2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers, October 2025.
Thursday 9 October 2025
Group G
18:00 CET - Helsinki (Helsingin Olympiastadion)
FINLAND - LITHUANIA
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart FRAAssistant Referee 1: Aurélien Drouet FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Alexis Auger FRA
Fourth Official: Jérémie Pignard FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jan Boterberg BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Jens Larsen DEN
UEFA Delegate: Gerard Lawlor NIR
Group C
20:45 CET - Glasgow (Hampden Park)
SCOTLAND - GREECE
Group C
20:45 CET - Zalaegerszeg, HUN (ZTE Aréna)
BELARUS - DENMARK
UEFA Delegate: Neil Morrow NIR
Group G
20:45 CET - Ta’ Qali (National Stadium)
MALTA - NETHERLANDS
UEFA Referee Observer: Albano Janku ALB
UEFA Delegate: Michal Mertinyák SVK
Group H
20:45 CET - Larnaca (AEK Aréna - Geórgios Karapatákis)
CYPRUS - BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Group H
20:45 CET - Vienna (Ernst-Happel-Stadion)
AUSTRIA - SAN MARINO
Referee: Yigal Frid ISR
Assistant Referee 1: Rostislav Talis ISR
Assistant Referee 2: Tuval Koltunoff ISR
Fourth Official: David Fuxman ISR
Video Assistant Referee: Daniel Bar Natan ISR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Eli Hacmon ISR
UEFA Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva LTU
UEFA Delegate: Ánna Kapásoglou GRE
Group L
20:45 CET - Prague (Fortuna Arena)
CZECHIA - CROATIA
Group L
20:45 CET - Tórshavn (Tórsvøllur)
FAROE ISLANDS - MONTENEGRO
20:45 CET - Glasgow (Hampden Park)
SCOTLAND - GREECE
Referee: Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Mohammad Usman Aslam NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Kristoffer Hagenes NOR
UEFA Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson SWE
UEFA Delegate: Hanna Bordyuhova UKR
Group C
20:45 CET - Zalaegerszeg, HUN (ZTE Aréna)
BELARUS - DENMARK
Referee: Filip Glova SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Poláček SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Tobiáš Pacák SVK
Fourth Official: Martin Dohál SVK
Video Assistant Referee: Michal Očenáš SVK
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Boris Marhefka SVK
UEFA Referee Observer: Nuno Alexandre Parreira de Castro PORUEFA Delegate: Neil Morrow NIR
Group G
20:45 CET - Ta’ Qali (National Stadium)
MALTA - NETHERLANDS
Referee: Duje Strukan CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Alen Jakšić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Marjan Tomas CRO
Fourth Official: Patrik Kolarić CRO
Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dario Bel CROUEFA Referee Observer: Albano Janku ALB
UEFA Delegate: Michal Mertinyák SVK
Group H
20:45 CET - Larnaca (AEK Aréna - Geórgios Karapatákis)
CYPRUS - BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Referee: Lawrence Visser BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Ruben Wyns BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen BEL
Fourth Official: Lothar D'Hondt BEL
Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bert Put BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Ruud Bossen NED
UEFA Delegate: Alojzije Šupraha CRO
Group H
20:45 CET - Vienna (Ernst-Happel-Stadion)
AUSTRIA - SAN MARINO
Referee: Yigal Frid ISR
Assistant Referee 1: Rostislav Talis ISR
Assistant Referee 2: Tuval Koltunoff ISR
Fourth Official: David Fuxman ISR
Video Assistant Referee: Daniel Bar Natan ISR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Eli Hacmon ISR
UEFA Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva LTU
UEFA Delegate: Ánna Kapásoglou GRE
Group L
20:45 CET - Prague (Fortuna Arena)
CZECHIA - CROATIA
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Clément Turpin FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Éric Wattellier FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Tony Asumaa FIN
UEFA Delegate: Peter Lundström FINGroup L
20:45 CET - Tórshavn (Tórsvøllur)
FAROE ISLANDS - MONTENEGRO
Referee: Javier Alberola Rojas ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Alfredo Rodríguez Moreno ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Iker de Francisco Grijalba ESP
Fourth Official: José Luis Munuera Montero ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Matteo Simone Trefoloni ITA
UEFA Delegate: Adrian Ixari MDA
Friday 10 October 2025
Group J
16:00 CET - Astana (Astana Arena)
KAZAKHSTAN - LIECHTENSTEIN
Referee: Paweł Raczkowski POL
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek POL
Assistant Referee 2: Bartosz Heinig POL
Fourth Official: Patryk Gryckiewicz POL
Video Assistant Referee: Piotr Lasyk POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Paweł Pskit POL
UEFA Referee Observer: Giorgi Vadachkoria GEO
UEFA Delegate: Borja Bilbao Vizcaíno ESP
Group A
20:45 CET - Sinsheim (PreZero Arena)
GERMANY - LUXEMBOURG
Referee: Nenad Minaković SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Nikola Borović SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Boško Božović SRB
Fourth Official: Pavle Ilić SRB
Video Assistant Referee: Momčilo Marković SRB
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jelena Cvetković SRB
UEFA Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu ROU
UEFA Delegate: Paul Lyon GIB
Group A
20:45 CET - Belfast (Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park)
NORTHERN IRELAND - SLOVAKIA
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck SWE
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Erwin Blank NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Chaim Ya’akov ISR
UEFA Delegate: Manuel Huber SUI
Group B
20:45 CET - Solna (Strawberry Arena)
SWEDEN - SWITZERLAND
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Robert Jones ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Peter Bankes ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić SRB
UEFA Delegate: Duncan Fraser SCO
Group B
20:45 CET - Pristina (Stadiumi “Fadil Vokrri”)
KOSOVO - SLOVENIA
Referee: Marco Guida ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgio Peretti ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Giuseppe Perrotti ITA
Fourth Official: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Valerio Marini ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn GER
UEFA Delegate: Peadar Ryan IRL
Group D
20:45 CET - Paris (Parc des Princes)
FRANCE - AZERBAIJAN
Referee: Rohit Saggi NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jørgen Rønning Valstadsve NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ole Andreas Skogsrud Haukåsen NOR
Fourth Official: Daniel Higraff NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Tom Harald Hagen NOR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sigurd Smehus Kringstad NOR
UEFA Referee Observer: Michal Beneš CZE
UEFA Delegate: Tarik Shamel ENG
Group D
20:45 CET - Reykjavík (Laugardalsvöllur)
ICELAND - UKRAINE
Referee: Sven Jablonski GER
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger GER
Assistant Referee 2: Lasse Koslowski GER
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner GER
Video Assistant Referee: Benjamin Brand GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Daniel Schlager GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav BIH
UEFA Delegate: Joseph O’Brien IRL
Group J
20:45 CET - Ghent (Ghelamco Arena)
BELGIUM - NORTH MACEDONIA
Referee: Halil Umut Meler TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Abdullah Bora Özkara TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Bersan Duran TUR
Fourth Official: Kadir Sağlam TUR
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Onur Özütoprak TUR
UEFA Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG
UEFA Delegate: Virgar Hvidbro FRO
Saturday 11 October 2025
15:00 CET - Riga (Daugavas stadions)
LATVIA - ANDORRA
Referee: Georgi Kabakov BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Venev BUL
Fourth Official: Radoslav Gidzhenov BUL
Video Assistant Referee: Dragomir Draganov BUL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nikola Popov BUL
UEFA Referee Observer: Nerijus Dunauskas LTU
UEFA Delegate: Pramila Susanne Olsen Matthiasen NOR
Group F
18:00 CET - Budapest (Puskás Aréna)
HUNGARY - ARMENIA
Referee: Christopher Kavanagh ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Cook ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Hussin ENG
Fourth Official: Samuel Barrott ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Darren England ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Andrew Madley ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin SVN
UEFA Delegate: Lennart Vestervall SWE
Group I
18:00 CET - Oslo (Ullevaal Stadion)
NORWAY - ISRAEL
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Damian Kos POL
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Wojciech Myć POL
UEFA Referee Observer: Ante Vučemilović CRO
UEFA Delegate: Angelo Chetcuti MLT
Group E
20:45 CET - Elche (Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero)
SPAIN - GEORGIA
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Mangirdas Mirauskas LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas LTU
Fourth Official: Donatas Rumšas LTU
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Donatas Šimėnas LTU
UEFA Referee Observer: Michael Riley ENG
UEFA Delegate: Camelia Nicolae ROU
Group E
20:45 CET - Sofia (Natsionalen Stadion “Vasil Levski”)
BULGARIA - TÜRKİYE
Referee: Luis Miguel Branco Godinho POR
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Miguel Martins Teixeira POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Miguel Almeida da Mota POR
Fourth Official: Miguel Bértolo Nogueira POR
Video Assistant Referee: André Filipe Domingues da Silva Narciso POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Hélder Miguel de Azevedo Malheiro POR
UEFA Referee Observer: Edward Foley IRL
UEFA Delegate: David Andrew McDowell Zor SVN
Group F
20:45 CET - Lisbon (Estádio José Alvalade)
PORTUGAL - REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Ján Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Peter Kráľovič SVK
Video Assistant Referee: Clay Ruperti NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Richard Martens NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vázquez ESP
UEFA Delegate: Per Eliasson SWE
Group I
20:45 CET - Tallinn (A. Le Coq Arena)
ESTONIA - ITALY
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Patrick Inia NED
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij NED
Video Assistant Referee: Rob Dieperink NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jeroen Manschot NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Calum Murray SCO
UEFA Delegate: Adrian D. Casha MLT
Group K
20:45 CET - Leskovac (Gradski stadion Dubočica)
SERBIA - ALBANIA
Referee: Istvan Kovacs ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marius Marica ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Horațiu Mircea Feșnic ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pascal Müller GER
UEFA Referee Observer: John Ward IRL
UEFA Delegate: Kris Bellon BEL
Strange to see Turpin as fourth official to Letexier...
ReplyDeleteTurpin will just put the Substitution Boards up and get paid for nothing.. easy money :) he will probably Refereeing the next matches
DeleteIt's because fourth officials in such games must be FIFA referees, if possible from same country of main referee.
DeleteOne should guess that the other French FIFA referees are busy with other games.
And maybe Turpin will be appoint to a game close to Czechia so it was easier for everyone.
DeleteWe'll finally see Alberola Rojas back refereeing UEFA matches.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think it's going to be an interesting match.
Let's see how he performs!
Finally a game for Alberola Rojas with important observer.
ReplyDeleteFrappart back with a Men's game after a long time, very unclear how they manage that, with other women in men's lists.
Israeli referee assigned to San Marino to avoid more discussions and controversy, but still it's Austria at home on the other side.
Shortage of fourth officials from France? Still not appointed the fourth in Frappart game. We know that for WC qualifiers fourth officials must be FIFA referees so in this way you can explain Turpin while other officials are maybe busy in other competitions the same days (we will see).
Rojas gets 2 very agressive teams that want to be above each other.
DeleteAlso,Montenegro is very talkative team so his lenient style could suit team like Montenegro .
We saw last match how Zwayer did not tolerate anything with them so they were not happy with him and his style.
This time ref who is handling their match is as lenient as some could be so they can behave with some freedom,much more than their last match.
Vincic referee NL - Finland on 12 oct.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.vi.nl/nieuws/scheidsrechters-oranje-een-debutant-en-een-arbiter-met-een-zwart-randje
We can all agree that Letexier gets the biggest match,decider for maybe 1st place in the group.
ReplyDeleteWith the physical and agressive Czech style,we could see him flourish,cause that's the type of games where he shines the most.
The 2 big match here is Czechia-Croatia & Scotland-Greece.
ReplyDeleteVisser is still alive, beit a not so important game of course. Full Belgian crew (and the Belgians even help the French...) : not clear why this happens sometimes and it does not happen deliberately in other games, these "one country crews " of six. And Turpin as 4th official : did we see that before in, let's say, the last 5 years ?
ReplyDeleteFor Turpin let's say that Letexier was his 4th official for Barcelona-Inter it's an other context here but it's not the first time that both of them are 4th official, not a big thing imo.
DeleteAccording to Refereeing World on Facebook, changes were made in the FIFA Referee Commission.
DeleteI still wonder what the Commission's jobs are... and I also wonder why people like Busacca ir Steinhaus are not part of it?
Interesting that Spanish active on field referees like Hernandez and Soto Grado are getting main var appointments with UEFA considering La Liga only has former on field referees as the main var this season (current referee's are still sometimes AVAR)
ReplyDeleteOT: Roberto Rosetti will attend the Portugal Football Summit in the Football City in Oeiras, Lisbon. The event will be from 8 to 11 of October 2025. He will do a keynote on 9 of October at 10:50 local time about the Evolution of Refereeing— The Game of the Future: Leading the Refereeing Revolution - « Refereeing is at the heart of the transformation of modern football, driven by technology, innovation, and the pursuit of greater transparency. In this keynote, Roberto Rosetti, UEFA's General Director of Referees, presents the institution's vision for the future of refereeing, the challenges of technological implementation, and the role of referees in the evolution of the game. »
ReplyDeleteSource: https://portugalfootballsummit.com/blog/roberto-rosetti-confirmed-as-speaker-at-the-portugal-football-summit-2025
Surprisingly good appointment for Jablonski, and Meler is back with a good game as well.
ReplyDeleteStill not appointed the fourth official in Stephanie Frappart game ?
ReplyDeletethe Game day is tomorrow
Huge appointment for Meler, well deserved.
ReplyDeleteIf he performs well, he will get an appointment at CL either on MD3 or MD4.
DeleteUmut Meler made a scandalous penalty decision in the Turkish league this week. I saw the video and couldn't believe it..
DeleteI would say normal assignment after a very difficult moment for him, and still committee uses European Qualifiers for such management.
DeleteHowever, a good observer and maybe a comeback attempt.
Last his match was really average.
DeleteSamsunspor-Fenerbahce,plenty cards missed,sometimes it was looking like match would slip out of his control but he managed players with minimum cards,3 cards were shown.
Player control was good,but disciplinary control was bad not existing,only clear cards were shown.
That is so not typical with him,whenever he performed on big stage he had great disciplinary control,I can remember his great performances in Euro.
Please never compare any Turkish referees league performance with their performance in Europe. In Turkey, referees are under huge pressure of media, social media and fans. In International games they are more focused and their minds are clear. I hope he will be successful.
DeleteBased on this,we can expect big names reserved for Saturday,where big focus is on Serbia vs Albania match.
ReplyDeleteMarciniak or Turpin,my guess is Marciniak.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThe level of AFC refereeing, once again, really poor.
ReplyDeleteAhmad Al-Ali (KUW) called 2 times to the monitor for 2 clear PK missed in the first 40 minutes.
Not so convincing so far…
Indonesia-Saudi Arabia match.
DeleteI don't think it was clear and obvious error from Al Ali to reject Saudi Arabia penalty appeal for pulling, the defender was stupid to "pull" but the attacker was so smart to create theatrical action after that. And for the first incident Tambakti lucky to not get early 2YC.
DeleteWell,you have to be very brave to show RC to home team that early.
DeleteNot everyone is brave like Lahoz,or by the book ref like Siebert.
Especially not AFC refs.
by the book, when the handball occurred on penalty box and it was "shot on target" and his position as the last man before goalkeeper, is that punished as penalty only or PK+YC?
DeleteBy the last rules and how refs are handling that situations it's only penalty,when GK is on goal.
DeleteWhen goal is empty,it's PK and YC,Croatia vs Czech Republic 1st match was best example with Gil Manzano in charge.
Imo,they should not have changed it,whether it's intentional or accidental,you are stopping ball progress with your hand,so YC is proper punishment.
But then again,refs and comitee are going in lenient direction-less cards,better ref.
Luckily we still have Siebert and aome refs that are handling matches by the book.
Now clear 2nd YC missed for #5 Saudi Arabia.
DeleteWow,how can you not give that...
tbh with single round robin and the venue was not neutral, the referee also from the same region, and of course the sponsor, Aramco, and more from Saudi, what should we expect?
DeleteAnyone can confirm controversial offside decision for onside goal for Cape Verde in the match against Libya?
ReplyDeleteYes, wrong offside by AR in 90'+7, don't know the officials in charge. Player would have been alone against keeper.
DeleteWe can discuss and blame UEFA for many reasons about refereeing, but still, let's remember that we have a certain level after years of technology. Really sorry for Cape Verde, now 100% crucial game against eSwatini.
If the information is right, Mahmood Ismail (SDN) was the referee. We might remember him from the Olympics.
Delete3rd penalty missed by Al-Ali, shameful performance from him and of course for AFC for choosing referee like him for important match
ReplyDeletewith 3 VAR intervention, what final mark for him?
DeleteWow,what a poor performance that was best shown at the end,wrong foul in favour of KSA,missed foul and 2nd YC for Diks and also much earlier missed 2nd YY to KSA #5.
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch the second half but I'm not surprised at all that it was like that...
ReplyDeleteI read an article a few days ago where the Indonesian federation required a referee from another confederation, following what Andrei said correctly, but it was obvious that that was not going to happen.
The level of AFC refereeing in the last years is absolutely a joke…
Country not confederation, my bad ;)
DeleteTo be honest, no negative performance by AFC officials is going to surprise me. Their refereeing level is totally amateur. For example, refereeing in Polish fifth tier is actually better than AFC elite. They lack basic skills like technical accuracy or rapport with players. In addition, they are most likely forced to keep both eyes closed to wildest dissents and other unsporting behaviours like mobbing, delaying the restart, etc. FIFA should've really stepped in after the last World Cup but it's easier to please every confederation instead of care about the level of refereeing. CONCACAF have good actors and after Hall's resignation the technical accuracy is better. In CAF, Doué was doing phenomenal job but unfortunately was replaced by Gomes due to political pressure. CONMEBOL is not as good as in the past but certain level is ensured. AFC is far, far behind all other confederations...
Delete@diego you right mate, the Indonesian federation request AFC to change the referee not only from the other country (outside Arab World), but even from the other confederation (even they know it was not possible).
DeleteI'm trying to understand AFC and limit my judgment only to this situation, even though I know they're clearly at fault. The situation beside many protest from UAE, Indonesia, Oman, and Iraq for venue neutrality, the number of trusted pool AFC elite referees was very limited. Beside Al Ali, practically if we didn't want to use referee from the contestants (even if they're not in the same group), we only have Kim Jong Hyeok from South Korea, the only AFC referees candidate for WC26 that didn't get appointment in this round). As we know, Al Kaf is injured, the other trusted referee are duo UAE (Omar Al Ali and Al Naqbi), duo Qatari (Al Jassim and Falahi), trio Saudi (Al Hoaish, Shamrani, with Turais is in Chile). The other potential "neutral region" referee was not get enough good appointment to reach the higher level, I can say names like Payam Heidari (IRN), Rustam Lutfullin (UZB) or Sadullo Gulmurodi (TJK) for these and of course (very shameful) 0 trusted elite referees from South Asia (India, etc.). If this management and referees development continue, this will be the future of AFC, go to hell refereeing world in Asia.
UEFA and their refs are far ,far ahead in terms of rest of the world.
DeleteThe only closest one is CONMEBOL but their big names are also being questioned in their own federation.
We saw what happened to Rojas,we saw Matonte's lenient way that backfired him vs River.
You can say few of them are great and reliable,Maza,Sampaio,Rapallini,snd some others,but in that term Europe is far more consistent.
Yes,behaviour of players is totally different in Libertadores and Sudamericana than in Uefa's competition,but you cant tell me that there is no passion also in Uefa competitions.
We saw at CWC how well can Uefa refs adapt to Libertadores teams.
We saw good Letexier in Brazilian clash we good Vincic in River vs Monterrey,Oliver also in Flamengo's match.
We all remember Faghani's poor performance in CWC Final,and he is one of the more reliable refs from AFC.
So how can we expect better form rest of them?
And also,how is it neutral field when it's played on Saudi's and Qatar's home field?
DeleteI thought FIFA did not care about money,but being equal?🤣🤣🤣
Tanzania- Zambia around 80th,81st min
ReplyDeleteCleets out,leg to the head,high force..
Some would expect RC.
Our ref K.Traore,only whistled foul.
Completely agree with the comments.. AFC is, by far, in its worst moment.
ReplyDeleteIt will be very interesting to see the final list for WC2026…Faghani and Tantashev are the only two locked names I see today, but surely not for performances…Obviously there will be a Qatari and a Saudi as well…
Regarding the Indonesia match, I think the comments are a bit harsh.
ReplyDelete2 penalties for me were for exactly what VAR was brought in for. Absolutely no chance for the referee to spot on field. Maybe AR could help? But even opponents didn’t even suspect of a handball in both incidents.
The other penalty? Debatable but I agree with the VAR. Football expects a penalty here but not so easy on the field (also, maybe AR could help?)
I don’t like his rapport with the players. And he missed a few fouls. But this happens in every game.
What about the 2 YC’s in added time? Maybe he was too quick but if the player reacted with disrespect (which is clearly what happened, I think he showed a signal of ‘crazy’ while speaking to the referee) then what a breath of fresh air to see AFC referees dealing with dissent (finally!).
By far not the best performance, but for me he was just unlucky with so many ‘VAR situations’.
What about no 2nd YC to Saudi #5?
DeleteClear as day for foul on the edge of the box,much clearer than 2 YC's in added time?
Missed foul by IND #2 right at the end,potential "orange" card.
Before that wrong foul whistled against Indonesia.
I mean I could go on and on about that incident with 2 YC's in last minutes.
Yes bit of fresh air,but then have that criterium for whole match and punish those dissents, not only when player crosses the line completely.
I missed it live, but just watched it. Clear 2nd YC. No idea how it wasn’t given.
DeleteAnd yes, the concentration level was gone in the final minutes. Not acceptable.
A Norwegian cup game is to be replayed due to this incident being considered a formal error by the referee. Thoughts? (See video on top of the article)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.vg.no/sport/i/RzJO6r/egersunds-anke-tatt-til-foelge-cupkampen-mot-lyn-maa-spilles-paa-nytt
Unfortunately not watchable outside of Norway, do you have another video?
DeleteLuis Godinho
ReplyDeleteBulgaria - Turkey..
Godinho was video referee for many matches in the Turkish league last year. I don't think this appointment is appropriate.
Hmm,Kovacs gets the balkan spicy derby.
ReplyDeleteOne could understand this decision given how well he performed at Euro when Serbia and Slovenia played.
Also,he is around that Balkan area so he probably knows mentality and what to expect in that hostile enviroment.
I hope, he's recovered after a worst game in the domestic league. He missed all KMI which was overturned by VAR, where was Sorin Costreie and not Catalin Popa.
DeleteLukjancukas with very good appointment, is he Lithuanian No.1 right now or UEFA in doubt again? Hard to believe Lithuania can have 2 elite referees at once, right?
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, England seems in rush to push for 3rd elite referee, Kavanagh, recently got many quite good match.
Last, Kabakov, Latvia-Andorra, should we say this is good appointment or the opposite?
Kabakov, like other referes (the Georgian were mentioned here on the blog) is among the names who didn't get any single assignment in both MD1 and MD2 in all three clubs' competitions. So now this seems the new start. We really can't say more but sometimes it's a pity because some of these referees were definitely in a good moment. He has to re-start again, this assignment can't definitely satisfy him.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest, always big names for Israel, we can understand why, game against Norway is also very important for qualification. Now I think in Italy - Israel we could see maybe Turpin (it's possible a reversed assignment with Letexier, there are enough days in the middle until Tuesday).
About Lithuania, it's very hard to answer, for sure years and years but they have not still decided. While before and during EURO UNDER 21 on last June, Lukjancukas was clearly ahead under my eyes, then what followed with that game Germany - Italy, and committee back on Rumsas, created a new "confusion" (a positive confusion, I mean, of course).
Yes, hard to think that both could get Elite, but surely one of them will do that. Still, Rumsas has years and years of observation by important people and more experience than the countryman, but the latter seems to be more liked for some aspects. My idea is that Lukjancukas could have a bit more, but the level is not that different, we have only to wait and see. In the game for the Lithuanian one of fourth official of the other, like Letexier - Turpin in CZE - CRO.
Kavanagh with a rather interesting one in Hungary, always discussions about refereeing here, even though on paper it could sound a easy game, I consider this one as OK for the English. But what about Brooks? Really sorry he had to abandon everything. While I think Kavanagh shouldn't be considered for Elite promotion, I suggest that he is now there just as English nr. 3, taking the spot of the very famous Pawson, who did that as extremely experienced Cat. 1 or years and years. Waiting for new names.
Big game for Kovacs in Serbia, and he is the kind of referee you can like for this duty. Gozubuyuk with Italy, we know against Estonia should be easier but Pinheiro was referee for this game in Italy and there is always the classic focus by Rosetti, so you have something more for the Dutch (nevertheless, a referee with less experience was still possible).
Godinho in Bulgaria for continuing his development while Kruzliak, well, he is really liked by Rosetti, it's clear! :)
@Chefren, did big FA like England after no representative in Russia, want to has only 1 elite referee (Oliver), assuming Taylor would retire in the next 2 years. The closest one in recent years just Kavanagh, Brooks struggling with his physicality. My question who is the fastest track elite referees ever or is it enough to develop elite referees from big FA with only 1-2 years experiences, in this case England officials that have "poor" image recently?
DeleteMariani was promoted to elite despite his age being in the 40's so don't think it's impossible that Kavanagh gets promoted after Taylor leaves the European list. Especially if Brooks has more injury issues or has poor form.
DeleteNo matter the age for promotion, we saw many referees already 40 y.o. who got the satisfaction, but my idea about Kavanagh is that he can't get more than Cat. 1 based on his skills and capacity. But of course just my opinion.
DeleteVery poor imagine by England in recent times, in my opinion, Andrei. I think that they should have indeed focused on a name and then followed him for a while. How much time has passed since we see only Oliver and Taylor? We have lost it.
DeleteAnd yes, the very strange fact is that for big federations it seems easier to produce referees for Elite category, even if they are subpar in reality (low Elite referee, we could say), but still, they didn't manage even that. It is worrying for me.
For sure the talents are missing and they way games are played in PL is more a issue than a help for them. But future can always give us surprises... and we will see.
I think potentially the pathway was a bit of an issue I think that the pgmol had a different grading system which just looked at decision accuracy and didn't take into account how challenging the match was. I think it was mark clattenburg said under that system he was ranked as one of the lower ranked referees (despite having the big matches) while others who had smaller matches and were not at a uefa level were ranked higher.
DeleteThere seems to be a better pathway now we have seen barrott who in his first season in the championship get 15 pl matches and now has taken pawsons Spot.
On the way probably to replace Taylor will be brammal who is starting to get a run of games this season.
There are also kitchen and l smith who I think could be promoted next season and do well
Regarding the case where a cup game in Norway has to be replayed due to formal error of the referee, try this video:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.tv2.no/video/sport/reagerer-bor-bli-omkamp/20305002?abgroup=neste1a
Very strange to replay because of this. It’s a mistake yes, but it’s not like ending a game at minute 80 instead of 90. It’s a decision mistake, like allowing a free kick to be scored if an opponent was closer than 1 m from the wall.
DeleteJérémie Pignard is the fourth official in FINLTU.
ReplyDeleteI’ve noticed a recurring pattern: Italian referees are frequently appointed for matches involving Slovenia and PSG. Maybe it’s because they’re trusted to handle the extra pressure — including a few additional eyes watching from higher up — but it could also work the other way around: strong performances in these games might actually fast-track their rise to the top level?
ReplyDeleteAt this point, Turpin almost has to get the ultra sensitive Italy–Israel; there don’t seem to be many other logical options.
Rizzoli will be observing Slovenia–Switzerland. Any predictions?
Absolutely correct about Slovenia and PSG. Many and many Italian assignments in recent times, it seems there is a reason behind that. Let's also remember Massa, among others, as full surprise for that game PSG - Stuttgart last year, when the pressure on the team looked to be very high... and Guida before during GS. Then Massa again in PSG in KO stage, but very poor performance.
DeleteAbout England, If I’m not wrong, I barely remember that Kuipers observed Robert Jones in a Europa League game of the 2023/2024 season (Leverkusen-Molde), I thought that he will follow a “path” but after that nothing for him…I don’t follow the Premier League so I can’t say anything about him but I guess they focused on Brooks but due to his injuries they had to put the focus again on Kavanagh…But I agree that there are better referees than Kavanagh for think about “Elite”.
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge of PL is okay I guess so id say Kavanagh would be a short term fix but given the apparent lack of depth IMO currently then I don't see another option. In the medium to long term, current FIFA referee Sam Barrott would be my pick followed by three names who are not yet in the Premier League (Thomas Kirk, Reuben Ricardo and Farai Hallam) I would be pushing these referees into the PL and then onto the FIFA list. That would be my humble opinion and happy to hear other names that I may have missed.
DeleteHopefully Brooks can stay fit now and push on (did his first PL game in a while last week). I agree Barrott has probably the highest ceiling of the contenders and is still very young. Maybe a controversial name in England but I think Gillett has more levels to reach too as a main referee as well as VAR, particularly in a UEFA context which might suit his style more than some PL games.
DeleteReally sorry for Strukan. Terrible to see such a missed advantage. Good luck that penalty was scored!
ReplyDeleteAt least he was saved by one of his team members from awarding a goal, which he seemed to try to do after realizing he killed the advantage. But the clearly already blew the whistle before the ball entered the goal.
DeleteIn my view, this is a gross error by Strukan. Why didn't he award the advantage for the Dutch national team's goal instead of awarding the penalty? Consider Marciniak's example in the PSG-Real semifinal at the Club World Cup: Dembelé was brought down in the penalty area by Courtois, the ball fell to Fabian Ruiz, who was then signaled to the center of the field.
ReplyDeleteYes, it must be considered as big error.
DeleteWe know that advantages and delayed whistles are not strictly rules, but management by referee. Nevertheless, today these skills are strongly required and I think we can say it's becoming even more rare to see a referee missing such advantage close to the goal.
In my opinion, if one wants a simple explanation about which abilities an Elite referee should have, well, this is the first one. A situation like this must NEVER happen. Before every whistle, even more in penalty area when in favor of attacking team, after detecting a foul and/or a situation, you must also add that to the assessment.
Perfect analysis, Chefren 👍
DeleteThere is no "advantage" in the box, but still if he had waited for 1-2 more seconds it would have turned out much better for him. This way the game started badly.
DeleteIn my opinion rather wrong penalty call for handball by Strukan.
ReplyDeleteBebek with a very long analysis (as it very often happens for the very experienced former FIFA referee from Rijeka) after the call and he decided to invite the Croatian to monitor. I agree. From Strukan's point of view, I don't think he could exactly see how the touch happened, it was rather a whistle just thinking about handball, but not detecting it.
Video?
DeleteI don't think Eskas' general decision making has been at the expected level so far. 1 wrong corner kick/ goal kick decision. A couple of wrong free kicks and a very harsh YC for simulation at the end
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThere was also a throw-in which was not awarded by AR1 when the Greek player stretched his leg off the pitch and kicked the ball back in!
DeleteEskas with an excellent 36 minutes in SCO-GRE. Excellent fitness, excellent technical accuracy and good rapport with players. After an incorrect GK decision (no touch off the attacker, should have been a corner) Eskas combined with AR1 producing incorrect decisions. Incorrect free kick flagged by AR1 when Eskas had correctly ruled for a throw only. Coupled with a poor free kick award and then an incorrect YC to GRE for simulation (was slight shoulder to shoulder contact and not warranting of a YC.) Hopefully those 9 minutes were just a blip and he will be back to his best like he was in the first portion.
ReplyDeleteVery poor refereeing performance in the Austria match. The VAR has already had to intervene three times after 50 minutes at the stand of 7:0.
ReplyDeleteBlatant 2YC missed my Eskas on 85'
ReplyDeleteOhh wow. Eskas misses a clear 2YC
ReplyDeleteDon't be a faultfinder!!
DeleteI think it needs to be clearer SPA for a 2YC in Scotland, and McGinn had kicked the ball well infront of him, making it impossible to recover. If he hadn't have been challenged, it would have been a goal kick. Just a FK seems right
ReplyDelete+1 a careless foul for me nothing more
DeleteIMO if there wasnt SPA elements,reckless was there for sure.
DeleteI agree! Ball would have gone out before McGinn could reach it. No clear Spa so acceptable not to send him off in my opinion.
DeleteCan someone tell me how Alberola Rojas performed tonight?
ReplyDeleteGood performance?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSolid and good performance by Alberola.
DeleteEskas with a mixed bag for me, first 36 minutes and the last 30 minutes were excellent Eskas. Excellent management of the Greek playacting and correct cautions throughout. Small blip at the end of the first and start of second half but overall Eskas can be happy with his performance
ReplyDeleteI watched Lawrence Visser in Cyprus - Bosnia, however not with full attention.
ReplyDeleteIt seemed like a very good performance with good disciplinary control until about 90+4 where he missed a rather clear penalty. I think it’s easy to find the reason, Visser was still busy with a possible foul seconds before. Van Driessches intervention was correct. The only question is whether it should have been a 2ndYC on top and I agree with the ref team, no mandatory YC.
Another interesting and very weird incident in 36‘. Own goal by keeper, possible offensive foul. I agree with awarding the goal, however I think Vissers positioning wasn’t optimal and he didn’t make effort to make a real assessment.
I expect a massive name in Copenhagen on Sunday night for Denmark v Greece, if Greece loses they are out of the world cup.
ReplyDeleteNicholas Walsh ;) (obviously I'm kidding)
Delete😂
DeleteWhy are UEFA and FIFA using the old adidas jerseys?
ReplyDeleteAnthony Taylor gave a really good and very candid interview to the BBC which is well worth a read. It won't change attitudes to refereeing but it's nice to see a referee allowed to come out and say what he and a lot of referees are thinking.
ReplyDeleteBBC News - Anthony Taylor: My family don't come to matches because of abuse - BBC Sport
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c2dn9lkp0e5o
Three clips from Strukan game.
ReplyDelete11' Missed advantage
https://streambug.org/cv/b3c174
Indeed, as reported above in a comment, he wanted to allow the goal, and he wasn't sure about the exact moment of the whistle. He asked either his teammates or VAR to know.
38' Penalty for hanbdall removed after OFR
https://streambug.org/cv/3f4b59
In my opinion too long by VAR before and OFR at monitor by referee, but final decision correct and that's important.
47' Penalty call, supported by VAR
https://streambug.org/cv/13d9a4
I think you can't question on this call mostly for holding but not a penalty all referees would have whistled. See the reaction by players, without a whistle nobody would have asked.
The look on Strukans face at the missed advantage in 11'. Hard not to feel sympathy in this moment - he knew it was quite a bad situation. Unfortunately it didn't look like he was able to recover from this bad start. Good VAR intervention in 38' - understandable the arm movement of defender deceived Strukan into thinking the arm was out from the body at contact.
DeleteThe penalty in 47' - nobody is expecting this as a penalty. Not at this level of football.
IMO pk in 47' is fully supportable once whistled, you can assess the impact of holding in a promising position. In case of no pk, most probably no VAR intervention because its not clear error if assessed as "not enough"
DeleteEskas, Penalty area incident and possible second YC.
ReplyDelete84'
https://streambug.org/cv/84b8a1
In my opinion OK to play on, no penalty, but then after that you have a clear YC for reckless. I can only add that the closer replay makes the challenge a bit less blatant than what one could perceive live, but still it's a very late one with player running and therefore a YC for me. In such situations it's always difficult to explain why no YC. It would be easy by AR2 to inform referee.
And about the simulation in first half, here the clip:
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/caea06
It's in my opinion interesting to understand why this decision is wrong and not supportable. We must say that YC for simulation can be given even in case of contact, if caused by attacker, when he decides to go deliberately against opponent to get a call in his favor. But... this can't be the case because you can see a clear movement by defender, and even more, if you look full sequence for the first time, at least this was my feeling, you see more action by defender than attacker, before the contact. But of course not a penalty. Here the correct decision was play on. YC for simulation still "better" than a penalty, but a clear mistake here, and luckily it wasn't second YC.
With Eskas logic the Scottish attacker should be punished with a YC for simulation
Delete@Chefren:
DeleteI usually agree with you, but not in this case. The attacker deliberately exaggerated minimal, perfectly legal contact with a spectacular dive to mislead the referee. YC for simulation, correct IMO
The penalty call by Visser after OFR in Cyprus - Bosnia and Herzegovina:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/19a6ce
As correctly explained above, Visser can be excused because he was assessing a previous duel and the very clear foul occurred one moment after that. Unless we are machines, we need reaction time and in Visser's case the time was not enough. But surely one could argue that this can be the best possible test if a referee wants to call himself a top one... nevertheless, I wouldn't be harsh here.
Good OFR as penalty is surely the correct decision. Unfortunate for Visser that he seemed to wave the penalty appeal away - giving the perception he saw it clearly and was focussed on the incident. As chefren says - referees are not machines so mistakes can be made. It's a good example of the value of VAR
DeletePenalty revoked after OFR in AUTSMR. Why no YC for simulation though?
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/6546e9
You’re right. YC for simulation would had been correct
DeleteJust watched Alberola Rojas in Faroe Islands -Montenegro.
ReplyDeleteNot a challenging game for the Spanish, but I wouldn't call it easy either!
Correct decision regarding a crucial incident, penaltty to Faroe Islands in second half for a very clear handball. In this case, if I'm not wrong, should be valid the new guideline, no YC for a shot on goal with keeper having chance to make a save.
As for the rest, Montenego was surely the most problematic side to manage with more fouls than average.
The Spanish decided for two cards and nothing more than that, keeping the classic style of staying in the background, sometimes even too much. This was also very visible in the way of showing cards, very far away from players and very often after just short whistles. For some observers, I think he could be the idea of not showing his presence that much, but still one can't make big arguments based only on a single game.
For me at least a YC is missing, where AR2 couldn't help referee (very far away from the scene) while other two incidents can be described as borderline.
However, in a nutshell, one could describe this as rather regular performance if satisfied with disciplinary management.
15' Very good advantage (visible in a replay) when Faroe scored the first goal
https://streambug.org/cv/8161f9
34' In my opinion missed YC for reckless, player aware of the opponent, should have avoided contact, dangerous action, more alertness by AR2 was required
https://streambug.org/cv/c1b3eb
48' Another possible YC, here given that player can't see opponent coming, I tend to consider it as more acceptable no card than previous incident
https://streambug.org/cv/1e6f6c
53' YC, Alberola clearly understands that he must open cards at this point
https://streambug.org/cv/caad7b
57' Foul, small reaction by player, management
https://streambug.org/cv/a11356
64' YC for reckless, but for me showing cards in this way makes it losing a bit of effect (just personal remark)
https://streambug.org/cv/930e9c
71' Penalty call, good decision, one should like YC in this case, but it seems as modern rules and updates disagree with us!
https://streambug.org/cv/305bf4
83' Possible YC for reckless, for me no problem if given, player goes for the ball but he kicks opponent, rather soft intensity but still...
https://www.streambug.io/cv/1188e7
87' Possible YC for SPA - Tactical foul. Player impeded from reaching ball, classic situation in which you see YC, but in this case less blatant, nevertheless, not giving it describes the basic style of the Spanish. Allowing it without cards as long as possible.
https://streambug.org/cv/e33dea
Alberola Rojas had a solid performance overall. However, one area where I think he could improve is his body language. his approach feels a bit limited in terms of presence and engaging players. Sometimes, he stands a bit too far from the players, when showing card or fouls, example 83' Possible YC for reckless.
DeleteCL MD3 Observers
ReplyDeleteKairat Almaty-Pafos
Konrad Plautz (AUT)
Barcelona-Olympiakos
Tomasz Mikulski (POL)
Arsenal-Atletico de Madrid
Nuno De Castro (POR)
Leverkusen-PSG
Alain Hamer (LUX)
Copenhagen-Dortmund
Rune Pedersen (NOR)
Newcastle-Benfica
Terje Hauge (NOR)
PSV-Napoli
Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)
Union SG-Inter Milan
Kyros Vassaras (GRE)
Villarreal-Man City
Costas Kapitanis (CYP)
Athletic-Qarabag
Vladimir Šajn (SVN)
Galatasaray-Bodo
William Young (SCO)
Monaco-Tottenham
Bosko Jovanetic (SRB)
Atalanta-Slavia Praga
Mike Riley (ENG)
Chelsea-Ajax
Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Frankfurt-Liverpool
Leslie Irvine (NIR)
Bayern-Brugge
Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)
Real Madrid-Juventus
Markus Strombergsson (SWE)
Sporting-Marseille
Lutz Michel Fröhlich (GER)
Do you expect the U-20 WC refs to be back in action?
DeleteIf they’re assigned to the final or third-place match, the schedule seems too tight, I think?
They should get some rest anyway and return on MD4.
DeleteSanchez and Schärer might be still injured though.
Choice for Rocchi is unbelievable after his nightmare game back then
Delete@Hans: According to the following website, Urs Meier rated his performance very positively: https://www.blick.ch/sport/fussball/championsleague/war-das-wirklich-richtig-so-ajax-schaeumt-wegen-doppel-gelb-rot-in-einer-szene-id15603112.html
DeleteWho will be in Madrid with Šajn, committee member? A debut?
DeleteIt's interesting to point out that, despite of the excellent path of the Azeri team, committee has read the game in this way (possible for allowing a big observation by committee).
Which Category 1 would you send here? I ask Philipp a prediction. I think that Qarabag now in its position, will not complain so on paper a possible rather easy game for referee. We'll see.
Penalty ok but I don't understand red card in Germany vs Luxembourg.
ReplyDeleteintentional handball + DOGSO, correct imo
Delete19’: I also didn’t expect a RC by Minakovic there, I don‘t think it was necessary. Maybe DOGSO (however no clear ball possession) but I don’t see clear evidence that it was deliberate.
DeleteAlready the second VAR intervention after 20 minutes, in minute 4 a goal was cancelled due to handball by the goalscorer, always difficult to spot live of course.
A good goal-scoring opportunity was prevented by an intentional handball in the penalty area, therefore a red card
DeleteRed card is correct (clear DOGSO) and this is the only good one by Minakovic. Again nightmare for him... again at least one clear mistake, about handball in 4' we can speak about visible or not in the pitch... So many mistakes for him in the recent past...
DeleteIn 32 minute it could have been the next RC for LUX. Very late and also rather unnecessary studs up challenge, not even foul whistled. However rather hard to detect live because the ball was somewhere else already.
DeleteA pity for Minakovic as he's a referee with talent but very poor 1st half. I have some doubts about red card here too - my understanding was UEFA only wanted red card for handball when the action is clearly deliberate and not just punishable. And the goal-scoring opportunity also super clear.
Deletehttps://streamff.com/v/92571bdb
Deletevideo for handball
Quite a nightmare 1H for Minakovic IMO. He was unlucky with those KMIs of course, but 2 VAR interventions + play-on after borderline-SFP are just too much. His appearance was also quite insecure in my book, e. g. visible at the halftime whistle.
Delete4‘: clear handball by scorer
19‘: penalty + RC for handball correct, active movement towards the ball - could have been spotted live
32‘: for me, should be a RC for SFP, but rather correct non-intervention
60' phantom yellow card No. 8 Lux (German player tripped on the grass and fell down
Delete68' Wrong offside call by AR2
Unfortunately 2nd half it's copy from 1st half...
I create account because of your comment.
DeleteYC - even the minimal contact in the full speed can make tripping like these. There is no possibility for LUX defender to play the ball.
Off - Playing the ball or attempt to play the ball is offside offence. Clear offside position after attacker touch the ball by head.
Just be precise
@RefM
DeleteFor the first situation there was a contact
Offside-There was another touch from attacker and after that player in offside position attempted to play the ball
I checked these situations, one can't exclude the contact in the first case, causing the contact, it's not clear but it's classic situation where you must support referee, like Taylor penalty call (and I don't like this kind of fouls because one can't understand how much clear they are, but still).
DeleteRegarding offside, correct explanation above. There was a header by teammate, very difficult to spot. So the other attacker would be then in offside.
All the rest with major decisions, I posted clips below.
25` FRA-AZE Saggi give wrong yellow
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/824744
DeleteTerrible decision imo by Taylor in SWE-SWI, clear dive for me.
ReplyDeleteI disagree, if you watch closely, there is a clear touch with the studs on the foot of the Swiss player which then brings him out of balance. The fall two steps later is intentional and theatrical, but unfortunately often when players stay on their feet, they don’t get the fouls whistled in their favour or even VAR may miss a clear contact, as it is not even checked upon.
DeleteI don't know if you watch the all game but giving this PK when the player is clearly diving for a very very small touch in game that was really rough especially in the 1st half make absolutely no sense.
DeleteSupportable PK IMO, there is clear contact.
DeleteClear penalty. Nothing to discuss.
DeleteAgree. I can’t see a touch at all but if it is it’s minimal and should not be enough for a penalty. Attacking player clearly falls by himself. Bad positioning by Taylor. Should be closer to the incident. Angle may be good but for some reason Taylor switches from running to walking when the attack becomes dangerous which makes his distance to the incident to far imo.
DeleteFun fact: I think we all remember that “chaotic” Chelsea-Ajax (4-4) back on 2019…Rocchi returning to Stamford Bridge with the same game… ;)
ReplyDeleteAny comments on Jablonski?
ReplyDeleteI happened to see the match because there were 8 goals scored. Very strong performance and great presence on the field.
DeleteVery nice, the next German elite promotion is going to be decided between him and Osmers
DeleteInteresting. Jablonski cautioned a Ukrainian player for time-wasting in the 60th minute. Very high acceptance for the rest of the match.
DeleteVery good Nyberg in North Ireland. Full control and acceptance from what I saw.
ReplyDeleteMight have had control but for me Nybergs approach was very lenient and frustrating. Erratic foul selection and at least two clear SPA YC offences overlooked before he angrily brandished a card for what seemed to be minimal dissent.
DeleteOmg Taylor that is never a PK. And var silent why?
ReplyDeleteClear tripping on the foot.
DeleteHow was Meler in Belgium?
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch the match, but from the stats, you can see that Meler worked hard. Five yellow cards, three for the Belgians and two for the Macedonians.
DeleteVAR supported Taylor and that's it.
ReplyDeleteBut disciplinary control was non existent,last his 2 games including Chelsea and Liverpool were very similar.
Leniency and nothing else.
Very different from usual Taylor,maybe with that style he stays in the shadow and is candidate for some Finals?
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill was upset about yc to Conor Bradley who now will miss crunch match against Germany. Anyone with a video?
ReplyDeleteDeliberate block with the body (SPA) and a justifiable YC. I think O’Neill was upset and angry as Nyberg had let a few similar and arguably worse type offences go unpunished. Odd approach and game management from Nyberg IMO.
DeleteI’m not really tech savvy so I’m unable to source a video. Sorry.
https://streambug.org/cv/bf1202
DeleteI didn't watch the full game, but only some situations and what Frahas reports is correct, there were incidents in which YC was more expected than this one.
DeleteWell it's not SPA because advantage is obvious. And it seems more careless than reckless to me. I'd have this as an unnecessary card and agree with O'Neill, for what it's worth. Context matters, too. Nyberg would know he's on suspension and is the captain... is this the kind of card UEFA wants given in this situation? I very much doubt it.
DeleteUnless it's like his 3rd or 4th foul, of course. If there's a persistence argument, I'd change my assessment. Without that, though, this isn't a yellow for me.
The big call in Germany - Luxembourg.
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/2124c3
I must say this is a very difficult one even for VAR.
Very often or most of the times, handballs are linear in terms of being either SPA or DOGSO. This is not the same.
For me, in the end, it's a call that one should deem as correct, praising the Serbian VAR.
The technical reason should be that without the touch by arm (we must always imagine a scenario about what would have happened without the foul), attacker would have controlled ball in a better manner and he would have easily had an OGSO. He managed to shot even after the foul, but the effects of the touch by arm were clear (ball a bit far from him and he had to make a further effort).
Nevertheless, I think that somebody can disagree with this assessment, for me it was a very good call by the room and this can be a particular assessment for the VAR in charge, having a different situation if compared to the classic ones of other games.
About Minakovic, handballs are never easy.
I will post soon the other incident.
4' Goal disallowed afte VAR intervention, factual decision, Handball.
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/400a05
Even if you are hit by ball without any action, it must be disallowed. That's the rule.
If the DOGSO was a difficult assessment, this one before was even impossible for Minakovic. No faults in this case.
32' Missed YC for reckless for sure. Maybe more but I think correct by VAR to stay silent.
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/d70c33
The Serbian was in the best position to see that, but he was looking at the action inside the box, you can see how refereeing is difficult sometimes, you have to check two situations at the same time, maybe impossible, or not...?
I think he had a clue of what had happened but he was too focused on penalty area for a possible crucial decision.
VAR check in Kosovo - Slovenia for a possible handball:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/a1e22f
Didn't watch the game, but it seems a rather calm one for Guida, at least all given cards are very correct.
Meler - YC for simulation. The Turkish referee looked to be very agitated while managing the situation, maybe too much?
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/772657
30' - Reckless challenge
DeleteVery good decision
https://streambug.org/cv/04d15b
De Bruyne with a borderline action in 79'.
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/d5726e
Soft intensity but here you can be sure he just wanted to hit opponent without any interest in playing ball. In old refereeing a red card was possible, now you can assess this as reckless action and nothing more...
To follow in 87' another very interesting incident, last one I will post from the game of the Turkish, I think he tried to give advantage to Belgium, but it didn't work, however he booked North Macedonian player for the previous foul. De Bruyne was there as well, but correct assessment: nothing relevant for a possible second YC.
https://streambug.org/cv/d376a9
Do you think he can return to the champions league?
DeleteIf committee wants, yes, he can return. Maybe this was the first step (Howard Webb as observer).
DeleteI don't think Meler looks agitated at all in that simulation decision.
DeleteA confused Marciniak in Norway.
ReplyDeleteGeorgi Kabakov, challenging game in Latvia (well-known way of playing especially by Andorran side):
ReplyDelete25' YC reckless
https://streambug.org/cv/77af82
34' Possible YC for reckless
https://streambug.org/cv/3990fe
35' Management
https://streambug.org/cv/25afe7
54' Penalty call
https://streambug.org/cv/007285
90'+2 Second YC reckless - something happens close to benches - FO busy
https://streambug.org/cv/bab36c
Sorry but clear foul by Haaland (pushing without ball) prior to 3-0 by Norway. How it’s possible from VAR not to warm Marciniak here (after that, israelian player hurt and had to leave pitch in addition…)
ReplyDeleteVery clear! Incredible that VAR didn’t react. Moreover Israeli player got injured crashing against the post.
DeleteThe player was hospitalized with a diagnosis of internal bleeding.
DeleteGood onside call by AR2 Hussin in Hungary
ReplyDeleteOFR and Bold from Lukjancukas not to call a penalty for Spain
ReplyDeleteOnce again, unclear gestures by Gozubuyuk during decision making process. Players were nervous after that.
ReplyDeletePenalty call to Italy:
https://streambug.org/cv/4271cb
We should ask what was the Dutch referee indicating here, a goal kick? Indeed you can see reaction by Estonian players (keeper and defender), then suddenly all understood that he had given penalty (correct decision). I think he was very focused on the call that he forgot where penalty spot was and he had this issue. Something that he can't definitely solve, it seems... very likely the subsequent YC could have been avoided by a more linear management.
I think he is fully worried about a big decision that he can't think to other things, reaching a "mental maximum" in that moment of the decision making process, differently from other referees.
What was Portugal's penalty for???
ReplyDeleteWrong call imo
DeleteHandball. Didn't look 100% clear, Irish players/manager convinced it hit the side of the chest
Deleteshocking decision and worse from var to not recommend review....
Deleteoverall kruzliac had a poor game.
Remarkable situation in Estonia. In 87. EST#23 is correctly cautioned for holding / Spa, but some minutes before (84.) it seemed he was already cautioned for the first time (for unclear reasons). In the end he was not sent off, to be rewatched what exactly happened.
ReplyDeleteIn 87', correct YC for SPA to #23.
DeleteIn 83:45 I think that Gozubuyuk booked only Italian player for disturbing the throw-in, but he did that looking at first at Estonian player and this could have created confusion. Then he pointed with finger to Italian player, changing suddenly the direction of the issued card. Still, he could definitely work in communication on the field because there are very important points for improvement. One can think very often about different decisions, based on his body language.
Watched game in background so a short summary here.
ReplyDeleteKovacs with an expected performance in Serbia. 5 cautions all correct, managed well and a good evenings work for the experienced elite. My only complaint that 3 additional minutes at the end seemed a little light, personally I'd have expected 4 or 5 but that would be my only grumble.
Irelands manager was on the pitch shouting at Kruzliak after FT.
ReplyDeleteAnyone watched Indonesia vs Iraq match?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting in refereeing point of view.
I didn’t like the decisions at all. The most extraordinary was left last. How can you give an indirect freekick for dangerous play when the player leans with his head at knee level? And the player who got the foul, was sent off for a 2nd YC for a subsequent illegal use of arm towards the opponent.
I watched the whole Indonesia vs Iraq match, and honestly Ma Ning’s refereeing was spot on. He’s been one of the best refs in this round of AFC qualifiers.
DeleteAbout that last incident, it was never “knee level.” That’s an obvious high boot and an indirect free kick every single time. As for the Iraqi player’s arm incident, it was a clear illegal use of arm. Ma Ning missed it live, but his team (probably AR1) picked it up and assisted it perfectly. That’s what good officiating teamwork looks like.
What do you expect? To call it an elbow foul and give a penalty? That would’ve been ridiculous. Not every decision will make everyone happy, but Ma Ning nailed this game. No VAR intervention, excellent performance.
I highly disagree with Yifei’s view. This was a very poor second half by Ma Ning. Several incidents where he looked extremely indecisive and unclear on decisions, most notably that last incident. The foot is not beyond the level of the hip, it’s not a high boot at all. I think calling a foul (and penalty kick) against the defender could be supported, but not reckless enough for a yellow card.
DeleteIt is a head-scratcher that he came away from this with an IFK coming out and a second yellow for the defender. And he looked absolutely lost in doing so, as he did for much of the match.
Penalty call by Kruzliak.
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/b32650
I think the evidence is missing, and the last replay gives the idea it was rather chest. Very likely a situation in which VAR decided to stay silent because without elements to say that the call was 100% wrong.
Its clearly chest, VAR should have advised Kruzliak to go to the monitor
DeleteI certainly don't want to be sarcastic, but why do you think VAR was silent? Cristiano Ronaldo was there, and even if he didn't win the penalty, the officials (field and VAR) tend to be appalled, as the presence and influence of an established athlete like him makes an impact.
DeleteSpain - Georgia.
ReplyDelete6' Lukjančukas called to OFR.
https://streambug.org/cv/13431c
It should be that VAR assessed the contact inside the penalty area, so penalty kick in case of foul, but not a foul for VAR so he invited referee to rewatch and remove it.
https://streambug.org/cv/13431c
28' Penalty whistled by referee and confirmed by VAR:
https://streambug.org/cv/727b4b
Sorry, but in my opinion İt is clear foul for triping.There for wrong int for cancelled PK.VAR had to VOR for inside
DeleteI'd be very surprised if this isn't the end of Kružliak's career. And VAR helped to sink it.
ReplyDeleteIve just seen Ismail Elfeth is back, amazing news.
ReplyDelete