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Referee Bennett could return after “unofficial suspension”

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Daniel Bennett’s unofficial suspension from refereeing international matches could be at an end now that disgraced Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi has effectively been kicked out of the game. It was the Ghana FA boss‚ who was also a Confederation of African Football vice president‚ who insisted Bennett no longer be allowed to handle any games on the continent after his controversial handling of Ghana’s key World Cup qualifier against Uganda last year. The South African referee did have a stinker‚ disallowing a legitimate-looking last-gasp Ghanaian goal which would have kept alive slim hopes of toppling Egypt from first place in the group and going to the finals in Russia instead. The game in Kampala ended goalless - and with it went the Black Stars’ last hope of a fourth successive World Cup finals appearance. 
Ghana protested to FIFA about the incident and Nyantakyi make sure that Bennett was suspended from any other matches on the continent. “Mr Bennett and [his] assistants denied Ghana a perfect goal in the 93rd minute with television replays showing that it was a perfect goal‚" the Ghana Football Association wrote it is protest to world football’s governing body. He has not blown his whistle outside of South Africa’s borders since‚ having been pulled‚ just days later‚ from the African Champions League semi-final tie between Al Ahly and Etoile Sahel. Victor Gomes replaced him. But with Nyantakyi caught in a video sting accepting bribes earlier this year and facing a lifetime ban‚ the way is now clear for Bennett to be re-appointed. SAFA officials are said to be lobbying on his behalf to get him back on the CAF panel. Nyantakyi‚ a member of FIFA's decision-making council‚ has been provisionally suspended for 90 days and resigned from all his posts in the game after being shown in a documentary taking kickbacks. Nyantakyi‚ who had been GFA president since 2005 and was elected to the FIFA council in 2016‚ was filmed in a hotel room appearing to take a US$65‚000 bribe from a supposed businessman seeking to sponsor the Ghanaian football league. The incident led to Ghana’s FA being dissolved. A new committee will be discussed by CAF president Ahmad and Ghana government officials at a meeting in Madagascar next week. 

Source: TimesLive

Collina succeeded by Rosetti as UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer

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UEFA has announced that Roberto Rosetti is to replace Pierluigi Collina as its Chief Refereeing Officer, after Collina announced his decision to step down for personal reasons at the UEFA summer refereeing course in Nyon today. 
Pierluigi Collina, 58, was appointed as UEFA’s first ever Chief Refereeing Officer in 2010, following his retirement as a referee in 2005. In that time, he has achieved major advances in the professional handling of referees and overseen, among other important features, the establishment of the Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE). During his tenure, UEFA has created 360 degree monitoring and development programmes for officials to improve their technical, fitness and nutrition standards and ensure that tactical elements and knowledge of teams became part of the referees’ preparation for every match. 
In accepting his resignation, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: “Pierluigi brought the same vision, understanding and flair to his role at UEFA that he demonstrated in the matches he refereed. I wish to thank him for his commitment during these years and for what he has brought to European football as Chief Refereeing Officer.” 
Pierluigi Collina said: “It has been a privilege to work as UEFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer during the last 8 years. I am very proud of the results achieved together with my fellow Refereeing Officers and the UEFA Referees’ Committee. I wish to thank UEFA for the strong support given to refereeing in these years and also all the match officials for their full commitment.”
Roberto Rosetti, 50, was an international referee from 2002 up to his retirement in 2010. The highlight of his career came during UEFA EURO 2008, where he refereed the opening match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic, as well as the final which saw Spain win the tournament against Germany. In 2008 he was awarded the honour of being named the World’s Best Referee by the International Federation of Football, History and Statistics. Rosetti was responsible for implementing Video Assistant Referees at the recent World Cup in Russia, having previously spent two years as the country’s head of refereeing. In accepting the post of Chief Refereeing Officer, Rosetti will also assume the position of the Chairman of the Referees Committee. 
Announcing his appointment, Aleksander Čeferin said: “Roberto was the natural choice for the job. His experience, knowledge and standing in the game are outstanding and I know he will chair the Committee with passion and enthusiasm.” 
Roberto Rosetti said: “It is a great honour to accept this job. UEFA has led the way in referee development in recent years and I am looking forward to the challenge of continuing and enhancing that progress, alongside the President, my fellow Refereeing Officers, the Committee and the rest of the organisation.” 

Source: UEFA

UEFA Super Cup 2018: Marciniak (POL)

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Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has been appointed to take charge of the 2018 UEFA Super Cup match between Real Madrid CF and Club Atlético de Madrid, which will be played at the Lilleküla Stadium in Tallinn, Estonia on 15 August, kicking-off at 21.00CET (22.00 local time). The 37-year-old from Płock will be accompanied by five compatriots: assistant referees Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz, additional assistant referees Pawel Raczkowski and Tomasz Musiał, and reserve official Radoslaw Siejka. Romania's Ovidiu Hategan will act as the fourth official.
An international referee since 2011, Marciniak has taken charge of 58 UEFA matches. He officiated four UEFA Champions League matches in the 2017/18 season, including the round of 16 second leg encounter between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Juventus. Last season, he was named as the fourth official for the UEFA Europa League final in Lyon, which saw Atlético de Madrid defeat Olympique de Marseille. He was also the fourth official for the 2016 UEFA Super Cup in Trondheim, where Real Madrid overcame Sevilla FC. (Source: UEFA)


15 August 2018
Real Madrid – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Additional AR 1: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Additional AR 2: Tomasz Musiał (POL)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
Reserve AR: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup – Group Stage (Matches 1-8)

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5 August 2018
Mexico – Brazil
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Belinda Pierre (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Kung (SUI)
Fourth Official: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL)

Korea DPR – England
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)
Fourth Official: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL)

New Zealand – Netherlands
Referee: Jana Adamkova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER)

France – Ghana
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sian Massesy (ENG)
Fourth Official: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER)

6 August 2018
Nigeria – Germany
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Salamasina (SAM)
Fourth Official: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)

Haiti – China
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU)
Fourth Official: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)

Paraguay – Spain
Referee: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Cui Yongmei (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Hong Kum Nyo (PRK)
Fourth Official: Qin Liang (CHN)

USA – Japan
Referee: Gladys Lengew (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Lidwine Rakotozafinoro (MAD)
Assistant Referee 2: Queency Victoire (MRI)
Fourth Official: Lidya Abebe (ETH)

CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores – Round of 16 (First Leg)

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7-9 August 2018

Estudiantes – Gremio
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Fourth Official: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Boca Juniors – Libertad
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson de Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Fourth Official: Rodolpho Toski (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)

Colo Colo – Corinthians
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexander Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
Referee Assessor: Rodolfo Otero (ARG)

Flamengo – Cruzeiro
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Espinoza (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Francisco Mondria (CHI)

Racing – River Plate
Referee: Anderson Daronco (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Fourth Official: Luiz Oliveira (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Torres (PAR)

Cerro Porteño – Palmeiras
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Fourth Official: German Delfino (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Martin Vazquez (URU)

Atlético Tucuman – Atlético Nacional
Referee: Eber Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldívar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)

Independiente – Santos
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Raez (PER)
Fourth Official: Miguel Santivañez (PER)
Referee Assessor: Dario Ubriaco (URU)

UEFA Champions League – Third Qualifying Round (First Leg)

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7-8 August 2018

Standard de Liege – AFC Ajax
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
Referee Observer: Luciano Luci (ITA)

FC Astana – GNK Dinamo
Referee: John Beaton (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alastair Mather (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Sean Carr (SCO)
Fourth Official: Steven McLean (SCO)
Referee Observer: Vladimír Medved (SVK)

Qarabağ FK – Bate Borisov
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

Malmö FF – MOL Vidi
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Fourth Official: Dejan Balažič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Zbigniew Przesmycki (POL)

Slavia Praha – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Betts (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Fourth Official: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev (BUL)

Crvena Zvezda – Spartak Trnava
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Abrahám Álvarez Cantón (ESP)
Fourth Official: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

Benfica – Fenerbahçe
Referee: Aleksei Kuĺbakou (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitrj Žuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Alieh Maslianka (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dzianis Ščarbakoŭ (BLR)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP)

Red Bull Salzburg – KF Shkëndija
Referee: Aliyar Ağayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Rza Mammadov (AZE)
Fourth Official: Orxan Mammadov (AZE)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

PAOK FC – Spartak Moskva
Referee: Orel Grinfeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Fourth Official: Alon Yefet (ISR)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Celtic – AEK Athens
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Filippo Valeriani (ITA)
Fourth Official: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Rodger Gifford (WAL)

UEFA Europa League – Third Qualifying Round (First Leg)

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7-9 August 2018

İstanbul Başakşehir – Burnley FC
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Ilija Brdar (SRB)
Referee Observer: Vítor Melo Pereira (POR)

FC Pyunik – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Davie Goossens (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
Fourth Official: Edwin van de Graaf (NED)
Referee Observer: Geórgios Bíkas (GRE)

FC Ufa – Progrès Niederkorn
Referee: Stephan Klossner (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean-Yves Wicht (SUI)
Fourth Official: Urs Schnyder (SUI)
Referee Observer: Vadims Direktorenko (LVA)

Hapoel Haifa – Atalanta BC
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

Alashkert FC – CFR Cluj
Referee: Serhiy Boyko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Viktor Matyash (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
Fourth Official: Mykola Balakin (UKR)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Vitković (CRO)

Spartaks Jūrmala – FK Sūduva
Referee: Thorvaldur Árnason (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Gunnar Gudmundsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Thóroddur Hjaltalín (ISL)
Referee Observer: Karel Bohuněk (CZE)

RB Leipzig – U Craiova
Referee: Paweł Gil (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Konrad Sapela (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

Dinamo Minsk – FC Zenit
Referee: Anastásios Papapétrou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Trýfon Petrópoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Vasílios Kamboúris (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ángelos Evángelou (GRE)
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

Sturm Graz – AEK Larnaca
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Magnusson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Fredrik Klyver (SWE)
Fourth Official: Magnus Lindgren (SWE)
Referee Observer: Emil Božinovski (MKD)

Sigma Olomouc – Kairat Almaty
Referee: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Liberti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Gianpaolo Calvarese (ITA)
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)

Mariupol – Girondins de Bordeaux
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Marin Vidulin (CRO)
Referee Observer: David Malcolm (NIR)

AS Trenčín – Feyenoord
Referee: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Markus Gutschi (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Staudinger (AUT)
Fourth Official: Walter Altmann (AUT)
Referee Observer: Alieh Čykun (BLR)

Apollon Limassol – Dinamo Brest
Referee: Carlos Xistra (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Nuno Pereira (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Álvaro Mesquita (POR)
Fourth Official: João Capela (POR)
Referee Observer: Vasyl Melnychuk (UKR)

PFC Ludogorets – HŠK Zrinjski
Referee: Vitaliy Meshkov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averyanov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Abusuyev (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergey Lapochkin (RUS)
Referee Observer: Drago Kos (SVN)

Sheriff Tiraspol – Valur Reykjavík
Referee: Arnold Hunter (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Storey (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: David Anderson (NIR)
Fourth Official: Tim Marshall (NIR)
Referee Observer: Marco Borg (MLT)

Hapoel Beer Sheva – Apoel FC
Referee: Aleksey Eskov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitriy Mosyakin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitriy Safyan (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Moskalev (RUS)
Referee Observer: Ján Fašung (SVK)

Torpedo Kutaisi – FK Kukësi
Referee: Alan Sant (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Edward Spiteri (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Vella (MLT)
Fourth Official: Matthew De Gabriele (MLT)
Referee Observer: Aleksey Spirin (RUS)

Jagiellonia Białystok – KAA Gent
Referee: Ali Palabıyık (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kerem Ersoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Serkan Olguncan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Koray Gençerler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

Nordsjaelland – Partizan
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Teodoro Sobrino Magán (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: José Naranjo Pérez (ESP)
Fourth Official: José Munuera Montero (ESP)
Referee Observer: António Almeida (POR)

CSKA Sofia – FC København
Referee: Bart Vertenten (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega (ESP)

KRC Genk – Lech Poznań
Referee: Marius Avram (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Orbuleț (ROU)
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic (ROU)
Referee Observer: Zoran Petrović (SRB)

Vitesse – Basel
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Nikola Popov (BUL)
Referee Observer: László Vágner (HUN)

Olympiakos – Luzern
Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Thomas Léonard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel (GER)

Beşiktaş JK – LASK Linz
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Winkler (POL)
Fourth Official: Zbigniew Dobrynin (POL)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Olimpija Ljubljana – HJK Helsinki
Referee: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Haquette (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephan Luzi (FRA)
Fourth Official: Éric Wattellier (FRA)
Referee Observer: Robert Małek (POL)

Zorya Luhansk – SC Braga
Referee: Tobias Welz (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Thomsen (GER)
Fourth Official: Sören Storks (GER)
Referee Observer: Edward Foley (IRL)

Sarpsborg – Rijeka
Referee: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Hibernian – Molde
Referee: Ádám Farkas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Péter Kóbor (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Balázs Szert (HUN)
Fourth Official: Ferenc Karakó (HUN)
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI)

Hajduk Split – FCSB
Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Luís Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Almeida (POR)
Fourth Official: Hugo Miguel (POR)
Referee Observer: Nikolay Ivanov (RUS)

Rangers – Maribor
Referee: Roy Reinshreiber (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Danny Krasikow (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: David Biton (ISR)
Fourth Official: Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Spartak Subotica – Brøndby IF
Referee: Kevin Blom (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rob van de Ven (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Charles Schaap (NED)
Fourth Official: Siemen Mulder (NED)
Referee Observer: Gaetano De Gabriele (MLT)

Cork City – Rosenborg
Referee: Petr Ardeleánu (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomáš Mokrusch (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Hrabovský (CZE)
Fourth Official: Karel Hrubeš (CZE)
Referee Observer: Ioánnis Tsachilídis (GRE)

The New Saints – FC Midtjylland
Referee: Peter Královič (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Miroslav Benko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Erik Weiss (SVK)
Fourth Official: Boris Marhefka (SVK)
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer (GER)

Legia Warszawa – Dudelange
Referee: Halis Özkahya (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekrem Kan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Hakan Yemişken (TUR)
Fourth Official: Alper Ulusoy (TUR)
Referee Observer: Jari Maisonlahti (FIN)

Slovan Bratislava – Rapid Wien

Referee: Paweł Raczkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Michał Obukowicz (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Radosław Siejka (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Musiał (POL)
Referee Observer: Jens Larsen (DEN)

Sevilla FC – Žalgiris Vilnius
Referee: Bojan Pandzic (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Magnus Sjöblom (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikael Hallin (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kaspar Sjöberg (SWE)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

UEFA referees encouraged to set high standards

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Europe's leading male and female referees are primed for the new UEFA club and national-team competition season, and have been given a crystal clear instruction by UEFA to take into the campaign – "We expect nothing but the best". Ninety-four referees from UEFA's elite and first categories – 73 male and 21 female officials – came to Nyon for the annual UEFA summer gathering. Over the three days, a review took place of last season's club competition knockout phase, and UEFA Referees Committee members were on hand to give the officials crucial guidance and advice for the months to come. The referees – now considered athletes in their own right in the modern high-pace top-level game – also underwent stringent fitness testing.
"Our message to the referees is that we won't settle for anything less than the best," said UEFA deputy chief refereeing officer Hugh Dallas (photo). "We have always prided ourselves on high-quality performances as far as European refereeing is concerned. We accept that referees make mistakes – just like players and coaches, they are human," he added, "But our job as referee coaches is to teach our referees to keep these errors to a minimum, and to ensure that they have little or no impact on the final outcome of matches. Honest and open dialogue is a feature of our discussions with the referees – they are committed to reaching the highest standards, and our role is to prepare them and help them maintain the high standards previously set." Dallas reflected that a major source of motivation for Europe's referees in the coming season should be the clear development of refereeing in other continental confederations, as witnessed in the recent FIFA World Cup in Russia. "I think we've witnessed over the years that European referees have always taken the lead on the world stage," he said. "But now we are clearly seeing that the quality of refereeing elsewhere in the world is continuing to rise. Other confederations have learned from UEFA and have followed our educational programmes – new benchmarks are being set, and it's now up to our referees to keep themselves at the top of the pile." The referees have also been reminded of their duty to protect both the players and football’s image. "One of the tasks of the referee is to guide, manage and keep all 22 players on the field of play," said Dallas. "That is where their man-management skills come into play – talking to players, establishing relationships and trying to make players understand the referee's role. We don't want it to be a case of ‘them and us’, as our aim is to work together with the players and help deliver a successful product. In addition, they need to protect players from serious injury on the field," he continued. "We don't want to see players only in the early part of our competitions – we want to see them throughout the length of the competitions. The referees have also been reminded to take strong action to protect the image of our game, and deal appropriately with players who are guilty of mobbing/protesting against their decision-making”.

Source: UEFA

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup – Group Stage (Matches 9-12)

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8 August 2018

Brazil – England
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Yudilia Briones (MEX)
Fourth Official: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)

Netherlands – Ghana
Referee: Ri Hyang Ok (PRK)
Assistant Referee 1: Hong Kum Nyo (PRK)
Assistant Referee 2: Kim Young Min (KOR)
Fourth Official: Qin Liang (CHN)

Korea DPR – Mexico
Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Luciana Mascarana (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Tatiane Sacilotti (BRA)
Fourth Official: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)

France – New Zealand
Referee: Lidya Abebe (ETH)
Assistant Referee 1: Mary Njoroge (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bernadettar Kwimbira (MWI)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)

Swedish AR Klyver hit in the head by object thrown from stands

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Sturm Graz have hit out at the fan that left an assistant referee needing stitches after he was hit with a missile thrown from the stands. The Austrian outfit had been playing Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the Europa League when the match was stopped with Swedish assistant referee Fredrik Klyver on the ground.
In a statement on their website, Sturm Graz said: "This behaviour of a fan in today's UEFA Europa League game is by no means acceptable. This damages the reputation of football and us as a club. "We always try to see football as a positive celebration and to tackle these things. Fair play is our top priority. We are sorry that today we have disappointed many football fans."
Stefan Johannesson, head of the Swedish FA, revealed to the Swedish press that Klyver was taken to hospital and needed stitches. He told Aftonbladet that he found it "very strange" the match was not abandoned and continued to the final whistle. Johannesson said: "It is UEFA who decides, but personally, I do not understand why they make such a decision. Had this happened in Sweden, we would have abandoned the match."
Sturm Graz, who finished second in the Austrian Bundesliga last season, also stated that the culprit had been caught.

Source: The Sun

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup – Group Stage (Matches 17-24)

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12 August 2018
Brazil – Korea DPR
Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Fourth Official: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)

England – Mexico
Referee: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Uvena Fernandes (IND)
Assistant Referee 2: Hong Kum Nyo (PRK)
Fourth Official: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)

Ghana – New Zealand
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Tatiane Sacilotti (BRA)
Fourth Official: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)

Netherlands – France
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Belinda Pierre (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Kung (SUI)
Fourth Official: Gladys Lengwe (ZAM)

13 August 2018
Spain – USA
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Lata Kaumatule (TGA)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Salamasina (SAM)
Fourth Official: Jana Adamkova (CZE)

Japan – Paraguay
Referee: Gladys Lengwe (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Lidwine Rakotozafinoro (MAD)
Assistant Referee 2: Bernadettar Kwimbira (MWI)
Fourth Official: Qin Liang (CHN)

China – Nigeria
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)
Fourth Official: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)

Germany – Haiti
Referee: Lidya Abebe (ETH)
Assistant Referee 1: Mary Njoroge (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Queency Victoire (MRI)
Fourth Official: Ri Hyang Ok (PRK)

UEFA Champions League – Third Qualifying Round (Second Leg)

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14-15 August 2018

Fenerbahçe – Benfica
Referee: Slavko Vinčič (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Roberto Ponis (SVN)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Dynamo Kyiv – Slavia Praha
Referee: Daniel Stefański (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dawid Golis (POL)
Fourth Official: Zbigniew Dobrynin (POL)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Bate Borisov – Qarabağ
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Spartak Moskva – PAOK
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Julien Pacelli (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jérôme Miguelgorry (FRA)
Referee Observer: Oğuz Sarvan (TUR)

AEK Athens – Celtic
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Valeri Danchenko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergey Ivanov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)

GNK Dinamo – FC Astana
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytautas Šimkus (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Jurij Paškovskij (LTU)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

MOL Vidi – Malmö FF
Referee: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Javier Aguilar Rodríguez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magán (ESP)
Fourth Official: Javier Alberola Rojas (ESP)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

KF Shkëndija – Red Bull Salzburg
Referee: Tamás Bognár (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balázs Buzás (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Theodoros Georgiou (HUN)
Fourth Official: Péter Solymosi (HUN)
Referee Observer: Alan Freeland (SCO)

Spartak Trnava – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Davie Goossens (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

AFC Ajax – Standard de Liège
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomáš Somoláni (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Fourth Official: Filip Glova (SVK)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

UEFA Europa League – Third Qualifying Round (Second Leg)

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16 August 2018

Dinamo Brest – Apollon Limassol
Referee: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Nilsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Patrik Eriksson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Petteri Kari (FIN)

Basel – Vitesse
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Lasse Koslowski (GER)
Fourth Official: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Kairat Almaty – Sigma Olomouc
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sladan Josipovic (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Fedayi San (SUI)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

AEK Larnaca – Sturm Graz
Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Goran Mihajlević (MNE)

HJK Helsinki – Olimpija Ljubljana
Referee: Yevheniy Aranovskyy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Serhiy Bekker (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleh Pluzhnyk (UKR)
Fourth Official: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
Referee Observer: Ingi Jónsson (ISL)

FC København – CSKA Sofia
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekrem Kan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: İbrahim Uyarcan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

U Craiova – RB Leipzig
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ondřej Pelikán (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Paták (CZE)
Fourth Official: Emanuel Marek (CZE)
Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

FC Zenit – Dinamo Minsk
Referee: Sébastien Delferière (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jo De Weirdt (BEL)
Fourth Official: Wim Smet (BEL)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Molde – Hibernian
Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)
Fourth Official: Martin van den Kerkhof (NED)
Referee Observer: Nicolae Grigorescu (ROU)

Žalgiris Vilnius – Sevilla FC
Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ridiger Çokaj (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Rejdi Avdo (ALB)
Fourth Official: Andi Koçi (ALB)
Referee Observer: Michális Argyroú (CYP)

Progrès Niederkorn – FC Ufa
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Dieter Muckenhammer (AUT)
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi (SMR)

CFR Cluj – Alashkert FC
Referee: Vilhjálmur Thórarinsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Gylfi Sigurdsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Ívar Kristjánsson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vázquez (ESP)

FK Sūduva – Spartaks Jūrmala
Referee: Ola Hobber Nilsen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tom Harald Grønevik (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Geir Oskar Isaksen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Kai Erik Steen (NOR)
Referee Observer: Pavel Saliy (KAZ)

FC Midtjylland – The New Saints
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Amer Macić (BIH)
Fourth Official: Admir Šehović (BIH)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

Apoel – Hapoel Beer Sheva
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović (SRB)

FK Kukësi – Torpedo Kutaisi
Referee: Alain Bieri (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Alain Heiniger (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthias Sbrissa (SUI)
Fourth Official: Pascal Erlachner (SUI)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

Maccabi Tel Aviv – FC Pyunik
Referee: Ville Nevalainen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ville Koskiniemi (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mika Lamppu (FIN)
Fourth Official: Petri Viljanen (FIN)
Referee Observer: Michális Koukoulákis (GRE)

Luzern – Olympiakós
Referee: Kirill Levnikov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksey Vorontsov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Aram Petrosyan (RUS)
Fourth Official: Roman Galimov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Jørn West Larsen (DEN)

LASK Linz – Beşiktaş JK
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Jovica Tatar (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandar Đikanović (MNE)
Fourth Official: Vojin Vojinović (MNE)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Atalanta BC – Hapoel Haifa
Referee: Frank Schneider (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertrand Jouannaud (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Djemel Zitouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Johan Hamel (FRA)
Referee Observer: Erol Ersoy (TUR)

Brøndby IF – Spartak Subotica
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kemal Yılmaz (TUR)
Fourth Official: Ümit Öztürk (TUR)
Referee Observer: Paulius Malžinskas (LTU)

HŠK Zrinjski – PFC Ludogorets
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rob van de Ven (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries (NED)
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout (NED)
Referee Observer: Gerard Perry (IRL)

F91 Dudelange – Legia Warszawa
Referee: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Venev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Fourth Official: Volen Chinkov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Lassin Isaksen (FRO)

Lech Poznań – KRC Genk
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Vivenzi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Piero Giacomelli (ITA)
Referee Observer: Muharrem Aksoy (TUR)

NK Maribor – Rangers FC
Referee: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Godelaine (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Florian Lemaire (BEL)
Fourth Official: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

Partizan – Nordsjaelland
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Silver Kõiv (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Aron Härsing (EST)
Fourth Official: Juri Frischer (EST)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

FCSB – Hajduk Split
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: César Noval Font (ESP)
Fourth Official: Mario Melero López (ESP)
Referee Observer: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)

Rapid Wien – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Vuoto (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Referee Observer: Draženko Kovačić (CRO)

Feyenoord – Trenčín
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Henrik Larsen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sørensen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jens Grabski Maae (DEN)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

KAA Gent – Jagiellonia Białystok
Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Pickel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: René Rohde (GER)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Cortus (GER)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

HNK Rijeka – Sarpsborg FF
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radiuš (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytis Snarskis (LTU)
Fourth Official: Robertas Valikonis (LTU)
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytiä (FIN)

Burnley FC – İstanbul Başakşehir
Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marius Avram (ROU)
Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

Girondins de Bordeaux – FC Mariupol
Referee: Andrew Dallas (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Stokoe (SCO)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Walsh (SCO)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Rosenborg – Cork City
Referee: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Fourth Official: Michael Tykgaard (DEN)
Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís (CYP)

Valur Reykjavík – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Marco Fritz (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen (GER)
Referee Observer: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

SC Braga – Zorya Luhansk
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Goce Petreski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dejan Jakimovski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Thór Orrason (ISL)

Marciniak counts down the days to the Super Cup

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Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup referee Szymon Marciniak admits that he wasn't the official's best friend when he was a player – and the Pole says a red card he received one day actually put him on the path to his current career. As a combative midfielder for Polish top-flight outfit Wisła Płock, Szymon Marciniak did not have the greatest respect for referees by his own admission – but a red card dealt out to him one day was to change his life and set him off on the route to the European and world refereeing elite.
"I wasn't the easiest player by any means," says the 37-year-old Polish match official, who is preparing for his latest major assignment – the UEFA Super Cup encounter between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid in Tallinn. "I was ambitious, I wanted to win, and I used to make referees' lives very difficult. I complained all the time. But then in one match, the referee sent me off. I didn't agree with his decision, of course, and I let him know exactly what I thought. After the game, I told him that he was one of the worst referees that I had ever seen. He replied: 'If you think it's so easy, you try and do it.' So I did." He enrolled on a refereeing course – and the rest is history. Marciniak and the referee went on to become great friends and colleagues. "We used to joke about how I was as a player, and when I became an international referee, he accompanied me as a fourth official at an Under-21 qualifying match. And I always told him that he had taken the right decision when he sent me off! It's a lovely story." Since then, Marciniak has gone on to referee at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2016, as well as in major European club matches. Last season, he was named as the fourth official for the UEFA Europa League final in Lyon, in which Atlético defeated Marseille. He was also the fourth official for the 2016 UEFA Super Cup in Trondheim, where Real Madrid overcame Sevilla. In 2015, he officiated at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final between Sweden and Portugal. Marciniak believes his experience as a player help him to manage players on the pitch. "Man-management is one of the most vital aspects of refereeing," he says. "It's important that you're able to establish a relationship with players. So if you've played, then you have an understanding of how players react to situations." Marciniak is grateful to UEFA for the training he received in graduating from the UEFA Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) programme in 2011 – the same year that he became an international referee. "I met some great people, and they taught me so much," he says of his time being primed for his future career. "I gained considerable knowledge that I've been able to put into practice along the way."
Five compatriots from Poland will join Marciniak for the Super Cup outing in Tallinn - assistant referees Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz, additional assistant referees Paweł Raczkowski and Tomasz Musiał, and reserve official Radosław Siejka. Romania's Ovidiu Haţegan will serve as the fourth official. Marciniak says that the pre-match rituals will be no different to any other game. "We'll have some music in the dressing-room – it especially helps to keep me calm – and we'll be ready, focused and concentrated. We'll also prepare for the match by studying the teams' tactics, as well as the players and their characteristics – it's become so important to know has much as you can about teams before you go out on the field." Marciniak is determined to keep his feet on the ground and savour every moment of his career. "I try and stay the same person – you have to be yourself," he reflects. "To be given the chance to take charge of matches like the Super Cup is a reward for the hard work and sacrifices that you make to reach this level. I'm very proud." And what of the future? "I take things one at a time," he explains. "You can't look too far ahead. I'm at a good refereeing age and I've now got a lot of experience which I hope will stand me in good stead in the years to come. As someone once told me: 'When you've reached a high level, the difficult part comes in staying there.' Now I'm counting down the days to the Super Cup – and after that, you then start thinking about the next match."

Source: UEFA

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2018 – Quarter-finals

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16 August 2018

Spain – Nigeria
Referee: Qin Liang (CHN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Cui Yongmei (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Fang Yan (CHN)
Fourth Official: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Reserve AR: Uvena Fernandes (IND)

France – Korea DPR
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Reserve AR: Katrin Rafalski (GER)

Collina: "No more football without VAR. Leaving UEFA? My personal decision"

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The World Cup final in Moscow was exactly a month ago, when Argentine Nestor Pitana refereed the match between France and Croatia. A month passed, but not without some rumours because, after the refereeing success of the Russian tournament and, above all, the introduction of VAR, Pierluigi Collina decided to leave UEFA, remaining only at the command of the FIFA Referees Committee. Not an easy choice and who knows whether it was linked to the UEFA decision not to use VAR or even to the Real Madrid – Juventus match in the Champions League, when Andrea Agnelli asked for his resignation on live TV. After the UEFA press release from Nyon, in which "personal reasons" were invoked, Collina also received several messages from those who feared there was something else behind this decision: "I am fine, it was simply my choice because the time for change has arrived".
- It cannot be denied that the refereeing at the 2018 World Cup, including VAR, was a success. Did you, Busacca and Boban anticipate that?
- It is nice to hear that from neutral observers and football fans. After Euro 2016 it was said that the moral winner had been the refereeing team, the same happened after Russia 2018. Not a random result, because nothing at this level is just a coincidence. The process started four years ago, immediately after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with the first selection of candidates and then with a long series of seminars, where each detail was treated with the utmost care.
- Could you give us some examples?
- For example, we organized a friendly tournament at the beginning of June in Moscow, so referees do not lose the form between the end of their championships and the start of the World Cup. This had never been done before. When I was still an active referee, I asked for officiating games in Serie B to keep my form. Then I want also to mention the confirmation of the importance of our match-analysts, experts who have studied teams and players to offer technical and tactical input to referees.
- How do you identify the best referees from all the continents?
- Knowing that nowadays there are digital platforms that allow you to see and study everything, when Infantino wanted me to join FIFA, I suggested, first of all, that it should not be political members in the referees committee but only technicians, former referees and in particular refereeing heads of the six confederations. In a short time we will start again the road to Qatar 2022, when many of the 2018 World Cup referees will be out from selection due to age reasons.
- Where could you find good referees for the future? 
- Not only in Europe or South America. Other continents are developing as well. For example, Iranian Faghani has made a World Cup at very high level and also the Senegalese Diedhiou was among the best referees.
- Can we say that you worked as a "group" in Russia, along with Busacca, Rosetti and Boban?
- Boban did not have a direct involvement, but as FIFA Deputy Secretary, we wanted him to stay with us, deciding from the first day to stay in our hotel. This pleased me because the refereeing team is one of the best "national teams" for FIFA. He stayed with us, without interfering in our choices, but at the same time never lacking support, helping us when we asked for something for referees.
- You, Busacca and Rosetti are colleagues.
- We shared our daily work with Massimo, starting from 10 km of running in the morning to stay in shape and then the management and the assignments, always in agreement. Together we worked very well. I chose Rosetti as VAR expert for this World Cup. If UEFA would have not appointed him when I resigned as Chief Refereeing Officer, I would have assigned Roberto a very important and central role for refereeing in FIFA; this had already been planned in any case.
- Is there anything at this moment that can be studied to improve refereeing?
- In the last 10 years many things had been done; today's referees are really prepared, as it was never before, their knowledge of the game is at a very high level and physically they are real athletes, so that today we need to work more on injury prevention. For sure, there is always room for improvement. I would like to see referees being more reactive to the changes in football, so that they could adapt their style faster.
- Is the non-use of VAR in Champions League be the reason of your departure from UEFA?
- Everything has been said, even that I would have promoted the VAR development with FIFA and the slowdown with UEFA; obviously this is not the case. FIFA immediately believed in it and started the preparation much sooner, but there are some differences: so far, VAR has been used in championships and tournaments played within only one country. Trying to use VAR in the Champions League, where matches are being played in many countries and with many broadcasters, is surely more complicated. But I am sure that UEFA will make the decision to implement it and referees will find themselves ready for the use of technology.
- Has anyone asked for your resignation?
- No, when I informed UEFA, they asked me to change my decision.
- What about your relationships with Infantino and Ceferin?
- With Infantino we shared the idea and the project to change the refereeing in Europe. I still remember the very long phone calls at the beginning of 2010 when we discussed what was necessary to do to improve the performance of the referees. Then, once he became FIFA president, he wanted me to join his team. The evening of the World Cup final he came to our hotel to celebrate the success with all referees. I am grateful to Ceferin because he gave me his full trust, by confirming my role, when he was elected as new UEFA president.
- Is there any risk that top referees, being used to VAR, could have trouble to return to "human referees"?
- VAR gives you more peace of mind; it does not make you change the way you referee. On the pitch, the referee will decide in the same manner, and then, in case of a clear mistake, VAR will save him. So, a referee should not change his mind only because he is going to officiate a match with VAR help. It is very important, and I asked for that since the first IFAB meeting in which this topic was discussed (November 2014), that the referee must have the final decision, If there is a fact, for example an offside, no problem, but otherwise it is only the referee who must review the images before deciding. In any case, some officials have been forced to change their usual style.
- Who?
- Assistant referees, who have been told to delay the flag on some occasions, because it is better to score the goal and then evaluate the situation on video, rather than wrongly stopping an action that afterwards turns out to be correct. In Russia, we almost never talked about offside issues. This was an excellent success.
- In short, there is no future in football without VAR?
- I do not think so, partly because people would not understand since we live in an age where everything we do is based on the use of technology. We tried years ago to reduce errors with the human eye, with the additional assistant referees, but then the technology did not allow today's precision. Nowadays, it is even improving: before the World Cup we went from a 2D to a 3D evaluation for offside that is necessary to evaluate more accurately the position of a foot compared to a head.
- Would you have liked to use VAR when you were still a referee? 
- Nobody is happy when making mistakes and then being criticized for that. Of course, for those who used to decide by themselves it is not easy, but you have to be open to change, in the end what matters is the final result.

FIFA referee Madley has quit abruptly

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The Premier League referee Bobby Madley, one of the rising stars among the league’s officials, who took charge of last year’s Community Shield, has abruptly quit and ended his career in English football. The 32-year-old was on the FIFA list and one of those whom the Premier League had hoped would become one of Europe’s leading referees and the circumstances around his departure are still unclear. It is understood that it could be linked to a video on social media although that could not be confirmed. 
Madley, from West Yorkshire, had been a FIFA list referee since January of last year making him eligible to take charge of international fixtures and also European games. He was well-regarded at the Premier League, for which he had been taking charge of games for more than three years and was one of the youngest senior referees. His older brother, Andrew, 34, is a Football League referee in the select group 2 and took charge of his first Premier League game last season. Bobby Madley was trusted with some high-profile fixtures in recent seasons including Manchester United’s home games against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea and Liverpool - Arsenal. He had refereed the Community Shield game between Arsenal and Chelsea in August last year. His departure, revealed by Telegraph Sport online, had not been disclosed to Madley’s fellow select group referees by their organisation Professional Game Match Officials. He had been left off the matchlist for the first rounds of Premier League and Football League fixtures which is unusual but not unprecedented in an organisation in which referees can come in and out of favour. In a statement PGMOL said: “Bobby Madley is no longer employed by PGMOL. We understand that he has decided to relocate due to a change in his personal circumstances.” He was not present at the mandatory pre-season meeting of all select group officials at St George’s Park where they are briefed and prepared. His sudden departure leaves the select group of 18 referees down to 17. The other referee not yet appointed to a game so far is Roger East, although no reason has been given so far for that decision. Mike Riley, the managing director of PGMOL, who is a key figure in preparing for the Premier League’s adoption of video assistant referees next season, is expected to address his referees on the details of Madley’s departure this week. The select group will gather at St George’s Park for the first of this season’s regular meetings in which they review performances and discuss decisions. PGMOL are under pressure to develop a new generation of referees and especially from next year, with the introduction of VAR, given the increased number of officials that will require for every game. Riley and his PGMOL deputy Adam Gale-Watts, a former assistant referee, are in charge of assigning referees and assistants to games. They are also the most influential figures in developing their careers and competence of their top referees and the loss of Madley will come as a blow to the organisation. The select group lost Mark Clattenburg, who quit in the 2016-2017 season to become the head of refereeing for the Saudi Arabian football federation. Martin Atkinson stepped down from refereeing international competitions last season. PGMOL have 18 select group referees from whom they make their appointments. Referees can fall off the list if they get injured or if they fail the annual fitness tests. 

Cakir: from striker to referee

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He was born in Kuzguncuk, an old Istanbul neighborhood where the popular soap opera “Perihan Abla” was shot. When he was 10, he started playing football for Kartalspor. He was the striker. They were Istanbul champion in the junior league. They beat Fenerbahçe actually; he scored the goal. One day he fell and broke his arm. When he recovered and rejoined the team, his manager gave him a defense position. He was demoralized; he took off his jersey. He put on a referee shirt, like his father. He was 17, not even full age.
He was in a youth project: his family supported him. His father was his coach, he had a good score in the university entrance examination; he registered at Kocaeli University, finishing his undergraduate studies in business management. His mother, Vildan, attended a seminar for wives of referees in the 1990s in Kuşadası. Every week there is a match, all the talk is on football. How did she manage? She was like a statue of sacrifice; she was trained for all of this. For years, she packed her husband and her son’s suitcases. She always smiled even if she did not feel like it. Since her life was football, she is in command of all the rules of the game like a professional. His wife, Gamze, is from Bandırma. They have been married for nine years. They are childhood sweethearts. She is the first person he calls right after a game. When he comes home, they watch together the recorded game he has officiated. She never goes to a match he is refereeing. Unfortunately, in this country, it has been forgotten than referees are human... As a matter of fact, we owe it to Gamze the peak he has reached today. In training, games, away games, overseas games, he spends 156 days of the year away from home, public holidays, vacations. They do not have any kids now. He owns an insurance company. He split from his partner two years ago and formed his own agency with his wife but it is his wife who takes care of the business. He does not have time. He never accepts any clients who have any association with any football club – as a principle. He tells them to seek another agency. When you are a real man, this is what happens. He has a recording device at home and at work. He records all the games in Europe. Every day he watches at least two games. He picks up sample decisions, makes his team watch. He has the widest archive of all. He speaks English. He is fit; he is keen on his diet. He exercises two hours every day. He goes to bed at 11 p.m. He does not drink alcohol; he does not smoke. He likes going to the movies, plays with his wife and friends. He is respectable, modest, decent and normal. He listens to rock music. Many think he looks like Tolga Çevik. Fans take his picture thinking he is Tolga. He reads a few hours every evening. 
He is Cüneyt Çakır. His father is Serdar Çakır, both of whom are prides of Turkey. He was given an honorary doctorate from Mehmet Akif Ersoy University. President Professor Mustafa Saatçı said this at the ceremony: “He is a master in his job. He has carried our country’s name to international platforms. Cüneyt Çakır has written his own story. We are meant to share, support and be proud of his achievements.”

Source: Hurriyet

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2018 – Semi-finals

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20 August 2018

France – Spain
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Yudilia Briones (MEX)
Fourth Official: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL)
Reserve AR: Maria Salamasina (SAM)

CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana – Round of 16 (Matchday 1)

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21-22 August 2018

San Lorenzo – Nacional
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wagner Magalhaes (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Defensa y Justicia – Banfield
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Murillo (VEN)
Fourth Official: Marlon Escalante (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Pablo Silva (ARG)

LDU Quito – Deportivo Cali
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Referee Assessor: Candelario Andarcia (VEN)
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