To follow, an overview of domestic appointments for the games to be played on next days.
 |
| Anthony Taylor in charge of a very crucial Manchester City - Arsenal in Premier League |
PREMIER LEAGUE
Saturday 18/04
13:30 Brentford - Fulham
Paul Tierney - Edward Smart, Blake Antrobus - John Brooks
[Craig Pawson, Adrian Holmes]
16:00 Leeds United - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Farai Hallam - Lee Betts, Matthew Wilkes - Lewis Smith
[Nick Hopton, Paul Howard]
16:00 Newcastle United - Bournemouth
Thomas Bramall - Simon Bennett, Mark Stevens - Robert Madley
[Matthew Donohue, Daniel Robathan]
18:30 Tottenham Hotspur - Brighton & Hove Albion
Stuart Attwell - Constantine Hatzidakis, Mark Scholes - Benjamin Toner
[Jarred Gillett, Adam Nunn]
21:00 Chelsea - Manchester United
Michael Oliver - Stuart Burt, Nick Greenhalgh - Robert Jones
[Tony Harrington, Craig Taylor]
Sunday 19/04
15:00 Aston Villa - Sunderland
Samuel Barrott - Timothy Wood, Richard West - Farai Hallam
[Darren England, Adrian Holmes]
15:00 Everton - Liverpool
Christopher Kavanagh - Daniel Cook, James Mainwaring - Andrew Madley
[Paul Howard, Sian Massey-Ellis]
15:00 Nottingham Forest - Burnley
Thomas Kirk - Marc Perry, Simon Long - David Webb
[Michael Salisbury, Edward Smart]
17:30 Manchester City - Arsenal
Anthony Taylor - Gary Beswick, Ian Hussin - Paul Tierney
[John Brooks, Stuart Burt]
Monday 20/04
21:00 Crystal Palace - West Ham United
Darren England - Scott Ledger, Akil Howson - Matthew Donohue
[James Bell, Blake Antrobus]
Tuesday 21/04
21:00 Brighton & Hove Albion - Chelsea
Craig Pawson - Lee Betts, Matthew Wilkes - Ruebyn Ricardo
[James Bell, Peter Wright] Wednesday
22/04
21:00 Bournemouth - Leeds United
Michael Salisbury - Marc Perry, Natalie Aspinall - Samuel Allison
[Peter Bankes, Wade Smith]
21:00 Burnley - Manchester City
Andrew Madley - Steve Meredith, Craig Taylor - Adam Herczeg
[Stuart Attwell, Constantine Hatzidakis]
SERIE A ENILIVE
Friday 17/04
18:30 Sassuolo - Como
Francesco Fourneau - Claudio Barone, Giacomo Monaco - Simone Galipò
[Aleandro Di Paolo, Antonio Giua]
20:45 Internazionale Milano - Cagliari
Matteo Marchetti - Luigi Rossi, Alex Cavallina - Kevin Bonacina
[Francesco Meraviglia, Marco Di Bello]
Saturday 18/04
15:00 Udinese - Parma
Davide Di Marco - Giuseppe Perrotti, Simone Biffi - Antonio Rapuano
[Matteo Gariglio, Aleandro Di Paolo]
18:00 Napoli - Lazio
Luca Zufferli - Alessandro Lo Cicero, Dario Cecconi - Ermanno Feliciani
[Marco Di Bello, Francesco Meraviglia]
20:45 Roma - Atalanta
Matteo Marcenaro - Giovanni Baccini, Christian Rossi - Juan Luca Sacchi
[Marco Guida, Simone Sozza]
Sunday 19/04
12:30 Cremonese - Torino
Michael Fabbri - Giorgio Peretti, Marco Trinchieri - Alberto Ruben Arena
[Federico La Penna, Daniele Doveri]
15:00 Hellas Verona - Milan
Daniele Chiffi - Andrea Zingarelli, Paolo Laudato - Luca Massimi
[Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni, Matteo Gariglio]
18:00 Pisa - Genoa
Valerio Crezzini - Domenico Palermo, Thomas Miniutti - Andrea Colombo
[Giacomo Camplone, Davide Massa]
20:45 Juventus - Bologna
Maurizio Mariani - Daniele Bindoni, Alberto Tegoni - Daniele Perenzoni
[Valerio Marini, Marco Guida]
Monday 20/04
20:45 Lecce - Fiorentina
Fabio Maresca - Valerio Colarossi, Pietro Dei Giudici - Mario Perri
[Daniele Doveri, Giacomo Camplone]
COPA DEL REY - FINAL
Saturday 18/04
21:00 Atlético de Madrid - Real Sociedad
Javier Alberola Rojas - Alfredo Rodríguez Moreno, Jorge Bueno Mateo - Adrián Cordero Vega
[Jorge Figueroa Vázquez, Daniel Jesús Trujillo Suárez, Luis Mario Milla Alvendiz]
BUNDESLIGA
Friday 17/04
20:30 St. Pauli - Köln
Matthias Jöllenbeck - Jonas Weickenmeier, Christian Gittelmann - Felix Bickel
[Christian Dingert, Markus Wollenweber]
Saturday 18/04
15:30 Bayer Leverkusen - Augsburg
Benjamin Brand - Thomas Stein, Marco Achmüller - Tom Bauer
[Timo Gerach, Henrik Bramlage]
15:30 Hoffenheim - Borussia Dortmund
Daniel Siebert - Jan Seidel, Rafael Foltyn - Tobias Reichel
[Benjamin Cortus, Mike Pickel]
15:30 Union Berlin - Wolfsburg
Florian Badstübner - Markus Schüller, Philipp Hüwe - Michael Bacher
[Patrick Hanslbauer, Felix-Benjamin Schwermer]
15:30 Werder Bremen - Hamburger SV
Florian Exner - Nikolai Kimmeyer, Stefan Lupp - Harm Osmers
[Katrin Rafalski, Thorsten Schiffner]
18:30 Eintracht Frankfurt - RB Leipzig
Bastian Dankert - René Rohde, Marcel Unger - Martin Petersen
[Arne Aarnink, Christian Fischer]
Sunday 19/04
15:30 Freiburg - Heidenheim
Patrick Ittrich - Thomas Gorniak, Eric Müller - Lars Erbst
[Guido Winkmann, Franz Bokop]
17:30 Bayern München - Stuttgart
Sören Storks - Thorben Siewer, Christian Bandurski - Timo Gansloweit
[Sascha Stegemann, Frederick Assmuth]
19:30 Borussia Mönchengladbach - Mainz
Tobias Welz - Martin Thomsen, Patrick Kessel - Lukas Benen
[Günter Perl, Holger Henschel]
LIGUE 1 MCDONALD’S
Friday 17/04
20:45 Lens - Toulouse
Jérémie Pignard - Benjamin Pagès, Hicham Zakrani - Aurélien Petit
[Cyril Gringore, Julian Grelot]
Saturday 18/04
17:00 Lorient - Olympique de Marseille
Éric Wattellier - Huseyin Ocak, Youssef El Hamzaoui - Tifenn Leprodhomme
[Alexandre Castro, Cédric Dos Santos]
19:00 Angers - Le Havre
Marc Bollengier - Thomas Luczynski, Yannick Boutry - Benjamin Lepaysant
[Benoît Bastien, Maxime Apruzzese]
21:05 Lille - Nice
Bastien Dechepy - Brice Parinet Le Tellier, Julien Haulbert - Gaël Angoula
[Yohann Rouinsard, Stéphane Bré]
Sunday 19/04
15:00 Monaco - Auxerre
Thomas Léonard - Aurélien Berthomieu, Julien Garrigues - Rémi Landry
[Wilfried Bien, Ludovic Rémy]
17:15 Metz - Paris FC
Jérémy Stinat - Christophe Mouysset, Florian Gonçalves De Araujo - Romain Perpinan
[Julien Schmitt, Mathieu Grosbost]
17:15 Nantes - Stade Brestois
Guillaume Paradis - Nicolas Durand, Cédric Favre - Florent Batta
[Mehdi Mokhtari, Ludovic Zmyslony]
17:15 Strasbourg - Stade Rennais
Ruddy Buquet - Nicolas Danos, Gwenaël Pasqualotti - Mikaël Lesage
[Nicolas Rainville, Pierre Gaillouste]
20:45 Paris Saint-Germain - Olympique Lyonnais
Jérôme Brisard - Alexis Auger, Steven Torregrossa - Abdelatif Kherradji
[Mathieu Vernice, Hamid Guenaoui]
Wednesday 22/04
19:00 Paris Saint-Germain - Nantes
Clément Turpin - Nicolas Danos, Benjamin Pagès - Brendan Roffet
[Marc Bollengier, Aurélien Petit]
LIGA PORTUGAL BETCLIC
Saturday 18/04
19:00 Casa Pia - Santa Clara
António Nobre - Nelson Pereira, Francisco Pereira - Diogo Rosa
[Rui Oliveira, Fábio Monteiro]
19:00 Torreense - Marítimo (Liga Portugal Super Meu)
Luís Godinho - Rui Teixeira, Pedro Mota - Luís Filipe
[João Bento, Pedro Sousa]
Sunday 19/04
19:00 Sporting CP - Benfica
João Pinheiro - Bruno Jesus, Luciano Maia - Miguel Fonseca
[Rui Costa, João Bessa Silva]
21:30 Porto - Tondela
Cláudio Pereira - Tiago Costa, Sérgio Jesus - Fábio Melo
[Manuel Oliveira, Tiago Leandro]
EUROJACKPOT KNVB BEKER - FINAL
Sunday 19/04
18:00 AZ Alkmaar - NEC Nijmegen
Danny Makkelie - Hessel Steegstra, Jan de Vries - Allard Lindhout
[Rob Dieperink, Robin Hensgens]
STOIXIMAN SUPER LEAGUE
Sunday 19/04
17:00 AEK Athens - PAOK Thessaloniki
Jesús Gil Manzano - Ángel Nevado Rodríguez, Javier Carlos Martínez Nicolás - Aléxandros Tsakalídis
[Pablo González Fuertes, Francisco José Hernández Maeso]
20:00 Panathinaïkós - Olymbiakós
Halil Umut Meler - İbrahim Çağlar Uyarcan, Abdullah Bora Özkara - Chrístos Vergétis
[Clay Ruperti, Jeroen Manschot]
CYPRUS LEAGUE BY STOIXIMAN
Saturday 18/04
16:00 Omónia Nicosia - APOEL Nicosia
Łukasz Kuźma (POL) - Pávlos Georgíou, Kyriákos Sokrátous - Konstandínos Fellás
[Bartosz Frankowski (POL), Stéfanos Anastasíou]
17:00 Páfos FC - AEK Larnaca
Jacob Karlsen (DEN) - Pétros Pétrou, Andréas Andréou - Konstandínos Chrísto
[Jonas Hedegaard Hansen (DEN), Ómiros Tziortzís]
18:00 Áris Limassol - Apóllon Limassol
Peiman Simani (FIN) - Mários Kalogírou, Charálambos Georgíou - Konstandínos Fotíou
[Dragomir Draganov (BUL), Adámos Vasilíou]
LALIGA EA SPORTS
Tuesday 21/04
19:00 Athletic - Osasuna
Víctor García Verdura - Eliana Fernánez González, Julián Villaseñor Julián - Francisco Crespo Puente
[Carlos del Cerro Grande, Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias]
19:00 Mallorca - Valencia
César Soto Grado - Carlos Álvarez Fernández, Rubén Becerril Gómez - Álvaro Cánovas García-Villarrubia
[Valentín Pizarro Gómez, Javier Alberola Rojas]
21:30 Girona - Real Betis
Iosu Galech Apezteguia - Ignacio Alonso López, José Carlos Escuela Melo - Luis Enrique Morona del Campo
[José Antonio López Toca, Alejandro José Hernández Hernández]
21:30 Real Madrid - Deportivo Alavés
Juan Martínez Munuera - Diego Barbero Sevilla, Miguel Martínez Munuera - Manuel Camacho Garrote
[Javier Iglesias Villanueva, Raúl Martín González Francés]
Wednesday 22/04
19:00 Elche - Atlético de Madrid
Guillermo Cuadra Fernández - Guadalupe Porras Ayuso, Alejandro Estévez Iglesias - Pol Godia Solé
[Raúl Martín González Francés, Javier Iglesias Villanueva]
20:00 Real Sociedad - Getafe
Mateo Busquets Ferrer - Íñigo Prieto López de Ceraín, Gonzalo García González - Manuel García Gómez
[Mario Melero López, José Antonio López Toca]
21:30 Barcelona - Celta de Vigo
José Luis Munuera Montero - Antonio Ramón Martínez Moreno, Adrián Díaz González - José David Martínez Montalbán
[Carlos del Cerro Grande, Daniel Jesús Trujillo Suárez]
Thursday 23/04
19:00 Levante - Sevilla
José María Sánchez Martínez - Raúl Cabañero Martínez, Juan José López Mir - Álvaro Rodríguez Recio
[Javier Iglesias Villanueva, Valentín Pizarro Gómez]
20:00 Rayo Vallecano - Espanyol de Barcelona
Adrián Cordero Vega - Israel Bárcena Rodríguez, Judit Romano García - Juan Francisco Roca Robles
[Jorge Figueroa Vázquez, Alejandro José Hernández Hernández]
21:30 Real Oviedo - Villarreal
Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea - Iker de Francisco Grijalba, Asier Pérez de Mendiola González de Durana - Antonio Sánchez Sánchez
[Daniel Jesús Trujillo Suárez, Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias]
COPPA ITALIA FRECCIAROSSA - SEMI-FINALS (II)
Tuesday 21/04
21:00 Internazionale Milano - Como (0:0)
Simone Sozza - Alessio Berti, Dario Cecconi - Matteo Marcenaro
[Daniele Doveri, Federico La Penna]
Wednesday 22/04
21:00 Atalanta - Lazio (2:2)
Andrea Colombo - Davide Imperiale, Alessandro Costanzo - Luca Zufferli
[Rosario Abisso, Fabio Maresca]
DFB POKAL - SEMI-FINALS
Wednesday 22/04
20:45 Bayer Leverkusen - Bayern München
Felix Zwayer - Robert Kempter, Christian Dietz - Robin Braun
[Bastian Dankert, Katrin Rafalski]
Thursday 23/04
20:45 Stuttgart - Freiburg
Tobias Welz - Martin Thomsen, Mark Borsch - Florian Exner
[Günter Perl, Markus Wollenweber]
COUPE DE FRANCE CRÉDIT AGRICOLE - SEMI-FINALS
Tuesday 21/04
21:10 Lens - Toulouse
Willy Delajod - Erwan Finjean, Valentin Évrard - Thomas Léonard
[Mathieu Vernice, Wilfried Bien]
Wednesday 22/04
21:00 Strasbourg - Nice
François Letexier - Cyril Mugnier, Mehdi Rahmouni - Jérémy Stinat
[Jérémie Pignard, Hamid Guenaoui]
TAÇA DE PORTUGAL GENERALI TRANQUILIDADE - SEMI-FINALS (II)
Wednesday 22/04
21:45 Porto - Sporting CP (0:1)
Miguel Nogueira - Paulo Brás, Nuno Pires - João Gonçalves
[João Malheiro Pinto, Pedro Felisberto]
Thursday 23/04
21:45 Torreense - Fafe (1:1)
Gustavo Correia - André Dias, Fábio Silva - Miguel Fonseca
[Vasco Santos, Nuno Eiras]
VRIENDENLOTERIJ EREDIVISIE
Wednesday 22/04
20:00 Telstar - Sparta Rotterdam
Erwin Blank - Yorick Weterings, Kevin Weever - Wouter Wiersma
[Clay Ruperti, Dyon Fikkert]
Thursday 23/04
18:45 Go Ahead Eagles - AZ Alkmaar
Jeroen Manschot - Sjoerd Nanninga, Martin Beijer - Clay Ruperti
[Alex Bos, Patrick Inia]
21:00 PSV Eindhoven - PEC Zwolle
Marc Nagtegaal - Mario Diks, Franca Overtoom - Niels Boel
[Jannick van der Laan, Rogier Honig]
KÝPELLO COCA-COLA - SEMI-FINALS
Wednesday 22/04
16:00 Páfos FC - AEL Limassol (second leg, 2:1)
Ante Čulina (CRO) - Pávlos Georgíou, Giórgos Kondemeniótis - Ioánnis Christodoúlou
[Walter Altmann (AUT), Mários Kalogírou]
18:00 Apóllon Limassol - APOEL Nicosia (first leg)
Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE) - Iráklis Komodrómos, Stéfanos Anastasíou - Panagiótis Chatzigeorgíou
[Robert Schröder (GER), Pétros Pétrou]
Nikola Dabanović - Srđan Jovanović, Vladan Todorović (MNE) - Srđan Jovanović (SRB)
[Asmir Sagrković, Aleksandar Matković (SVN)]
OT: Once again AFC refereeing surely proves they are at the lowest altitude of world refereeing incoming to the WC26. Look at what happened in Ma Ning and Makhadmeh matches.
ReplyDeleteVeryyy obviouss handball missed by Ma Ning and after that the reaction by the players no sanctions at all. To Yifei, I'm sorry but Collina was right not to call Ma Ning as main referee. Makhadmeh, very amateurish reaction by him after "head shot" collision. Same bald, but very different reaction between him and Anthony Taylor in Eriksen case :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKX4J0hRe5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgmJbauJi3Q
All 3 premier League elite referees with crucial matches, they'll have a busy weekend mostly interested in the mersyside derby how Kavanagh is going to deal with high expectations for Everton in their new stadium, the atmosphere will be out of this world for sure in Liverpool.
ReplyDeleteOliver in champions League race it's members of the big six clash at the Bridge but he's not New to this kind of games so nothing to worry for him ( it is a normal game for Oliver).
Taylor in the premier League title decider, he is having a good season by far but this game is so tricky unless it unfolds like the one in League cup final few weeks ago.
𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐅.𝐂. 𝐯 𝐒𝐭. 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐅.𝐂.
ReplyDeleteScottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup 2025/2026 (Semi-Final)
19/04/2026 2:00pm Barclays Hampden
Referee:Matthew MacDermid
AR1
Calum Spence
AR2
David Roome
VAR
Kevin Clancy
AVAR
Chris Graham
𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐅.𝐂. 𝐯 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐫𝐤 𝐅.𝐂.
Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup 2025/2026 (Semi-Final)
18/04/2026 12:30pm Barclays Hampden
Referee:John Beaton
AR1
David McGeachie
AR2
Douglas Ross
VAR
Andrew Dallas
AVAR
Greg Aitken
Good performance from Beaton including excellent 2nd YC and subsequent red card for simulation in 120mins.
DeleteNear perfect half for Omar Artan in Sundowns Esperance with a correct penalty given…
ReplyDeleteExcellent by Artan in CAF Champions league semi final..
DeleteHe is in my opinion one of the most worthy in CAF, but will be reserve sadly
Yes, great performance he is officiated his third consecutive CAF Champions league semi-final.Last year he is officiated quater final, semi-final and final and this year's quater and semi-final he's been consistent in CAF Champions League games.
DeleteLENS - TOULOUSE (Pignard)
ReplyDelete15' YC upgraded to RC for SFP after OFR
https://streamff.link/v/ecb720a5
30' Goal disallowed for a goalscorer's foul, very harsh decision
https://streamff.link/v/10d0703b
32' Missed foul of #15 TOU; reckless vs. SFP
https://streamff.link/v/2f3fa692
35' PAI pushing; well, isolatedly maybe still not enough but comparing this one to the disallowed goal...
https://streamff.link/v/585b3c5c
Surely an interesting game to watch. Overall, quite arrogant attitude by the UEFA Cat1 official. No will to communicate with players, taking decisions and demanding to be accepted. It could be the directive from French refcom though, as there were too many bad behaviours towards referees in Ligue 1 last years. Indeed, quite many protests and some (correct!) cards to team members.
I think he didn't see properly what defender did in 35', otherwise, even more for consistency purposes, he would have whistled penalty. However, if we compare 30' and 35', we can draw the conclusion that this is refereeing, when we discuss and we talk about VAR, people should watch these two incidents and understand how much difficult is for an external referee to join in a game with an assessment to be made about an incident, when discussing the intensity...
Delete15' for me correct VAR call and red card.
32' Possible RC, but correct no VAR intervention, YC stays as big miss.
As to Euro Soccer Ref's observation, I didn't see this particular match, but after watching a number of other matches handled by Monsieur Pignard, I would say he is generally a strict no- nonsense and non-affable referee, for better or for worse.
DeleteGood performance by Luca Zufferli in the surprisingly easy Napoli vs. Lazio. The only important incident was the correct penalty for tripping:
ReplyDeletehttps://streamff.link/v/f7e88a86
He must be praised for having spotted the attempt by defender to play ball, low contact, so yellow card and not red card for DOGSO, because genuine action. I had already talked about him, a rather positive path even after the FIFA nomination with clear skills shown during his games, nevertheless this season he had a very long stop after Lazio - Genoa in the middle of the season, we also discussed it here on the blog. Otherwise, all the rest, good. He seems to have also the "ability", if I can use this term, to concentrate all mistakes and poor things in two or three games for a very, very long time. I think among the most positive notes for Rocchi in recent years, better not to talk about the others..
DeleteIs there not a bit of a kit clash in the Copa del Rey final?
ReplyDeleteTerrible game by Attwell, no big impact on the final result, but that’s probably the worst foul detection I’ve seen this season. No consistency, no control really bad game.
ReplyDeleteStraightforward first half for Oliver. Two cautions both correct (one for reckless and on for stopping promising attack). Full control and acceptance by players. Has made this first half look effortless.
ReplyDeleteNothing to add in the second half, further two cautions and good foul detection especially around penalty area. Good performance but this is the level that many have come to expect from Oliver.
DeleteGreat Rojas so far,very alert and adapted his style for this Final in particular.
ReplyDeleteAgree, excellent in the first half.
DeleteGood/acceptable 1H from Alberola Rojas. A bogus YC for Oyarzabal (Alberola thought there was a reckless stamp but actually there was no contact at all) but got the two big incidents right (correct play-on in a possible DOGSO situation between Álvarez & Jon Martín, correct PK for Real Sociedad)
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I thought he excellently spotted the unnecessary Oyarzabal step-through which I agree was not a stamp, but which did twist Le Normand’s foot quite nasty.
DeleteIncident from semi final cl caf atcho awrd pelanty but before the pelanty . There is offside the ar and var even the ref on ofr no one spotted. And i foubt the holding contunie until the pelanty area
ReplyDeletehttps://streamable.com/oysncz
Thanks for reporting!
DeleteOMG, so many things wrong here!
1) missed blatant offside by AR2 (Styven Danek Moutsassi Moyo) and VAR/AVAR (Peter Waweru Kamaku / Carine Atezambong Fomo)
2) OFR for factual decision inside-outside
3) terrible (inconclusive) angles shown to referee for determing whether the foul was inside or outside penalty area
I watched the game! It is astonishing that after such a long review process, neither Waweru or Fomo noticed the reverse crossover offside (but maybe not so astonishing when you see the level offered by Fomo on the FoP and that Waweru was involved in one (1) match at the AFCON as a VMO). Reverse crossovers are the hardest kind of offside offence to recognise, but it wasn't like there were lots of complex elements of the attacking phase to analyse and it was easy to detect from the one television replay. Atcho was well-positioned and the penalty call was absolutely right (a replay at about 82'/83' showed it best). He did very well to withstand the pressure at the OFR and stick to his call. Clearly, there is a limit to what Atcho can achieve in terms of level but despite more-or-less extreme leniency in the match, he used decent-ish soft skills and good alertness to bring this difficult game to a good conclusion. In my opinion, FIFA have chosen well in making Atcho as the leading sub-Saharan referee for the next WC (contrary to what most people think!).
DeleteThe occasion of this missed offside by the Congolese linesman, Moutsassi, seems a good occasion to bring up a minor affair which has caught my attention. It began at the Arab Cup, when it was originally announced that Atcho would be accompanied by his compatriots Ditsoga and Abeigne. Then, the crew was altered and the official from Gabon, Abeigne, was replaced as AR2 by the aforementioned Moutsassi. Apparently nobody else noticed this change! The big mistake in the Atcho crew at that tournament, the missed offside in Iraq-Bahrain, came from Ditsoga. Then, the same thing happened at the AFCON: having worked with Ditsoga-Abeigne in the two prior matches, the crew for the Egypt-Senegal semifinal was Atcho-Ditsoga-Moutsassi. I was very surprised therefore when the WC list was announced, and the two linesmen who were paired with Atcho were both of his compatriots, Ditsoga and Abeigne. I considered therefore that the removal of Safari (and Mosengo) was the reason for this apparent change in consideration. However, then Moutsassi appeared in the semifinal tonight! I thought it was likely then that there would be another change at FIFA level, with Abeigne replaced by Moutsassi, again on the premise that few people would really notice. After what has happened tonight, this potential change now seems very unlikely!
Ah and to add, after everything - quite close to the penalty's execution (this is long after the OFR had concluded), the VAR team realised that the caution issued to the FAR player for the penalty was a case of mistaken identity, and it was changed! Atcho made the signal and changed the yellow card to the correct player.
DeleteWe should say something like "shocking" and so on, but unfortunately we have seen that this is the current level for some CAF officials. In my opinion, offside had to be spotted, not that difficult. It might be hard on the pitch, and I could even forgive the assistant referee, but when there is a monitor, a VAR simply can't make a mistake like that.
DeleteImagine something like this happening at the World Cup, or the European equivalent in a Champions League semifinal, not seeing an offside like that before a penalty. This explains, as politely as possible, the treatment of African referees nowadays in FIFA competitions, with very few appointments and mostly for matches of little importance. Compared to some years ago, when some small progress could be seen, unfortunately the overall level is very low.
In my view, they will be closely monitored at the World Cup and will almost certainly be paired in the VAR room with officials from other confederations. That will be a bit of an attempt to prevent big mistakes, even though officials from other confederations aren't immune either, let's be clear, but mistakes like this are simply unacceptable.
Moreover, I have also read, maybe Mikael can add something if he saw it too, that there could be a return of Doue to lead African refereeing after these very poor times, to say it kindly.
IMO flawless performance by Alberola Rojas in this Final. He is an excellent referee
ReplyDeleteAgree, good performance and most importantly no controversy
DeleteAn superb performance by Alberola Rojas! He showed that he is a referee for next decade. Excellent decision making,communication,disciplinary control. Long time I did not see such officiating in Copa Del Rey final!
ReplyDeleteAgree
DeleteRocchi will be happy. Two biggest games of the matchday went without a single controversy. Marcenaro didn't issue quite obvious YCs in 14' (reckless tackle) and 49' (SPA) but otherwise no problems in easy-going Roma vs. Atalanta.
ReplyDeletePredictions for CL semifinals, first legs:
ReplyDeletePSG - Bayern
Sandro Scharer SUI
Atlético - Arsenal
Espen Eskas NOR
Let's be very unconventional! This would solve many issues for committee about the lack of names, but well, it's hard to happen.
My Predictions:
DeleteFirst leg:
PSG vs Bayern: Anthony Taylor ENG
Atlético de Madrid vs Arsenal: Sandro Schärer SUI
Second leg:
Arsenal vs Atlético de Madrid: Daniel Siebert GER
Bayern vs PSG: Espen Eskås NOR
My prediction in the UCL semi finals first leg
DeletePSG BAY KOVACS (TAYLOR)
ATL ARS NYBERG (MAKKELIE)
My predictions:
DeletePSG- Bayern
Syzmon Marchinak POL
Athletico- Arsenal
Daniel Siebert GER
With Eskas's name being (not unreasonably!) tipped for a Champions League semifinal, this seems not a bad occasion to write a short report on the Norwegian's performance in AEK-Rayo, the match that I watched this morning.
DeleteVIDEO CLIPS
13min: https://streambug.org/cv/8f1ba8
22min: https://streambug.org/cv/2f5768
24min: https://streambug.org/cv/4075b7
35min: https://streambug.org/cv/aa8c83
83min: https://streambug.org/cv/a69d4d
87min: https://streambug.org/cv/921a00
96min: https://streambug.org/cv/f42d9e
ANALYSIS
Espen Eskas refereed well in this high-pressure, quite challenging match. As I had said previously, the referee from Norway has progressed from 'very good actor' to a very genuine and authentic leader on the FoP; it was clear that his refereeing brought calm to both teams. In my personal opinion, the first goal of the game (13') should not have stood, as the AEK attacker was only able to win possession of the ball having charged into the Rayo defender who had read the flight of the throw-in better than him. I think this is a minority opinion however. AEK appealed for two penalties on the grounds of illegal grappling on the striker Varga - in the first instance (22'), a penalty looks like it would have been justifiable, but in the second (87') Eskas quite rightly saw through what the Hungarian was trying to do. In a clear situation, the well-positioned Norwegian ref did rightly award the home team a penalty for careless tripping (35'). The overall level of calls in the match was good to very good, but in the first twenty minutes, some offences were missed by the referee (including two reckless striking offences); this lead to some tension which resulted in the match's first yellow card being for aggressive behaviour. Five minutes later (24'), the Rayo player booked in that episode committed a careless striking offence, which AEK tried to exaggerated but the referee rightly saw through. Another previously-booked Rayo player committed a 'risky' foul in the fiftieth minute, but there were no grounds whatsoever to deem this as cautionable. In my opinion, Rayo should have been awarded an indirect freekick for a deliberate AEK pass to the goalkeeper (83') but the referee deemed no offence was committed. The referees showed poor concentration when they didn't notice an illegal goalkick restart by the AEK goalkeeper with time running out (+96'), and I guess that as per the Bundesliga opening day ruling, if the consequent shot had gone in the goal, VAR would have stepped in to disallow it. Overall, this was an impressive and (very) good performance by Espen Eskas. I agree with what Chefren has written previously, the Norwegian should be a candidate to take charge of this season's Europa League final.
Biggest Norwegian derby today, Vålerenga-Lillestrøm, refereed by Norwegian nr. 3 Kringstad
ReplyDeletePenalty and red card by Marciniak:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/04a038
Didnt realise Marciniak is back! Could he get maybe an EL or ECL 1st leg and maybe if theres such a shortage of suitable referees then a CL 2nd leg?
DeleteCorrect decision clear push with both hands red card for DOGSO
DeleteKavanagh in the merseyside derby
ReplyDeleteOverall first half reaction he has been ok , missed only 1/2 cards, there was also a penalty shout for the home side VAR deemed a coming together which was correct. Continuing with the VAR, a good was disallowed for offside.
So far so good typical English derby refereeing as the second half kickoff
I see Eskås being mentioned as a Europa League final candidate after his Conference League QF, but I’m not fully sold. Historically, UEL final refs tend to come off strong Champions League KO games. Turpin, Vinčić, Zwayer, Kovács, they all had a strong UCL path before being appointed to the UEL final. Espen has a different route. Not trying to nitpick, but if someone is in the Conference League, I’m wondering why he gets Conference in the first place… I think his R32 round in Baku wasn’t great, R16 was decent. To be fair, Eskås did well in the play-offs. Maybe a Conference League final fits better for now? Still, I’d expect more UCL exposure. Maybe he will get a semi-final UCL and that can open a door for him?
ReplyDeleteAgree on Sandro Schärer for the Paris semi. Feels like the ideal joker pick. He is an excellent referee, but a final seems unlikely given he was out for some months.
Yes, Eskas should only be considered for EL final, if he gets a CL SF, I think. And the same counts for Schärer and Nyberg in my opinion.
DeleteInteresting to see Kavanagh working with Mainwaring (Oliver's usual AR2) today when Oliver also had a high-profile game yesterday. Odd set of fixtures to choose to mix it up so maybe they're considering a change in the trios.
ReplyDeleteMainwaring never does Man City or Man United and Hussin never does Liverpool or Everton so neither could be with their regular teams this weekend.
DeleteAha! Thanks
DeleteAlso thank you to Chefren for posting all these domestic appointments - must have taken quite some time to gather!
ReplyDeleteGillett gave a controversial late penalty in the English championship game between Ipswich and Middlesbrough. On advice of AR2 it looked like
ReplyDeleteDoes somebody know, whether the new VAR interventions for wrong corners include clear offences in the APP leading to that corner (e.g. offsides)?
ReplyDeleteThat’s a great question even for a foul before but from what said Collina in the IFAB press conference, he wants it to be really quick and only if the situation is clear so don’t think offside or foul will be checked. Also it only apply if the ref crew give a corner and if they give a GK instead of a CK.
DeleteSo if a gk is given it won't be checked to see if it should be a corner?
DeleteExactly @aphrodoh was also surprise by that but collina explain it by the fact that when a CK is given there is more time to check it bcose the player need to go to the corner so there is more time for VAR to check it.
DeleteIf someone have the clip of the potential handball/DOGSO by Gabriel, I will be curious to have your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeleteIt's very high up, looks far more shoulder than hand
DeleteSeems pretty close to the Bernardo Silva situation in CL with Turpin in City-Real
DeleteNot at all… not similar at all with Bernardo situation and it was excellently read by Taylor and the VAR room
DeleteDo we know which/ if any Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 referees that are due to retirement at the end of the season? @Chefren @MikaelW others.
ReplyDeleteThomas Léonard is retiring in Ligue 1
DeleteYou didn’t ask about Bundesliga but still :)
DeleteTobias Welz (48)
Frank Willenborg (47)
Deniz Aytekin (47)
Patrick Ittrich (47)
are all retiring
Very useful. Thank you, Jojo.
DeleteClear YC missed by Taylor
ReplyDeleteIncredible leniency here.
DeleteThat should have been a red card for Gabriel
ReplyDeleteViolent conduct by Gabriel imo, and terrible management by Taylor giving both players a YC is a terrible decision. With the previous missed YC that should have been at least a 2nd YC.
ReplyDeleteVideo link?
DeleteFirst one they were holding each other but yeah he should have got a straight red for the head movement incident.
Delete83' If Haaland was on the floor, Gabriel would recieve a red card for VC, no question. It is a really poor message that diving/feigning injury gets results, for 2 YCs shown instead
ReplyDeleteNope, this is actually not correct. For years the UEFA RAPs have differenciated between 'full headbutts' and these kind of 'half headbutts', and the latter have consisted been rated as an 'RAP8', which can roughly be construed as 'please give a YC unless match control is really going awry'. In the 'pre-woke' era of refereeing, no such indistinction existed and all these headbutting incidents were deemed as worthy of a red card. Helder Postiga's expulsion in the WC2014 qualifier between N.Ireland and Portugal exemplifies well how the directives from UEFA/FIFA have changed since then. The media will spin it the way that you have indicated, but it is completely false: according to modern refereeing, no violent conduct took place and Gabriel was correctly cautioned.
DeleteThere was one, in the EFL Championship (Preston Hull, 20th Jan), which Martin showed a RC who was right infront of it. I don't know if you can find it, but if so, would you assess that as a stronger more meaningful headbutt, or a caution more acceptable?
DeleteThanks DB. I found the incident here:
Deletehttps://youtu.be/W3G81H_c-qY?t=513
Clear red card without question, in all competitions. This is the perfect incident to contrast with Gabriel's when explaining the modern interpretation.
Blatant red on Gabriel. Any other opinion of factually wrong.
DeleteUnder management the first time and again with this ridiculous double YC. What a catastrophic message sent here by Taylor ! RC missed and unbelievable VAR silence. And YC to Guardiola who was completely in his right to complain here…Poor Taylor.
ReplyDelete+1
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/bee297
ReplyDeleteTaylor did well today. The game was not beget by underhand tactics, and the level of (focus on) football was very good. He didn't overcomplicate the match and particularly the game's opening YC showed very good understanding of the game. The key calls (no handball early in the 1half, no foul/DOGSO early in the 2half) were all correct. I think there are two pointers:
ReplyDelete1) The only disappointing decision of the game was the clear freekick outside the box not given at +92. Because the offence was impeding, the proximity of the incident to the penalty area called Taylor to panic and issue a hurried play on call, which was clearly and blatantly wrong. This is the only incident in the match where the image of the refereeing was not good (besides maybe a nervy start to the game by Hussin).
2) Taylor should have dealt with the duel Gabriel-Håland a bit better. After an off-the-ball confrontation in the first half (sth like 38'?), Taylor didn't even issue them both a verbal warning, which was a mistake. Then, in the contretemps they had mid-way through the first half when Håland's shirt was torn, Hincapie should have been cautioned for aggressive behaviour when he came from nowhere and clearly pushed the Norwegian attacker. Later, in the minutes before the 'bust up', the ManCity striker very clearly and excessively pulled Gabriel's shorts, but both Taylor and Hussin didn't see it. This would have avoided the incident where they were both booked and the confrontation took place, but that incident itself was solved well by Taylor (no VC took occurred according to modern interpretation!).
I have to agree with Mikael here..
DeleteI think people saying he was bad is exaggerated.. it was a pretty solid performance in a really very heated game.. I think the big problem as mentioned above is that he had to deal with the Gabriel-Haaland duel better, he should have been stricter, but he showed big leniency there and it caused the duel between them to become very tense, but overall very solid performance and overall this year, he has showed excellent form.
Video of the clash between the players: https://streamff.com/v/9421f4ad
ReplyDeleteOh I see that there are other chapters :)
DeleteDutch Cup Final: referee Makkelie gets a phone call during the match. Around ‘75
ReplyDeleteVery strong performance by Makkelie in the Cup Final. Full control in what was a proper fighting match. Strong discipline, whistled with flair. Excellent fitness level.
ReplyDeleteWell done!
I didn’t like Pinheiro in Sporting - Benfica this night.
ReplyDeleteVery lenient and above all lazy style from the beginning. A few good play on calls but also too many blatant fouls missed. Also on disciplinary approach rather lenient, none of the 3 YCs were actually shown for a challenge, only for mobbing and time wasting.
Regarding KMIs, he needed an OFR for awarding a rather clear penalty in first half, but whistled another clear one a few minutes later by him self. A good offside call by AR2 to cancel a goal scored at the end of 2nd half.
All in all, very typical Pinheiro-Performance with a lazy approach where I always ask my self how he managed to remain in control of the game. But the fact that I basically wonder every time I watch him, but he never looses match control in the end has to speak in his favour, and somehow must be seen as a very good skill.
There are two João Pinheiro referees. The one from European competitions and another one for domestic games. Portuguese league (i am portuguese) is used to get these kind of “blatant” faults so almost every referee whistle them. He could indeed use a Soares Dias style where he really didn’t care about that.
DeleteRegarding the game, I don’t agree with your analysis. The penalty of the OFR is very difficult to be spotted since the touch occurred in a blind space for the referee. The second penalty is correctly rewarded . And besides those 3 YC there weren’t many other faults which could deserve a disciplinary caution
Halil Umut Meler offered a good level of refereeing and did well in the Greek league match Panathinaikos-Olympiakos. This game was 'a tale of two halves'. In the first half, the match was challenging, and the Turkish referee handled events impressively: he managed the tense first 15min excellently in disciplinary control with a stepped approach featuring both warnings + cards, and Meler later also identified the problem player on the field of play, Pao7 (whom Sylwestrzak really struggled with in their match against PAOK), and managed to 'tame' him really well. Management was not a strength of the Turkish official in the past, but this was élite stuff; it has been clear to me that Meler has been working hard on that aspect this season, and he can reflect happily on quite a big development under this heading. I hope that the second goal was closely checked by Ruperti, because it seemed that there may have been a handball offence in the APP. The level of difficulty dissipated in the second half, and Meler's refereeing was okay. Overall, I think this match was a success for Halil Umut Meler and, if UEFA were using this Greek derby to conduct an observation on him, perhaps the Turk could have an outside chance of refereeing one of the Conference semifinal return legs. Now, to Uwikunda's delayed kickoff...
ReplyDeleteMy predictions for the semi finals:
ReplyDeletePSG - Bayern: Taylor / Nyberg
Atlético - Arsenal: Mariani / Marciniak
Braga - Freiburg: Gözübüyük / Eskas
Nottingham - Aston Villa: Zwayer / Hernandez Hernandez
Donezk - Crystal Palace: Lambrechts / Schärer
Straßburg - Vallecano: Walsh / Rumsas
We also had Super Clasico and big talking point will be D.Herrera and his no penalty calls,for 1 of them he was called and for the other he was not.
ReplyDeleteHe showed 10 cards,was very alert in all of those offences,but still, no penalty in 90+4 will be talking point.
Also,big miss with handball incident in 45+2 where VAR corrected him and then awarded Boca a penalty.
Very small technical question about the rule:
ReplyDeleteIf you can check the penalty in Pisa-Genoa ( refereed by Crezzini) what are the rules about such situations?
Everything related to the regulation of handballs is unclear, as you well know, very open to interpretation. Crezzini call will probably be judged as correct, we'll see if they discuss it tomorrow in the usual weekly tv format of the committee that shows VAR clips.
DeleteThe VAR confirmed the decision of the young referee from Siena during the Pisa–Genoa match yesterday. A very troubled season for him, but often not even through his own fault. Basically, with the player on the ground, the intention to place the arms in that way was punished, interpreting it as a save attempt by the player, something that, in the perception of people, very often prevails over the natural position of the arms, even though that position could apparently also be considered natural, and that's why I understand your doubts. Very often, awarding a penalty in these circumstances, unless the movements are really obvious, is based on the idea of intent and on whether the player might be trying to take advantage of the situation. I don't have time to include a video now, maybe later during the day.
so in different interpretations, it could be interpreted either as a save attempt by the player or as a natural position of his arm to prevent his fall?
DeleteVery good advantage and the only possible outcome for blocking a shot with an arm is a penalty. Well done!
Deletehttps://streamff.link/v/1f146c1b
To Nerazzuri, the interpretation is quite simple (at least in UEFA): supporting arm clause is valid only for cases of fighting for the ball, for example when a player performs a tackle to get the ball from the opponent; when the action is targeted only to block a pass or shot, basically you have to avoid any contact with your arm.
Thanks Euro Soccer Ref and Chefren !
DeleteUEFA has a factually wrong interpretation and have shown it on UEFA RAP which goes against the IFAB. If this is handball, it can only be for a deliberate handball (arm towards ball). Missing yellow for shot on goal.
DeleteWhat I’m interested in is how we went from an already “written-off” Schäarer, who was assigned to the Nations League Latvia-Gibraltar, to him becoming a candidate for a CL semifinal?
ReplyDeleteHe was selected for the WC.
DeleteHe did a CL R16 second leg.
He has no specific reasons against an appointment for PSG and Bayern.
He had no recent controversy.
Not many others, who fulfill all of that…
And the observation of Velasco Carballo, it's always for something. I can be wrong, but...
DeleteOn a further note, I predicted him for PSG because he officiated already this team once, while it's not the same for Eskas (another candidate for CL semifinal).
It seems the club from France's capital has a smaller circle of refeees officiating their games, if compared to others.
We will know soon!
UCL
ReplyDeletePSG vs Bayern Taylor / Marciniak
Atletico vs Arsenal Zwayer / Vincic
UEL
Braga vs Freiburg Oliver / Turpin
N forest vs Aston Villa Alejandro / Glen
UECL
Shakhtar vs Cry Palace Makkelie / Sandro
Rayo vs Strasbourg Daniel / Mariani
Direct to Finals not in special order
Letexier / Eskås
the other between Oliver/Makkelie/Daniel after knowing the teams
Inter - Como : Sozza ( 4th Marcenaro, VAR Doveri, AVAR La Penna)
ReplyDeleteAtalanta - Lazio : Colombo( 4th Zufferli , VAR Abisso, AVAR Maresca)
German Cup (DFB-Pokal) Semifinals:
ReplyDeleteLeverkusen- Bayern: Zwayer, Kempter, Dietz - Braun - Dankert, Rafalski
Stuttgart - Freiburg: Welz, Thomsen, Borsch - Exner - Perl, Wollenweber
I don't know what is more annoying: time wasting by Como or Sozza's tactic to not issue any cards for that...
ReplyDeleteIn Italy, Como is known for being one of the most unsportsmanlike teams, engaging in diving, taunting, and time-wasting. Unfortunately, with the possible exception of Maresca, there isn’t a single referee who truly tries to enforce discipline in these areas
DeleteMariani reappointed to Inter for the first time after his mistake in Napoli-Inter ( probably Rocchi exploiting that they are clearly ahead in the rankings)
ReplyDeleteMost important games Verona-Lecce given to Massa, juve-milan to Sozza
Ilgiz Tantashev has been appointed for the final of ACEL.
ReplyDeleteSome footage from Felix's camera at yesterday's game. (DFB Pokal)
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/5Nuf_Y-tBeI?si=n5HUZ5wp0ZE1thtz
Once again bad scenes in AFC refereeing. The game is today's Gulf Champions League final between Al-Shabab (KSA) and Al-Rayyan (QAT) refereed by Adil Al-Naqbi (UAE).
ReplyDeleteThe referee didn't caution the already booked player for this follow-through challenge:
https://x.com/centraldoarabao/status/2047362264747913343
Yannick Carrasco is furious about the decision and wildly dissents at the referee for which he is sent off:
https://x.com/bt3/status/2047361535949799842
Typical mobbing in AFC:
https://x.com/centraldoarabao/status/2047363328763142495
And the scene after the game, no sanction to the GK, the referee being stopped by someone
https://x.com/bt3/status/2047375030179295415
Well, not even YC is unacceptable but nothing new, I think fully missed by referee, otherwise if they do that on purpose is unacceptable.
DeleteNever seen such level of reaction by a player, I don't say it's justified, but AFC should really reflect on what refereeing has become in their confederation.
Very intense Porto - Sporting CP (second leg of Portuguese Cup semi-final)! The referee was Miguel Nogueira, UEFA Second Category.
ReplyDeleteHighlights:
https://files.fm/u/8uyemazd3z
The most interesting incidents:
04' Possible YC 7POR for reckless (refs deemed the ball out of play so no SPA but the kick was really strong)
05' Play-on after possible SPA/DOGSO by 25SPO
09' Possible YC 42SPO for a revenge foul
14' Play-on after at least reckless step on leg by 10POR
22' YC 13POR for deliberate handball
31' PAI impeding; the ball was not reachable anymore, so correct play-on
34' YC 42SPO for cynical impeding, the referee surely detected the bad intents of the player after 09'
43' PAI handball and PAI impeding; the handball is tricky: the player is sitting on the ground being back to the action and is hit in his 'supporting' arm; the impeding is okay no penalty as the attacking player strongly plays the ball before
73' Possible YC 11POR for reckless challenge
87' YC 22POR upgraded to RC for SFP after OFR
I can't watch the highlights what is wrong
DeleteIt works for me. Maybe try to download?
DeleteThe video works, if you can't watch online, download the file and then use a player like VLC to open it.
DeleteOtherwise, what is the problem?
Waaaaay too soft and permissive performance!
DeleteWho is Yasin Kol? I search him in google and then they said he's the first referee in 26 years of Turkish League that lead 4 of possible 6 derby in single season, even more prestigious because he was not a FIFA referee. Who is he and is it true or hoax?
ReplyDelete