2027 Under 21 Euro Qualifiers, September 2026.
Thuirsay 24 March 2026
Group I
20:00 CET - Westerlo (Het Kuipje)
BELGIUM vs. BELARUS
Referee: Martin Velikov BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Krasimir Atanasov BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Hristo Hadzhiyski BUL
Fourth Official: Ventsislav Mitrev BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Hristo Hadzhiyski BUL
Fourth Official: Ventsislav Mitrev BUL
UEFA Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB
UEFA Delegate: Bart van Soest NED
Group A
20:30 CET - Serravalle (San Marino Stadium)
SAN MARINO vs. KOSOVO
Referee:
Assistant Referee 1:
Assistant Referee 2:
Fourth Official:
UEFA Referee Observer: Clayton Pisani MLT
UEFA Delegate: Fróði Danielsen FRO
Pol van Boekel spoke openly to the media about an incident (Ajax-PSV) that took place a few weeks ago. Opinions may vary, but the way he speaks is truly characteristic of him, once again underscoring his strong personality.
ReplyDelete"Should I have done it differently? If I say yes, it’s purely based on the uproar that ensued. If you ask a hundred people whether they think it warrants a red or yellow card, the majority will say red. So, if I say I got it wrong, I’ll have more people on my side. But I analyzed the situation based on the criteria we apply, and I would probably do exactly the same thing again today."
"Afterwards, I got up from my chair thinking I’d done the right thing, but then you hear the words analysts use... It’s part of the job, though certainly the least pleasant aspect. I rise above it. What I find harder to deal with is my daughters—aged 18 and 15—being confronted about it. That’s unfair; they didn’t ask for a father with this profession."
"I could go on talking for half an hour, trying to explain exactly how I experienced and analyzed that foul based on the criteria, but when your boss (Raymond van Meenen) publicly declares that you made a mistake, what is there left for me to say? It was his choice to use those words. I would have handled it differently."
https://www.espn.nl/voetbal/artikel/_/id/17284915/var-na-overtreding-op-bouwman-waarschijnlijk-weer-precies-hetzelfde-doen
As some may recall, a few years ago he described the feeling of being summoned to the monitor by VAR as a "mindfuck." In his role as a VAR, he truly aims to be as invisible as possible, and that is precisely why he is so highly regarded.
Pol van Boekel’s career as a referee has already ended. I suppose his career as a VAR will end after this interview, too. Mistakes can happen, but the lack of self-reflection and the dressing-down of his superior are concerning.
DeleteVan Boekel will never admit a mistake.
DeleteIn my opinion van boekel is one of the top three VARs in Europe. Mistakes and controversial decisions are part of football but that should not overshadow the quality and experience he brings to the VAR role.Lets hope he will continue at the highest level for many more years
DeleteWell, in my view, VanBoekel is among the more controversial VARs, particularly when it comes to overanalysing incidents, hiding behind protocol, and somehow never admitting an error afterwards.
DeleteAs for Scott, given your pro-Gozu agenda, I suppose Van Boekel was always going to get a fairly sympathetic review :-)
As CTA has confirmed, a lot of what was being said about Ortiz’s controversial performance and questionable decisions was justified. I highly doubt we’ll be seeing him officiating many high-profile matches for a while, especially when it comes to games involving Spain’s “big three.”
ReplyDeleteThe clearest admission concerns the challenge on Valverde, which left him injured.
DeleteKang-In Lee's tackle was not punished by Ortiz Arias during the match, and the incident was not sent to the referee for a VAR review either. The CTA now considers the challenge serious enough to warrant a straight red card.
Meanwhile, the committee has accepted that Huijsen's foul on Giuliano Simeone warranted a red card. The Real Madrid defender conceded the penalty after grabbing his opponent while not attempting to play the ball.
Ortiz Arias awarded the spot-kick but did not initially dismiss Huijsen. VAR subsequently intervened, and the red card was eventually shown.
The situation involving Cristian Romero is more complicated.
Notably, Ortiz Arias initially appeared to identify the wrong player during the incident involving Jude Bellingham.
He awarded a foul against the Real Madrid midfielder and showed him a yellow card before VAR intervention established that Romero had actually committed the foul.
The incident was then reviewed as a potential red-card offence. However, Ortiz Arias ultimately decided against dismissing the Atletico player.
As per the outlet, the CTA has accepted the decision rather than placing the full blame on the referee, describing the incident as confusing.