Referee assignments for the late stages of the competition in Morocco.
Quarterfinals
17:00 CET - Tanger (Grand Stade de Tanger)
MALI - SENEGAL
Referee: Abongile Tom RSA
Assistant Referee 1: Zakhele Thusi Granville Siwela RSA
Assistant Referee 2: Souru Phatšoane LES
Fourth Official: Samuel Uwikunda RWA Reserve Assistant Referee: Boris Marlaise Ditsoga GAB
Video Assistant Referee: Brighton Chimene ZIM
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Elvis Guy Noupue Nguegoue CMR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Hamza El Fariq MAR
CAF Referee Assessor: Fatou Gaye SEN
20:00 CET - Rabat (Stade Prince Moulay Hassan)
CAMEROON - MOROCCO
Referee: Dahane Beida MTN
CAMEROON - MOROCCO
Referee: Dahane Beida MTN
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Emiliano dos Santos ANG
Assistant Referee 2: Ivanildo Meirelles de Oliveira Sanches ANG
Fourth Official: Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail SDN
Reserve Assistant Referee: Styven Danek Moutsassi Moyo CGO
Video Assistant Referee: Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea GHA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Haythem Guirat TUN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Babacar Sarr MTN
CAF Referee Assessor: René Daniel Louzaya CGO
Saturday 10 January 2026
17:00 CET - Marrakech (Stade de Marrakech)
ALGERIA - NIGERIA
Referee: Issa Sy SEN
Assistant Referee 1: Djibril Camara SEN
ssistant Referee 2: Nouha Bangoura SEN
Fourth Official: Peter Waweru Kamaku KEN
Reserve Assistant Referee: Gilbert Kipkoech Cheruiyot KEN
Video Assistant Referee: Pierre Ghislain Atcho GAB
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Eleazar Onyango Yiembe KEN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Letticia Antonella Viana SWZ
CAF Referee Assessor: Yahya Hadqa MAR
20:00 CET - Agadir (Stade Adrar)
EGYPT - IVORY COAST
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal ALG
Assistant Referee 1: Abbes Akram Zerhouni ALG
Assistant Referee 2: Adel Abane ALG
Fourth Official: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo COD
Reserve Assistant Referee: Liban Abdourazak Ahmed DJI
Video Assistant Referee: Lahlou Benbraham ALG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Khalil Hassani TUN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Abdalaziz Yasir Ahmed Abdalaziz SDN
CAF Referee Assessor: Ali Mulumba Tomusange UGA
Big complaints now with the changed referees, Morocco complained the appointment of Egyptian Amin Omar, was replaced by Beida .. And now it's Cameroon that"s complaining to CAF because of the change ... Not a good look !
ReplyDeleteSeems again, there is no clear leaders in the Italian referees right now. Rocchi again appointing Doveri for the Inter-Napoli huge clash this weekend, proves that there isn't much confidence in all the names ( Mariani obviously after the big mistake in the first leg, Guida/Sozza/Massa not preferred here it seems). It's not so great to see.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, at the moment there is no referee who is truly reliable: until a few years ago, when there was a crisis, you could send Orsato and rest assured, but now there are no top-class referees left. Guida is perhaps the best referee along with Doveri, and in fact he was chosen for Verona-Lazio, a very delicate match; as for the rest, Massa's performance in Serie A has been rather poor and I believe Sozza was suspended after Lazio-Fiorentina (but in any case, Sozza has not been performing at a high level for years now).
DeleteYou will never find a real best referee in serie A, that's sure, however the fact that Doveri is always used as the big wild card should be over soon. While for Orsato this was justified, one can say that Doveri is the very last name after which there will be nobody.
DeleteSo it would have been better to anticipate a radical change, but this didn't happen. Doveri is almost 50 years old and he is not that excellent referee, as I said very often, just an extremely experienced one that can do what he wants on the field without any negative assessment by committee.
Among the international referees, for sure Guida must be considered nr. 1 but then after him at moment I would mention Colombo even before Sozza, for the reasons I mentioned, while Massa, another very-long time FIFA referee very often showed too poor performances.
What will happen after the retirement of Doveri and to follow, Guida? For sure this will be not Rocchi's problem, because this is clearly the last year for him, things can't go worse than they are really at moment...
Agreed, the only option now after Doveri's retirement would be Guida .. Too many mistakes from Sozza and Mariani who probably won't get many big clashes for the rest of the season. Sometimes, the committee also relies on Chiffi if they don't find other alternatives.
DeleteFor the future, it also seems that Colombo and Zufferli are the two referees that seems to be pushed by the committee into some big matches, and I think they will become the future UEFA referees.
Wow,Doveri to appoint in this huge clash is such a Rocchi move and one could have almost predicted that.
DeleteWhenever in doubt send Doveri, who as Chefren said,can almost do whatever he wants and will always have backings from higher authorities.
Since he is that old school ref,he should maybe remember how old school Italian refs used to handle matches.
Orsato,Rocchi,Rizzoli heck,even Collina.
All by the book,there was some player management but everything was by the book and Doveri should maybe look up to them.
When he retires...Happy day for sure.
I watched only the last 20 minutes of Milan-Genoa yesterday. I liked how Mariani handled that very hot ending. There were a lot of decisions to take and he did very well. The Milan players had an awful behaviour - I am happy of the way Mariani managed them. I don't think there was anything more he could do, I also liked his body language.
DeleteNow some reports are sugesting that Napoli is not happy with Doveri's appointment and that they will protest to AIA.
DeleteThere are possibilities that maybe they will change and appoint another ref.
Algeria-Nigeria: Sy
ReplyDeleteEgypt-Iv.Coast: Ghorbal
It looks like CAF panicked a lot by putting Tom onto Mali-Senegal (SA ref did merit getting another game and in terms of level, that QF was probably the only applicable tie) when it might have been better as Jayed, but after this huge drama ultimately I think the four appointments are pretty sound. If Egypt lose and both Morocco and Algeria win then Amin would be the optimal choice, especially regarding style, for that derby semifinal (Artan, minus his Mundials, and Ndala can fight for the other one?).
DeleteHello, as far as I know Artan has been send home (media)
DeleteTricky penalty area incident. Positively surprised by VAR final decision, to support Referee. It would have been very easy to call OFR, but you can argue, despite of tackle by defender not on the ball, that attacker looked for it. To me a correct outcome.
ReplyDeletePlease, if possible always try to link the video incidents.
DeleteNo penalty at all for me and quite very good first half by Tom with two correct YC and good foul detection.
DeleteI would rather go on a simulation.
ReplyDeleteFirst 30 minutes are regular, two clear yellow cards, but the referee seems aligned and never chasing the situations. It seems to me that he anticipates Senegal's actions a bit too much.
ReplyDeleteGood second YC and though RC for Mali. Rough general attitude by Mali players. Too much physical intensity and referee awarded them disciplinary sanctions on purpose.
ReplyDeleteSecond yellow given for a none existant contact minutes before and a player down faking injury. Poor decision
ReplyDeleteSecond YC: https://streamain.com/en/8EvxWsbI41nHVPh/watch
ReplyDeleteTo me, a very clear one after advantage, we are not used to see such a decision anymore in modern football by most of referees...
Agree. That’s Tom strict style in modern refereeing. Which was…a normal decision few years ago. Good spot after advantage. Well done Abongile !
DeleteGiven the score is still 0-1, I presume that shot didn't go into the net (it sure looked like it was!).
DeleteWhat happens in the almost 90 seconds between the goal kick and the production of the red card? That clip goes from 45:49 to 47:15. Why did it take so long to show the yellow and red?
The goalkeeper for Mali made a save ball didn't go out for some time. Good decision from Tom and I would say that he successfully sold it as well. Tom reminds me of Kovacs at times with the strict enforcement style. Very consistent but it always can go very wrong if decisions are not accepted, i.e. CZE-TUR for Kovacs.
Delete@Kapetan thanks!
DeleteI just saw that Algeria-Nigeria goes to Issa Sy and Egypt-Cote De Ivoire for Ghorbal.
ReplyDeleteNot official yet.
Just as Ghorbal had that one Cup of Nations when he was the best some years ago,Tom is clearly the best in this Cup of Nations.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteHe is consistent in his disciplinary control and does not go below that.
ReplyDeleteShame that most of his colleagues are not like that.
You take words on my mouth M ! Completely agree !
DeleteVery strict in disciplinary choices.
DeleteWe'll see Beida,but I dont think he will deliver performance as consistent as Tom.
DeleteSome crucial incidents from Abongile Tom game.
ReplyDelete3' Penalty area incident, decision play on, confirmed by VAR
https://streambug.org/cv/309be4
Close to a simulation, never penalty. YC for simulation would have been a confirmation of the South African referee's style, however basically good to play on and not to whistle penalty.
23' First YC for the player then sent off
https://streambug.org/cv/20d6d7
I think no doubts here.
45'+1 Second YC for reckless action, full live sequence
https://streambug.org/cv/b71966
Key moments (foul) shown later by broadcaster
https://streambug.org/cv/5b5845
Unfortunately impossible to know what happened during the replays and the CAF broadcaster surely can be blamed, but it was hard to believe that referee would have sent off a player in that circumstance. Now, given that there wasn't a real advantage gesture, my idea is that the fourth official from Rwanda cooperated with referee, confirming to him the YC, or maybe the referee himself had seen without remember the particulars and he needed a bit more time. For me a correct sending off if one considers the style of the referee, other referees would never think about that, but the key is consistence.
To me, the referee from South Africa had a similar performance to the previous one, never changing his style (many cards in second half) and not being afraid of the context / decisioin making. That's basically a big skill in modern refereeing, honestly something that seems now forgotten by most of the officials. However, one could still criticize him for being a rather chaotic referee "throwing cards" without trying to read more the game. As long as decisions can be supported, one can accept this style, but it's true that this can lead to troubles in other circumstances. Regarding the last two clashes he officiate, one must admit that Mali players were very aggressive in their challenges and this was unnecessary.
Now, not being a preselected official for WC, the AFCON of Abongile Tom should be over but never say never...
Penalty video: Okay. All. Seems like attacker actually stepped on the defender. Play on is sufficient. Video 2, doesn’t really look like a clear reckless challenge that deserves a 2nd yellow. No advantage signal, however he pointed at him. Maybe meaning it’s a delayed yellow. I doubt that a pro ref would forget that he already had a yellow but an advantage shouldn’t be given there but it’s allowed per the law.
DeleteAs expected, Bieda giving every decision to the home team in the first 20 minutes
ReplyDeleteStop your ridiculous bullshit comments…Nothing to say after 30 mn about Beida. Very good performance at this moment.
DeleteAgeurd elbows attacker in the head and referee doesnt even notice it. Pathetic
ReplyDelete44' - missed (foul +) YC:
Deletehttps://streamin.me/v/5c2f4e16
Agree. Mistake here by Beida and YC forgotten.
DeleteFor all the pro-Morocco conspiracies, the home team have been denied what were rather clear penalties in both of their knockout ties so far: https://streamin.me/v/344a873d
ReplyDeleteOverall, probably about as a good performance by Beida so far as possible in the circumstances.
And as you can see in this clip, the free-for-all on the benches continues! :/
DeleteThis situation is very difficult to assess for VAR and Beida. If you isolate only the gesture that was clear foul and Pk with YC. But in spirit of the game ´s view, no intentionnal foul and good decision to play on. No clear and obvious mistake here IMO, so correct no OFR by Ghana VAR.
DeleteShould have been penalty for me as well, but indeed rather impossible for the referee, even more because slightly off-the-ball incident. Then the argument for VAR staying silent should be that this was a rather "unconventional" penalty, so some courage by VAR should have been shown, nevertheless for me it's a mistake from the room, they should have called it. The foul on attacker in penalty area is clear, we can't forgive this action only because unintentional.
DeleteChallenging game for the referee from Mauritania.
Agree with your analysis too Chefren. You can also argue to go on no penalty side that player fouled wasn’t in ball possession or on possibility to reach it. An additionnal circumstance to avoid PK here.
DeleteAnd now forgiven 2nd YC to MAR player.
ReplyDeleteWow.
If I were Cameroon huge protests would be from me.
Hum hum 🤨. YC and so RC missed by Beida (we can note big gap with Tom braveness here) against El Khannous from Morocco. Clear intentional infringment from behind…. (64´)
ReplyDeleteApparently a rugby tackle in the middle of the pitch is just a foul
ReplyDeleteClear pk missed for me for Morroco, keeper clearly touching the player in the head saw the same given in PL few days ago
ReplyDeleteWas penalty for Cameroon ! Where is VAR here ? Clear contact and OFR had to be request !
ReplyDeleteWe have also a possible penalty for a challenge by keeper. A very challenging game for referee, unfortunately in some cases, not the correct decision was taken. Nevertheless, for a final assessment one must tak into consideration how challenging it was.
ReplyDeleteIn general, we can say that CAF catastrophic management of referees appointments and all substitutions of referees and VAR makes Beida ´s performance impossible to be perfect. But we can discuss lack of braveness of referee from Mauritania and his VAR from Ghana who seemed to avoid to take any strong decisions in key moments…
ReplyDeleteSorry but that’s enough now. Clear elbow foul by Morocco defender and instead of PK, we have freekick for defense instead. Was here Clear and obvious mistake and VAR had to intervene…Poor by Beida. Poor…
ReplyDeleteTerrible decision
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIf you tell me to choice between Abongile Tom and Dahane Beida for WC, my choice is 500 % for south african ref. No 1% of courage in Mauritanian umpire. No words…
ReplyDeleteCaf likes quota and politics
DeleteBeida have the support of weld Yahya caf vice president
All this on GOMEZ POOR MANGEMENT
ReplyDeleteNOW THEY WILL STRUGGLE again for semi final appointment
The first one NDALA if morocco Nigeria
Omar if morocco Algeria
The second one imtiyaz / ARTAN
Heeralall is really a candidate after all the YCs he missed/ignored in Botswana-DRC?(!), wow...
DeleteClips from the second half.
ReplyDeleteManagement of Morocco no23:
https://streamin.me/v/81b6f8c0
Three key penalty area incidents:
https://streamin.me/v/05d3f279
https://streamin.me/v/e81bb26d
https://streamin.me/v/20fde69c
And what is your analysis Mikael please ?
ReplyDeleteOn the potential penalties: the first incident is not a foul, the goalkeeper makes a successful save on the ball (you can see it if you watch the replays carefully), and then when the ball ricochets back from the attacker's head, the contact with the goalkeeper is careless at most; no foul committed. The arm use in the third incident happens OUTSIDE the penalty area, you can determine this by the position of the Morocco defender's feet, so this was neither a missed penalty - BUT, I will come back to this scene later. The most tricky incident is the second one. Laryea's hands were quite tied here, because it would have been very hard to intervene having passed over the incident which I highlighted in the 1half (34'). Mbuemo has mostly lost control of the ball, but you can't argue too much with the replay, which shows a clear contact - even if it is irrelevant for the action in practice. You can clearly understand Laryea's thinking with the non-intervention in the first half, but the more you bend the rules the more you make a rod for your own back, and it seems that it has come back to bite the Var with this episode. FINALLY: I think Beida's performance lost the most credibility with the 80' incident, because to finish with a defensive freekick does not give a good image for the referee (one could imagine he was about to blow up in favour of Cameroon but, realising the offence could be inside, decided to give it the other way). In this incident at least, it seems fair to label the charge "lacking courage to make unpopular decisions" toward Beida.
DeleteOn the potential SYC: this clip series could be used educationally, for offering pointers to Elite referees about they could manage already-cautioned players better than Beida did with El-Khannouss. The booking at 49' is correct, reckless foot-up. However, the Mauritanian referee does not use the card to actually take control of the manner in which Mar no23 is playing. You can see he protests quite flagrantly at Beida long after the card has been sorted out, and then at 56' El-Khannouss even 'dares' to make a deliberate, late charging foul - which a very strict referee could have decided to penalise as a YC. Beida did not correctly determine the 56' foul as a challenge to his authority of the match, and just gave it as a normal freekick. Already-booked players should be too scared of making fouls like 56'! This comes back to hurt the Mauritanian ref at 64', which is quite a weird incident - you can defend the tackle as neither reckless (he kind 'falls' into the opponent more than wiping him out) nor SPA, but like 80', it gives a rather poor image for the referee.
OVERALL: The comments here are over the top, in my opinion. This game does not change my opinion that Beida is a very good referee, and he was put in a very unfortunate position by the appointment (procedure) by CAF. Everything would look a lot ‘cleaner’ though, had Beida taken better control of Mar no23 and awarded an attacking freekick at 80’. In the real world, with all that was said before the match, I don’t think you can really blame Laryea too much for turning a blind eye at 34’, which then made intervening at 68’ for Cameroon as impossible.
And finally, I think it should be mentioned: the level of mobbing/pressure/nervousness in the early stages of the match was genuinely extraordinary. Beida coped with that in a manner that only very few referees at this tournament (+ Ghorbal, Amin and maybe Sy?) would have been able to without the game turning into a total mess.
DeletePenalty incident 1 with the GK. He looks offside. That’s the main reason for no review.
DeleteAgreed with most of what you wrote Mikael (I differ on my opinion on a few of the penalty area incidents, which I think supports Laryea’s non-interventions, these plays were very interpretable). It wasn’t really a bad performance by Beida but we can certainly point towards some moments that were not ideal, overly conservative, or more harshly as you said “lacking courage”.
DeleteVery interesting today to see the contrast between a referee like Tom, who has nothing to lose, and Beida, who has everything to lose. The system in which these referees exist does not allow them to make brave and confident decisions.
One more thing on my last point, I got the impression that Beida’s main objective today was to stay hidden as much as possible, to not mess anything up or make too many waves, for a mediocre performance will see him through to the World Cup. And given the hand he was dealt (with, what, 5 key match incidents?), I get the sense that he will reflect on today’s game as having accomplished that mission about as well as he could have done.
DeleteI think that the incident in 64' should have resulted in a sending off, very easy decision and nobody would have complained, it's true what you said, Mikael, about the fact that one can say it wasn't fully reckless and/or fully SPA, but the perception is of a clear card to be issued, even because the opponent was stopped in a very blatant way. I also agree with you that previous incident was not worthy of second YC in 56'.
DeleteWe saw a totally different approach than Abongile Tom in previous game, Beida for some reasons didn't want to appear that much in this game, and to me that's not good.
Then, into the penalty area incident, the big mistake is in 80' for sure, once again I share your view.
In short: in 34' it was rather impossible for refere as said, and mostly VAR stuff, but VAR didn't want to join, then the challenge by keeper is very likely influenced by a tight offside by attacker before (by head), however VAR could have shown that (still I think his decision about the challenge by keeper was NO PENALTY). The other penalty area incident to follow is not a full one and you can't accuse the referee from Mauritania of a clear mistake: defender put the leg but attacker decided to use the contact.
Nevertheless, in 80' the decision was clearly wrong.
It's interesting to point out, in my opinion, that another VAR could have presented a totally different outcome to referee, while the man from Ghana decided to stay with all the decisions Beida took on the pitch. One could argue he was surely not really accurate by doing so, in terms of LotG.
Probably offside regardless: https://streamin.me/v/05d3f279
DeleteObviously a penalty. Clear trip.
https://streamin.me/v/e81bb26d
To not have penalty area line camera angles is absolutely unacceptable. I am sure that VAR simply didn’t know if it was inside or not. Clear foul on attacker. Probably inside.
https://streamin.me/v/20fde69c
John brooks with a terrible mistake to give everton a late penalty in the fa cup. No var but no excuse for such a poor read of the situation
ReplyDeleteLucky for him that Sunderland won.
DeleteNot a handball there ? https://streamin.link/v/676b753c
ReplyDeleteDefinitely.
DeleteThis was also a blatant handball that I saw nobody mention or notice. Hand is clearly in line with the foot. Absolutely looks like a penalty. https://streamin.me/v/20fde69c
Agree…don’t understand why Atcho didn’t call Sy for OFR here…not understandable…
DeleteClear penalty for handball, arm movement to stop the ball.
DeleteIncredibile mistake by VAR.
I wasn't watching the game!
100% PK
DeleteOne can call for sure this one as the biggest mistake of the tournament so far. What about Cameroon - Morocco was still on another level.
ReplyDeleteFull sequence:
Deletehttps://streamin.me/v/7bae0f9e
The fact that the elbow from Morocco was also handball is crazy. It looks blatantly inside the penalty are. That must be seen as making the body unnaturally bigger.
DeleteChefren is 100% right, by the way. Cameroon-Morocco is still 'incidents we can discuss', but what happened in today's first half is a total scandal (I don't think it is an exaggeration to say this), and a totally blatant/incompetent mistake. It seems quite obvious that Atcho was placed as VAR for this game as 'compensation for the non-Arab associations', with Dickens long since having not reached the apparently great expectations that CAF had of him (he didn't appear again as main Var since Algeria-BurkinaFaso), and they paid too little attention to whether the Gabonese official was actually good at VAR-ing. The verdict seems quite clear now.
DeleteUnbelievable no VAR action. Incredible decisions during 1/4 finals by refs crews…
DeleteDebatable decision, surely not a “scandal.” The arm isn’t in a super unnatural position and surely there is no case for a deliberate handball with such little reaction time. The arm is somewhat close to the body and moving in a fairly natural way for a defender turning his body to block the cross; for sure no intervention is supportable here.
DeleteClear penalty - not a natural position at all. It is incredible that the VAR did not intervene here. Also, AR2 should have helped - he had all the reasons to raise the flag and indicate penalty or just tell the referee via the communication sistem that a handball offence happened inside the penalty area.
DeleteThe ball hits the knee before hitting the arm. A deflection that many did not see. So not a clear penalty.
DeleteOT rare to see, but can we be sure it was against referee?
ReplyDeletehttps://x.com/Saudifutbol/status/2009870072597405977
No, for me not agains referee.
ReplyDeleteDon’t understand Sy to continue match after 7mn30 of extra Time and create the last mass confrontation. No need to wait for that.
ReplyDeleteAlgerian players and staff attitude against senegalese refs after final whistle is awful and scandalous. There is some work in Africa to clean organization and team behaviors…
ReplyDelete16 ref and Ar keept for the last leg
ReplyDeleteNames ?
DeleteAll no2 referees (Bouh, Kechaf, Maarouf, Mebiame) plus Heeralall, Houngnandande, Kpan, Mahamat, Nabadda and Nkoudou are out.
DeleteNothing special to say about Ghorbal first half. Good performance in a quite easy-going half.
ReplyDelete44' Blatant simulation by Egyptian player, very evident to close the eyes.
ReplyDeleteShould have been booked by Ghorbal.
Disagree. No need to put YC here. Would be a little harsh considering 45 mn physionomy.
DeleteI don’t think it was clear simulation, the attacker lost his balance a little trying to evade the challenge, making the fall ant least partially real, and only half-heartedly appealed for the free kick.
DeleteActually, on the Nigeria, handball situation, it clearly touched the thigh before the arm. You need to look closely but it’s blatant when you actually notice it. Ball clearly changed direction.
ReplyDeleteHow on earth can VAR Benbraham can not appeal referee in this crystal VC by Ivory Coast player, completely out of ball action and obviously intentional ! This kind of VAR is preselected by FIFA ? OMG !
ReplyDeleteFifa will select only 2
DeleteAshour
El fariq
Will ghorbal act against delay the restart
ReplyDeleteFrustrating to see a YC for Delaying in added time but not even a second extra added for it.
DeleteMy impression in watching the matches of both Ghorbal and Beida is that these referees are both benefitting from a preexisting reputation and rapport with the players, a bit reminiscent of someone like Clement Turpin who is able to talk quietly with a smile and have the respect of the players. Indeed, part of this can be attributed to good use of personality in this game (every time Ghorbal talks to players, it is with a smile), however, due to their reputation they also have this “advantage” over lesser-known referees.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting analysis which i share completely. Now a blatant corner forgotten and players not very angry and with high acceptance for Ghorbal very wrong decisions…
DeleteBoth teams are playing with focus on the game and not worrying about the referee. I’d highlight also the YC challenge a few minutes prior to Ivory Coast’s second goal; with more emotional teams this would’ve been a big flashpoint for the referee to manage.
DeleteThat’s quite weird and ridiculous to book egyptian goalkeeper for time wasting…and whistled the end at 94:59 when you had give 5 mn. No constancy here and as Beida, i think Ghorbal stayed with his reputation and not referee the match with braveness, closing eyes when needed.
ReplyDeleteGhorbal knowen with this nothing new. He chose to be soft and kind and stay invisible.
DeleteUntil the final whistle I thought it was clear that Ghorbal would surely be picked for the Final, with a solid performance in the match today. No big issues (aside from possibly the VC mentioned earlier? I need to see a replay of it; regardless, this is a question for the VAR, not the referee), the full respect of the players left a positive impression overall.
DeleteHowever, the lack of management of additional time really leaves a sour taste; indeed it can be described harshly as “cowardly”. Perhaps Ghorbal knew he will get the final if he avoids major controversy, and blowing a few seconds early won’t change that. In many ways, the 2025-26 AFCON quarterfinal round all on its own could write a thesis about the workings of modern refereeing.
Make record ghorbal will not be in the pitch in the final
DeleteGhorbal never done AFCON final?
DeleteChefren, have the referees for the Champions League Round of 7 matches been appointed yet? UEFA's website only lists the delegate names.
ReplyDeleteKamaku ndala samuel tom mbambe ismael
ReplyDeleteBetween those the semi final and final
https://x.com/youssefamz13/status/2010090163524043122?s=46&t=Ok5OCp_U1mZPFDKlm4EOGQ ! Shame on Algeria team. Unbelievable scene of violence against referees. Unacceptable !
ReplyDeletehttps://streamin.me/v/f527cf63
ReplyDeleteRefanalyst is right: with the ball far away, the action by CIV no19 should be considered violent conduct (and a YC to Egypt no22; this was clearly a preplanned tactic to provoke the hot-headed Ivorian youngster). I think it can certainly be implied that CAF raised the threshold for clear and obvious for the quarterfinals onwards, especially considering some of the interventions earlier in the tournament. Overall, the last three quarterfinals have been distinctly reminiscent of WC2022 games: referees not really in control of events on the FoP (nor in the technical areas), and merely trying to 'survive' the games rather than handling them authoritatively. Ghorbal's performance used cards at the absolute minimum -- whilst still not decending into the worst, Concacaf-esque leniency -- and was generally decent, but the confrontations at the end of the game were still a logical consequence of the manner in which the referee handled the match.
Clear red card. Evident mistake by VAR.
DeleteNot a clear situation for me. What i see is a clear kick with low intensity. There are arguments to say it's a red card of course but i can also accept his only as an unsportsmanlike behaviour and go for a yellow card. What annoys me most is the blatant exaggeration, not so say simulation by the egypt player. rolling on the pitch for minutes and play the dying swan but immediately back on the field as soon as the play continues.
DeleteNo VAR intervention is acceptable in my eyes as there are arguments against rating the situation as a violent conduct.
Problem is that we remember also Ghorbal that was alert punishing when needed and no turning blind eye.
DeleteThis notion that everyone has to be like Doveri and will get the Finals is ridiculous, and that is turning referees into robots that are not showing cards,only talks and talks cause that's the easy way.
https://streambug.org/cv/445cfd
ReplyDeleteIf you have the patience and the interest, here is a very interesting OFR from Serie B, from a match played yesterday, with Crezzini as referee, we had also talked about him on the blog some time ago.
Young and appreciated by Rocchi, who is trying to give him a certain serie A path and development.
Here the VAR is Aureliano (a very experienced VAR, though coming from some recent controversy in Serie A), who invites him to review a penalty that had been awarded. In my view, the logic is clear: while Aureliano sees a simulation by the Sampdoria player, Crezzini is unable to get the colleague's point of view and, after endless minutes, confirms the penalty.
The incident was shown to referee at video (they counted it) 28 times. In my opinion there is a fundamental problem if VAR and referee arrive at two completely opposing interpretations like this, and unfortunately this is one of the major limits of the tool, which in some cases really proves to be rather useless (if used in this way).
In this situation the VAR has specific elements to justify the review (the Sampdoria player using the contact), whereas Crezzini's point of view is, let's say, more straightforward (the defender sticks a leg out and there is contact, enough for him, no matter other elements). What I find interesting is how, despite everything, Crezzini doesn't get VAR's perspective: once he had understood it, he could have expressed his own view more calmly. Instead, he seemed to struggle internally, trying to understand why, according to his VAR, that should not be a penalty.
This process is strange. On the blog we are able to understand every dynamic about the penalty calls, and I say this without boasting, but often the pitch referees, even at very high levels, seem to have a kind of block in certain situations. For Crezzini here, understanding that Aureliano saw it that way would have been reassuring to make then an assessment, instead, in my opinion, he became too anxious, also in managing the benches. This is how then a referee can get troubles by a VAR in a game, but unclear who should be blamed for that, honestly, the problem seems exclusively on the tool and its use.
IMO, rather not a penalty kick
DeleteHonestly, I find it a bit difficult to understand Crezzini's point of view: from the pitch, the contact may seem like a foul, but looking at the images, it's clear that it's a rather blatant simulation.
DeleteWhat are the predictions for MD 7?
ReplyDeleteAlmaty - Brugge: Gishamer (Schüttengruber)
DeleteBodo - ManCity: Martinez (del Cerro Grande)
Real - Monaco: Kavanagh (Attwell)
Inter - Arsenal: Makkelie (van Driessche)
Tottenham - Dortmund: Peljto (Higler)
Sporting - PSG: Oliver (Salisbury)
Olympiakos - Leverkusen: Eskas (van Boekel)
Villareal - Ajax: Sozza (di Paolo)
Copenhagen - Napoli: Bastien (Delajod)
Galatasaray - Atletico: Nyberg (Dieperink)
Qarabag - Frankfurt: de Burgos (Soto)
Bayern - Saint-Gilloise: Sylwestrzak (Lasyk)
Chelsea - Pafos: Rumsas (Ruperti)
Atalanta - Bilbao: Walsh (Dallas)
Juventus - Benfica: Letexier (Brisard)
Marseille - Liverpool: Gil Manzano (Cuadra)
Slavia - Barcelona: Siebert (Brand)
Newcastle - PSV: Guida (di Bello)
Thanks.
DeleteAbout the Algeria-Nigeria handball situation (https://streamin.me/v/7bae0f9e), talking educationally rather than specifically about the AFCON or a mistake and so on, I think something should be clarified with regards interpretation. I saw that some people argued that according to the LotG, the appropriate decision would automatically be play on, because the Nigeria player had already "played" the ball with his thigh. It gets into semantics, but there is a reason that IFAB use the term 'play' rather than the more comprehensive 'touch' when explaining this concept - it is possible to TOUCH the ball, without having PLAYED the ball. As referees, we know very well that it is possible to touch the ball in a tackle, but still not have played the ball (and thus a foul is committed). Given that the touch on the thigh is minimal, the ball carries on travelling both at speed and in a near-identical direction to where it was going before the touch, in addition to extended position of the arm with regards the body, a penalty should still have been awarded in this situation.
ReplyDeleteOne can contrast to the terrible penalty decision which was awarded in Betis-Barcelona last month (https://youtu.be/93LPZJkCW2w?t=3975), where the defender did "play" the ball: he successfully blocks the shot, taking all of the pace off the ball, and as it spins up into the air, the ball hits his arm which was in a completely comprehensible position for the action he was making. Unlike Algeria-Nigeria, this should NOT be awarded as a penalty in any competition. I think this issue should be clarified by IFAB because it is creating rather needless confusion in football.
Agree, but I would compare it to the situation when the defender/goalkeeper touches the ball and still offside is called.
DeleteIf the touch is deliberate, but ball touches player´s hand/arm due to lack of ball control it shouldn't be an ofence, if hand/arm isn´t in totaly unnatural position.
If a player tries to block a pass/shot... and the ball rebounds from his body, it is an ofence.
The main problem is that this logic is not in IFAB materials anymore (as far as I know), but rather health with through instructional interpretations.
DeleteAs I have received the instruction, the direction of the ball after the block matters: a “successful block” is a situation where the defender blocks a ball with a legal part of their body, *the ball [meaningfully] changes direction*, and there is no subsequent movement / secondary action of the hand/arm. Situations involving successful block are no handball. As I understand the instruction, this minimal touch would not be considered a “successful block” because the ball continues traveling in a very similar direction.
My only issue (and maybe I’m dying alone on this hill!) is that I’m not 100% convinced that the position of the arm is unnaturally to begin with.
Play means touch. Otherwise they would say ”deliberately plays”. If the ball touches you, you played the ball. Exactly the same as when receiving the ball from a teammate who ”played” the ball for offside. It only requires that the teammate touched, it for it to be played and be a pass. So the law does not care how it touched the player. A touch is a play. A deliberate play is deliberate play.
DeleteWell managed game by Massa in Fiorentina-Milan. Satisfying performance!
ReplyDeleteI agree. Not so good, however, Guida: in my opinion, he missed a penalty for Verona (89'), as well as making a few minor mistakes (wrong YC for Cancellieri, some fouls not given).
DeleteRead somewhere that Letexier will referee Al Hilal- Al Nasser tomorrow. Idk if it was an official source but a game to watch closely!
ReplyDeleteAnother game to watch closely is the Spanish Super Cup Final between Barcelona and Real Madrid, refereed by Jose Munuera Montero tonight in Jeddah.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable YC missed by referee at 23’. Unacceptable leniency when you see the foul on Yamal…
DeleteI would make a very strong argument that it should have been red. It was a deliberate action and contact was both forceful and above the foot. I don't know why we excuse that. It was targeted against their best player and had the potential to injure. Get it out of the game. What's the argument for this only being a yellow? That he didn't drive the sole of his foot through the opponent's shin?
DeleteAgree after reviews. Very intelligent analysis Usaref.
DeleteOther than the unfortunate tackle on Yamal, Munuera has been very good. Especially in game with such importance, taking into account the rivalry between the players.
DeleteThis referee always loses control. No management and can’t judge offences well.
Delete2nd yellow given by Hooper in United/Brighton for Lacey throwing the ball at the ground aggressively in reacting to a decision. Right decision but those often aren't given as yellows.
ReplyDeleteI feel like slamming of ball (or things like waving imaginary card, strong sarcastic applause) are 100% a YC almost 100% of the time in England. It was super obvious and impossible to ignore. I feel a bit for Hooper and the young player who's learning, but Hooper had no choice
Delete57’ - another flashpoint in FCB RMA
ReplyDeleteI like monteros calmness. Might be tricky last 20 minutes with barca taking the lead
ReplyDeleteIf we except YC/RC incident on first half, at least very good match for Munuera Montero with very good fitness abilities and very alertness with RC for De Jong.
DeleteYes, I agree. Good performance if we exclude the clear missed YC in first half (for me YC would be enough though). Excellent RC for de Jong. Also relatively high acceptance for a final between these teams.
DeleteFor me Carrera's action is ok to be a YC. And, tbh, I understand that with a single frame De Jong's RC call is okay, but I truly think that the tackle was not dangerous at all. He went to the floor quite long away from the player and he arrives without intensity or speed. But if the main aim is to unify that above the ankle those actions are RC, I can understand it.
DeleteAnd I'm not sure about the management. The added time of the first half (third goal in added time arrives in 50:20), foul detection, delay with some calls...
Very clear penalty to Inter and insane reactions by Conte and upset players. It’s not even a questionable call.
ReplyDeleteBut the classic Doveri, playing on and never showing a single card, unless red card for Conte.
DeleteZero credibility as referee for me: penalty was committed for step on foot, where is yellow card? Play on after all incident it's easy, you have to do nothing, for me it's a shocking trend.
The good thing is that he will retire soon.
I'm sorry to say, but my view is totally different from most of Italian people about the reputation of the former FIFA referee, this style also contributes to players being nervous, I'm convinced.
Yes, that’s a yellow card. The players reaction is because of something else than the actual penalty, because that’s a clear foul. Is there a video link? I only saw it once on tv.
DeleteIMO if we compare quality of referees and quality of league, Italians are far far worst in Europe, so no surprise for me
DeleteWhen a referee has great charisma and extensive experience, he sometimes tends to referee solely on the basis of his authority, without applying the rules. The most famous example that comes to mind is Brych (who was much better than Doveri, of course).
Delete