2025-26 UEFA Europa League, Matchday 3, 23 October 2025.
18:45 CET - Rotterdam (Stadion Feijenoord)
FEYENOORD ROTTERDAM (NED) - PANATHINAÏKÓS AO (GRE)
Referee: Harm Osmers GER
Assistant Referee 1: Dominik Schaal GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann GER
Fourth Official: Florian Exner GER
Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Gediminas Mažeika LTU
UEFA Delegate: Emil Ubias CZE
18:45 CET - Salzburg (Red Bull Arena)
FC RED BULL SALZBURG (AUT) - FERENCVÁROSI TC (HUN)
Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili GEO
Assistant Referee 1: Davit Akhvlediani GEO
Assistant Referee 2: Davit Gabisonia GEO
Fourth Official: Bakari Bregadze GEO
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bakur Ninua GEO
UEFA Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav BIH
UEFA Delegate: Dane Jošt SVN
18:45 CET - Istanbul (Chobani Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi)
FENERBAHÇE (TUR) - VFB STUTTGART 1893 (GER)
Referee: Jakob Kehlet DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Dennis René Wollenberg Rasmussen DEN
Fourth Official: Mikkel Hedberg Redder DEN
Video Assistant Referee: Jonas Hedegaard Hansen DEN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jens Grabski Maae DEN
UEFA Referee Observer: Neale Barry ENG
UEFA Delegate: Peter Oskam NED
18:45 CET - Braga (Estádio Municipal de Braga)
SC BRAGA (POR) - FK CRVENA ZVEZDA (SRB)
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: Jarred Gillett AUS/ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Kristoffer Hagenes NOR
UEFA Referee Observer: Markus Nobs SUI
UEFA Delegate: Mauro Tonolini ITA
18:45 CET - Décines-Charpieu (Groupama Stadium)
OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS (FRA) - FC BASEL 1893 (SUI)
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Mangirdas Mirauskas LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandras Stepanovas LTU
Fourth Official: Mindaugas Jackus LTU
Video Assistant Referee: Rob Dieperink NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas SCO
UEFA Delegate: Danilo Filacchione ITA
18:45 CET - Bucharest (Arena Națională)
FC FCSB (ROU) - BOLOGNA FC 1909 (ITA)
Referee: Andris Treimanis LVA
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs LVA
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs LVA
Video Assistant Referee: Jeroen Manschot NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Kristaps Ratnieks LVA
UEFA Referee Observer: Kenneth William Clark SCO
UEFA Delegate: Zaur Hacı-Məhərrəmov AZE
18:45 CET - Deventer (Stadion De Adelaarshorst)
GO AHEAD EAGLES (NED) - ASTON VILLA FC (ENG)
Referee: Filip Glova SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Poláček SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Bednár SVK
Fourth Official: Lukáš Dzivjak SVK
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Stéphane Lannoy FRA
UEFA Delegate: Boris Stankov BUL
18:45 CET - Genk (Cegeka Arena)
KRC GENK (BEL) - REAL BETIS BALOMPIÉ (ESP)
Referee: Elçin Məsiyev AZE
Assistant Referee 1: Elşad Abdullayev AZE
Assistant Referee 2: Parvin Talibov AZE
Fourth Official: Tural Qurbanov AZE
Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schröder GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nicat İsmayıllı AZE
UEFA Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman NED
UEFA Delegate: Olivier Chovaux FRA
18:45 CET - Bergen (Brann Stadion)
SK BRANN (NOR) - RANGERS FC (SCO)
Referee: Vasílios Fotiás GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Andréas Meïndanás GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Michaíl Papadákis GRE
Fourth Official: Aléxandros Tsakalídis GRE
Video Assistant Referee: Ángelos Evangélou GRE
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ioánnis Papadópoulos GRE
UEFA Referee Observer: João Francisco Lopes Ferreira POR
UEFA Delegate: Sergei Hohlov-Simson EST
21:00 CET - Rome (Stadio Olimpico)
AS ROMA (ITA) - FC VIKTORIA PLZEŇ (CZE)
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: Jérôme Brisard FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos CRO
UEFA Delegate: Attila Tömő HUN
21:00 CET - Villeneuve d’Ascq (Decathlon Arena - Stade Pierre Mauroy)
LOSC LILLE (FRA) - PAOK (GRE)
Referee: Nikola Dabanović MNE
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović MNE
Assistant Referee 2: Srđan Jovanović MNE
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković MNE
Video Assistant Referee: Michael Fabbri ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Federico La Penna ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo ESP
UEFA Delegate: Philipp Mergenthaler GER
21:00 CET - Glasgow (Celtic Park)
CELTIC FC (SCO) - SK STURM GRAZ (AUT)
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Raúl Cabañero Martínez ESP
Fourth Official: Javier Alberola Rojas ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: César Soto Grado ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian FRA
UEFA Delegate: Róbert Kispál HUN
21:00 CET - Bačka Topola, SRB (TSC Arena)
MK MAKKABI TEL AVIV (ISR) - FC MIDTJYLLAND (DEN)
Referee: Georgi Kabakov BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Venev BUL
Fourth Official: Volen Chinkov BUL
Video Assistant Referee: Dragomir Draganov BUL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nikola Popov BUL
UEFA Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan ARM
UEFA Delegate: Tomáš Bárta CZE
21:00 CET - Bern (Stadion Wankdorf)
BSC YOUNG BOYS (SUI) - PFK LUDOGORETS 1945 (BUL)
Referee: Mohammad Al-Emara FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Turkka Joonas Valjakka FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Mika Lamppu FIN
Fourth Official: Peiman Simani FIN
Video Assistant Referee: Benjamin Brand GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Johann Pfeifer GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG
UEFA Delegate: Danny Meenan IRL
21:00 CET - Freiburg im Breisgau (Europa-Park-Stadion)
SC FREIBURG (GER) - FC UTRECHT (NED)
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: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Matej Jug SVN
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi SMR
UEFA Delegate: Andrew Ambler ENG
21:00 CET - Nottingham (The City Ground)
NOTTINGHAM FOREST FC (ENG) - FC PORTO (POR)
Referee: Radu Marian Petrescu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Adrian Ștefan Ghinguleac ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ionuț Traian Neacșu ROU
Fourth Official: Andrei Florin Chivulete ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Cătălin Sorin Popa ROU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Lassin Isaksen FRO
UEFA Delegate: Per Svärd SWE
21:00 CET - Vigo (Estadio Abanca Balaídos)
RC CELTA DE VIGO (ESP) - OGC NICE (FRA)
Referee: Sander van der Eijk NED
Assistant Referee 1: Rens Bluemink NED
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan de Groot NED
Fourth Official: Marc Nagtegaal NED
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Richard Martens NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Meßner AUT
UEFA Delegate: Iain Blair SCO
21:00 CET - Malmö (Eleda Stadion)
MALMÖ FF (SWE) - GNK DINAMO (CRO)
Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Erwan Finjean FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Valentin Évrard FRA
Fourth Official: Thomas Léonard FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Rainville FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif ISR
UEFA Delegate: Mark Evans WAL
Jakob Kehlet :
ReplyDeleteFener - Stuttgard. big game for him
For me, it's a little strange in Petrescu team, because his A1, Mircea Grigoriu, is missing, and now his A2 it's nonFifa referee, Traian Neacsu. I think it was a mistake, because in Romania we have George Neacsu, a Fifa referee, who was in Kovacs team, but after two mistakes he was replaced. And now he works often with Marian Barbu.
ReplyDeleteI never saw Fotias and AL Emara in action but I guess they are a little bit overrated. Isn't it ? The Finnish has a good chance under Webb's eyes. Normal and deserved assignment to me for Saggi, Petrescu, Van der Eijk and Kabakov. Emotional race between Lithuania: Rumsas in CL today but Lukjancukas is under Dallas' eyes one of the most important observer. How to judge Meler and Eskas as the only elite in EL ?
ReplyDeleteFor meler and Eskas, I think they both got good matches. Especially, I wasn't expecting Meler with an Italian team so soon after last year. Considering the tendency of the RefCom towards Italian teams, I think this is a positive point for him.
DeleteI've seen Al Emara in action. He's hopeless and I am completely at a loss as to how he gets these matches. Makes the game about him, unfortunately and is generally a very, very poor official.
DeleteWhat about the Glova match?
ReplyDeleteI must say good signal for Meler to meet again an Italian team after the famous Club Brugge - Atalanta incident. This wasn't expected in a so short time, so I think we can say he has still the trust of committee and in case of good performance in Rome he could then be back in Champions League, maybe even on MD4?
ReplyDeleteAbout Eskås, I think indeed committee didn't like at all the penalty he whistled and so a game in Europa League, not a drama for sure, he was in rather good period, will be back in Champions League soon.
Development in particular for Al Emara with Howard Webb watching him. Good observer for Glova as well in the Netherlands, but about the Slovakian referee, to answer the question above, I think a decision should have been already taken earlier. Followed by a certain time, then he was out, don't know at moment how much they consider him (37 years old) or it's just to give a game to a Slovakian. But I think that somebody should follow after Kruzliak...
Dabanovic continues ihis journey as very regular Category 1 referee.
Nice French - Spanish duel for van der Eijk.
Kehlet back in a UEFA game and it seems for now the path of Krogh is stopped for some reasons.
Kikacheishvili back with a first game in this league stage, not a spotlight one, but a potentially very challenging to officiate, given the teams involved.
Scottish referees: fully disappeared.
Now we have to wait for MD4, and maybe one will appear, but one should wonder where are Beaton and Walsh.
The progress of the latter seems definitely to have a break at moment, and the former was in a very good consideration by committee as well, despite the age... a pity for sure, but in the recent matchdays there are surely many things very hard to understand wirhout knowing what happened behind the scenes!
Chefren,
DeleteThe treatment of Eskas really highlights UEFA RefCom’s strange “rejection” policy imo.
Eskas gave a penalty; understandable in real time — but replays show minimal contact, initiated by the attacker. UEFA’s verdict: play-on preferred. VAR (Dankert) stayed silent, so not a “clear and obvious” error. Yet Dankert is back as VAR in the UCL (a topgame!), while Eskas drops to the EL.
Meanwhile, during MD1–MD2 we saw multiple OFRs for blatant (!) mistakes. Those referees were saved by VAR are still rewarded with UCL appointments.
How is this policy fair?
UEFA is sending a clear message: avoiding controversy matters more than striving for technical accuracy.
But what’s truly worse…? Missing the most blatant foul as a team, or giving a doubtful penalty that proved crucial for the result — yet wasn’t “100% wrong,” as the VAR didn’t overturn it?
I can't say that you’re wrong, at least in some of your statements. It seems evident to me that Rosetti and this committee's main concern is to avoid incidents that could cause media discussions, rather than making a technical analysis of them, in fact, they tend to avoid it entirely because they are aware that something will always be able to happen. Instead, they try to "cover" it and select referees who can somehow prevent it from occurring. Then, if something happens, they send the referee slightly into the background and then bring him back. However, there isn't a common line, a shared perspective, or total defense of the referees. We have so many examples that we could report, as example, Zwayer, who after Manchester City-Napoli and the serious mistake, one of the most important from a technical standpoint and which influenced the whole match, but corrected by VAR, was able to get another game. And this obviously saves the committee in the eyes of the fans, because the mistake is fixed. But this is, in my opinion, much more serious and clear error than a light penalty that is given based on a perception of the field. Since there is no solution for a soft penalty, the committee reacts in this way. Surely the situation is clear: there should be greater transparency regarding all incidents; otherwise, it's easy to pick a referee, then sideline him, and when he returns, it’s "all right." Take, for another example, the Slovenian VAR with Vincic: as long as the matches matter only to a certain extent, he is assigned. Then, because they know something might happen, he is sent elsewhere. But they don't feel the need to make a real technical assessment, to support the referee, who is good, is good for them, who is not, wills tay always out. Today we see Borosak with the Bosnian Antoni Bandic assigned in Conference League, and that's fine for them. They assign t more experienced VAR so they can be more confident of fewer issues. This is how the committee thinks. It is sad to me because, at a certain point, it becomes exploiting human material rather than managing it. When these referees make mistakes, they are at least discarded, and nobody cares. This really goes beyond human behavior. Of course, there may be other behind-the-scenes management, but this seems to be what is apparent externally.
DeleteChefren, this is an excellent and important analysis; but this I mean that unfortunately I totally agree with you. I have Collina/Rosetti experience from another sport, and many many times I had to focus a lot on the right way of treating human beings and their performances; I was so support import to think about the longer term, beyond the one game; it may be that C and R are the very best observers and judges of talent and performance of referees, but it is also very clear that they have no understanding of how to treat human resources.
DeleteThink Hernandez could be injured....no games at all since end of September
ReplyDeleteYes indeed it's possible. So this would be reason for not getting UEFA games.
DeleteJust a remark on Meler assignment in Rome, the new coach of the team this season is Gasperini, former Atalanta!
ReplyDeleteHopefully he will be happy to meet again the Turkish referee...
What do u think about meler
Delete16’: Missed YC by Lukjancukas in Lyon for Barisic. Big mistake because no foul whistled either. Was on the contrary an obvious and important foul by Basel player…
ReplyDeleteGlova follows an injured player who has to be taken off on a stretcher all the way to the sideline to give him a yellow card. Not a nice sight
ReplyDeleteDid the Go Ahead Eagles player commit a YC worthy offence before getting injured?
DeleteYes, but Glova should have given the card before, during the five-minute injury treatment, or even when the player was being lifted onto the stretcher, instead of following the stretcher. For the clipmakers, minute 13
DeleteFyi The injured player of the Eagles has a suspected lower leg fracture
DeletePK for handball given by Kikacheishvili in Salzburg:
ReplyDeletehttps://streamain.com/en/eAAK3DlLOoeF9Up/watch
Clear red missed in Fener - stuttgart game
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is a referee in the VAR, otherwise there is no explanation.
Deleteany clip?
Deletehttps://x.com/ozgurfb_1907/status/1981408830459433239?s=46&t=cPksnwmJNw1MQfkvuJoq1Q
DeleteUnbelievable that Kehlet didn’t detect it : perhaps too close to the action. But VAR Hansen is incredibly poor here. Had to intervene.
DeleteSaid that, it's indeed extremely worrying for Danish VAR to stay silent here.
DeleteFoul detection by lituanian referee is completely awful. No consistency : little contacts whistled and lot of serious fouls forgotten. Is it « scottish » way of refereeing because of Dallas eyes ? I remember Hugh more efficient to detect irregularities. Not a good start to become Elite referee…
ReplyDeleteLot of hands and elbows uses forgotten. Results to many heavy contacts and stopping plays without control. Litteraly « north irish refereeing » from 4nd division here. No words…
ReplyDeleteAnd again weird confrontation between Shaqiri and Tolisso finally with a kick by swiss player. No reaction by VAR and lituanian referee. Astonished lenient and permissive line. Players did what they want.
DeleteWell a very straightforward half for Fotias. Only 4 fouls in the whole of the half and overall he's opted to be in the background and only step in when required. Overall so far a standard performance in a very easy environment.
ReplyDeleteMy observations:
The first free kick decision was given after 26 minutes which highlights how straightforward it was for Fotias.
37' Correct YC for RAN player for arm to the neck area after ball had gone out of a play. Adopting an aggressive attitude.
Good no offside decision from AR2 for the BRN goal.
FCSB-BOL: Treimanis/LVA: Weak and inconsistent performance, with obvious difficulty on correctly distinguishing contact from a foul. A colorless personality lacking real authority.
ReplyDeleteVery challenging game for the Danish referee in Istanbul, but unfortunately I think a poor one. After the missed red card, a penalty call annulled for offside, and now another penalty call annulled after OFR. The latter can be discussed, because it could have been easily assessed as late reckless challenge after the shot by attacker.
ReplyDeleteWe saw similar penalties in past. Not clear why exactly should be a clear and obvious mistake.
More generally, I think that Danish refereeing is a bit in trouble at moment... they can't present strong referees...
74' YC for BRN player. Possible SFP but no replay given by TV director. Very uncertain on if it was correct or not.
ReplyDeleteCorrect handball penalty given to Villa after communication between Glova and AR1
ReplyDeleteGreat performance from Glova in the netherlands.
ReplyDeleteSecond Half for Fotias:
ReplyDelete47' Incorrect corner kick given, AR2 making the final call as the referee was uncertain/unsighted.
49' Gave correct FK but could have waited to allow an attacking advantage to develop but understandable why he blew when he did.
69' Clear missed FK for a very clear pull
74' YC for BRN player for a reckless challenge but due to lack of replay unable to comment fully. Possible SFP but no replay to confirm.
77' Correct YC for RAN, SPA with a clear pull.
Summary:
Personally I find this performance from Fotias to be okay, not bad but certainly one or two areas he could improve. The first half was very straightforward and most referees would have managed it without fuss. The second half is where he was tested more but overall a fairly easy game to referee.
Technically was ok, missed a couple of clear cut decisions and felt at times he was slightly passive in his approach but I can understand as the first half he had so few decisions to make that possibly the second half came as a surprise and caught him off guard.
His positioning was inconsistent for me and to watch incredibly frustrating. At times he was in excellent positions and really proactive in reading the game but at others looked detached and reactive to the game which gave the appearance he was distant.
Overall there will be no complaints as there were no major errors and on the whole it was a steady performance. I would like to see this referee again in a more hostile environment to see how he would cope and possibly adapt his approach to be more authoritive from the start. Mr Fotias is certainly a referee with potential, more experience in testing environments will certainly put him in good stead.
Thanks for this very detailed report, if possible I will make some clips.
DeleteQuite easy second half for Lukjancukas in Lyon. Good YC for Time wasting to a French defender. Good skills in physical terms but inconsistent foul detection during first part. Overall ok performance but nothing brilliant to a candidate for Elite.
ReplyDeleteGood performance from Glova in a surprisingly equal match. Totaly in control
ReplyDeleteI agree with @Referee analyst about Lunckajuckas performance in Lyon.
ReplyDeleteSure easy game no big mistakes but he seems try to avoid yellow cards at any cost now. He got some big critics that he was to easy on cards and now he doing mistake by missing many mandatory yellow cards.
result was 1-0 when he shows only 3 minutes added time also something I didn't liked , was some heavy times wasting one injured and 10 subs in second half.
Very good performance from Elchin Masiyev (Genk - Betis Sevilla). He was fully respected and controlled the game. Very good men management.
ReplyDeleteI watched the game from the 20th minute on, and to be honest, I wasn’t convinced. His body language seems a bit exaggerated and too stiff. A slightly more relaxed demeanor would help him appear more confident.
DeleteI think it's just part of his style.
DeleteAs mentioned at the top of this thread, bit of a strange AR2 appointment in Nottingham. No games ever outside of Romania for him before today according to worldfootball.net
ReplyDeleteVery good performance by Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO) in Salzburg-Ferencváros. KMI's was correct. Excellent card management. Correct on field decision penalty for handball. Very promising. IMO better than Kruashvili...
ReplyDeleteUNBELIEVABLE no penalty decision decided by Dabanovic against Lille. Clear and obvious holding. Good VAR interventions and shameful no penalty by referee. Just after, 0-3. No words…
ReplyDeleteVAR is italian ref Fabbri. Good work but I m completely astonished by referee attitude. He seemed angry to be called and after persisted to his original very wrong decision even clear video replays. You can note that Lille president called referees crew that « he as already called Ceferin »…Sorry but how on earth can you justify this no show ? It ruins refereeing and montenegran performance…
DeleteCorrect 2YC by vd Eijk in Vigo.
ReplyDeleteA very straightforward first half for Munuera in Glasgow. Absolutely nothing to report other than only one incorrect FK award on 41' but otherwise an expected performance from the Spanish official.
ReplyDeleteBig penalty for handball in Rome missed by Meler, but it's the classic situation after a header. AR1 should have spotted it, I think, but it remains as important field mistake.
ReplyDeleteChefren, how was Meler's performance in general?
DeleteVery good performance so far from Juan Martinez Munuera in Glasgow, he has the game completely under control and has the respect of both teams.
ReplyDeletePK given after OFR by Al-Emara in Bern, careless trip.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's interesting to watch this clip:
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/b783a8
You see the point of view by Finnish referee, perfect to spot that touch on the opponent, but he immediately made "play on" gestures, to me an evident mistake because clear penalty and he was also in the best positioning to see it... no need of making an OFR for sure!
Excellent RC from Munuera on 70' given in real time.
ReplyDeleteExcellent red card decision in Glasgow
ReplyDeleteGood RC decision by Martinez Munuera on-field.
ReplyDeleteExcellent Martinez in Glasgow an absolutely shocking challenge results in a straight red card. Well done to the Spaniard so far all good.
ReplyDeleteCorrect PK by Dabanovic in Lille.
ReplyDeleteYes…but we have to see first half and scandalous no penalty decision. A pity because only big issue by Dabanovic during the match…but what a inacceptable call…
DeleteSecond Half for Munuera:
ReplyDelete55' Clear YC for SGR for SPA, clear pull.
58' Clear YC for CEL for a reckless challenge from behind.
63' Good no penalty call for handball clearly hits shoulder of SGR player.
70' Excellent RC award for SFP. Reckless and studs making contact top of the foot/ankle. Quick decision and RC out very quick to prevent further issues.
Summary:
This performance from Munuera is as close to a "perfect" performance that one could expect. Of course perfection in a game that is of normal difficulty is much easier but the big decision on 70' for the RC was correct and handled excellently. Calm, confident and in control throughout at no point did you ever feel that this game was going to get away from the Spanish official. Fitness and positioning excellent throughout, really proactive and alert to where the play was going. Of course there will be more difficult games to referee but you can only go out and perform to what's infront of you. A very good night's work indeed.
I must say Dabanovic’s decision not to award a PK to Lille after OFR in 1H is indeed confusing.
ReplyDeleteConfusing ? Please, please. We can’t défend referee here. What a mistake in front of the TV…
DeleteI agree with you :D. I find no reason for not awarding what I consider to be an obvious foul.
DeleteA very positive performance from Martinez Munuera, he kept full control, was very well respected and managed to get the big decisions right without any need for help from VAR. Hopefully we can all enjoy watching a few more performances from the very talented referee in the near future . Bravo señor!
ReplyDeleteAnyone else think Zagrebs equaliser in Malmo looks offside?
ReplyDeleteI thought the same.
DeleteDefinitely an incredible game in Lille.
ReplyDeleteI would like to have your analysis for the Offside. Isn’t Andre be « put in play again » by greek deflection after pass ? I didn’t see he reached the ball directly after (but no clear replay shown).
DeleteI will rewatch soon.
DeleteAnd very interesting second question : Giroud’s foot seemed to be on line. Is Andre foot outside to the pitch had to be counted or do you have to consider him on line too ?
DeleteAnd please see no penalty sequence. Is Dabanovic didn’t trust his italian colleagues here ? Unbelievable…
DeleteWhat a high level performance by Dabanovic in Lille. Good no penalty on field and after VAR. Than, very good penalty for Paok decision, at the end Var intervention for Offside goal, and honestly, no one assistant referee in Galaxy can spot such offside live. Postive personalty, correct technical and disciplinary, accepted and trusted by players, with extremley high fitness level. All in all, satisfied what I saw from him.
ReplyDeleteAccepted ? Come on. Come on. No penalty ? Ridiculous.
DeleteDisagree. The penalty not whistled is a blunder. The rest of the game was ok/good, with a good PK decision, but he lost control at the end. Still poor since an obvious mistake was not corrected after he was invited to review it.
DeleteFormer international referee Saïd Ennjimi on french press : « If that’s not a foul, then nothing ever is. There is a clear shirt pull and a blatant imbalance. It is genuinely surprising that the referee upheld his decision after the VAR review. Letang’s anger is fully justified. »
DeleteLetang’s anger, in such proportions, is absolutely not justified, sorry (he said "I’ve already written to Ceferin"), and I hope he will be banned for a long time (as he already is in Ligue 1 BTW).
DeleteThat said, it is indeed obvious that Dabanovic made a huge mistake tonight. It is a crystal clear PK + YC, which should’ve resulted in 1-2 and resulted in 0-3.
Dabanovic influenced the result tonight, sorry to say. No explanation for such a mistake.
Anger is justified but not the manner he exprimed it. Agree…
DeleteCan anybody of the readers help me out here? What do you think Referee analyst’s opinion is concerning the no penalty call of Dabanovic :P
DeleteIn no UEFA/FIFA match you can allow a mistake like this, with a referee refusing to arrogancely modify his wrong decision in front of objectively clear videoclip by a right VAR call.
DeleteIMO, Dabamovic must be considered to have concludere his international experience today. That’s all, without any appeal proof absolutely.
+ 1
DeleteRed card by Martínez Munuera in Glasgow.
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/c9bb26
Very good spot by Spanish referee.
OT: Italian referee in charge of decisive final matchday Kazakhstan Premier League, Kairat (rank 1) vs Astana (rank 2), which Astana need to win and Kairat just need a poin to become the champion. I think Nuno Castro did very good job so far to improve Kazakhstan football.
ReplyDeleteMD 26 Kairat - Astana
Central Stadium Almaty
26/10/25 11.00 a.m. CET
Referee: Matteo Marchetti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Valerio Colarossi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Rossi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Saken Bayymbet (KAZ)
Video Assistant Referee: Davide Ghersini (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tatyana Sorokopudova (KAZ)
Referee Observer: Pavel Sali (KAZ)
live on QAZ Sport or KFF League Youtube Channel.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/@KFFLEAGUE-2025/streams
OSC Lille - PAOK (Dabanovic) - Penalty area incident
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/54ee28
Seems like streambug does not work for me, anyone has an alternative link?
DeleteMaybe now?
Deletehttps://files.fm/f/vxtm2ymzxr
Never VAR intervention. Short holding with no clear impack on attacker. No penalty for me. Brave and correct decission.
DeleteControversial decision, I think that the referee maybe saw this as a fight for the ball and without clear control of the attacker + short duration so it wasnt enough for him.
DeleteNot sure if OFR is fully expected but i didnt see all the replays and the whole action, only OFR video.
This angle from behind isn’t the good one. From other side, clear big holding and no intention to play the ball. Stonewall penalty.
DeleteWrong VAR intervention. The holding exists but it is not enough to call it. You can't say how much attacker used it to fall. Said that, one can maybe have more arguments for penalty than play on, but it should have been whistled directly by referee.
DeleteLet me add, this is a classic case in which a refere who never goes against VAR, in case of call, will always change idea and whistle the penalty, while we see that Dabanovic didn't want to do that. Rosetti talked about a constant work to have uniformity and consistency with VAR. Well then, this should be the basis from which everything starts, but it seems that both VARs and referees are not instructed in this regard, and they are still allowed to have different ideas, so? Where are the results of this work? Maybe only for "top" VARs in Champions League?
Meler still far from the best performance.
ReplyDeleteTonight a possible RC missed to Roma #22 for DOGSO after few minutes in a confused action. I think both ref and VAR completely missed this.
Then, inconsistent card management. Penalty should have been spotted live, very clear both from stands and TV.
Awful time-wasting management.
@Marco:
DeleteDon't be so harsh, Meler performance wasn't certainly flawless but wasn’t that bad either…
I said far from best performance, not a Schnyder performance ;)
DeleteA short 1:30 min compilation of refereeing highlights from FCSB VS Bologna. Ref: Treimanis (LVA)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9sku76
0:00 - push in the box, no foul given
0:16 - foul awarded for Bologna
0:29 - Bologna defender elbows FCSB attacker. Foul awarded for Bologna.
0:42 - clear YC not given
0:52 - YC for elbowing
1:05 - reckless collision with GK, YC given
1:22 - another missed YC
Chaotic performance by Treimanis overall with no consistency and extremely poor foul detection. There were several other similar situations, where he penalized minimal contacts, while ignoring obvious fouls. First time I saw him officiate, and he left an extremely poor impression.
Let me say before, sorry for those who can't watch videos from streambug, but definitely it's the best site for me to upload. Free, working by years and without issues. If you have a better site, just let me know. If possible always showing video in streaming when opening the link.
ReplyDelete3' Possible RC for DOGSO to Rome #22
https://streambug.org/cv/274cf4
Very clear holding and action but then the focus of the action goes to the teammate, who is in offside so correct to raise flag, but maybe another VAR would have invited referee, because the attacker from Plzen was impeded in his action to reach ball again, and this is clearly an event that happens before the offside of the other player. Very hard for VAR also because you can see it "all in one", assessing only the correct call by AR1. And very clear foul, for me enough for VAR.
To answer to Ugur's comment above, surely not a clean game for the Turkish. Big miss with the handball penalty, then what I can underline about his style once again, it seems to me he is very often too much hectic. No big problem when no mistake, but it's never seen a rather natural and calm approach, this can lead to very "out of the blue" decisions, that maybe he could avoid by having a different approach. But well, if this is his style, very hard to change. One must always praise him when he is strict with disciplinary control. Moreover, for me in the clip above, it's indeed a missed RC for DOGSO, but not easy to me, mostly VAR fault.
DeleteThanks Chefren. When you have time please have a look at Kehlet's performance at Fenerbahce - Stuttgart game. Unfortunately he was far below average.
DeleteAlso in general about Turkish Refereeing, we currently lack of quality and experience not only refs all parts of football. I can't blame referees for that, it is more about the Federation (to save themselves they blame Referees), committee (not enough training), media (mostly social media through fans). Referees are under so much pressure and they are scared of making mistakes...
DeleteOffside in the end of Lille game (and second YC):
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/7a21e7
I was asked about my opinion.
Here the offside, foot on the line, ahead of the ball:
https://ibb.co/SX4w3Dw1
Very interesting penalty incident in Petrescu game, second penalty to home team (first one very correct and spotted live without VAR).
ReplyDeleteHe was called to OFR, after a simulation decision taken on the pitch:
https://streambug.org/cv/33c0b4
In my opinion the very last replay of this clip can suggest us tha, despite of the action by defender (and this was technical reason for VAR to step in), we can observe a certain attitude by attacker to go exactly there and to use the body of the attacker to fall. One could say a "simulation behind the contact". Live very likely the Romanian, without the best angle for assessing it better, had this feeling and I must say honestly he wasn't 100% wrong. Still, one can maybe discuss about VAR intervention, but I admit it's rather a sophisticated topic here, if you want to make things easy, you indeed just give penalty.
About Matchday 4 UCL, most appointments were already locked in, even before Matchday 3. So, MD4 will likely feature a fresh batch who didn’t work this week. Think: Turpin, Kovács, Taylor, Mariani, Peljto, Jovanovic, Kruzliak, and of course, Pinheiro—bet our big pal will be thrilled about that one :D
ReplyDeleteRosetti, as usual, sends two Italians into the Champions League mix, so alongside Mariani, maybe Sozza gets the nod this time?
Juventus-Sporting and Atleti-Union are still open, so those will obviously go to refs who worked this week. Surprisingly, Rangers-Roma is also unassigned, and I wouldn’t be shocked if that one gets an Elite ref too.
For the World Cup qualifiers next month, there’s at least a dozen top-tier Elite refs needed for some crucial group-stage deciders.
+1 fully agree with this analysis
DeleteI also agree. But if indeed all 16 CL games with observers appointed get a referee, who didn't work this week, there will be some interesting choices.
DeleteI give it a try:
Slavia - Arsenal: Aghayev (Dieperink)
Napoli - Frankfurt: Pinheiro (Martins)
Paris - Bayern: Mariani (di Bello)
Liverpool - Real: Kovacs (Popa)
Juventus - Sporting: Eskas (Dingert)
Atletico - USG: Lukjancukas (Dankert)
Tottenham - Copenhagen: Lambrechts (van Driessche)
Bodo - Monaco: Grinfeeld (van Boekel)
Olympiakos - PSV: Taylor (Salisbury)
Qarabag - Chelsea: Lindhout (Higler)
Pafos - Villareal: Fesnic (Borosak)
Inter - Almaty: Walsh (del Cerro Grande)
ManCity - Dortmund: Turpin (Brisard)
Brugge - Barcelona: Kruzliak (Ruperti)
Benfica - Leverkusen: Peljto (Gillett)
Marseille - Atalanta: Sylwestrzak (Kwiatkowski)
Ajax - Galatasaray: Sozza (di Paolo)
Newcastle - Bilbao: Jovanovic (San)
Letexier, Oliver, and Nyberg have each received three caps so far. Could this mean UEFA is targeting these three judges for potential finals? Or could we consider names like Zwayer, Siebert, Makkelie, Manzano, and even Mariani (who refereed the U-20 World Cup final) among these candidates?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn’t say much, in my opinion. Last season, Massa officiated the most group-stage matches, and I don’t rate him highly. Other referees could be assigned to MD2-3-4, depending on distribution. Some were in Chile, which likely led to a busier schedule for others.
DeleteI’m genuinely curious how the Referee Committee makes its assignments. Do they plan 80% in advance — especially the big matches — or do they assign matchdays in batches with minimal foresight, relying mainly on post-match performance analysis… Given the number of games and nationalities involved, a high-level plan is inevitable — but ultimately, performance should take precedence.
I won’t make any predictions about the finals yet. Sure, Oliver, Letexier, and Zwayer are possible candidates, but each could be ruled out if a top club from their country reaches the final. Also, some referees not going to the World Cup might be compensated with, say, a Conference League final (e.g. Guida?).
Cesar Soto Grado gets the Classico, Var will be Javier Isglesias.
ReplyDeleteExcellent decision from CTA to set Soto Grado as referee for El Classico. Undobutfuly, no 1 Spanish referee. Hope he will have a path for Copa Del Rey final as prize!
ReplyDeleteThe thing is: If I remember correctly, RFEF regulations require the Copa del Rey referee to be FIFA, and Soto Grado will stop being FIFA in January.
DeleteMaybe they could circunvent it by saying that Soto Grado is technically a FIFA VAR?
Good morning guys and good Saturday to all.
ReplyDeleteWas just watching Girona-Real Oviedo and Muniz Ruiz gave a penalty after Var review, that seemed to me as an extreme case of a penalty, even though the hand was wide open, as it barely even touched the hand ( even on the replay it wasn't clear)
Would definitely want your opinions on such cases, and whether other VAR's/referees would have intervened and given it.
Mariani for me whistling an imaginary penalty for Napoli in my opinion, you can watch it and give your opinion
ReplyDeleteYep,mass of people are commenting about gjost penalty.
DeleteAlso, his leniency can be costly sometime.
And to add,he missed penalty in favour of Inter then after OFR he changed his decision.
Plenty talking points for sure after the match.
Very poor Mariani, he confirms the trend from the past.
DeleteIn trouble with crucial incidents.
Penalty (nothing for me, Napoli player used the situation) suggested by AR1, then to follow OFR for handball and penalty to Inter. Always difficult to spot handball, but it just made performance worse. Moreover, not the full control, as in a rather fair game, there were also tense moment and a start of a mss confrontation close to benches. Mariani assigned too early for this game after coming from Chile, but that's the level now in serie A, unless a very few referees, I'm really sorry.
One should have also wondered about a possible VAR intervention to remove Napoli penalty, but Marini (VAR PRO) was very strict with protocol there (you can't be sure all would have acted in this way). 3-1 now final whistle, but as always in our loved Italian football, big dicussions will follow...
It's not just these big decisions, small ones like bookings and calming players were not convincing from him.
DeleteVery lenient on cards,he had perfect chance to show Martinez YC for reckless foul in 1st half,but no,it's easier when you stay in shadows.
Also big confrontation from players with benches-no action there,only YC to Conte.
Sorry,but if he is Italy's number 1,then Italy 's refs have fallen badly.
I agree, but indeed Mariani for me is not nr. 1
DeleteWell, the difference is maybe not that big, but Guida and Massa are better referees!
Clip of the "penalty"...
https://streambug.org/cv/6133dd
Of course we can't know, another VAR would have intervened, and that's the problem, based on who is VAR, different outcome.
as a watcher of serie A, clearly the best referee in Italy is Guida, but sadly, his injuries will never allow him to be considered constantly, and the circumstances made Mariani as number 1.
DeleteVery lenient referee, always had troubles when it comes to penalty situations and again it happens today.
I think the best Italian referee is Doveri, too bad he gained his international badge when he was too old. Massa and Mariani are propped up only because they're Italian, if they had been portoguese or hungarian their international career would have been way more low profile. Among the youngsters Sozza was meant to be the new "chosen one", but IMO Colombo is getting ahead of him in the hierarchy, deservedly so.
DeleteOT:
ReplyDeleteSorry but missed RC for Dorgu in Man United vs Brighton.
Ref was Taylor,around 72nd minute.
Was given as a yellow because the keeper was probably going to get to the ball first even if the striker wasn't fouled. Think it wouldn't have been overturned if Taylor had given a red though.
DeleteTrend with Taylor last couple of games is to stay hidden,being lenient as much as he can be and we have following numbers of his cards in last matches:0,2,2,5,2,0,0,1.
DeleteFrom a ref that was punishing everything and was great with disciplinary control,looks like he has gone with modern trend that I cant even call English leniency cause they are very strict in some rules.
This season Taylor applies his lenient policy;is that the way that will guide him to some big final?
I would not be surprised, cause most of comitee likes lenient refs and don't be surprised if Taylor gets some recognition this year.
Having watched 2 of the games with 0YCs, he wasn't really being unduly leinient, there just wasn't anything that warrented a caution. In the Dorgu case, the attacker wasn't in control of the ball and it was clearly running through to the goalkeeper. I'd say a YC is the expected and correct decision
DeleteTim Robinson replacing Simon Hooper at Half Time in Brentford vs Liverpool due to injury....
ReplyDeleteA shame, as Hooper had had an excellent first half. He's arguably been the top referee in England for some time now
DeleteOT: I can only speak for UK/ European football but have most referees just given up on punishing dissent. I accept there are some who still do but it seems as if now the majority just choose not to deal with it. It's becoming so frustrating to watch games and clear dissent is not dealt with.
ReplyDelete