfair. Turks and Azerbaijanis are like same nation.

      Delete
    7. "he before also refereed the Georgian team...a Romanian for exemple can ref a Serbian, Spanish can ref Portugeese..."

      You are missing the point totally

      For example, imagine Ismail Elfath (USA) refereeing match of Moroccan national team?

      It is not a question of whether the referee will be impartial, of course he will be. The point is:with such a appointment you give space to the media, teams, fans to speculate about the bias of the referees...so, not the wisest delegation.

      Delete
    8. Eric van Marwijk, unlike Spanish and Portuguese, Serbs and Romanians Turks and Azeri are one nation, even Azeri president Aliyev say it openly, "two countries one nation". Better analogy would be Greece and Cyprus and you never see Greek referees in matches involving Cypriot teams. And yes I know that Gözübüyük is Dutch citizen but still better not to appoint him to Turkish or Azeri teams.

      Delete
    9. This is something completely different... Greece/Turkey-Cyprus..... is something else than turkey and Azerbeidzjan who have a good relationship, wich you can't say from Cyprus and Greece/Turkey.

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    10. ??? Greece and Cyprus are one nation and have very close relations, so do Turkey and Azerbaijan. Its very obvious analogy

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    11. Iff they are one nation, then why you have Azerbaidzjan national team, Cyprus national team, Turkey's national team, and Greeks national team, maybe analogy, but not geografical, they are all separate countrys, that governments work good together doesn't meen they are one country.

      Delete
    12. I'm glad you're persistent but you clearly don't differentiate between geography and politics, as well as between a nation and a state

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    13. @Eric then why Almeida must be left Schaerer team when he appointed for Portugal match? They are all separate countries, that governments work good together doesn't mean they are one country, so?

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    14. One more example:
      In the qualifiers Granit Maqedonci (SWE) was appointed as the 4th official to the team from Kosovo so shortly after that he was removed from that match.
      Therefore the ref committee change the appointment delegation with the intention of avoiding any problems or speculation. And we are talking about 4th official...
      Personally, as a committee I would swap Schnyder and Gözübüyük as a solomonic solution.

      Delete
    15. @Andrei, probably Almeida has a Portugeese pasport, and Gozubuyuk although Turkish roots doesn't have Turkish pasport?

      Delete
  10. I don't know the Portuguese are bad to this point that makes them unable to handle a normal champions league match or there is problem the Portuguese referee with uefa committee referee

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    Replies
    1. Pinheiro just did the Supercup, so there is no issue with the referee committee. Pinheiro is also at another tournament, so he can't officiate in the Champions League right now. Carvalho Nobre had an international game (France - Iceland) and did a terrible job, so he doesn't deserve Champions League right now. This leaves only Branco Godinho, who still needs to make his debut and there are only so many games suitable for a debut.

      As a side note, please calm down in the number of complaints about the situation of Portuguese referees. It's kind of annoying when every post is flooded with comments about this, especially since most comments don't really contribute

      Delete
  11. Great to see 3 English teams working in the Champions League this week. Probably the first time since the days of Webb, Atkinson & Clattenburg

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  12. No we contribute we have questions that need answers , is poland,, Lithuania, slovenia , norway, sweden, holland, have referees better than Portuguese referees if the answer yes the topic is over if no why we don't see Portuguese referee in the champions like these countries

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    Replies
    1. Do you know to read or not? You got the answer why aren't portuguese referee in this week in CL. Because Pinheiro is at WC under 20 and Nobre had a weak game in WC games. And the third one, Godinho is to young for this games. Do you understand or not? Or maybe we should draw for you to understand.

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    2. Is Portugal have no other referees except Pinheiro my opinion nobre and godinho is not less majority of the referees that is appointed yesterday and today

      Delete
  13. Perhaps the VAR experiment could turn out to be quite revealing. Over time, there are bound to be situations where certain CRs and VARs become too close. Or where personal considerations creep in: “I won’t call my colleague because… He will dislike it.” Take the case of Makkelie and Dieperink: the former was once the coach of the latter. That is hardly an ideal setup. Friction can also arise the other way around, between CR and VAR (“why didn’t you call me…?”). At the same time, some referees owe part of their outstanding reputation and track record to their regular VAR (e.g. Turpin & Brisard, Marciniak & Kwiatkowski).

    That said, the VAR must be independent, both in mind and in appearance. Mixing the VARs is one way to guarantee that. It is, however, noteworthy that certain teams (Oliver and Kovacs, for instance) do continue to work with their own VARs. The question, then, is: is this a deliberate choice in the case of “some” referees, and if so, why only for them?

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  14. Thirty six match champions league is appointed referees until now no Portuguese referees is appointed champions league league until now at the same time some have five appointment is this logic , is this reasonable

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  15. Quite a demotion for Hernandez only working as AVAR, meaning he won't even get an EL game this week.
    Rather surprising after his CL PO appointment.
    The other missing Elite referees are Massa, Meler, Bastien and Stieler - let's see, whether all of them get EL on Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suspect an injury for Bastien, he was replaced by Millot in his Ligue 1 game this week-end.

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    2. About Massa, should be a technical choice by committee, I think, following the missed red card in his previous UEFA game. That was a very big mistake. In addition, he was domestically involved in a controversial performance as AVAR in Verona - Juventus. The VAR appointed for that game made two crucial mistakes, and I think Massa was seen as responsible as well, indeed he officiated only in serie B on last Saturday and he very likely missed a big match (Juventus - Atalanta), in which Sozza was appointed coming directly from Lazio - Roma (unusual, it never happens).
      Guida replaced him as Italian referee appointed in this set and I think he will be in Europa League on Thursday.

      Delete
  16. OT : Dechepy’s RC at the 48th second of yesterday’s Ligue 1 game.

    https://streambug.org/cv/9c0c97

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    Replies
    1. Too bad no one has come across this. I guess no one will see my comment either.

      Overall, I think the referee's decision was correct.

      Delete
  17. Letexier, Oliver, Kovacs, Taylor, Guida and Nyberg: 6 elite referees immediately re-appointed just after been used in the 1st matchday; I'm surprise and a little bit disappointed. Why not Hernandez Henandez, Bastien, Meler, Stieler, Massa and another one picked from 1st class, like as Beaton, Walsh, Minankovic, Saggi etc

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I agree with that. UEFA should be able to find 36 different referees to cover a pair of matchdays.
      Apparently they have no problem to make appointments like Obrenovic in Tottenham-Villareal, so why not continue that on MD2 and use/test some less experienced referees on such sonorous but not very top games.

      Delete
  18. I read or heard that Meler ended his career at the beginning of the season. Is this rumor true?

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    Replies
    1. Didn't someone here announce yesterday that Halil Umut Meler is supposed to referee Sturm Graz - Glasgow Rangers on Thursday?

      Delete
  19. On Gozubuyuk’s appointment: not exactly the wisest choice. One obvious question—does he hold dual nationality (like many Turks in the Netherlands)? Sure, the rest of the team is fully Dutch. Zeinstra and Inia are Frisian, and Frisians famously carry Danish DNA… because the Vikings once trashed the place ;-)

    But why put Gozubuyuk in that position? Protect him from bias. This whole thing could’ve been avoided—just send Gil Manzano to Baku. He literally refereed an English team last week :-) But Rosetti doesn’t seem to care much about the “smaller” UCL clubs.

    Also, Dutch refs hardly ever get Belgian teams, and vice versa. Only in rare cases, usually against German or English sides. Which is exactly how it should be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. + Serdar Gözübüyük follows the Azerbaijan Football Federation on his Instagram account 🤦🏻‍♂️

      Delete
    2. He also follows some active footballers. Does that mean he favors them? What a nonsense comment...

      Delete
    3. Lol Are you kidding me ? He is Turkish! it is like appointing a Faroese referee to a game with danish teams..

      Delete
    4. You don't get it, comment about Instagram is bullsh*t but all the things mentioned in the comment above are 100% correct

      Delete
    5. Following a famous football player or following the Azerbaijan Football Federation on instagram is not the same thing...
      come on man, This Isn’t Normal

      Delete
  20. Well, I think we have expected appointments, no surprise. One might think that Lukjancukas, given that Kuipers observed Rumsas in MD1 would not have a close chance of a CL game, but it's good that it wasn't like that, good referee.

    Once again the incompetence of Rosetti is shown, the designation of Gözübüyük is 100% avoidable…there were no other games? To avoid any kind of controversy? ...But what can you expect from the Italian? Nothing.
    I don't think the appointment will be changed.

    And for our friend fan of the Portuguese referees: I think reading comprehension doesn't get along very well with you man, IT HAS BEEN SAID millions of times: Pinheiro is in Chile, Nobre is NOT material for CL (the FRAISL was just another proof that this boy was not born to be a referee, I'm sorry but it's not the first time he makes a disaster in a game...) And yes, Godinho should be on the list for a possible CL debut, I would even say that why not in MD3, but you have to wait... And you say that why not other referees... if you LOOK for information you will realize that they are the only 3 referees who, for now, can aspire to CL.
    Verissimo did not know how to take advantage of his opportunity when he had it, Goncalves and Nogueira are very young and they lack a lot of experience...

    So CALM DOWN, it is very irritating to always see your comments that because there are no Portuguese referees, when several have already given you the answer.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I don’t like being repetitive but I just can’t get my head around the management of John Beaton (43)?? He’s been fifa listed for years but just recently has been appointed to some important fixtures! Why when you have younger names like Walsh and Robertson ( who’s been pushed under the bus) do you give Beaton this treatment? Not to mention that after two match days still no sign of Scottish refs in CL!! What’s going on with Scottish referees?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do understand that they are both CAT 1 but still we have seen Walsh in the past and why not Beaton? But why Beaton? Hopefully you will understand what I’m meaning!!

      Delete
  22. Soto Grado was in charge of Al Ahly- Zamalek matchup in Egypt with 2 penalties whistled and one cancelled.. will look for clips but he had a busy game for sure

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    Replies
    1. He actually gave three penalties, but took one back after OFR. I wrote some words about the game here:

      https://mikaelreferee.blogspot.com/p/dispatches.html

      Delete
  23. The big clash went to Oliver, not a surprise considering his good latest form. I hope he has a good game, definitely a name to follow this year for a european final.
    Interesting games also for Kovacs and Makkelie, not so big clash for Gozubuyuk.
    Marciniak with not an easy game, and same for Manzano. This could definitely be the big test for the Spanish after what it seems a good performance in Europa League last week, could eventually build up to other good games.

    Good luck to all the referees!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Every elite referee that has got an appointment on the first two matchdays was part of the course for WC 2026. Hernandez, Massa, Stieler, Bastien, Jovanovic, Sidiropoulos and Grinfeeld didn't get an appointment for CL so far. Pinheiro who is at U20 WC and Meler are the only ones without an appointment for CL.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Serdar Gozubuyuk
      23' QAR-CPH miss yellow for reckless

      Delete
  25. Clear back pass by Newcastle player around minute 37. Should have been an indirect free kick, what do you think?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://streambug.org/cv/d05ba0
      Should be this one I think?
      Maybe it has been assessed as rather deflection by defender...

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    2. Didn’t it come off his thigh?

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    3. What is clear? Passed with the knee/thigh in a natural way. Literally not a kick by the law. Completely allowed.

      Delete
  26. 58.30 clear penalty for Copenhagen!

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    Replies
    1. Imo is not clear.We consider only defender use one arm, not blantat holding. Undersandable to play on decision.

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  27. Now wrong penalty for Newcastle IMO, push by attacking player.

    ReplyDelete
  28. İt was a clear penalty for copenhagen .. very bad game for gözübüyük

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Luckily you can look at it very objectively considering all your previous comments...

      Delete
  29. Penalties whistled by Schnyder in Brussels: first one, very clear, directly whistled. Second after OFR and honestly there are many doubts whether one should consider this one clear and obvious mistake. I would accept a call by referee, but VAR's OFR can be discussed. The action by attacker behind must be considered, and I don't see the arm in a so open position, the last thing can be in defender's mind is to commit handball here.
    https://streambug.org/cv/e00771
    https://streambug.org/cv/45524c

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  30. imo clear handball.There is no atacking foul beacuse defender try hold attacker.After long ball arm is unnatural position even movement towards the ball

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  31. If Oliver has a good game tonight is he an early favorite for a final this year as far as I can remember he has only done a super cup final do far

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  32. 5’ PSV Goal cancelled by VAR. Offside missed by A2 in Leverkusen.

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  33. Great onside decision BY AR1 in Barcelona

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  34. Very borderline no intervention in Barcelona, YC was given, ball was not playable, intense contact was made in Achilles' tendon area. For me RC for SFP to be given.

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    Replies
    1. Agree. Rough foul by De Jong and « orange » card here. Imo more RC for SFP than YC.

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    2. I'm caveating this by saying I recognize they are different challenges, but I recall Makkelie showing a RC to I think a Napoli player against Liverpool where the studs were higher up the leg (similar, running SPA 'tackle'), and iirc the Uefa Rap said they wanted a YC only, despite the praise many gave the RC. I'd expect Uefa would be more happy with the YC here, although a RC is justifiable

      Delete
  35. I watched Makkelie in first half, normal game for him. Nothing particular to report.

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  36. De Jong foul: https://streambug.org/cv/2f7f05
    I think that the English VAR stayed silent based on the intensity of the foul, but the point of contact says 100% red card.
    Maybe with a VAR from another country, not an English (no offense intended), the player would have faced more severe consequences.

    ReplyDelete
  37. PAI from Gozubuyuk game:
    https://streambug.org/cv/47ec77
    You can give it, maybe you should whistle it, but isolated from the context in the box it's always the same argument. Either you punish everything or... very hard for VAR to intervene, I understand why he stayed silent, but a better management of situation was possible by referee.

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  38. Good analysis from Makellie about a possible penalty

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  39. Oliver with a missed 2YC, I can’t find a reason tu support this decision

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  40. Should be second yellow for mendes..
    big mistake from Oliver

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  41. Wrong assessment by Oliver : missed YC and consequently RC for PSG Nuno Mendes. Not foul by Fabian Ruiz and wrong explanation to Barca captain…

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  42. It takes balls to make a decision like Oliver did. And you can't support such a decision.

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  43. Oliver super clear second yellow card missed for Nuno Mendes.

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  44. How is the officiating in other games?
    For example, I'm not following the games in Monaco and Leverkusen

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  45. Here a clip:
    https://streambug.org/cv/bff9a0
    Did Oliver detect a foul by #8 PSG instead? And why no card?
    Should have been SPA as well...

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  46. What do you think about the penalty in Monaco? Not clear if there was a touch, perfect decision would have been IFK

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  47. Good onside call by Burt for PSG 2nd goal.

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  48. What a performance by Michael Oliver and his team tonight, excepitonal. He signed his candidature for European Club final this year.

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    Replies
    1. Only a missed RC
      For the standard so far, excellent performance…

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    2. Maybe 2 RC's...Bu then again,ref is not to blame for Barca loss do I dont think they will blame him for some of the decisions.

      Delete
    3. @RET FOT “
      Are you related to Michael Oliver?

      Delete
    4. To be fair, while we can all agree Mendes was a clear 2YC missed, I don't think many other referees out there could have handled the rest of the game like Oliver did tonight: his soft skills and rapport with players, with the athleticism to cope with the pace of the game and always find credible positions, were top elite level for me.

      Delete
    5. Agree Sin Bin. But not relevant disciplinary job. Missed RC and totally wrong one to Casado. Not Elite from this part IMO.

      Delete
  49. Gonçalo Ramos' goal confirmed by VAR. The PSG forward was behind the ball's line on the edge of the box.

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  50. Gonçalo Ramos' goal confirmed by VAR. The PSG forward was behind the ball's line on the edge of the box.

    ReplyDelete
  51. I must say, very good by Makkelie. After a rather easy-going first half, second was different for the Dutch referee. A crucial call, penalty to Sporting, correct decision with perfect positioning and the classic style we know by him. Earlier, around 55', correct assessment of potential handball penalty, he made gesture of the arms behind the back, and he was right, very well seen. When you see a referee making efforts to explain what he has decided is always good. Controlled the full game that was mostly fair but with some moments of potential conflicts in second half, without issuing a single YC and this choice can be supported. Used a smart approach, he was also seen very firm and strict when needed, but basically also on the same level of players.

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  52. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  53. Every time I see Letexier, I find confirmation that he should be studied as a benchmark in all refereeing courses. Great athleticism, always very close to the action and with great positional sense, impeccable both technically and disciplinaryly, a great personality. IMO #1 for both UEFA and FIFA.

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  54. Big incidents for Oliver:
    1) https://www.streambug.org/cv/fe7e13
    2) https://www.streambug.org/cv/e90353
    3) https://www.streambug.org/cv/60387e

    I think Oliver is >95% safe on the non-expulsion of De Jong (well-explained above by DB) and still pretty safe, maybe 70%, on Mendes. The most tricky potential (S)YC incidents are always those which are neither clearly SPA or clearly reckless and straddle to borderline under both headings. For this reason, I think the non-SYC will be supported. Overall, Ref Fot is actually right, as the overall manner in which Michael Oliver handled this game was (really) good. Stuart Burt's very well seen calls for two goals should be prasied.

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    Replies
    1. Have to disagree here.
      I liked how the first two clips were handled, the non penalty call is good and the no red card is also for me correct as the intensity wasn't there, but I can't support the call on Mendes who clearly deserved a 2nd yellow card.

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    2. I totaly agree with Nerazzuri

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    3. @Chefren how can non SYC be suported here? It affected game result directly. What criteria says that was not yellow card? Mandatory by all rules and he only did not showed it as it was second yellow in question. We all have watched Oliver many times and if Mendes was not on yellow already he would be booked here 100%. Oliver great referee top 10 for sure and even if all in all he handled this game great this mistake was crucial for result. We all can agree that PSG with 10 man from minute 60% would not have more then 6,7% chance to win the game.

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    4. @Scandinavian Referee it was not a reckless challenge IMO so YC would have to be for SPA. Football expects a YC here and personally I would have given one, but the argument against it that I can see is that he was dribbling towards more close opponents so the foul didn't prevent a significant development of the attack (though he may well have shot first which is why I prefer YC). Oliver also showed with the non-YC to Rashford in the first half that proximity to the penalty area alone wouldn't be enough for a card necessarily.

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  55. Interesting to note that several referees worked with a foreign VAR and had no problems at all:

    Marciniak / van Boekel, Makkelie / Kwiat, Nyberg / DCG, Letexier / Storks.

    Nyberg obviously never works with a Swedish VMO. Delajod is busy this week, hence the German with Letexier. The Makkelie/van Boekel duo has been “contaminated” since EURO 2020. Marciniak and Kwiat were occasionally split up last season for unclear reasons. Beyond that, the trend is obvious: a top match requires a top VAR (for example, Dieperink and Storks are less experienced and therefore get smaller matches).

    Anyway, I don’t think foreign VARs are a bad thing at all for certain referees. Let’s be honest, it worked well last season with Kovacs too. In fact, it’s refreshing: a VAR with an independent perspective, who doesn’t bring personal relationships into the decision-making process, feel the need to “support too much,” etc. And foreign eyes may even add authority, keeping everyone sharp.

    On top of that, I believe top VARs from smaller countries should also be given chances in the big matches and finals. Build a reliable VAR pool, avoid overly tight referee-VAR partnerships, and reward good VAR performances with the top games.

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  56. Troublesome OFR for Gil Manzano in Monaco.
    Video:
    https://streambug.org/cv/43dd41
    To answer a comment above, I think the contact existed, but rather soft. Nevertheless, one can punish the very raised leg with YC for reckless. We don't see indirect free kicks for dangerous play whistled anymore in football.
    Very poor positioning by the Spanish refeere at the free kick, he missed everything, without a real visual control of penalty area.

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    1. agreed, the VAR was rather soft but supportable, it's difficult to say if they had to intervene, but quite a scene made by Dier maybe affected the call.
      Manzano was definitely not well positionned and couldn't see anything there.

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    2. Gil Manzano has been doing this for some time:
      https://law5-theref.blogspot.com/2023/05/champions-league-202223-referee_8.html?showComment=1683749431215#c2127397682290720668

      This trend, also from corners where some refs choose to look 'at' rather than 'into' the gaggle of players inside the penalty area, really must stop as it is incredibly stupid (it is akin to refs who stood behind the goalline from corners in the past). It is sacrificing actually being able to see what happens, instead choosing to favour the players 'feeling' the referee's presence. In almost all penalty area plays, the ball/player on the ball moves TOWARDS the goal and not away from it, and then you can't really see anything if you stand in that position. I don't understand why any serious referee lecturer has not lascerated, much less encouraged(!), such a stupid trend: this incident could be example A1 for why it is terrible idea.

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  57. Since we didn't discuss Marciniak yet, please allow some comments from my perception in the stadium: Marciniak calm and clear in his decision making as always. I felt that he had a rather strict line but that was widely accepted by players. No PAIs or other key situations in an easy to officiate game. Dortmund was dominant for the majority of the game with only a little insecurity after conceiving the 2-1. Overall, it was a flawless and normal performance in an easy game. But I do feel that his line and style contributed to the overall calmness and that's a great attribute for a referee. Even in such an easy game it was a joy to observe one of the best of our profession live.

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  59. Best Referees of the Week 2 – Based on Extreme Pressure and Spotlight

    1: Michael Oliver 🇬🇧 = Composed and safe management
    2: Danny Makkelie 🇳🇱 = Solid performance, full control of the game
    3: István Kovács 🇷🇴 = Managed tough moments unnoticed, 100%

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