2025-26 UEFA Europa League, referee appointments for the second legs of Round of 16, to be played on 18 and 19 March 2026.
Wednesday 18 March 2026
16:30 CET - Braga (Estádio Municipal de Braga)
SC BRAGA (POR) - FERENCVÁROSI TC (HUN)
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson SWE
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
UEFA Referee Observer: William Young SCO
UEFA Delegate: Igor Radojčić SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson SWE
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
UEFA Referee Observer: William Young SCO
UEFA Delegate: Igor Radojčić SRB
Thursday 19 March 2026
18:45 CET - Freiburg (Stadion am Wolfswinkel)
SC FREIBURG (GER) - KRC GENK (BEL)
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Mehmet Murat Ilgaz TUR
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Mehmet Murat Ilgaz TUR
UEFA Delegate: Marcin Stefański POL
18:45 CET - Décines-Charpieu (Parc Olympique Lyonnais)
OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS (FRA) - REAL CLUB CELTA DE VIGO (ESP)
Referee: Irfan Peljto BIHAssistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo BIH
Fourth Official: Luka Bilbija BIH
Video Assistant Referee: Andrew Dallas SCO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
UEFA Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel GER
UEFA Delegate: Maksims Krivunecs LVA
18:45 CET - Herning (MCH Arena)
FC MIDTJYLLAND (DEN) - NOTTINGHAM FOREST FC (ENG)
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann GER
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner GER
Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schröder GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan ARM
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann GER
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner GER
Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schröder GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan ARM
21:00 CET - Seville (La Cartuja de Sevilla)
REAL BETIS BALOMPIÉ (ESP) - PANATHINAÏKÓS AO (GRE)
Referee: Tobias Stieler GERAssistant Referee 1: Lasse Koslowski GER
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Borsch GER
Fourth Official: Matthias Jöllenbeck GER
Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski POL
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Borsch GER
Fourth Official: Matthias Jöllenbeck GER
Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski POL
21:00 CET - Rome (Stadio Olimpico)
AS ROMA (ITA) - BOLOGNA FC 1909 (ITA)
Referee: István Kovács ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Maric ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Szabolcs Kovacs ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG
UEFA Delegate: Metin Kazancıoğlu TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Maric ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Szabolcs Kovacs ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG
UEFA Delegate: Metin Kazancıoğlu TUR
21:00 CET - Porto (Estádio do Dragão)
FC PORTO (POR) - VFB STUTTGART (GER)
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Darren England ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Stéphane Lannoy FRA
UEFA Delegate: Danilo Filacchione ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Darren England ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Stéphane Lannoy FRA
UEFA Delegate: Danilo Filacchione ITA
21:00 CET - Birmingham (Villa Park)
ASTON VILLA FC (ENG) - LOSC LILLE (FRA) Referee: Davide Massa ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marcenaro ITA
Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Ante Vučemilović CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marcenaro ITA
Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Ante Vučemilović CRO
Ricardo de Burgos, Mallorca - Espanyol
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/6f04d2
Mistake imo,clear foul,but whatever.
DeleteEven commentator on Arena Sport said that blind person can see that rather than De Burgos.
Amazing how the freekick was not rewarded after review. Could anyone share the reasoning as to why a freekick is not expected here?
ReplyDeleteLikely the Basque referee wasn't convinced at all that the kick had struck the opponent.
DeleteIn any case an OFR should not be handled like this, it took too long.
One of the two clearly got it wrong here: either it was not a clear and obvious error, or it was a blatant free kick.
I can understand De Burgos. The quality of the images is not that great: imagine how it may be seen down on the OFR live. The best angle, seen on TV, wasn't shown to him. Still should have guessed that the movement of the leg of the defender is not casualty. However, I agree that the point of contact was not clear in those reviews.
DeleteIssa Sy is ready to do that at WC.
ReplyDeleteWhat a happiness by Busacca in case! :D
https://x.com/topskillsportuk/status/2033419238589813024
Howard Webb observing the all Italian derby interesting, I think an elite referee will be appointed for this one Zwayer l guess IMO
ReplyDeleteIf Zwayer,interesting to see how his calm and by the book approach will suit temperamental italian teams.
DeleteMaybe Siebert?
Siebert has a CL game on Wednesday.
DeleteAnd Zwayer certainly neither. Rosetti won‘t appoint two Germans for both legs.
DeleteAnd it's Kovacs. I think rather unneccesary observation of Webb for a former CL final referee
DeleteIt's curious, to say the least, that Nyberg is playing in this game in Braga, when the same was expected in a Champions League round of 16 second leg. Could the Swede have made a mistake by being reassigned to the Europa League?
ReplyDeleteYeah guys why is this Braga game being played on Wednesday not on Thursday instead
ReplyDeleteBecause Porto will play at Thursday. There are 40 km between Braga and Porto. Suttgart and Ferencváros fans will use Porto airport and so on... this is the reason.
DeleteIs braga have not a airport
DeleteOh l thought it was the broadcasting rights, yet when it comes to London (premier League) anything goes never the less thanks @marko
Delete@Abdiaziz, Braga has no major international airport so they use Porto which is 45 minutes away by car
DeleteBy the way @Abdiaziz, you are the one who should have expertise in Portugal affairs
DeleteIt seems Pinheiro won't be using Porto airport to depart for Champions League matches, right Abdiaziz?
DeleteYes braga have no international so the passenger use porto airport who for from braga 40 or 50 km
ReplyDeleteAfter the very controversial performance in Inter - Atalanta, Gianluca Manganiello, originally appointed as fourth official in Inter - Benfica Youth League quarterfinal on next Wednesday, has been replaced by Antonio Rapuano. That't how it works for referees in modern football...
ReplyDelete@Mikael - Will you share your World Cup predictions for CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and UEFA? :)
ReplyDeleteOliver in Freiburg, Peljto in Lyon, Zwayer in Denmark, Stieler at Betis, Taylor in Porto, Kovács in Rome and Massa in Birmingham. All Elite referees, Rosetti isn’t going to play around with the Europa League.
ReplyDeleteWhere is joao pinheiro?
DeleteAlways on your mind!
DeleteJoao Pinheiro might be in Portugal somewhere :-)
DeleteAhmed, I told you earlier, he’ll spend Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at home…
DeleteWhy ?
DeleteBecause he’s not at the level you think he is. There have been better referees than him who didn’t officiate every week. Also, that red card for Juventus might negatively affect how the committee views him. All in all, I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again - Pinheiro has Rosetti’s trust, even though, in my opinion and in the opinion of many here, he doesn’t deserve it.
DeleteI have a question for you how many times does pinheiro go to the screen this season , letexier who all bloggers praises how many time go to the screen
DeleteAre you comparing Letexier and Pinheiro? Letexier is miles ahead of the Portuguese referee in every aspect. His appointments so far and the EURO final confirm that. Pinheiro is only recently promoted to Elite level. No one is saying he’s a bad referee — most just believe he’s not at the level of the very best. In my opinion, he often loses control of matches and has a strange refereeing style. We’ll see how the end of the season unfolds, but I don’t expect Pinheiro to be in the Champions League semifinals or at the World Cup as a main referee which in itself shows that he’s still not at the level of the very best, as you’re trying to present him here on the blog.
Deleteplease answer my question?
Delete@Abdiaziz ahmed yousuf: A referee's evaluation is not only measured by how often he is asked for an OFR. Even overturns do not necessarily have to lead to lower marks.
DeleteThats the reason that they became 35 instead of normaly 25 in the Elitegroup!
ReplyDeleteI am understanding what happening for joao pinheiro two with out any European game in I don't know because his performance was perfect for all games even juventus vs galatasaray
ReplyDeleteIf he doesn't get a big game next week for world qualifiers I think there is a very very big problem
ReplyDeleteWhy???
DeleteBecause it seems there is problem between him and rosseti
Delete@Dear Abdiaziz: The day you make a meaningful comment, that will be the day the world ends.
DeleteNo Pinheiro this week, can confirm, because he is not in conference leugue also, among them, Balakin, Agayev, van der Eijk Treimanis, Manuera, Jovanovic, Stegeman, Sozza, but not the Portugese
ReplyDeleteI think its not ideal that Massa is in Birmingham (next opponent Italian team) and Zwayer in Denmark (next opponent possibly Stuttgart)
ReplyDeleteIf you have to think to that, referees are over, sorry. I have been always against such very weak argument. One can find many connections as he wants, in case.
DeletePinheiro will be at the Arabian Cup this Wednesday, SR.@Abdiaziz
ReplyDeleteWhich arab cup ?
Delete@chefren I have a question I hope can be answered by you and other members. I regularly see on here that certain referees, for some reason or another, find it not “possible “ to referee teams from a particular country or the country itself. I find that outrageous that big clubs and associations can have such influence. Referees should be appointed on their ability and on merit. Some names spring to mind are Taylor, Zwayer, Pinhiero (there are more). Are the refcom being influenced or are they protecting the particular referee. I have seen virtually all the elite level referees make an error of judgement, some more impactful than others, and not nearly as much noise being made. Somethings that always intrigued me.
ReplyDeleteI’m happy to answer because this is a topic that really intrigues me as well. Unfortunately, it reflects the global trend in modern refereeing. In my view, it's not about any intention of protection from the committees; rather, the problem lies in yielding, often very tacitly, to the demands of the clubs.
DeleteThat's the key point, A referee makes some mistakes, sometimes even quite serious ones, and it happens even with VAR, as controversies clearly haven't disappeared, and then that referee is kept away for a long time to avoid facing the same team again, if not forever. But if refereeing today were fully independent from what clubs want, or at least had a bit more autonomy, decisions could be evaluated more freely. Instead, I believe we are witnessing a kind of decline in refereeing precisely because of this dynamic. Those in charge of the committee, and we can include FIFA and UEFA as well, end up having to accept some unwritten rules. Even when clubs don't complain too loudly about significant errors, they still often don't see that referee assigned to them again. In the past, it wasn't quite like this. There seemed to be more freedom. Today, top-level football is built around clubs, not around refereeing. Refereeing has become something that serves football, rather than standing alongside it. I’m not saying it should be completely independent, because that could lead to self-referential issues, but a bit more autonomy, more ability to make decisions and manage assignments, would be necessary. Today, this is lost.
This is why I don't think there is any real "protection" by acting in thisw way. True protection and support would mean assigning that referee again to the same team, backing them, and then evaluating them fairly based on their performance. But the football system itself would make a war against that.
And that, today, is something I find very sad, especially considering that it has produced some notable "victims", regardless of everything.
Thanks so much for the detailed reply. I find it incredibly sad and it’s a terrible indictment on football today that big clubs can have such an influence on assignments. I would be confident in saying that referees don’t set out to make deliberate decisions that have implications on a club’s season. Sometimes wish that the committee members would, as they say, “grow a pair “.
DeleteI would love to see a computersystem doing the appointments, based on performance, and importance off the matches, observers putt their scores in the system, and after that te computer makes the appointments without human involvement, no Rosetti and his slovenian friend who always put his Italian and Slovenian friends on the most important matches, or always succeeds to send to many Italian referees in European matches, performance above politics
Delete@Eric, I am so happy to hear this. I am actually a Computer Science student and low division referee. I am in the last semester and this is exactly what I am doing as my Bachelor Thesis. I develop a tool that optimize the appointments of the referees, considering availability, past performances, referees ability and match difficulty. It is pretty much almost completed. I made it so far to work for Round-Robin competitions (national divisions), not KO format but it can definitely bu further developed. I thought about this application to be used by only one person, the one who currently makes the appointments. You open it, select the available referees, press a button and the appointments are made. You close it, days pass, the games are played, you open it again, enter the grades from observers and the scores. Just like real life. Maybe one day it could be the starting point for something bigger...
DeleteAll of them are referees at the Champions League level. Is this how these appointments are always made?
ReplyDeletealways from the round of 16, the elite referees take over the Europa League and it will be like that until the final
DeleteAnd this year it even was full Elite in the previous round.
DeleteGood choice of referee for this round.
ReplyDeleteMy expectation is that the top referee(s) will be appointed to the Spanish derby. If Marciniak is unavailable, you’re naturally looking at someone like Vinčić or Turpin (despite a so-so performance by the latter and repeating Real Madrid). But they are referees with the reputation and experience to get through that heated game without too much damage. I just hope Rosetti doesn’t use the return leg to “test” and potentially harm the ambitions of other refs.
ReplyDeleteReal vs Bayern is a top clash and almost a final in itself, but generally more “fair” and less heated than a derby. That opens the door for someone like Nyberg in a first leg, or Michael Oliver. With a highly experienced referee in the return.
PSG vs Liverpool is interesting because the outcome will likely influence the nationality of the eventual UCL final referee. I think the name for the 1st leg will surprise us again.
Sporting vs Arsenal looks like the “weakest” tie on paper, with all due respect. It could go to either a less experienced name or someone Rosetti prefers not to expose too much. A Spanish or Italian referee comes to mind, or Daniel Siebert because I don’t know where else to put him.
If I had to make a few conditional guesses (play-offs pending): Nyberg probably needs a QF if he has ambitions for the Europa League final. Oliver should be “launched” as well because the same applies to him (if the play-off final goes well). Vinčić will likely get one of the big return legs. Siebert should be rewarded for a solid run. Eskås has recovered well and is typically a good fit for a first leg. Kovács, depending on his performance in the Italian derby and play-off is a neutral name and will be in the mix if things go well. And I think Makkelie too, although there could be an argument to keep the latter under the radar.
First German team for Taylor (on UEFA level) since the EURO QF.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your expectation for the quarter final and European qualifiers?
DeleteFor play-offs, see
Deletehttps://law5-theref.blogspot.com/2025/12/2026-fifa-world-cup-afc-caf-concacaf.html
For quarterfinals, I'll write after tonight's results.
Who will FIFA choose?
ReplyDeleteCONCACAF [N. America]
(1/9)
Delete100 percenters: Ismail ELFATH, Cesar RAMOS, Tori PENSO, Drew FISCHER, Ivan BARTON
The analysis for Concacaf, the continent in which the World Cup will be host, divides very aptly for the purposes of our analysis into the three regions that the confederation encompasses. The self-evidently most irrelevant region (with regards main referees at least) are the Caribbean countries, represented only by Oshane NATION from Jamaica. Nation was originally not included in the final seminar, and was only added at short notice. The Jamaican, cast in a very typical Concacaf image as a great athlete, is much too weak a referee to handle matches at the World Cup, and I’m skeptical if he will even be chosen as a reserve; Jack Warner days these are not. The way in which FIFA/Concacaf managed to compensate the countries who are not in the big ten of North (3) or Central (7) America at Qatar 2022, was to tag a linesman, as AR2, to the three Central American crews. Given the evident rejection for repeatedly making mistakes to the Surinamese assistant attached to Barton, Zachari Zeegelaar, perhaps FIFA will want to avoid that scenario in 2026 and will instead create a full reserve trio to be headed by Nation. The fact that the Jamaican was only included at very late notice would suggest the contrary, but we will see.
If you take as axiomatic that all three host nations will have a main referee crew at the World Cup, that there will be a female referee in the tournament and take the original slot allocation of six as writ, then the race between four referees from Central America to reach 2026 is extremely tight. Increasing the Concacaf quota to seven, as appears rather likely to me, would take the heat somewhat out the competition. In any case, the leading referee from this region who surely will not be sweating on the final list announcement too much is Ivan BARTON from El Salvador. Barton took advantage of a revolution in Concacaf refereeing instigated in the aftermath of WC2018 by the controversial referees manager Brian Hall, and rose fast beyond expectations with strong performances in international events during 2019. More will be written about the Brian Hall revolution later.
(2/9)
DeleteAs for Barton himself, his trajectory is a rather interesting case study for FIFA refereeing in the past ten/fifteen years or so. It seemed to me that the technically strong Salvadorian official decided that beginning from his first game of the last WC, Germany-Japan, he would immediately alter his style to cohere to the ‘be an actor’ trend inside FIFA. It was interesting to see this play out in real time, because I wouldn’t say this was an especially organic or logical shift for the relatively slight referee from El Salvador. He did well at the World Cup, showing the ability to navigate medium-to-highish difficulty matches, in managing to get the tricky Brazil-Switzerland tie over the line. From the matches I’ve seen, the famously frenetic Salvadorian official has improved his ‘FIFA style’ a lot since the QatarWC/post-QatarWC period: he contravened the absolutely poor impression from 2023’s Wydad-AlHilal with two good performances in very challenging Club WC games, Flamengo-Chelsea and Inter-Fluminense.
Certainly, I would say the doubts about Barton (his ability to retain control over both the match and also his own emotions) are now much outweighed by the quality of his decisions on the FoP and ability to solve technically-challenging matches. Barton is only thirty-five years old, and if he could bring an element of a referee like Vitor Melo Pereira into his way of handling games (the Portuguese not at the top in terms of charisma or even calls but who made a big career by an impeccable ability to always stay calm and retain a poker face on the FoP), then he could surely improve further in the next ten years. I think Barton is a very likeable referee and I wish him well for the World Cup.
One of the most dramatic refereeing matches that I can remember in the last few years which nobody will have registered was the opening game of the 2025 Arab Cup between Tunisia and Syria. Juan Gabriel CALDERON from Costa Rica was the referee. This game was significant for a number of reasons. First, I’m quite sure that it would not have gone unnoticed internally that it was the same match (Tunisia-Syria) at the previous edition of the Arab Cup which had two very serious consequences, one of much wider relevance than the other: a) the match was mishandled by the chaotic Mexican official Fernando Hernandez Gomez, costing him a shot at the Qatar WC, and, b) the utterly extreme time-wasting tactics by the Syrian team which set in motion a series of events that resulted in the now-famous approach to compensating lost time at that WC itself. Remember, that FIFA had instituted a rule specifically for this Arab Cup in 2025 which instructed that players who left the field of play having been inspected by a trainer would have to remain off the FoP for a statutory period of two minutes. This rule was not applicable for the playoff matches, so Calderon was to be the first referee to implement this guideline in the tournament. It was also very visible that the referees were under pressure by FIFA, even notwithstanding this specific rule, to maximise the effective playing time of their matches.
(3/9)
DeleteCalderon, knowing that another Concacaf referee who was in a position to make a late run toward the World Cup lost everything on account of his handling of Tunisia-Syria, I’m quite sure was handed this tie very deliberately in order to ratchet up the pressure on him, and allow FIFA to make a judgement on his abilities in an extremis environment. I’m happy to report that according to my opinion (and I would imagine FIFA’s too), Calderon’s performance in this very challenging game turned out to be a real success and a great personal triumph for the Costa Rican official, he adhered to FIFA’s vision of refereeing but assured control throughout and didn’t allow Syria to degenerate the match as they had in 2021. My reading is that FIFA were impressed too and didn’t see fit to give Calderon any further ‘exams’: his only other appointment was to one of the most lop-sided group matches, and whereas he could have been appointed to (for instance) the hot-button semifinal Saudi-Jordan, Calderon’s only work in the knockout stages was as a reserve official. The referee who by style could be described as something like a ‘Concacaf Vincic’ looks to have won his selection on merit, and I’m pretty confident that he will be selected as a main referee for the World Cup.
Another interesting element to Tunisia-Syria was that the fourth official for that game, Mario ESCOBAR, almost definitely had his World Cup chances damaged by Calderon’s positive performance. Escobar, the referee somewhat notorious for extreme leniency in Concacaf football, was the ‘enfant cheri’ of the aforementioned Brian Hall in the North American confederation. Hall, who was recruited back into the Concacaf refereeing director position for a second spell after the Sonia Denoncourt disaster in the 2015 Gold Cup, had very clearly set out a vision to favour a new group of young, ultra-fit referees from Latin America after World Cup 2018. For all the many, diverse faults of Hall (a slightly aloof but technically quite decent referee who equalled Socha and Mauro in standing on a WC semifinal in 2002; he would therefore have ironically not have been favoured in his own cultural revolution) one can’t deny that the former American referee manager picked mostly quite able officials to head his own reimagining of Concacaf refs. This evidenced itself in a rather dramatic manner during Gold Cup 2019, when I can recall that it was quite clear that R. Montero, W. Lopez (who much his credit is still around!) and Pitti were being prepared to be ‘discarded’ and usurped by these up-and-comers: it is no coincidence that Escobar, considered an extremely surprising choice at the time, was delegated the final of this tournament.
Escobar was no1 for Brian Hall, and the replacement of the American with Nicola Rizzoli (only ultimately possible for Concacaf because of the replacement of another refereeing politician in his domestic Italy, Nicchi) was not especially helpful to him. One can read between the lines that Escobar was quite close to being jumped over by another Central American official for the Qatar WC, but that his rival didn’t do enough in the 2021 Arab Cup and the Guatemalan official was confirmed for 2022. Unfortunately, Escobar’s tournament in Qatar was a complete disaster, and his performance in Wales-Iran (even notwithstanding needing an OFR for an extremely clear RC offence) was among the poorest in the whole competition. I think Escobar ought to consider himself a bit fortunate that he has been allowed a second chance at a FIFA level, as there are referees who didn’t do quite as badly as him, that were lacerated internally at the last World Cup.
(4/9)
DeleteI guess Escobar was helped by being the most senior referee at the last (ClubWC-concurrent) Gold Cup in 2025, and was logically awarded the final which has a special place in my heart, for I watched it live through the middle of night whilst trying to sleep in an airport departure lounge amidst a ten hour flight delay; through bleary eyes I remember that he ought to have awarded a penalty for handball (no OFR called) but that he generally did a fairly sound job on the game. I was a little surprised at Escobar’s consequent selection for the Arab Cup, but it did make sense, and I viewed it as ‘a backup plan in case Calderon blows himself up’. It seems this reading of the situation was correct, as the Costa Rican was appointed for Match 1 of the tournament (allowing the earliest possible judgement) while later Escobar was given two relatively unkind group stage assignments. While the Guatemalan’s performance in the Arab Cup pre-tournament playoff game was not really good, he did do quite well in the main competition itself, particularly in the aspect of player management - around which he very clearly oriented his handing of the games. I was rather surprised therefore that FIFA, apparently, took a negative view of his refereeing: together with Al-Kaf, he was the only other official who did not receive any appointment at all in the post-group stage of the event(s) in Qatar.
It seems that being called for an OFR in both of his group matches (together with an apparently lacklustre physical condition?) must have counted against him. Escobar did two group games in the Arab Cup, first Syria-Qatar and then Morocco-Saudi. The incident in the latter was a clear penalty/foul and blackout by Escobar, but I’m with him on the Syria-Qatar penalty he gave (quite clear charge inside the box) but the Guatemalan referee then took it back having been called to an OFR by Higler and restarted with a dropped ball. To me, not appearing again in any role at all after Morocco-Saudi is rather significant: with no grades or formal assessments for the referees at FIFA events anymore, these subtle ‘expectation setting signals’ seem now to count for a lot. I think therefore that Busacca and Collina were preparing to tell (Al-Kaf and) Escobar that they won’t be part of the next World Cup. With regards the Guatemalan, one can have two angles on this: 1) to argue that he is clearly better than, arguably, at least three of the 100%-ers above and can feel hard done by to be excluded after the quite good level he showed during the Arab Cup; but, also, 2) to question whether did he really do enough to actually disabuse the terrible impression from Iran-Wales in the years since. On the second point, one has to admit that the answer probably is no. Perhaps my reading is wrong, and Escobar will be in, but my expectation is that Qatar 2022 will probably remain a sole World Cup experience for him.
(5/9)
DeleteAll being said above about Escobar, the exact status of Said MARTINEZ from Honduras is a little unclear from my perspective. It seems he is quite liked by FIFA (and certainly he is by Rizzoli at Concacaf), but if the slot allocation for this confederation remains at the originally-advertised six, then the arithmetic looks rather unfavourable for him. In my eyes it is quite likely to increase to seven, taking into account the unique nature of the Concacaf choices this time (automatic referees for all three hosts and automatic token female crew slashing out the first four places). Having started very badly on the top stage with really poor performances at the U20 World Cup in 2019, Martinez improved a lot and has become a good, tactically sound referee. His two Club WC appearances were good (Porto-Palmeiras) and probably a bit ambivalent (Juventus-Wydad) respectively. My feeling is that Calderon has moved above him in the FIFA ratings, so Martinez could now be ranked as ‘third best Central American’ referee in the eyes of the managers at Zurich. So, if one wanted to make a case that Said Martinez would not be chosen, he would probably say “is Said Martinez really good enough to alter the originally allotted slot allocations, if these count for a lot?”. I think you could easily answer no to that - but, my personal view is that the Honduran reserve official from the Qatar WC has done enough and behind him likely quite strong confederational support, I think he will be chosen as a main referee for the next World Cup.
I don’t believe I can add too much to the discussion about Drew FISCHER and Tori PENSO, who both handled two games at the Club WC, besides some personal impressions. Fischer was given one top match and then one dead rubber, while Penso was carefully selected (the bullsh-t art of these token appointments is such!) for two games which were perceived as less likely to cause her problems. Fischer’s style is ‘unmodern’ in optic, and the referee whom he seems most similar to and that I would analogise him with is Vadim Zuk from the 1990s. Fischer is a very good VAR who had a strong WC2022 as a video match official. Overall, I think it is fair to say that the Canadian referee has benefitted a lot from his country co-hosting the tournament, and otherwise he would probably be appearing (solely) as a VMO in 2026 too. Besides the obvious analysis on her inevitable inclusion, as a personal judgement, I dislike Penso’s refereeing (contrary to FIFA President Gianni Infantino) because she focuses way too much on ‘acting’ with facial expressions and not enough on calls. If anyone can find the clips, the non-SYC series in France-Morocco at the last Women’s WC is the most perfect embodiment of not only Penso’s refereeing, but more holistically the negative elements FIFA’s track in the 2020s of ‘be an actor’ as a whole. I have a more positive view of Borjas and (particularly) Monzul, who could handle technically challenging matches in women’s football better. Finally, two more things should be said on this case:
1) Whether you view Penso’s selection for the World Cup as ‘necessary and exciting progress for the modern world’, or ‘utterly ridiculous and completely unmerited utter woke nonsense’, it is hard to find a female official who would fit the role of World Cup referee better than her, and for that Penso deserves much credit.
2) Those who cohere to the latter point of view indicated above have a very key argument they can utilise: at the Rio de Janeiro course in January, Tori Penso was not able to pass the fitness tests, but will be selected for the World Cup anyway. 2006 this is not…
(6/9)
DeleteThis isn’t the fault of the two referees themselves, but it is hard not to reflect with some sadness on the nature of the two Mexican candidates on the list for the next World Cup, who are Cesar RAMOS and Katia GARCIA. The tradition of Mexico sending officials to the tournament who had a strict manner (in the same way that Japan would send a referee who was technically advanced/canny) has now died. It must have been decided internally in the early 2010s that Ramos was christened to later be the Mexican no1, because his progress was remarkably rapid: his second-ever senior international match was to referee the de facto opening game of the 2015 Gold Cup. I’m sure the Boca-Benfica game is well-known amongst readers, but it isn’t difficult to guess that the final day decider of the Kuwait league last season (1st vs 2nd) is not: Cesar Ramos was flown in to referee that game. It certainly seemed to me an ‘interesting’ appointment, given Ramos’ famous style, but I must say that the manner in which he handled that particular game was really very good. I am not condoning this state of affairs, just observing it: this Kuwait match took place amidst such a delicate atmosphere, that in case the game did not go well, many extremely unedifying events could have occurred towards the referee (and then the Lady of Guadalupe and many prayers would certainly have been needed!).
One can contrast this to Boca-Benfica, a clearly very challenging match, but the limit of what Ramos faced was extreme mobbing and pressure - not potential violence. So, last summer I developed this working theory for Cesar Ramos: he will referee the game in the most lenient possible manner until the point that his physical safety is in danger. This is, very evidently, a ridiculous state of affairs. So, as for Al-Jassim, one can say that Ramos is both helped and hindered by the modern FIFA environment, and its extremely limited control for the manner in which games are handled at their tournaments: on the one hand, Ramos clearly benefits because one could imagine that he would not be a three-time WC referee in times past; but, on the other, with the pressure of a real assessor in the stands grading his technical performance, he would surely referee the games in a more satisfying way (not least to himself, because it isn’t pleasant being mobbed and undermined while just standing there like a ‘mug’). Had he pretended Boca-Benfica was the Kuwait title decider, he may well have gone further in the Club WC - Ramos did not take charge of any knockout match in that tournament, whereas he would have been an obvious candidate to do (eg) Chelsea-Fluminense in the semifinals otherwise. It seems difficult to assess how much FIFA really rate him, because it seems like (rather paradoxically for a three-time WC referee) their inclusion of him is likely quite reluctant and contingent on a lack of other candidates from Mexico. I’m curious how FIFA will treat Ramos in 2026, but I would be very surprised if he equals his achievement from Qatar in reaching the semifinals.
(7/9)
DeleteKatia Garcia, who to my knowledge has never asked Argentine footballer Lionel Messi for an autograph, is probably one of the best ≈10 female referees in the world in my opinion - but I’d be quite firm on her being well outside of the top three. In women’s matches, it seems like her technical accuracy is quite good (sometimes even making decisions which surprise the players, but that are correct), however she is not particularly adept in her manner of conducting matches in terms of management and presence on the FoP. I think it can go mostly without saying that if this is the case in women’s football, Garcia’s struggles when she handles international (men’s) games are not insignificant - to say the least. From a purely merit principle, fitness failures aside, one can probably just about stomach Penso’s inclusion but to select Garcia as a main referee would be absolutely absurd. I am quite sure that even FIFA are well aware of this, and Garcia’s role at the next World Cup should be capped at being a reserve (which, insofar as it really matters, is already pretty absurd). One can hope for an improvement in Mexican refereeing’s presentation on the road to 2030, but I suspect it will remain just hope.
Aforementioned Brian Hall was not a fan of the American official Joseph DICKERSON, but the replacement of Hall with Rizzoli allowed a route into international refereeing for the practical US official, and he established himself as a (male) ‘backup’ for the World Cup which will be mostly hosted in his country. Dickerson was to this ends selected for last year’s U20 WC in Chile, where his performances (including in a key group stage game between Spain and Brazil) were mostly quite solid. I would report positively on Dickerson from what I have seen, and he seems very well-placed for 2030. I do not think his World Cup experience is likely to begin before then, though.
(8/9)
DeleteBefore analysing the last candidate, and indeed surely the top candidate to manage the final itself, two stories should be explained. The first pertains to the only other occasion when the US hosted the World Cup, thirty-two years ago. Arturo Angeles, the American referee nominated for the tournament, was selected to take charge of a top clash at the end of MD1 (Argentina-Greece where Maradona scored his famous goal/celebration); Angeles helped in winning the appointment by his confederational neutrality. FIFA, in an act which looks amazing all these years later, rejected Angeles for his performance in that game - even more amazingly, it was not for any clear match errors committed by the American, but solely for the manner in which he handled the match. On reflection, FIFA’s ruling was justified, Angeles’ refereeing resembled that of Ekberg’s in Austria-N.Macedonia which UEFA internally (and rightly) took a very dim view of. All of Arturo Angeles later appearances in USA ’94 were as a reserve referee/fourth official. Evidently, we are in very different times to 1994!
The second story has nothing directly to do with refereeing but is very important if you really want to understand what is happening in FIFA refereeing. The facts are thus. Sepp Blatter, in interviews given in the years after he was deposed as FIFA president in 2015, reported that he wanted Russia to be awarded the hosting of the World Cup in 2018 and the United States in 2022, in order that he (Blatter) could be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but that he had lost ‘control’ of the executive committee and they were persuaded to vote for Qatar instead. The dramatic arrests of FIFA officials at Zurich in May/2015, which ultimately brought down the Blatter regime, were made and coordinated by the FBI. In 2021, the FIFA Foundation were awarded $201 million in compensation by the (United States) Department of Justice. By a quick search online, details of other payments of this kind are easy to reference. Gianni Infantino was elected FIFA president in February/2016, and has become famous for his relationship with Donald Trump, president of the United States. This is an extremely rudimentary run-down, which one could cursorily describe in the last ten years at FIFA as ‘bringing the so-called rules-based international order, that which is created, enforced (and when it is at their convenience, ignored) by the United States, to FIFA and soccer’.
For the uninitiated, this should help make sense of certain refereeing events at the two Infantino-led World Cups so far (for instance, the quite ridiculous parachuting in of Nesbitt straight to the R16 tie England-Senegal in Qatar). Undoubtedly, it also helped the naturalised-American official Ismael ELFATH, who almost certainly would have refereed the France/England-Portugal semifinal in 2022 had Morocco not surprisingly won through to the last four (Elfath moved to the United States in 2001 from Morocco and his surname has been anglicised from El-Fateh). ‘The best form of propaganda is in omission’, they say, and this also rang true in the high internal consideration which Elfath enjoyed at the last World Cup. The referee representing the United States refereed very poorly in the tie between Portugal and Ghana, failing to keep the match under control and awarding a much-dubious (and rather panicky) penalty in favour of ‘CR7’. Sometimes things don’t go exactly to plan, and there is no need to ‘throw out the baby with the bathwater’ with refereeing that isn’t perfect, but Elfath’s performance simply was really bad (7,5 in UEFA should be the maximum mark) and he ought to have been rejected, just like Angeles in ’94.
(9/9)
DeleteAs we know, Elfath survived this match - and I’m quite sure that FIFA have learnt their lesson and will delegate the US crew to matches such as (let’s say) Netherlands-Japan as opposed to (let’s say) Portugal-Colombia in the next World Cup. Elfath survived in 2022 because FIFA internally offered no formal comment, ie tacit approval, of the manner in which he handled the Portugal-Ghana match and only made a declaration on the penalty call which they stated was (I think rightly) supportable. Having staved off his own elimination, Elfath then went on to referee the Cameroon-Brazil game, which he handled in a satisfying and good manner. This time, FIFA did offer comment on the overall manner in which the game was refereed, and the performance was remarked as “the best in the whole group stage” by the internal operation. Given that Elfath’s success in Cameroon-Brazil originated mostly from immediately carding two offences in the first ten minutes, something referees from less ‘politically well-supported backgrounds’ were clearly not comfortable in doing, I hope the irony of this situation was not lost on refereeing managers. Indeed, it is suffice to say that other referees were not as lucky as Elfath when it came to turning a blind eye to deficiencies in managing the game.
My view on Elfath, quite recently back from an eighteen month injury which it seemed possible could eliminate his participation in his home World Cup together, is much (much) more positive than it was this time last year. His three performances in the Arab Cup event, in two Arab group stage matches and the quite difficult final of the Intercontinental Cup, were nothing other than very good. Using his tall, imposing presence on the field of play to his advantage, Elfath was able to arouse very good and real fellowship with the players (not like 2022 when his interactions often looked baffoonish) and he made tactically astute decisions, awarding yellow cards in a consistent and predictable manner. I would personally go so far as to say, if he carries on in the World Cup itself like that, then an appointment to the grand final for him would be one made on merit. The relative lack of European seniority (Elfath’s European rivals in 2026 don’t stand out as amazingly strong), Elfath’s clear supremacy over the near-senescent Faghani and weak Ramos as the leading non-UEFA/CONMEBOL official in the world and that he is now widely ‘known’ after the last World Cup (people will remember him once they see him again in 2026) seem to make strong arguments in his favour - notwithstanding the FIFA political climate described earlier. We will see!
As a closing comment, if the first Moroccan appointed to the WC final in 1998 was in many ways perfectly indicative of refereeing at that time (for good and bad), then Elfath taking charge of the 2026 finale in the outskirts of New York would make for a rather perfect image of how Infantino has moulded FIFA in the 2020s indeed.
I don’t think Nesbitt’s appointment to the R16 match in 2022 can be seen as pure tokenism like you describe it. While it may have been self-serving to FIFA’s goal of visibility for female match officials, it was also the logical assignment for the match, given both Barton’s familiarity of working with Nesbitt and the performance of Zeegelaar which, sadly, necessitated a replacement.
DeleteI wouldn't (and didn't) describe it as "pure tokenism". The female tokenism point is actually completely by the by here. What made the appointment unacceptable is that Nesbitt did not work any matches in the group stage at all; had even she stood with Frappart on C.Rica-Germany, and the Barton R16 was her second match, then I would not have described the choice in the terms that I did. You can argue that FIFA made the most prudent choice in the circumstances -- Mora would have been the obvious candidate but made a bad mistake in Iran-Wales, no chance to borrow from Ramos/Elfath's crews, (Caleb) Wales from T&T would have been back to square one anyway and the Honduran with Martinez was in the same position as Nesbitt -- but that is not the point I'm making. Choosing, to pull out one name, Nicolas Taran (uru) would have shown more respect to the competition but at that point, the criticism does become a bit pedantic. Also: it wasn't actually necessary to replace Zeegelaar if FIFA didn't want to. Remember that the intervention in Germany-Japan pertained to a mistake by Moran, not the linesman from Suriname, so Zeegelaar was ultimately rejected for performances which would be scored 8,2 (GerJpn) and 7,9 (BraSui) in the UEFA system. Hypothetically, it is extremely obvious that if Nesbitt had fared the same, she would have been confirmed on the R16 match and not hoyed out of the crew for an official who had not worked any field match in the whole group stage of the competition. Finally, any credibility or justification other than 'ultra-American supremacy' for how FIFA acted in this particular scenario is actually completely evaporated with the formation of the trio to referee the final of the last Women's WC.
DeleteFascinating analysis, many thanks, Mikael!
ReplyDeleteI agree with that, also regarding the previous texts.
DeleteMaybe it would be worth to collect them on one page and link them on the sidebar? Or publish them as an individual post in the blog?
This is a tremendous analysis from Mikael. Perhaps once everything is published, we will put it into a separate post, even if it arrives after the official announcement of the World Cup selections.
DeletePersonally, I'm proud to have someone with such expertise writing this.
One comment, above all, after reading: the reference to the "infamous" physical tests that took away hopes of referees about the World Cup, illustrious exclusions, "dramatic" decisions, in a football without VAR, it was a completely different world of refereeing at FIFA level. There were for sure obscure points like today, but certainly many things seemed right. Today, to put it simply, they can really do as they want with selections.
OT
ReplyDeleteOn the famous sequence where Turpin booked Guardiola two days ago, after he touched 4O Delajod, you can read on Delajod’s lips "Clément, viens mettre jaune à Monsieur Guardiola s’il te plaît"
("Clément, please come and book Mister Guardiola").
The game in Lyon has barely started and Peljto already has a problem to solve. Wow.
ReplyDeleteHow on earth is that not a penalty?
DeleteIt’s so obvious
In just one minute of play, Peljto was simply careless and irresponsible.
DeleteIndeed. He should had spotted on the field… and what to say about VAR? I think these are the kind of plays that Rosetti wants to see the VAR working
DeleteClear PK IMO
ReplyDeleteWe have already a big discussion in Peljto game, possible penalty and I think he should have rather whistled it.
ReplyDeleteVAR Dallas stayed silent, but well... I'm not sure same outcome with all the other UEFA VARs..
One of the best no penalty calls is seen tonight in Lyon! First contact initiated by Celta player. No penalty,excellent play on!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI can't believe you're saying that. Don't you consider that the Celta player could have left the field injured?
ReplyDeleteWill be posted with better quality to follow, but as for now:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/ec3feb
You can say that attacker puts leg there, but then... I hink he was allowed to try to reach ball.
Ignore a situation like this is very strong signal in modern refereeing, wouldn't be accepted at all by many people.
This decision is hard to imagine from another VAR, honestly.
Chefren,tottaly agree with you that another VAR maybe call him,but I strongly belive that Peljto would stay with initial decision. Now,top Red Card to Lyon player.
DeleteRed card for the Lyon player.
DeleteTough start for Peljto.
Insane.. clearly a RC
DeleteThat situation on the clip is pretty close to a SFP imo even if it's a simultaneous situation where both players try to play the ball, but a YC.
DeleteGreat Peljto.
ReplyDeleteIs there any link to the red card for Lyon that was given by Peljto?
ReplyDeletefor me never a RC
ReplyDeleteNow clear foul missed for potential YC,perhaps some kind of compensations will start.
ReplyDeletePeljto’s refereeing was incomprehensible. He ignored a clear penalty against Lyon (not helped by a VAR that remained incredibly silent), which should have at least resulted in a yellow card. At the same time, he allowed too much physical play (for example, a triple shirt-pull on Endrick that went unpunished), and then suddenly issued a straight red card for a borderline foul where a yellow could also have been justified.
ReplyDeleteIt feels quite inconsistent to let players engage so physically, overlook several fouls on both sides, and then directly punish a challenge with a red card when it fits within the tone and level of physicality that the referee himself had allowed to develop.
+1
DeleteMichael Oliver already with some inconsistencies
ReplyDeleteBetter clip of penalty area incident:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/aea258
Red card for SFP:
https://streambug.org/cv/eb21f8
In the first situation clear PK and at least YC and imo RC clear danger for the integrity of the opponent even if it's a misjudgement by Lyon player.
DeleteOn the second one, clear RC imo but there is no consistency with the first incident then.
About the penalty area incident, the key question is: how much one should be allowed to think that it was attacker creating the contact by putting leg there and for this reason to ignore the consequence? Possible red card for SFP as well.
DeleteThe other incident is very good spot with red card by Bosnian referee, but you can be sure he didn't see anything about the possible penalty...
I don’t know what to say. A very tough start for Peljto. The potential penalty probably should have been awarded, as the foul was similar to the one for which he gave a red card. If he didn’t think it was a penalty, the bigger question is why Dallas in the VAR room didn’t call the Bosnian referee to review the situation. I think here, alongside Peljto’s potential mistake, the VAR referee made a huge error by confirming the decision through inaction. Something similar happened with Higler in the RMA-MAR match, which kept him out of the Champions League afterward.
DeleteAs for the red card, I can understand the decision. It was probably influenced by the potential penalty he didn’t award… All in all, it’s highly debatable and very tricky to comment on, and definitely, if the committee doesn’t approve, Peljto could end his season tonight.
I just want to say that this season Peljto has been very unlucky with some incidents that occurred in his games, but unfortunately very often the expected decision was not taken... and this makes almost everything in modern refereeing.
DeleteDefinitively PK and…RC ! Season will over for bosnian referee if Lyon goes to 1/4 (even not…?).
DeleteIt's not because he sent off the Lyon player that he'll be responsible for the penalty not given in the first minute of the match.
DeleteAnd I agree with you. After this incident, it's uncertain whether the Bosnian will continue refereeing at the continental level this season.
Not to pick every little detail,but very soft YC to Celta's captain,some refs would not even call foul there.
ReplyDeleteClearly giving it for the accumlation, clear signal by Peljto
DeleteHe clearly showed that it was already the captain’s 4th or 5th foul, and that’s why he received a yellow card.
DeleteOliver strong and assertive in Freiberg. 2 correct yellows for the home team
ReplyDeleteI would disagree. His foul spotting is quite inconsistent.
DeleteA penalty wasn't given early in the game and only 4 minutes of added time? Sorry, but for me, that's the end of Peljto's season.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of that red card, what does the situation from the first half have to do with stoppage time in the second half?
DeleteNothing but this added time is simply shameful and sums up Peljto performance.
DeleteIt has to do with the fact that he didn't adjust the criteria as he should have: he ignored a penalty that was clear in my view, compensated with a red card (which is quite fair, it's true), but in the second half he was too lenient with certain time-wasting tactics from the Spanish team. In the end, it was an average refereeing performance.
DeleteWhat a performance by Irfan Peljto. Under high pressure, excellent no penalty call, top red card, excellent second yellow for inappropriate body language for Taglafico. Expect to see him in later stagers of Uefa Europa/Confernce league! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThks for the sense of humor.
DeleteBlack humor... I really liked Peljto and often defended his performances, but this 1st half was simply a catastrophe.
DeleteAs promised, a clip from Nyberg game.
ReplyDeleteManagement of a potential head injury.
I said that this clip represents in both the positive and negative way the style of the Swedish.
https://streambug.org/cv/ab7684
He is very confident in his decisions and always tries to let play continue as much as possible, unless he is absolutely forced to intervene. This is a classic style from a referee coming from a Nordic context, compared to the more typical modern football approach.
Notice the arm gesture to play on, visible in the replay, made with extreme nonchalance, convinced that it was nothing.
Unfortunately, in this case, as in some other situations, this willingness, sometimes even extreme, to let everything continue is not always positive.
Here he clearly should have stopped play due to the potential head injury, realizing too late what had happened.
In my opinion, he initially thought the player on the ground, who had been struck by the ball, had exaggerated the contact, but that scenario simply could not apply in that situation.
Do you think we might see Nyberg in any of the Champions League quarter-final matches?
DeleteIt's possible and I expect him!
DeleteHow on earth can we have only 4 mn when the referee has given 300 times gestures on « counting time ». Unbelievable Peljto.
ReplyDeleteAgree,4 minutes was way too small amount of time added.
DeleteAlso,1st half,only 2 minutes added.
2YC by Peljto for Tagliafico, dissent by action.
ReplyDeleteGood one but very strange to the referee to refuse shake hand by player. Not an overall good match for bosnian ref. Season over for me.
DeleteThe player is not trying to shake his hand, the player is clearly agitated. Agree not a good match for him.
DeleteSecond YC and Peljto showed himself very agitated with the player..
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/33f56a
I must say, the Bosnian has the guts to take all decisions, but very often all about the rest becomes a issue...
WHAT 😂
DeleteHe may have been "agitated" for good reason, the player approaches him after the red card is shown and it is possible he makes contact with or tries to grab the referees arm, but you cannot see this as it is out of frame. That said, I'm not a huge fan of him, he can be quite unpredictable in his decisions.
DeletePeljto and Andrew Dallas should both be out for the season after this no red card and penalty for Tagliafico.
ReplyDeleteMatch conclusion: Despite the debatable decision not to award a penalty at the beginning of the game, Irfan Peljto made on-field decisions in the remainder of the match that could receive a passing grade. He didn’t allow much dissent, but he may have made a mistake by allowing too many aggressive challenges. We will see how this affects his season going forward.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I believe Peljto has had very difficult matches where, on two occasions in key situations, VAR failed.
+1, there are many comments that take it to the extreme with agendas in both directions. I think with the high intensity of the match and the other strong decisions that he took, his performance can be judged as acceptable for passing grade, and nothing more.
DeleteThe game in Denmark is going to penalties. And Zwayer is the referee. Does anyone have any information on how he's doing? I didn't see the whole game.
ReplyDeleteHe is solid so far
DeleteSolid so far.
DeleteSeen most of it, has let the game flow pretty well. Correct offside just given now by AR2 now (not his usual AR2 due to injury)
DeleteI just saw that Zwayer disallowed a Nottingham goal with the help of VAR. And it was very close to the end of extra time.
DeleteBut no OFR, and the assistant marked offside before 🙌🏻
DeleteGreat decision by the German assistant at a critical moment in the match.
DeleteSome people on this blog are getting out of hand, stating that due to one incident that arguably is very 50/50, that referee’s, and var officials seasons should be over. People should be supporting referees instead of slating them off which is becoming a current trend, especially on this blog.
ReplyDeleteAgreeeeeee!!!!
Delete+1
Delete+1
DeleteTaylor very busy early on. Three YCs for Porto, a RC to a member of the coaching staff, and a well spotted foul that should have been a YC also in 17'
ReplyDeletePenalty to Bologna, challenge from behind.
ReplyDeleteA situation in which somebody could disagree with call, also, I would call this one a classic "Italian" penalty (attacker putting himself ahead of defender and getting the contact), and Kovacs whistled it in this Italian derby.
Flashbacks with his Italian CL derby,when he had Milan vs Napoli.
Deletehttps://streamain.com/en/CBssaU1wwxT1DfJ/watch
DeleteRidiculous call. Attacker sticks out his leg to get fouled. Never penalty.
DeleteA bit of a freak incident in Betis - Panathinaikos, IMO missed offside by AR2 before Betis goal (to the point the Betis player kicked the ball upwards in frustration, thinking it was going to be called), but goal allowed because it happened on a different APP.
ReplyDeleteA classic case where players misjudge the real situation. On the other end of the pitch, the closest defender to AR Borsch was "in line" with the "offside" attacker on the other flank (at least according to the rule's interpretation in pre-VAR times). Could be that VAR Storks might have detected a "heel's offside" and possibly not. However there were two phases later, the second one a miskick by a Pan. player who was not challenged or being under pressure, which means he could have had possession of the ball but lost that chance. So, Amrabat (Betis) scored, taking advantage of the Pan's player mistake which actually cancelled any claim for an offside call, even had it been a legitimate one. On anothe note, Stieler had a very good game except for the dubious decision to brandish a yellow card to Avila (Betis) in stoppage time of the second half. Not Borsch but AR Koslowski was the "weakest link" of the refereeing team.
DeleteDo you know what that yellow was for? Feinting at a corner kick is not illegal....
Delete2YC's in a minute for Nartey for Stuttgart. Taylor didn't have a choice. He's stayed alert and had a good game so far
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, Kovacs must be thrilled to be part of this spectacle in Rome. A very lively game with many goals, 4 yellow cards so far... a very good performance from the Romanian.
ReplyDeleteGasperini needs to hold back. He's always bothering Kovacs, he was bound to get a yellow card eventually.
ReplyDeleteTbh, not the best performance by Kovacs tonight. Often not so credible: nervous approach, technically inverted and disciplinarily heterogeneous. It’s a pity for a ref with his esperienze and level ad well.
ReplyDeleteIt seems fair to say that there are matches in which the Romanian feels more entitled to be "himself", displaying the well-known style we know by him, without hesitation. If his positive qualities are decisiveness and immediate cards for dissent, on the other hand there is the risk of slipping into the problematic spiral clearly seen at EURO 2024 during his second appointment.
DeleteMore specifically, in Roma–Bologna he even seemed to embrace the Italian technical style, with penalty calls in almost every situation, like the early one and then the push, where, in our football, choosing not to play on is always the worst decision to justify culturally (and, in fact, his decisions seem to have been assessed as all correct by Italian media).
Challenging end of the game for Kovacs:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/f155ea
Dealing with Gasperini, YC to Roma coach.
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/79bc1b
Where is fourth official in this scene?
I didn't watch the rest of the game, so in isolation, I think the defensive free kick for the holding by the attacker is an excellent decision and excellent teamwork. Obviously it could use some polish and also dealing more strongly with the clear mobbing.
DeleteMy first predictions without observers:
ReplyDelete-Champions League
1L
PSG/Liverpool: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Real Madrid/Bayern: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Barcelona/Atletico: Istvan Kovacs ROU
Sporting/Arsenal: Espen Eskas NOR
2L
Liverpool/PSG: Felix Zwayer GER
Real Madrid/Bayern: Danny Makkelie NED
Atletico/Barcelona: Michael Oliver ENG
Arsenal/Sporting: Francois Letexier FRA
-Europa League
1L
Betis/Braga: Ivan Kruzliak SVK
Freiburg/CeltaVigo: Davide Massa ITA
Porto/Nottingham: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Bologna/Aston Villa: Joao Pinheiro POR
2L
Braga/Betis: Daniel Siebert GER
CeltaVigo/Freiburg: Sandro Schärer SUI
Nottingham/Porto: Marco Guida ITA
Aston Villa/Bologna: Alejandro Hernandez ESP
-Conference League
1L
Shakhtar/AZAlkmaar: Erik Lambrechts BEL
CrystalPalace/Fiorentina: Sven Jablonski GER
RayoVallecano/AEK: Nick Walsh SCO
Strasbourg/Mainz: Chris Kavanagh ENG
2L
AZAlkmaar/Shakhtar: Donatas Rumsas LTU
Fiorentina/CrystalPalace: Halil Umut Meler TUR
AEK/RayoVallecano: Rade Obrenovic SVN
Mainz/Strasbourg: Jose Sanchez ESP
Few Notes:
-All new Elites I believe they will have Conference, anyone can get either 1L or 2L.
-IMO, of the four names in Champions 2L, the name that will be in Budapest will come out…without a doubt.
-Except for PSGLIV and three Conference games, I don't see Gil Manzano as a possibility. (Someone might say: why not Arsenal-Sporting or Porto-Nottingham? The thing here is: for more than three years Spanish referees haven't officiated any games involving Portuguese teams... and vice-versa.
-The same applies to Taylor: and it's much harder to find one for him...maybe a Conference SF?
-Vincic, Marciniak and Turpin reserved for CL SF...as usual :)
Mine are
DeleteReal - Bayern: Nyberg / Oliver
Sporting - Arsenal: Sanchez / Turpin
PSG - Liverpool: Schärer / Mariani
Barcelona - Atletico: Makkelie / Vincic
Braga - Betis: Guida / Taylor
Freiburg - Celta: Meler / Gözübüyük
Bologna - Villa: Gil Manzano / Siebert
Porto - Nottingham: Massa / Eskas
Shakhtar - Alkmaar: Hernandez / Zwayer
Crystal - Fiorentina: Jablonski / Letexier
Vallecano - AEK: Lambrechts / Pinheiro
Mainz - Strasbourg: Kavanagh / Kruzliak
Mr Philip you forget that spanish referee doesn't referee any games for Portuguese teams from years also Portuguese referee does not referee any game for spanish team from years , and I don't know the reason
Delete@Diego: I agree with many of the names you’re suggesting. An Italian (or Schärer) for the 1st leg PSG–Liverpool seems like a no-brainer, for example.
DeleteThat said, I don’t think Vincic and Turpin can really be “saved” for the semifinals, because one of them will likely be needed for the Atleti–Barça return leg. That’s the kind of match that can damage the prospects of a potential final referee (like Oliver, Letexier, or Makkelie). The same goes for Real–Bayern, this feels like a game that could be decided by the smallest, microscopic details.
@Ahmed: that’s not entirely true. UEFA has quite often appointed Spanish referees, especially to Portuguese/Dutch matchups in the 2020’s.
I talk specially for the last two season give me one for the last two years
Delete@Abdiaziz: Indeed that’s very strange… I remember that in Mateu and Del Cerro Grande's time that wasn't a problem and they constantly officiated matches in Portugal...Also there was a time when Gil Manzano did like two Benfica games the same season…And Soares Dias, whom I remember very well several times in Seville, Barcelona and Madrid. And we can't pass up the opportunity to talk about Pinheiro, can we? LOL, but really, I don't remember him ever doing a game in Spain in my entire life...
DeleteIf I’m not wrong, the last was Hdz Hdz in Lisbon during the 2023/2024 season in Europa League GS.
It could be a personal choice by Pinheiro himself? Maybe he has many Spanish connections (background, relationships, etc.)
DeleteWe have not understand for that reason but this question must be directing for rosseti
DeleteOK, that makes it indeed difficult to find good games for the Iberic referees. You could put Pinheiro and a Spanish on Bologna-Villa. PSG-Liverpool seems a big too bit, but maybe the first leg still goes to one of them.
DeleteAnd the fourth one in Conference League or with a rest.
But not a satisfying situation to be that limited/forced by a "rule", which doesn't seem to be neccessary.
Yes may be like this
DeletePsg vs Liverpool: pinheiro
Bologna vs aston villa: sanchez
Or
Psg vs Liverpool : sanchez
Bologna vs aston villa: pinheiro
There is no other choice
Abdiaziz you rate Pinheiro too highly. Pinheiro isn't getting any UCL match again this season. Better accept it now.
DeleteHe might get appointments in the UEL or UECL
PSG LIV NYBERG/ MAKKELIE (VINCIC)
ReplyDeleteRMA BAY KOVACS (GUIDA)OLIVER
BAR ATL TAYLOR/ ZWAYER (MARCINIAK)
SCP ARS MARIANI (SANCHEZ)/TURPIN
Surprise package could be Eskas Manzano Pinheiro and Gozubuyuk
About Marciniak. Really unfortunate news for him. At this point in the season, that’s just devastating for him personally. Hopefully it’s nothing long-term and he can still be back in time to feature at the World Cup.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it does make things interesting for the play-offs. Felt like he was 99% nailed on for one of the finals, maybe even Path A with a possible Italy matchup, which would’ve been a big one. Now Rosetti’s got a bit of a headache. What do you do in this situation? Pull someone from another play-off final? Bump up a ref from a semi-final? Or go with someone who hasn’t been appointed?
Curious how you guys see this playing out.
According to some social media accounts Marciniak has an ACL injury an will be 6 months out
DeleteMaybe it's true,maybe it's not.
DeleteI only see this news on Bayern pages where they joke about Marciniak being Real Madrid's player and that he has this injury,but only on their pages.
Looks like someone is still haunted by defeat 2 years ago.
IMO, Vincic can be the ref for ITA finall play-off
DeleteNot sure, whether it would be accepted for Vincic to referee BIH in such an important game.
DeleteAccording to the seminar groups, seven referees are available for the PO finals. So at least one of them must have been planned not to referee (4th official or nothing) and could be Marciniak's replacement.
Scenario: Marciniak was supposed to do the Path A final with “possibly” Italy (quotes because Northern Ireland isn’t exactly a walkover). Everyone knows how sensitive this final is - Rosetti can’t afford to look bad at home soil. I bet he’d like to swap in Turpin or Vincic. But then he has to pull them from another final and figure out a replacement. Not simple.
DeletePlus, there will be UEFA powers pushing back on any of this. Vincic usually gets the cautious country assignments so he can go to the World Cup with clean hands. Probably his last showcase before retirement. Advantage? He’s got less to lose than the rest :)
A Portuguese newspaper has learned that after further medical examinations it was confirmed that Marciniak, 45, suffered a rupture of the cruciate ligaments in one knee, which will keep him inactive for at least six months.
DeleteI believe this is the end of the Pole's career. Fighting his way back at his age after such a serious injury is extremely difficult. Even the fit Brych found it tough.
DeleteIf you think Marciniak could have acted as fourth official after an ACL tear then you've completely lost the plot 🤣.
DeleteI didn't want to write before, but I share the comment by Mikael.
DeleteOnce again it's incredible to see that people are so prone to believe in everything from every source without thinking more and that's the big problem of modern society. We had the proof of the Polish working as fourth official during the game, how it would have been possible an ACL for him in this condition? And of course, speculations are always made on everything, that's another thing I really hate about modern times.
My nominations for the quarter-finals of European competitions
ReplyDeleteChampions League:
PSG - Liverpool: Maurizio Mariani ITA/Danny Makkelie NED
Real - Bayern: Glenn Nyberg SWE/Francois Letexier FRA
Barcelona - Atletico: Istvan Kovacs ROU/Michael Oliver ENG
Sporting - Arsenal: Espen Eskas NOR/Daniel Siebert GER
Europa League:
ReplyDeleteBraga - Betis: Anthony Taylor ENG/Sandro Scharer SUI
SC Freiburg - Celta Vigo: Halil Umut Meler TUR/Joao Pedro Silva Pinhiero POR
FC Porto - Nottingham: Serdar Gozubuyuk NED/Davide Massa ITA
Bologna - Aston Villa: Felix Zwayer GER/Irfan Peljto BIH
Conference League:
ReplyDeleteSzachtar - Alkmaar: Nicolas Walsh SCO/Marco Guida ITA
Crystal Palace - Fiorentina: Erik Lambrechts BEL/Sven Jablonski GER
Vallecano - AEK: Donatas Rumsas LTU/Ivan Kruzliak SVK
1. FSV Mainz - Strasbourg: Rade Obrenovic SVN/Christopher Kavanagh ENG
My picks for the World Cup play-offs
ReplyDeleteWAL - BIH: Felix Zwayer GER
ITA - NIR: Danny Makkelie NED
WAL/BIH - ITA/NIR: Slavko Vincic SVN
UKR - SWE: Daniel Siebert GER
POL - ALB: Istvan Kovacs ROU
UKR/SWE - POL/ALB: Michael Oliver ENG
SVK - KOS: Anthony Taylor ENG
TUR - ROU: Maurizio Mariani ITA
SVK/KOS - TUR/ROU: Clement Turpin FRA
CZE - IRL: Davide Massa ITA
DEN - MKD: Glenn Nyberg SWE
CZE/IRL - DEN/MKD: Francois Letexier FRA
Letexier isn‘t possible there because he‘s in the second group of the FIFA seminar.
Delete@Swiss_reffan This is true, but the general assumption is that Marciniak was allocated to a play-off final, and things probably have to be re-shuffled now, right ..
DeleteRight, I didn't think about that when I wrote my comment.
DeleteI dont think they would appoint a Swedish referee to the playoff game between Denmark and Macedonia
DeletePolish media say that Marciniak had some problem with his back and simply didn't want to risk.
ReplyDeleteYes. He's showing his back to the UEFA observer https://x.com/ferhat_kiziltas/status/2034409652394328526?s=46
DeleteA clip from today game Genoa - Udinese.
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/2e4dfa
This time I'll talk once again about Serie A, for those who are interested, and let's take a closer look at Giuseppe Collu, a referee highly appreciated by Rocchi, who had tried to build a career path for him in this first part of the season, following a good finish to last season, even though during that same previous season he had already shown some minor issues.
Well, the Sardinian, after a positive start of the season and with the big trust of the committee, reached the point of officiating Milan-Lazio, but then he collapsed in an inexorable way. Practically, in almost every Serie A match he has recently refereed, he had not performed well at all, and there was a controversy, an OFR, a VAR intervention in every game. Genoa-Udinese today confirms this pattern, an absolutely, if you look at the standings before kickoff, rookie-level match that could have been officiated by anyone.
Even in this case, there was a decisive incident that was misjudged on the field, which required an OFR, adding tension between the teams, even though the match was fundamentally meaningless, as we said.
The case of the handball for which Collu awarded the penalty is particularly interesting, in my opinion, because it starts from the classic assumption of the arm behind the back, which is not required by the rules and is simply a precaution that players adopt. But then, instinctively, when the ball arrives, you see the Udinese player almost immediately return his arm to a natural position, moving it away from the back. This is clearly an instinctive movement, because upon seeing the ball, the player can't keep the arm in that position until the ball passes.
However, despite this, the arm remains fully close to the body, there is no increase in volume, and therefore it is correct not to award the penalty. However the perception on the field, precisely because of this movement from the player's perspective, can be misleading for referee.
It is interesting from a technical point of view that the principle of a player committing a handball is exactly what the Udinese player did in this case, extending or moving the arm towards the ball. But as long as this movement occurs within the limits of a legal arm position, the player can start with the arm behind the back and return it to a natural position, giving the appearance of committing a real handball, but that is not the case.
It's somewhat like the principle of a goalkeeper trying to bypass the rule, starting from inside the net and then reaching the line at the moment of a possible penalty save. Very interesting, in my opinion.
Unfortunately for Collu, at the end, one can only agree with the VAR call by Aureliano for Collu, another OFR in a season clearly to forget, with a completely inconsistent path: first part was a superb one, then at rock bottom. These are, unfortunately, the fruits of Rocchi's management, which insists until the last moment, giving him this absolutely rookie-level match, an illogical thing, considering the level of matches Collu had reached before. Now we can easily say it, also based on Collu's performances: he was overrated, as happens in many other circumstances, and as we know, the AIA always has a bit of difficulty in admitting it.
I think the two referees that does not their normal performance this season are sandro schärer and pljeto so i think it is very difficult to stay world cup final list
ReplyDelete59' BHA v LIV. Challenge by Hinshelwood on Jones. No foul given, VAR cleared it. Force and height, at least a dark yellow missed, arguments for SFP
ReplyDeleteEngland is an awful ref, for me the worst ref in the Premier League now
DeleteChefren, idk how good u are with clips, there was a var call for Dahane Beida today in Pyramids-ASFAR .. can you get the clip to see people opinions?
ReplyDeleteA penalty that Beida rejected in the end
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_eUXWldH5k
DeleteShould be this one, 02:40 in the video.
If not called for other purposes, don't know if this is used in CAF, like Arab games, that's a big mistake by VAR, how it is possible to call for such a handball, with arm fully close to body?
EURO U17 Elite Round referees. Winners of each group qualify to EURO U17, them and the four best 2nd placed will qualify to U17 WC.
ReplyDeleteGroup 1 (SVN, FRA, GER, MKD)
Mateo Busquets Ferrer (ESP, AR Gonzalo García González)
Jan Všetečka (CZE, AR Petr Kotalík)
David da Silva (POR, AR Nélson Pereira)
Host country FO: Žan Jazbec (SVN, AR Žiga Selan)
Group 2 (ITA, POR, ROU, ISL)
Lasse Graagaard (DEN, AR Esad Deronjic)
Oğuzhan Çakir (TUR, AR Bersan Duran)
Duncan Nicholson (SCO, AR Christopher Gentles)
Host country FO: Valerio Crezzini (ITA, AR Simone Pistarelli)
Group 3 (MNE, NOR, SWE, GRE)
Ryan Lee (SCO, AR Ross Nelson)
Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB, AR Elvis Gjoka)
Igor Shumilov (BLR, AR Maksim Arabei)
Host country FO: Lazar Cadjenović (MNE, AR Nikola Vujović)
Group 4 (DEN, AUT, CZE, KAZ)
Ashot Ghaltakhchyan (ARM, AR Artur Gdlyan)
Miloš Bošković (MNE, AR Nikola Radulović)
Anojen Kanagasingam (SUI, AR Bastien Lengacher)
Host country FO: Frederik Veis Svendsen (DEN, AR Troels Christensen)
Group 5 (SRB, BEL, SUI, CYP)
Thomas Owen (WAL, AR Ashley Davis)
Aaron O'Dowd (IRL, AR Fintan Butler)
Dovydas Švėgžda (LTU, AR Benas Kikutis)
Host country FO: Stefan Jeknić (SRB, AR Novak Novaković)
Group 6 (NIR, ESP, TUR, SCO):
Luca Zufferli (ITA, AR Giacomo Monaco)
Lukáš Dzivjak (SVK, AR Ákos Juhos)
Márton Rúsz (HUN, AR Bence Belicza)
Host country FO: Louise Thompson (NIR, AR Shane Geary)
Group 7 (POL, CRO, SVK, IRL)
Yura Mahtesyan (ARM, AR Mesrop Ghazaryan)
Miloš Savović (MNE, AR Marko Gojković)
Ioannis Christodoulou (CYP, AR Iraklis Komodromos)
Host country FO: Mateusz Piszczelok (POL, AR Łukasz Siercha)
Busy period for Busquets after doing the u20 games in South America....also crazy that England couldn't even qualify for this "elite" round of qualifying (finished behind Lithuania !)
DeleteBusquets Ferrer is also appointed to the potentially very decisive FRAGER game in the group's MD3 (along with SVNFRA in MD1, every ref gets 2 games in these U17/U19 qualifiers)
DeleteThe Netherlands is also absent in this round, finishing below Croatia and Kazakhstan, the latters ended up topping their group (!)
Also, the same but for U19 EURO Elite Round (only the winner qualifies)
DeleteGroup 1 (GER, AUT, SWE, GRE)
Samuel Barrott (ENG, AR Alex James)
Antoni Bandić (BIH, AR Amir Kadić)
Bulat Sariyev (KAZ, AR Sergey Vassyutin)
Host country FO: Max Burda (GER, AR Tobias Fritsch)
Group 2 (POR, ENG, POL, SRB)
Christian Ciochirca (AUT, AR Maximilian Weiss)
Jacob Karlsen (DEN, AR Daniel Cortze)
Amine Kourgheli (BLR, AR Yuri Khomchanka)
Host country FO: Diogo Araújo (POR, AR João Pedro Morte)
Group 3 (CRO, FRA, SUI, NOR)
Oliver Reitala (FIN, AR Olli Jantunen)
Damian Kos (POL, AR Artur Zakrzewski)
Benjamin McMaster (NIR, AR Stephen Bell)
Host country FO: Oliver Romić (CRO, AR Luka Kurtović)
Group 4 (CZE, BEL, DEN, LAT)
João Gonçalves (POR, AR Miguel Martins)
Ívar Orri Kristjánsson (ISL, AR Birkir Sigurdarson)
Aleko Aptsiauri (GEO, AR Davit Chigogidze)
Host country FO: Vít Zaoral (CZE, AR Pavel Pospíšil)
Group 5 (ROU, UKR, NIR, KAZ)
Joey Kooij (NED, AR Dyon Fikkert)
Philip Farrugia (MLT, AR Mark Ciantar)
Łukasz Kuźma (POL, AR Bartosz Tomaszuk)
Host country FO: George Roman (ROU, AR Raul Ghiciulescu)
Group 6 (ITA, TUR, SVK, HUN)
Bastien Dechepy (FRA, AR Brice Parinet-Le Tellier)
Danilo Nikolić (SRB, AR Nikola Rojavec)
Gustavo Correia (POR, AR André Dias)
Host country FO: Ruben Arena (ITA, AR Ayoub El Filali)
Group 7 (ESP, NED, SVN, FIN)
Mikkel Redder (DEN, AR René Risum)
Bence Csonka (HUN, AR Norbert Bornemissza)
Tim Marshall (NIR, AR Brian Wilson)
Host country FO: Víctor García Verdura (ESP, AR Miguel Martínez Munuera)