2024-25 UEFA Nations League, referee appointments for Play-Offs (Second Legs)
18:00 CET - Riga (Skonto Stadions)
LATVIA - GIBRALTAR
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Küng SUI
Fourth Official: Luca Cibelli SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Michèle Schmölzer SUI
UEFA Referee Observer: Alain Hamer LUX
UEFA Delegate:Hristo Zapryanov BUL
18:00 CET - Luxembourg (Stade de Luxembourg)
LUXEMBOURG - MALTA
Referee: Daniel Siebert GER
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel GER
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn GER
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager GER
Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Johann Pfeifer GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Mehmet Murat Ilgaz TUR
UEFA Delegate: Marc Vouillamoz SUI
Schärer and Peljto appointed here in Nations League play-offs = sure they will not go to WC.
ReplyDeleteSanchez Martinez not appointed here but appointed as fourth official in WC Play off = doubts? Reserve referee at WC?
Otherwise one could have expected an assignment for the Spanish in NL instead of Kruzliak or Siebert.
But of course, that's only if one wants to apply too much logic :)
These appointments means Mr chefren that hernandez , sanchez , schärer , pljeto will not be in world cup
DeleteSpanish referees as fourth officials at the World Cup would have the advantage of being able to be combined with almost all CONMEBOL referees and some CONCACAF referees, for whom Spanish is the official language. From past videos, I've gotten the impression that they are very reluctant to speak English, and even then, their pronunciation is difficult to follow.
Deleteto be honest, from a world class referee, who is refereeing at international stage, or even top world international stage... the least you might expect is that they speak understandable ENGLISH!!! Spanish they can't speak with a Japaneese, or Tunesian player... so the least we might expext is English! For my taste referees should even been given al instructions in English, and do a test before becoming a fifa referee... is your English not on a good level, what should have a Fifa referee, they should never become a fifa referee in first place.
DeleteLot of all caps and exclamation points for a relatively ignorant argument.
DeleteLook, English is not a working language in South America like it is on all other continents. No one in South America learns English as a matter of course, like in a lot of places in Europe. Or no one needs to know it as a common language, like is often the case in Asia or Africa.
And that's at the international level, too. Except for knowing some choice words in Portuguese, Spanish is all you need to know to referee every single match that takes place in South America. Ever.
So to say that all FIFA referees in South America need to know English is nice in theory, for the sake of some worldwide uniformity. But in practice, it's silly. The only people who ever really need to know English are the 5-8 referees who are up for a World Cup spot every year. So you're going to make a bunch of referees master English for the chance to referee 2 or 3 games in their entire career?
When you step back and actually think about it, it's completely logical that the South American guys aren't fluent in English. There have been many successful ones at World Cups that have been granted accommodations to the English standard and I don't think many people have been the wiser.
So your argument that South American referees do not speak English is very weak, because it is precisely the South American players who can; why should the referees lag behind?
DeleteCertainly on a global level, I believe there should be uniformity; it is definitely also better for the referees themselves if they speak a second language and not just Spanish/Portuguese, in communication with fellow referees who do not come from South America, for the general FIFA meetings, and it is also useful for them personally, for when they encounter players in their own continent who do not speak Spanish, because that will also occur very regularly in the higher divisions. As far as I am concerned, a mandatory English language test should be introduced for referees wishing to officiate for FIFA; insufficient English, then no FIFA referee. This is specifically aimed at ensuring that you can make yourself understandable internationally (even outside your own continent). In fact, I believe that all referees officiating at the highest level in their national leagues, and thus dealing with international players, should be required to speak understandable English. National federations and international bodies such as UEFA, Conmebol, and CAF should encourage this and administer an annual English exam to their top referees. If the referee fails... immediate demotion to a lower division.
It's not an argument. It's reality. You are calling reality "weak."
DeleteThe South American players who can speak English... play in Europe.
I can't believe this is being debated. Neymar and Messi play in UEFA. The CONMEBOL referees... referee in CONMEBOL, where everyone speaks Spanish (with the one Portuguese exception). Literally everything is in Spanish all the time.
Your argument is ridiculous. "Everyone should speak English because I want them to" is what it boils down to. There is zero need whatsoever for 99.9% of CONMEBOL referees to know English.
Nestor Pitana knew like eight words of English and refereed the World Cup opener and Final. By your standard, he should have been toiling in the Argentinian second division. We need to be serious.
The idea that Pitana couldn’t communicate with players at all, or explain his decisions is crazy to be honest. One of the main tools to control the “modern” game is explaining decisions to the captain.
DeleteHowever, there were probably players on the pitch who’d played in Spain and could make themselves understood, so in that sense Spanish is an incredibly universal language. Anyway, I can’t imagine the CONMEBOL guys are really benefiting from this now, with the whole “captains only” trend and the requirement to communicate decisions after an OFR. A referee without much flair and without a solid command of English is going to come across quite poorly in that situation. Players also increasingly feel entitled to an explanation nowadays.
DeleteI didn't say Pitana couldn't communicate at all. I said he can't functionally speak English and knows very few words.
DeleteThe argument was that CONMEBOL referees need to know English and be tested in English. Pitana would fail that test, without serious accommodations. So would most other CONMEBOL referees. That's what this is about.
The VAR announcement requirement is going to test this all even further, of course.
Right. In my view, making an English test mandatory is indeed bullsh*t. Even some Europeans will probably fail the test (and so do I, since I’m using a translator). But I do assume that the “ambitious” CONMEBOL referees - who know they could be officiating at least three matches at a World Cup - will work on their English to avoid completely failing during the OFR announcement. After all, that’s something they will be judged on now, unlike Pitana in 2018 indeed
Delete*every four years
ReplyDeleteFeel like Siebert is slightly unlucky not to be on the pre WC list. Feel like he has been better than some on the list in the last year or two.
ReplyDeleteYes, Siebert has been consistently convincing not only in UEFA competitions but also in Bundesliga since the beginning of 24/25 season (after the EURO, where he also performed decent). Very unlucky for him indeed.
DeleteBut at the same time, it would be very unlucky for Zwayer too, if Siebert had theoretically taken his WC spot by now. He definitely improved too, and he deservedly overtook Siebert in 2023. I hope Zwayer gets out of the weak recent period soon and can have a successful WC.