2026/27 UEFA Champions League, League Phase, Matchday 1. Second set of referee appointments, Wednesday 9 September 2026.
9 September 2026
18:45 CET - Barcelona (Camp Nou)
FC BARCELONA (ESP) - FEYENOORD (NED)
Referee: Sven Jablonski GERAssistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger GER
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Müller GER
Fourth Official: Tobias Reichel GER
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Andrew Dallas SCO
UEFA Referee Observer: Gianluca Rocchi ITA
UEFA Delegate: Alojzije Šupraha CRO
18:45 CET - Stuttgart (MHPArena)
VFB STUTTGART (GER) - VIKING FK (NOR)
Referee: Nenad Minaković SRBAssistant Referee 1: Nikola Borović SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Boško Božović SRB
Fourth Official: Danilo Nikolić SRB
Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CROAssistant Video Assistant Referee: Momčilo Marković SRB
UEFA Referee Observer: Alberto Undiano Mallenco ESP
UEFA Delegate: Neil Morrow NIR
21:00 CET - Paris (Parc des Princes)
PARIS SAINT GERMAIN (FRA) - ŠK SLOVAN BRATISLAVA (SVK)
Referee: Mykola Balakin UKRAssistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Berkut UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Viktor Matyash UKR
Fourth Official: Dmytro Panchyshyn UKR
Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Matej Jug SVN
UEFA Referee Observer: Lutz Michael Fröhlich GER
UEFA Delegate: Mark Blackbourne ENG
21:00 CET - Liverpool (Anfield)
LIVERPOOL FC (ENG) - CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID (ESP)
Referee: Davide Massa ITAAssistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alessio Berti ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marcenaro ITA
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Meßner AUT
UEFA Delegate: Thomas Grimm SUI
21:00 CET - Lisbon (Estádio José Alvalade)
SPORTING CP (POR) - GALATASARAY (TUR)
Referee: Espen Eskås NORAssistant Referee 1: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Alf Olav Rossland NOR
Fourth Official: Sigurd Kringstad NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB
UEFA Delegate: Mark Evans WAL
21:00 CET - Naples (Stadio Diego Armando Maradona)
SSC NAPOLI (ITA) - ARSENAL FC (ENG)
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWEAssistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck SWE
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Nuno Parreira De Castro POR
UEFA Delegate: Haris Gvozden BIH
Nenad Minaković? I heard his name for the first time... there are big surprises appointments.
ReplyDeleteIf you never heard Minakovic, you should study more in order to write on this blog :)
Delete😀😀 I generally follow the referees who officiate Champions League matches..it's going to be a debut for him. :)
DeleteYou are hearing Nenad Minakovic for the first time? Did you start following this blog today?
DeleteHe is only 36 years old. He has a total of just 8 matches in UEFA competitions. I don't follow the Serbian league
DeleteIm sorry but HB2300 is correct. This is a ref who hasnt even officiated a europa ko match yet. Big shock to be appointed to a cl game.
DeleteHello! I think “shocking” might be a bit of a strong word here. This is actually not an unusual trajectory for referees who have progressed successfully through the UEFA Talent Programme.
DeleteThere are comparable examples, such as Manfredas Lukjančukas and Nick Walsh. Walsh, for instance, made his Champions League debut without previously refereeing in the knockout stage of any UEFA club competition.
So perhaps before describing an appointment as “shocking”, it’s worth looking at the wider context of how UEFA develops and promotes referees. With that context in mind, Minaković’s appointment is actually quite understandable.
All the best!
Barcelona - Feyenoord: Jablonski (GER)
ReplyDeleteStuttgart - Viking: Minakovic (SRB)
PSG - Slovan Bratislava: Balakin (UKR)
Liverpool - Atlético: Massa (ITA)
Sporting CP - Galatasaray: Eskas (NOR)
Napoli - Arsenal: Nyberg (SWE)
CL GS debut for the Serbian referee.
Congrats to Minakovic. After good officiating at eternal derby, ready for next step. Hope he will be top. Under eye for possible elite promotion in January!
ReplyDeleteGood? He had bad performance. VAR correction for penalty, not giving clears YCs to both sides. From what we know from him he didnt had good game.
DeleteI believe the stronger candidate for Elite is Sylwestrzak. He is two years younger. He made his Champions League debut a year ago and will soon be officiating the U20 Intercontinental Cup at the Santiago Bernabéu.
DeleteSylwestrzak is definitely one more name in "Elite development" group and I like him as a referee a lot. Just to add I would like to know what is U20 International cup?
Deletehttps://www.uefa.com/under20intercontinental/
DeleteIf Minakovic leads a CL game, what about Jasper Vergoote ? He was also in the Talent group last year, but nothing heard since then. Mr Rosetti and his team do not like his style ? Or do you need other "skills" to be appointed at CL level ? What I see generally is that, nearly all refs make at some point mistakes, even ununderstandable ones. But : for some referees, that is not a problem to be appointed soon again. Or to be appointed for the first time. For others, like Visser (same age as Minakovic ! only 36 ) and maybe Vergoote as well (although that is maybe too early to say for the latter), they are considered as non Elite material after few consideration. I hate to say it, but I will do it : Rosetti whistled in 2008 the Euro final, whereas Bussaca and De Bleeckere did the semi finals. Well, whereas the first two have a brilliant career in refereeing afterwards, our Belgian has never really been of any weight to promote Belgian referees. I know, we have Lambrechts now as first Elite ref since 14 years, but he is not given a lot of opportunities neither. He was injured two weeks ago indeed, but no news about him on UCL level. We need a heavy weight in EUFA. As long as this is not the case, our referees will not be treated as, let's say, Italian/Spanish/French/German/English..... referees (or even Dutch ones : they are much more supported internationally)
DeleteVergoote is great manager but very weak decision maker, plenty of OFRs in his games. I was even surprised to see him promoted to First Category.
DeleteMy predictions for the upcoming referee appointments.
ReplyDeleteFenerbahce - Roma
Letexier/Turpin
Psv - Shaktar donetsk
Halil umut meler
Bayern - bodo Glimt
Chris kavanagh/Walsh
Slavia prague - Lens
Felix zwayer
Como 1907 - Leipzig
Gözübüyük
Manchester united - Sabah
Pinheiro..
Eredivisie round 5
ReplyDeleteSC Telstar - SC Cambuur
Referee: Joey Kooij / VAR: Martijn Vos
A lot happened in the Eredivisie last weekend. I saw that Van der Eijk’s first 'topper' (big match) had already been talked about on this blog. I was happy to see how much he’s grown, too.
And then there’s Joey Kooij.
1. The RC decision for Thórisson (Telstar) just past the 20-minute mark is unbelievable. He extended his leg for the tackle, but it wasn't a challenge made with his full body weight and momentum. It's true that the contact was a little high and hit the opponent's knee. But it was really just a slight contact—it barely grazed him. And as always, Vos fails to make a positive impression on me in his role as VAR. This RC should be canceled (without suspension) in a few hours.
https://youtu.be/sOMrkoe1bXs?t=84
2. Here is another scene: the procedure for overturning a penalty.
During a corner kick, Kooij penalized a Cambuur player for holding and awarded a penalty to Telstar. However, Vos intervened. After review, Kooij determined that the holding offense had finished before play restarted; he therefore canceled the penalty and ordered a retake of the corner kick.
https://youtu.be/sOMrkoe1bXs?t=438
In our daily practice, it is standard procedure that the referee does not review a position of holding as it is factual decision. So why on earth should the referee need to review for themselves when the holding ended? I simply cannot understand it. Have you ever seen procedures like this in other countries?
3. Handball on the line?
The VAR was able to convince themselves that it was on the line, that is, inside the penalty area. I'm curious whether this is clear and obvious. The camera captures the 16-meter line straight on from the side; the left edge of the ball appears to be overlapping the line, implying that the point of contact was likely on the line as well. It's almost the same situation as whether the ball has crossed the goal line or not. Therefore, intervention is likely correct. I would prefer a bit more clarity when judging based on the raw footage, though.
https://youtu.be/sOMrkoe1bXs?t=488
Incidentally, this was a historic match in which the first ever event in Eredivisie occurred. If you don't know the result, you should definitely check it out!
Whew, for me the SFP RC is an excellent decision.
DeleteThe prosecutor for professional football, who has reviewed footage and statements regarding Thórisson's red card, deems the infringement insufficiently proven by the rules and convincingly proven, and has decided to dismiss the case. 'The prosecutor is of the opinion that, based on the available information, it cannot be sufficiently established that there was serious foul play or an infringement justifying a direct red card,' Telstar said in a statement.
Deleteat this point, the italian hierarchy for UEFA keeps getting very confusing .. who is n°1/n°2/n°3/n°4 ... Wasn't expecting Sozza at all , and didn't give a big probability to Massa ...
ReplyDeleteThese are still the early matches of the season, after all.
DeleteHowever, I think that Mariani should probably be seen as the current number one after having attended WC, even if on paper the representative for Italian active referees is Guida (given his longer experience on the lists, compared to Mariani).
Guida, however, is now on decline, mainly because he no longer guarantees physical reliability, and I think he might retire either at the end of this season or perhaps after the next one.
Then there's Massa who, as we know, has never been considered for major tournaments.
Next is Sozza, who was in complete difficulty until the end of last season, though "masked' by Rocchi", who kept assigning him despite his poor performances.
UEFA didn't do the same, but now, with the new season underway and this start with Dortmund -. Villarreal, something new might happen. More than anything, I just hope he starts refereeing well, the rest can follow.
I would have expected Colombo to be fast-tracked and trying to go ahead of Sozza, but we will see.
The referee from Como will certainly get a strong push, and it remains to be seen what he can reach.
As possible assignments for the finals, I think Guida is a name for closing his career with maybe Europa League, while the same target for me for Mariani, who is nevertheless still far away from the CL final standard, despite of a WC in which he got an excellent Brazil - Japan as last game.
While for me, Massa could get Conference League final.
Then, everything can change of course.
Chefren.
DeleteHow did Mariani officiate the Juventus - Milan match yesterday? After that extremely poor Lyon-Fener match, I don't think he'll get any European matches for a long time
Learning from the post-match Fight of the Lyon-Fenerbache match, referee Mariani and his team waited on the pitch after the end of Juventus-AC Milan match until both teams entered their dressing rooms to prevent any incidents. I think this was discussed in last week's UEFA seminar.
DeleteIt wasn't a match to remember, extremely poor level of football in first half, slightly better second half, but overall it certainly wasn't a game that warranted that kind of intensity.
DeleteThat said, Mariani performed as usual.
The end was a bit heated, just as mentioned above.
In this case, he stayed until the end and tried to keep everything under control. Not much of a test, really.
There's talk of a possible foul prior to Milan's goal, but in my view, the decision is supportable, could have whistled foul but rahter soft.
And when 2 games are still missing (to be played today) for the end of Matchday 3, still no penalties and no VAR interventions in serie A.
That is incredible if we look back at Rocchi's management.
And how do Spanish referees stand in the UEFA hierarchy?
DeleteThe three Elite referees are getting closer to retirement.
I don't see Burgos as the next step up to the Elite level.
And finally, there is Alberola Rojas, who is gaining ground.
Let's see what the future holds.
I notice that Jablonski is highly regarded by UEFA. I’m not sure if there will be a shift in the hierarchy among the referees, but it’s been a great start to the season for him.
ReplyDeleteAs for Balakin, he hasn't refereed a single match in the Ukrainian league, yet he's being assigned to Champions League group-stage games!
Massa has the best match on paper, but given his performances in recent years, I predict he will face major difficulties in managing the game.
Eskås has the toughest match to handle.
Nice joke by Rossetti to appoint ukrainian referee for PSG, where russian GK Safonov is the first-choice goalkeeper... no comments
ReplyDeleteThat's a ridiculous argument, because there are Ukrainian players in the PSG squad.
DeleteOkay, let’s see their handshake on Wednesday
DeleteHas already been confirmed in turkey that meler will officiate psv shaktar. https://www.yenicaggazetesi.com/halil-umut-melere-sampiyonlar-ligi-gorevi-1068730h.htm
ReplyDeleteI wrote this 2 days ago, but my comment got deleted. 😁
DeleteReality check for the Italian referee Massa, Eskas and Nyberg with usual UCL games ( expected appointments)
ReplyDeleteAnd the German Jablonski with perfect match to prove his worth at the New Camp
Jablonski continues his upward trend. Really pleased for Minakovic who I have reviewed positively previously. Balakin with a good appointment. The Italian lottery of UCL referees continues and the duo of Eskas and Nyberg with expected appointments
ReplyDeleteCL debut for Eskas' assistant Rossland. Big appointment.
ReplyDeleteMichael Oliver will officiate Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
ReplyDelete4 games in 4 weekends for him in the PL so far. Not surprising though since the top English referees typically do more league games per season than referees from Spain/Italy etc.
DeleteJablonski: after the playoff match he refereed, big things are expected from his path. Barcelona - Feyenoord seems like a good starting point, one might have even predicted a higher profile match, but if he performs well, he will get it a big match in future.
ReplyDeleteBalakin: he is coming somewhat out of nowhere in terms of Champions League appearances, but he is given his opportunity with this home match for PSG. Let's see how the committee wants to handle the Ukrainian, in my view, they haven't prepared a proper development plan for him yet, and his appointments have been rather sporadic.
Massa: a big match in league phase for the Italian referee is always a good thing but it would be interesting to understand more about his real reputation. It's hard. My idea is that committee gives such games to him just because Italian Elite. Of course that's what many of you say, but I mean, they don't see him for something more on latter stages.
Eskås: it can be a very challenging game for him. Some people reporting that he has too many OFRs in his games, despite of showing rather quite good performances. That's true, and now I was just thinking, maybe this can be the argument for which he didn't get a reward on last season in the latter stages of CL? The best way to solve the hypotetical problem is to show a clean performance, but maybe that's not the game that can help in this regard. A real test, based on how both teams play, especially the Turkish side. This season the Norwegian should fight to get a final.
Nyberg: a nice one in Naples. The Swedish referee had a very good WC and now he can continue in this way. In past, his UEFA perfromances were rather good but very rarely excellent. It is about fine-tuning.
Minaković: a starting point, not a arrival point: let's see how things progress for the Serbian referee.
What is your referee prediction for the Champions League matches on Thursday?
DeleteAbout next week's Europa League assignments, apart from Šajn in Crete, that is the most important observation of the round, we have only one game without observer so far, and this should mean a very delayed appointment: Beşiktaş - Marseille. A more than hot clash is expected in Istanbul.
ReplyDeleteSanchez Martinez maybe?
DeleteIf I am not mistaken from past, this is a typical workflow for an Italian referee. Right?
Delete20th min. Barcelona - Feyenoord: can somebody explain me why that's not a penalty to FEY?
ReplyDeleteBecause Jablonski is neutral and not a Dutch fan. Rightly no penalty.
DeleteThanks for your clear and substantive response. It has nothing to do with any preference I might have for one side or the other!
DeleteI was genuinely wondering, because you can clearly see the Feyenoord player being hit.
Okay, there is contact, but for me, it’s not enough for a penalty.
DeleteDefender got the ball.
DeleteBoth teams are playing at a very high tempo. Jablonski seems to be struggling with this tempo, but so far, he is officiating the match well.
ReplyDeleteWow, very good performance by Minakovic in Stutgart! Fitness, good reading of game, correct disciplinary. Very succes for now.
ReplyDeleteEasy game so far. Only point of discussion was a possible handball by goalscorer in Stuttgart 3rd goal, but VAR ruled the ball didn't touch Demirović's arm.
DeleteAgree,but it also means that the initial decision to allow goal was correct :)
DeleteVery poor foul by Viking player in 58'. Unacceptable at this level.
ReplyDeleteThe opponent had a reaction but honestly one can even understand why Minakovic decided not to book him but only the player who made the foul (100% mandatory). The Serbian referee stopped a possible mass confrontation.
80' good decision to play on by Serbian referee, attempt to win a penalty, but here missing YC for simulation is a mistake for me.
ReplyDeleteFor me personally,it can be understandable why not issue it. And yes, excellent advantage decision.
DeleteA very,very good performance by Minakovic in Sttutgart. Where he stops in first, continue in second half. Excellent physical shape,fitness,movment,reading of the game, very good disciplinary. Trusted and accepted by all parts involved in game. The test is passed.
ReplyDeleteBro, some evil tongues would say that you are his brother, or brother of his assistant… By your words, the game was best ever played in 2026. years… :)))
DeleteFairly quiet start of the evening with Minaković and Jablonski who have passed their respective tests in not-so-difficult games.
ReplyDeleteEven Jablonski did really well, good communication and body language, full respect from players, consequently refusing to give PKs without real reason, and with good ARs being faultless about many offside situations. Good job as expected in a rather
ReplyDeleteeasy game.
I expected a more challenging game in Barcelona, maybe committee thought that as well, however the German is now ready for the next one.
ReplyDeleteObservers for UEFA Nations League
ReplyDeleteA1
ITABEL Hugh Dallas SCO
TURFRA René Temmink NED
BELFRA Konrad Plautz AUT
TURITA Peter Sippel GER
FRAITA Stávros Tritsónis GRE
BELTUR Vítor Manuel de Melo Pereira POR
FRABEL Jan Willem Wegereef NED
ITATUR Martin Hansson SWE
A2
NEDGER Domenico Messina ITA
SRBGRE Fredy Fautrel FRA
SRBNED Viktor Kassai HUN
GERGRE Tomasz Mikulski POL
GRENED Nuno Alexandre Parreira de Castro POR
GERSRB Chaim Ya'akov ISR
NEDSRB ?
GREGER Cüneyt Çakır TUR
A3
ENGESP Lucílio Cardoso Cortez Batista POR
CZECRO Luis Medina Cantalejo ESP
ESPCRO Markus Strömbergsson SWE
CZEENG Kýros Vassáras GRE
CROENG Vladimir Šajn SVN
ESPCZE Rune Pedersen NOR
CROESP Emil Božinovski MKD
ENGCZE João Francisco Lopes Ferreira POR
A4
PORWAL Gianluca Rocchi ITA
NORDEN Leslie Irvine NIR
DENWAL Michael Riley ENG
NORPOR Juan Antonio Fernández Marín ESP
WALNOR Sokol Jareci ALB
DENPOR Volodymyr Petrov UKR
PORNOR Iain Robertson Brines SCO
WALDEN Gediminas Mažeika LTU
B1
SVNSCO Kóstas Kapitanís CYP
MKDSUI Yevhen Aranovs'kyy UKR
SVNMKD Vlado Svilokos CRO
SCOSUI Mattias Gestranius FIN
SUISVN Robert Schörgenhofer AUT
MKDSCO Stefano Podeschi SMR
SUIMKD Peter Rasmussen DEN
SCOSVN Rien Koopman NED
B2
GEONIR Hannes Kaasik EST
HUNUKR Carlos Velasco Carballo ESP
GEOUKR Aleksandar Stavrev MKD
NIRHUN Alain Sars FRA
UKRNIR Howard Webb ENG
HUNGEO Karen Nalbandyan ARM
UKRHUN Alberto Undiano Mallenco ESP
NIRGEO Markus Nobs SUI
B3
AUTISR Draženko Kovačić CRO
KOSIRL William Young SCO
AUTKOS Marcin Szulc POL
ISRIRL ?
ISRKOS Chrístos Nikolaḯdis CYP
IRLAUT John Ferry NIR
KOSAUT Igor Pristovnik CRO
IRLISR Stephen Tanner ENG
B4
POLBIH Stefan Meßner AUT
SWEROU Marco Fritz GER
ROUBIH Alon Yefet ISR
SWEPOL Alain Hamer LUX
POLROU Dejan Filipović SRB
BIHSWE Bernardino González Vázquez ESP
ROUSWE Ichko Lozev BUL
BIHPOL Jon Eilif Skjervold NOR
C1
SMRFIN ?
ALBBLR Emil Božinovski MKD
FINBLR Gerard Perry IRL
SMRALB William Young SCO
FINALB Uno Tutk EST
BLRSMR Alan Mario Sant MLT
ALBSMR John Ward IRL
BLRFIN Mark Steven Whitby WAL
C2
ARMLVA Martin Ingvarsson SWE
MNECYP Giorgi Vadachkoria GEO
ARMMNE Petteri Kari FIN
LVACYP Michaíl Koukoulákis GRE
LVAMNE Marián Ružbarský SVK
CYPARM Levan Paniashvili GEO
CYPLVA Gylfi Þór Orrason ISL
MNEARM Vladimir Antonov MDA
C3
FROKAZ Karel Vidlák CZE
SVKMDA Barış Şimşek TUR
MDAFRO Aliaksiej Kuĺbakoŭ BLR
SVKKAZ Carlos Clos Gómez ESP
KAZMDA Babək Quliyev AZE
FROSVK Ante Vučemilović CRO
KAZFRO Igor Șațchi MDA
MDASVK Christopher Lautier MLT
C4
ISLEST Alfredo Trentalange ITA
BULLUX William Collum SCO
BULEST Frank De Bleeckere BEL
LUXISL Kevin Parry WAL
ISLBUL Albano Janku ALB
ESTLUX Besfort Kasumi KOS
LUXBUL Gevorg Hovhannisyan ARM
ESTISL Cyril Zimmermann SUI
D1
ANDMLT David Malcolm NIR
GIBAND Andreas Schluchter SUI
MLTGIB Lassin Isaksen FRO
MLTAND Shmuel Shteif ISR
D2
LIELTU Augustus Viorel Constantin ROU
LTUAZE Nenad Đokić SRB
AZELIE Radek Příhoda CZE
AZELTU Boško Jovanetić SRB
Nyberg with his typical approach to spare cards. Should have booked for SPA a few minutes ago.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a yellow card is mandatory, and as a result, i think the referee's decision stand.
Delete23” Clear Red card missed
ReplyDeleteSpo-Gal
Without excessive force, YC correct
DeleteBlatantly clearly endangers the safety of the opponent. Studs between the legs… full vision of the opponent. Zero reason to make that challenge.
Deletehttps://streamin.link/v/6eaeec5c
ReplyDeletePossible RC in Sporting - Galatasaray.
The intensity is in my opinion the key factor for Dingert assessment, but many people can disagree and it stays as controversial.
Very borderline. Both cards can be supported.
DeleteAt first sight, it appears to be a straight red card, as the high boot poses a danger to the opponent.
DeleteHowever, even when considering the bias of the Turkish fans, it is clear that the player does not see his opponent, does not make contact with his studs, and the opponent is neither injured nor unable to continue playing immediately after the foul.
Ultimately, while the challenge might warrant more than a yellow card, it does not strictly dictate a red card.
Eskas with wrong yellow card for Suarez in min 43. Sanchez with clear elbow should get yellow card not Suarez.
ReplyDeleteMassa not making many friends tonight. Very inconsistent
ReplyDeleteAlso Massa is having things what looks like under control,but at the same time struggling to be authoritative and crowd is not accepting him.
ReplyDeleteMaybe i'm the only one but i don't understand how they are applying the guideline for offside with audio alert now possible, from most of the games since yesterday i feel like ARs are waiting way too long to raise their flag, and i don't understand how they wait that much when the offside is most of the time really clear.
ReplyDeleteMassa losing control
ReplyDeleteA soft penalty by Espen.
ReplyDeleteIt is wrong. Attacker hit defender on the leg and fell.
DeleteNot even YC to Jakobs when Suarez had an open goal?!?!?!?
ReplyDeleteSPA with a dispute for the ball, a card is not necessary.
DeleteEmpty net ,100 % chance.
DeleteEspen Eskås completely lost control of the match..
ReplyDeleteSimeone blatantly waving a yellow card in Massa’s face, not a yellow that anymore?
ReplyDeleteNot with Massa anything from athletico passes
DeletePremier League referee's are told to give yellows for that but don't think they tell them to in UEFA.
DeleteI know that was about the player's super blatant dissent, but that could easily refer to both Simeone's tonight. Fifa levels of tolerance
DeleteSpo- GS 55' There is no PK.Goalkeeper didnt touch attacer, defender play the ball.İt is never tackle, it is never PK.İMO VAR have to intervene.
ReplyDeleteThe Sporting-Gala match is a perfect example of European referees' ill will toward Turkish teams. A red card not given in the first half, a laughable penalty awarded in the second... Once the team's guard is down, the referee can sit back and happily watch Sporting score more goals. We saw that same hostile attitude today in the UEFA Youth League match as well. I wish the "European Super League" idea would actually happen, so this theater UEFA keeps staging could finally come to an end.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteDont talk like a fanboy. This blog is for referees and referee fans.
DeleteCorrect comment. UEFA is mafia! Eskas and those like him are their instigators
DeleteCan anyone say how Nyberg is leaving Naples?
ReplyDeleteRegular performance.
DeleteAt first he tried to spare cards, then he had to start bookings.
All correct decision, an interesting one in 86' I think for an off-the-ball elbow, but it wasn't shown on replay. However, before that, in my opinion an attack by Arsenal, about to score 0-2, started after a foul that the Swediosh didn't whistle.
A correctly disallowed goal for offside by AR1 in the last minutes of the game.
Nothing particular to report.
I watched two replays of Lucca’s elbow on the Arsenal player. Obviously, the image in the first replay wasn't entirely conclusive. But the second one clearly showed a reckless action. In my view, Nyberg got the call right.
DeleteMassa’s two AR’s are taking the late flag to the extreme
ReplyDeleteEskas in trouble. Wrong YC in 44". At first I thought the penalty was soft, but after replay I think it is 100% wrong.
ReplyDeleteThis blog should be full of people analyzing and commenting on referee decisions professionally and respectfully, but team fans come here to spew grudges and hatred
ReplyDeleteI watched only one replay about Eskas penalty decision, in which the contact is not clear. However let's remember that in case of doubts, VAR must back referee, missing evidence can't allow VAR to change a decision. We will see in detail maybe with some clips to follow.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very challenging game on paper, and indeed it confirmed the expectations.
Espen Eskås previously couldn’t award a penalty without an On-Field Review in the matches he refereed. This time he made the penalty decision himself, but it was never a penalty… he had a very poor game.
ReplyDeleteEskas performed very poorly. In the first half, he failed to call a clear red card right under his nose. He didn’t consult VAR. He also lost his consistency when it came to yellow cards and fouls. The penalty call he made in the second half was very soft—there wasn’t even clear contact in that play. But I’m sure the referee will be back on the field next week!
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI watched the replays of the penalty incident in SPO-GAL meticulously and I have to admit awarding the penalty was a wrong decision for me. GK makes no contact with Suarez whatsoever and the Lisboa attacker stumbled because he himself hits the back of the leg of the other Turkish defender who then plays the ball. IIRC UEFA put a similar situation in their “Clear line” paragraph, requiring an intervention if penalty awarded (though I’m not entirely sure of that).
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteGK clearly made contact exactly after the attacker accidentally collided with the defender’s leg. Play on.
DeleteGood performance from Eskås, all decisions were justified except for YC at 43.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I don't see Eskas as 100% ready for a high-pressure match of greater magnitude.
ReplyDeleteHe could struggle in more hostile environments, such as Atlético Madrid's stadium or even Anfield. He fell well short in this opening-stage debut.
Very poor performance by Eskas. After Batrakovs foul he completely lost control of match. Davinson hits Suarez with hand but Suarez taken the YC. IMO PK is %100 wrong Jakobs had the control of the ball, Suarez hits the Jakobs leg but he awarded penalty to SPO. Ridiculous game management by him.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThis is a blog where referees share their opinions. Unfortunately, some incorrigible individuals with no knowledge of the rules mistake it for cheap tabloid journalism.
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DeleteUnfortunately, there has been a noticeable drop in the quality of the comments recently, I have to admit. During WC it was better. But the reason is simple: many people write as team supporters rather than referees, which is a pity. Let's hope there can be an improvement. The refereeing perspective remains extremely complex to approach. If we are having these issues even on this blog, which should theoretically be free of team-specific fans since it is a vwery particular space, it means that teaching absolute impartiality is today an extremely challenging task difficult. But unfortunately, these words reveal nothing new.
DeleteI always try to keep moving forward; these outbursts almost always come in waves, then disappear. Those who are truly interested are perhaps silent, but read with pleasure the blog.
Totally agree with both of you (Hans1 and Chefren). Team fans or referees fans or referees haters (almost) prevail here in last time. "Bravo Sandro!" - what was this about for example? (And in couple of minutes an OFR was needed.)
DeleteDon't take me wrong: I prefer positive evaluation of referees and assistant referees, highlighting their correct decisions, good management, good disciplinary control and/or physical condition. But both: praise and/or criticism should be done matter of factly, not with emotions of a running match.
Tobias Stieler leaves the FIFA list at the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteAlso ARs Christian Gittelmann and Lasse Koslowski and female referee Karoline Wacker won't stay on the list.
Expected (but not confirmed) successors are Florian Exner as referee and Nikolai Kimmeyer and Eric Müller as assistants, the latter two already being part of the new international trios of Zwayer and Jablonski.
Interesting that Zwayer has changed one of his AR's. Wasn't long ago he got 2 new ones because of his Euro 2024 pair leaving the FIFA list.
DeleteOr it could be that one of his AR's from last season is injured.
DeleteThat is not the case. Dietz (Zwayer’s regular assistant for the past two years) and Kimmeyer (Exner’s regular assistant for the past two years) have swapped sides. Kimmeyer is now working with Zwayer and Dietz with Exner. Apart from personal reasons, the move is not entirely clear. Exner and Kimmeyer will probably both be added to the FIFA list, as Philipp has already written. Exner is presumably set to be developed with an experienced assistant like Dietz, as he is well supported in Germany too, despite some inconsistent performances. Perhaps it’s also a subtle hint to Zwayer that things aren’t going too well on the international stage anymore. Nevertheless, I don’t quite understand the reasoning behind the change. In my view, they could easily have left the existing pairings as they were.
DeleteThanks for the info. I looked earlier and saw that Dietz hadn't done a Bundesliga game so far so guessed he could be injured but I see now he's done Bundesliga2 games and is doing a Bundesliga game this weekend.
DeleteYes, that‘s correct, in between the two Bundesliga2 games, Exner was in Japan for three weeks. That‘s why Dietz wasn‘t appointed to a Bundesliga game the first two matchdays.
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