Refereeing World

7-8 October 2020

Portugal – Spain
Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabio Verissimo (POR)

Germany – Turkey
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frederic Haquette (FRA)
Fourth Official: Benoît Millot (FRA)

France – Ukraine
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)

Netherlands – Mexico
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Milos Milanovic (SRB)

Armenia – Albania
Referee: Dzmitry Dzmitryieu (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Denis Emelyanchikov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Anton Ihnatsiuk (BLR)
Fourth Official: Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM)

Cyprus – Czech Republic
Referee: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sladjan Josipović (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthias Sbriss (SUI)
Fourth Official: Vasilis Dimitriou (CYP)

Denmark – Faroe Islands
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beig (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist (SWE)
Fourth Official: Michael Tykgaard (DEN)

Estonia – Lithuania
Referee: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mika Lamppu (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Riku Vihreävuori (FIN)
Fourth Official: Kristo Tohver (EST)

Luxembourg – Liechtenstein
Referee: Alexandre Boucaut (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Hillaert (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Pieter Becquet (BEL)
Fourth Official: Jasmin Sabotic (LUX)

Austria – Greece
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazovic (SVN)

Slovenia – San Marino
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Riedel (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Santino Schreiner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Dejan Balažič (SVN)

Andorra – Cabo Verde
Referee: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Fourth Official: Mario Melero Lopez (ESP)

Italy – Moldova
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Marco Piccinini (ITA)

Switzerland – Croatia
Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Almeida (POR)
Fourth Official: Urs Schnyder (SUI)

Poland – Finland
Referee: Michal Ocenaš (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaš Vorel (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Michal Tomčík (SVK)
Fourth Official: Peter Kralović (SVK)

Malta – Gibraltar
Referee: Nikola Popov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Venev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Miroslav Maksimov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Matthew De Gabriele (MLT)

Montenegro – Latvia
Referee: Admir Šehović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Amer Macić (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Goran Dujak (BIH)
Fourth Official: Mileta Šćepanović (MNE)

Belgium – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Johan Balder (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Rogier Honig (NED)
Fourth Official: Bas Nijhuis (NED)

England – Wales
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Francis Connor (SCO)
Fourth Official: John Beaton (SCO)

Russia – Sweden
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Senad Ibrisimbegović (BIH)
Fourth Official: Dragan Petrovic (BIH)

8 October 2020

Georgia – Belarus
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
VAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
AVAR: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

North Macedonia – Kosovo
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout (NED)
VAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
AVAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Norway – Serbia
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Fourth Official: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Scotland – Israel
Referee: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Șovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Colţescu (ROU)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

Slovakia – Ireland
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Frank Schneider (FRA)
VAR: François Letexier (FRA)
AVAR: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Northern Ireland
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

Bulgaria – Hungary
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
VAR: Pawel Gil (POL)
AVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista (POR)

Iceland – Romania
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Fourth Official: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

New Zealand Referees of the Year 2020

Men’s Referee of the Year: Matt Conger
Women’s Referee of the Year: Anna-Marie Keighley
Men’s Assistant Referee of the Year: Mark Rule
Women’s Assistant Referee of the Year: Sarah Jones
Men’s Futsal Referee of the Year: Antony Riley
Women’s Futsal Referee of the Year: Anna-Marie Keighley

Source: OFC

A former Serie A referee sacked after suspending a game for racist abuse insists he would do the exact same thing again - as he revives his career in England's non-league. Claudio Gavillucci lost his dream job as a top flight Italian official in 2018 just weeks after he called a game between Sampdoria and Napoli to a halt due to vile taunts from the crowd. In doing so, he became the first-ever Serie A referee to take such action against racism. On the record, Gavillucci's sacking was for ‘technical performances’, but he disputes the fact and claims it was down to his hard stance against racism and vehemently appealed the decision.

With no future in football in Italy, the 40-year-old moved to England and set up base on the Wirral in order to link up with associates of the food company he founded - and swiftly put a call into Cheshire FA over getting back out onto the pitch. He has now been spending his weekends officiating the likes of Widnes FC and Nantwich Town before being promoted to the National League North this summer. On Monday night, he oversaw Curzon Ashton and Alfreton Town's 1-1 draw, the season opener and his first game at the level. But if he is faced with racism again, just as he was in Italy, he insists he would do the exact same thing. “I wouldn't hesitate for a minute and I'd take exactly the same decision,” Gavillucci said. “Racism is evil and it must be eradicated no matter which country it is in. I made the decision to temporarily suspend the game following discriminatory chants directed towards the Neapolitans and the player Kalidou Koulibaly. It was the first time a referee had halted a match in Italy for discriminatory chanting. The reasons given by the Italian Football Association for my dismissal following that season was that the decision was based on the technical results of my overall performances. Unfortunately, I will never have clarity as, up until last season, there was no transparency around the marks and performances of referees in Serie A like there is in England.”

As disappointing as his dismissal was, Gavillucci has since immersed himself in the culture of English non-league football as he balanced his business with getting back out onto the pitch. Communication was an initial hiccup, but his games now flow more than they ever did in Italy. And the joy of the post-match pint is a new tradition he has got completely on board with. He said: “Being back refereeing in leagues where football is purely about fun - and doing so in the homeland where the Laws of the Game were born - is certainly a unique experience for somebody like me who loves the game. As an example, it may not be Juventus, but refereeing the oldest team in the world, Sheffield FC, will remain among the best memories of my career. I love English football and especially the fact that in the lower levels of the game you can still feel the true essence of football. The fact that the players on the pitch think about playing football and don’t ask for a foul at every contact, like players do in Italy, is fantastic. In England, I sometimes end matches with only 10 to 15 fouls in total, which is unthinkable in Italy where the average is about 30 fouls per match. I like that the stadiums have no barriers and that fans are very close to the pitch, and that this is not a risk for the referees. In Italy, this would not be possible, especially in the lower leagues, where there are around 300 acts of violence towards referees each year. I also love the ‘third half’ after the match in the social room with both teams - it is a habit that I would have liked to have when I was refereeing in Italy!”

Source: Daily Star

Cui Yongmei has proved there is nothing in this world which can deprive her of the love for refereeing. Not even a life-threatened event.

One of the best regarded female assistant referees China PR have ever seen, Cui was announced to join the match officials’ team for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France. Just as she was working against the clock to prepare herself for her second women's football extravaganza - she worked as an assistant referee at Canada 2015 – Cui was urgently taken to hospital at the start of last year after an unexpected heart attack. It proved to be an extremely dangerous heart problem which left her family and friends despairing. Despite that Cui had things on her mind, other than just her health. When she recovered consciousness from a coma, the first question she threw at the doctor was: "Can I continue my referee work? Will I be fit to go to the Women's World Cup? This happened just under five months before the Women's World Cup," the 40-year-old physical education teacher of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine told FIFA.com. "I was expecting to work at my second Women's World Cup. I had spent three years training hard and living a self-disciplined life. So I really didn't want to let the chance slip away and see my efforts be in vain. The doctor asked me to rest for at least three months. But I couldn't wait. Just nine days after I returned home from hospital, I flew to Doha for a Women's World Cup referees' seminar. Then I began my daily routine training. But again the doctor sent a warning note - I must put France 2019 aside for safety reasons. As a result, I had to quit my job at France 2019," she continued, the anguish and disappointment still evident in her voice. "My Women's World Cup hopes were devastated. But my colleagues from FIFA, AFC and CFA encouraged me and I was aware it was what I must bravely face up to."

Born in Tianjin, Cui's passion for the game was inherited from her father, a fervent supporter of the local team. "My father took me to the stadiums for football matches when I was very young,” she said. "That was how I started my love affair with the game. As a little girl, I played football with neighbouring boys. When I went to school, I kept playing football with boys' teams because there were no girls teams.” As a teenager Cui enrolled at Tianjin Sports University, and didn't hesitate in choosing football as her major. It was a decision which left her teacher puzzled. I was the only girl majoring in football - all the other 40 students were boys. My football teacher asked me to change to other sports because he couldn't organise a girls' football team with me as the sole player. I begged him to allow me to stay. So I continued my football development. I played as a forward and scored a lot of goals against the boys." Cui's career took an unexpected divergence in her second university year when Mr. Zhao Gong, a renowned referee, took over as their football teacher. Instead of encouraging Cui to play, he advised her to learn refereeing. He instilled the basic referee knowledge into Cui and sent her to referees courses. "Mr. Zhao taught me refereeing because he didn't want to see me get injured by competing against boys. My interest in refereeing great fast and I made consistent progress." Cui's rise to fame was meteoric. She became a national referee in 2005 and in three years was an international assistant referee. She joined AFC's referee team for a series of continental competitions before officiating matches in her first FIFA tournament - the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Japan. She went on to work as an assistant referee at Canada 2015, before another career high at the Women's Olympic Football Tournament at Rio 2016.

Although her flourishing career was brought to an abrupt end, Cui's passion for the game remained undiminished. Instead, she locked her target on a new role as a referee assessor. "I reluctantly had to call time to my refereeing career. But having worked as a referee for the past twenty years, I hope I can pass on my experiences to a younger generation. I want to find a new place where I can help unearth and develop young referees.” The kind of person who lets her actions do the talking, Cui embarked on the new adventure and recently became a qualified CFA referee assessor. She announced her return to the game after 606 days when she worked in her new role in the 2020 Chinese Women’s Football League last month. "My passion for the game never ebbs away. I may have quitted refereeing, but I can continue my football passion in the referee assessor role and even my job in the university is teaching football. My next goal is to become a referee instructor. I took the FIFA Futuro III Instructor Course in July and I think it is a job where I can better help the young referees. Of course, there are difficulties when you try something new. But whatever challenges face me, I will take them and move forward.”

Source: FIFA

In recent years we got used to see Spanish referees in the First and Second Division in a very good physical shape. Referees train like professional athletes and must pass fitness tests at various times during the season. This is the case of Ruben Eiriz, one of the best-known referees from Coruna. This summer he ended his refereeing career, but his passion for the sport has not diminished. He has always liked to be in shape and has switched to athletics, obtaining excellent results in the past Galician championships, in the veterans category. Eiriz won the 200 and 400 metre sprint titles, and a silver medal in the 100 metres. His next challenge will be the Spanish Championships.

Ruben Eiriz, 40, spent four seasons in the Second Division and 10 years as a FIFA Beach Soccer referee. In this role, he was appointed to five FIFA World Cups, where in four of them he was in charge of directing the grand final of the tournament. This summer he finished his career in Second Division B due to age. Now, after a few months a little further away from refereeing, he will once again carry out different collaborations with the local committees. He has also been an instructor of game rules at the Galician School of Coaches and has brought the world of refereeing closer to the students of the Liceo La Paz, where he studied.

Ruben has always liked challenges. After becoming one of the best referees in the beach soccer world, now it is his turn for athletics. In Galicia he already reigns in several disciplines. His next stop will be to try to be champion of Spain. He trains every day to arrive in the best possible shape. He has changed the grass of the soccer fields for the athletics track. Always linked to sports. Before running behind players as a referee and now running against the timer. Different challenges, but the same passion.

Source: Cope.es

9 October 2020

Murcia – Tyumen
Referee 1: Ondrej Černy (CZE, photo)
Referee 2: Borislav Kolev (BUL)
Third Referee: Saša Tomić (CRO)
Timekeeper: Eduardo Coelho (POR)

Barcelona – KPRF
Referee 1: Angelo Galante (ITA)
Referee 2: Nicola Manzione (ITA)
Third Referee: Nikola Jelić (CRO)
Timekeeper: Saša Tomić (CRO)

10-11 October 2020

League A
Ukraine – Germany
Referee: Orel Grinfeld (ISR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Roi Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz (ISR)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Spain – Switzerland
Referee: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Serkan Olguncan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Çem Satman (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Drago Kos (SVN)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Netherland
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

England – Belgium
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Pickel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Christian Dingert (GER)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernandez Marin (ESP)

Croatia – Sweden
Referee: John Beaton (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Douglas Potter (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel McFarlane (SCO)
Fourth Official: Steven McLean (SCO)
Referee Observer: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)

Poland – Italy
Referee: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Fourth Official: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

Iceland – Denmark
Referee: Bojan Pandžić (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Magnusson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck (SWE)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

France – Portugal
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Ray Ellingham (WAL)

League B
Ireland – Wales
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Anastasios Papapetrou (GRE)
Referee Observer: David Malcolm (NIR)

Norway – Romania
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaš Somolani (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Fourth Official: Filip Glova (SVK)
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytia (FIN)

Finland – Bulgaria
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jo de Weirdt (BEL)
Fourth Official: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

Northern Ireland – Austria
Referee: Petr Ardeleanu (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Nadvornik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jirí Molaček (CZE)
Fourth Official: Karel Hrubes (CZE)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Medved (SVK)

Israel – Czech Republic
Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Almeida (POR)
Fourth Official: Helder Malheiro (POR)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

Scotland – Slovakia
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Referee Observer: Martin Hansson (SWE)

Serbia – Hungary
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephane Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni (SUI)
Fourth Official: Fedayi San (SUI)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Russia – Turkey
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazović (SVN)
Referee Observer: Vadims Direktorenko (LVA)

League C
Luxembourg – Cyprus
Referee: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Fourth Official: Andrew Dallas (SCO)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

Montenegro – Azerbaijan
Referee: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Fourth Official: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian (FRA)

Kazakhstan – Albania
Referee: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balazs Buzas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Kobor (HUN)
Fourth Official: Gergo Bogar (HUN)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Orrason (ISL)

Estonia – North Macedonia
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Klyver (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikael Hallin (SWE)
Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Armenia – Georgia
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Pataki (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Zobenica (CRO)
Fourth Official: Igor Pajač (CRO)
Referee Observer: Pavel Saliy (KAZ)

Lithuania – Belarus
Referee: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Josef Spurny (AUT)
Referee Observer: Gevorg Hovhannisyan (ARM)

Kosovo – Slovenia
Referee: Andrew Madley (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Cook (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
Fourth Official: Paul Tierney (ENG)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

Greece – Moldova
Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries (NED)
Fourth Official: Siemen Mulder (NED)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

League D
Faroe Islands – Latvia
Referee: Ivailo Stoianov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Pavlin Mihailov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Dragomir Draganov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)

Liechtenstein – Gibraltar
Referee: Kirill Levnikov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Egor Bolkhovitin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitri Mosyakin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović (SRB)

Andorra – Malta
Referee: Alain Durieux (LUX)
Assistant Referee 1: Gilles Becker (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: Joaquim Da Silva (LUX)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Morais (LUX)
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira (POR)

Zamalek's Tunisian midfielder Ferjani Sassi was hit with a six-match ban and fined EGP 100,000 for confronting the referee of his side's 1-0 victory over Masry in the Egyptian Premier League last week, the country's football association said on Tuesday. Sassi plucked out the referee's earpiece after receiving his marching orders shortly before half-time during last Thursday's game, having received two yellow cards in quick succession for remonstrating with the official.

The Egyptian Football Association's disciplinary committee has also suspended Zamalek winger Emam Ashour for one game and handed him an EGP 50,000 fine after clashing with the Masry players after the game. The committee also fined Masry EGP 50,000 for their players' behavior after the match.

Source: Ahram

The 2020/21 Premier League season has brought some new Laws, as well as clarifications as to how they will be applied, and Matchweek 3 provided some examples. Former Premier League referee Chris Foy explains further the decisions made. It was agreed this week that Premier League match officials would slightly amend their interpretation of handball, after it was discussed at a Shareholders meeting between all 20 clubs. More emphasis will now be put on what a player's "expected" arm position is when the ball strikes him, and the time they have to react. The "softened approach" will apply from Matchweek 4, starting on Saturday. In determining whether or not a handball should be penalised the following factors will be considered:

- Position of the arm

• Where the arm is in an expected position given player's action
• This includes where the arms are clearly used for balance and/or protection it is less likely to be penalised

• The arms may be outside the player's bodyline and may not be penalised

- Ability to react

• Where it is clear that the player does not have the ability to react

- Direct shot at goal

• Whether the contact with the arm clearly blocks a direct shot towards the goal

Incident: Crystal Palace v Everton. Joel Ward was adjudged to have handled Lucas Digne's header inside the area after the ball hit his wrist, with Richarlison scoring the resulting penalty.

Foy's view: This is a good example of where we will see the amended approach in action. While the ball clearly did strike Ward's arm, and it is slightly extended away from his body, what we are now saying is that his arm was in the expected position and he had limited time to react. So while it was penalised last weekend, it wouldn't be next weekend. Expected position can be subjective but using examples from this season, the Victor Lindelof handball against Crystal Palace and Matt Doherty against Southampton would now not be given, as their arms were in the expected position for their movement, and they had limited time to react. If you compare this to the Robin Koch penalty that was awarded against Liverpool, Koch's arm was clearly away from his body and outside of the "body line". He prevented a shot towards goal and the extent of deflection did not mitigate against his arm being extended away from his body, so we would still expect a penalty to be awarded here going forward.

Incident: Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United. Newcastle were awarded a stoppage-time penalty after referee Peter Bankes adjudged Eric Dier to have handled in the area.

Foy's view: This is probably the one that sparked most debate and conversation, but unfortunately for Dier and for Spurs, the law is very clear. Law 12 states that it is an offence if the hand/arm is above/beyond their shoulder level (unless the player deliberately plays the ball which then touches their hand/arm). There is no room for interpretation or mitigation there, whereas with the Ward one, above, as his arm was not above his shoulder, it allows the referee to consider whether or not it is an expected position. The fact that Dier had his back to the ball is also irrelevant, as intent is not something a referee can consider.

Incident: Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United. In the final moments a Harry Maguire header comes off Neal Maupay's hand. The referee blows the final whistle immediately after the incident, but the Video Assistant Referee advises him to look at the screen. Upon doing so, he realises an offence has taken place, and awards the penalty.

Foy's view: Similarly to the Dier incident, Maupay's arm is above his shoulder and it's the correct decision. It's the first time we have seen a penalty awarded after the final whistle in the Premier League, but the VAR protocols do allow for it. Interestingly, the penalty kick was the final kick of the match, so if Mat Ryan had saved it and Bruno Fernandes scored the rebound, it would not have counted.

Incident: West Brom v Chelsea. Tammy Abraham scores a last-minute equaliser after the ball had struck Kai Havertz's arm in the build-up, but the goal was awarded.

Foy's view: If this had happened last season, the goal would have been looked at and disallowed. It clearly hits Havertz on the arm accidentally, but it fell to Hal Robson-Kanu who had the opportunity to clear the ball for West Brom. The ball instead fell to Mason Mount who had a shot, which was parried by the goalkeeper into Abraham's path who scored. When the ball came off Havertz's arm it did not create an immediate goal-scoring opportunity, which is why it was not penalised.

Source: Premier League

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross had one of the best views in the house at Wembley as he ran the line during England’s 3-0 win over Wales. The politician and fellow Scot Francis Connor were assistants to referee Bobby Madden as Wales fell to an experimental squad which was without Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell and Jadon Sancho after they breached Covid guidelines on the weekend. Following his appointment as Scottish Conservative leader in July, Mr. Ross said he would quit his job as a football official if he became first minister after the 2021 Holyrood election because his presence at football matches would cause too many problems for match day policing staff. He said: “I’ve made it clear I want to continue refereeing, however, that is something that I plan to do as leader of the Scottish Conservatives.”

Speaking to the PA news agency, he added: “I can officially announce that if I am elected first minister of Scotland, much to the great delight of football fans across Scotland – and this may help me get to that ultimate office – then I would give up refereeing as first minister.” Mr. Ross had to apologise in August after he missed a VJ Day commemoration because he was running the line as Kilmarnock hosted St. Johnstone. He said he was “wrong” to have rejected an invitation to mark 75 years since the end of the Second World War with a two-minute silence alongside veterans in his Moray constituency. Following criticism, Mr. Ross issued an apology to any veterans who were offended and pledged to donate his match fee – believed to be approximately £445 – to the Help for Heroes charity.

Source: Largs&Millport

Ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed his concern about the lack of leaders amongst the current pool of officials in the top-flight, who struggle to impose 'any personality' on games. Sportsmail columnist Clattenburg, who refereed the 2016 Champions League final and Euro 2016 final, officiated in the Premier League for 13 years, from 2004-2017. But with Howard Webb, Phil Dowd and himself having all retired in the last decade, the 45-year-old believes the next generation of referees are finding it difficult, particularly given the way in which the game is changing with VAR and technology.

Speaking to the Gary Newbon Sports Show with Jewson, Clattenburg said: 'Now, the group is getting so old and most of the top guys have left. The younger generation are finding it difficult plus the game has changed, especially with the VAR and the technology. Referees aren't the same anymore, they haven't got any personality, they don't communicate like we used to in our day, but maybe players have changed. The game does evolve, it does change. But I don't see any leaders, we already had leaders in our group in the Premier League. Graham Poll was a leader, Howard Webb was a leader, I took over the leadership for a period, [Martin] Atkinson led the group. But now there doesn't seem to be any leaders and it effects the group that. We always used to say the very first match on a weekend was the most important because that used to set the tone and most of the time one of the senior guys would do that to start the weekend on a positive note because if it starts off negatively, it would be negative feedback for all the referees. But when you lose some of your top referees and they don't referee 30 matches a season, it's a big void to fill. There's a lot of old referees who have been on the list too long - but have not refereed any top matches.' Clattenburg departed the Premier League in 2017 to take up a role as Head of Refereeing with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. He then officiated briefly in China and now provides his weekly insight into the big decisions of the football weekend for Sportsmail.

Source: Daily Mail

Chilean footballers berated South American referees and officials on Thursday after several penalty decisions went against them in a frustrating 2-1 loss to Uruguay in their opening World Cup qualifier in Montevideo. Luis Suarez got Uruguay's first goal from the penalty spot shortly before half-time with the aid of the video assistant referee (VAR). Paraguayan referee Eber Aquino took a long time to review VAR but pointed to the spot after the ball bounced off Sebastian Vegas' body and on to his arm as he slid in to block a shot.

Although Alexis Sanchez equalised for Chile early in the second half, substitute Maxi Gomez made it 2-1 in injury time to give the home side a barely-deserved win. The Chileans' ire was exacerbated by the referee's refusal to consider two of their own penalty claims, including one clear handball in the dying minutes of the match. The country's union of professional footballers threatened to make an official protest to the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) over the 'glaring lack of criteria' used in the decisions. Current and former players, too, expressed their anger. Gary Medel, the captain who missed the game through injury, wrote on social media: 'I'm saying nothing so I don't get into trouble!! But that was terrible. And former striker Ivan Zamorano also took to Twitter. 'How long are these robberies going to be allowed in South America,' Zamorano wrote. 'Real thieves. Match gifted to Uruguay.'

Source: Daily Mail

11 October 2020

Final
Barcelona – Murcia
Referee 1: Saša Tomić (CRO, photo)
Referee 2: Nikola Jelić (CRO)
Third Referee: Ondrej Černy (CZE)
Timekeeper: Nicola Manzione (ITA)

Match for Third Place
Tyumen – KPRF
Referee 1: Eduardo Coelho (POR)
Referee 2: Borislav Kolev (BUL)
Third Referee: Angelo Galante (ITA)
Timekeeper: Nicola Manzione (ITA)

12-13 October 2020

France – Slovakia
Referee: Miloš Djordjić (SRB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nemanja Petrović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Svetozar Živin (SRB)
Fourth Official: Aleksandar Živković (SRB)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

North Macedonia – Israel
Referee: Nicholas Walsh (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Calum Spence (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: David Doig (SCO)
Fourth Official: Gavin Duncan (SCO)
Referee Observer: Viktor Shvetsov (UKR)

Estonia – Serbia
Referee: Paul Mc:aughlin (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wayne McDonnell (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Darragh Keegan (IRL)
Fourth Official: Robert Hennessy (IRL)
Referee Observer: Lassin Isaksen (FRO)

Greece – Croatia
Referee: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Alfonso Baena Espejo (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jorge Figueroa Vazquez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Ivanov (RUS)

Latvia – Russia
Referee: Pavel Rejzek (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Radek Korik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Paták (CZE)
Fourth Official: Zbynek Proske (CZE)
Referee Observer: Mika Peltola (FIN)

Moldova – Belgium
Referee: Pavel Orel (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Petr Blažej (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jirí Kríž (CZE)
Fourth Official: Aleksei Matyunin (RUS)
Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)

Luxembourg – Iceland
Referee: Ondrej Pechanec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Petr Caletka (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Horak (CZE)
Fourth Official: Ondřej Berka (CZE)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

Georgia – Azerbaijan
Referee: Dzmitry Dzmitryieu (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Denis Emelyanchikov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Anton Ihnatsiuk (BLR)
Fourth Official: Denis Scherbakov (BLR)
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez (ESP)

Italy – Ireland
Referee: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Arkadiusz Wojcik (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Bartosz Heinig (POL)
Fourth Official: Piotr Lasyk (POL)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

Lithuania – Czech Republic
Referee: Morten Krogh (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jesper Dahl (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakob Mastrup (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jens Maae (DEN)
Referee Observer: Rusmir Mrković (BIH)

San Marino – Scotland
Referee: Luis Teixeira AND)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Parente (AND)
Assistant Referee 2: Hugo Pereira (AND)
Fourth Official: Juan Serra (AND)
Referee Observer: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

Switzerland – Liechtenstein
Referee: Daniyar Sakhi (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Aidyn Tassybayev (KAZ)

Assistant Referee 2: Yuriy Tikhonyuk (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Bulat Sariyev (KAZ)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

Poland – Bulgaria
Referee: Allard Lindhout (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Charles Schaap (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Rens Bluemink (NED)
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Referee Observer: Aleksandr Gvardis (RUS)

Faroe Islands – Montenegro
Referee: Athanasios Tzilos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Dimitrios Natsiopoulos (GRE)
Fourth Official: Dimitrios Karantonis (GRE)
Referee Observer: Are Habicht (EST)

Cyprus – Netherlands
Referee: Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ilir Tartaraj (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Nertil Bregasi (ALB)
Fourth Official: Olsid Ferataj (ALB)
Referee Observer: Salustia Cipres (AND)

Denmark – Finland
Referee: Besfort Kasumi (KOS)
Assistant Referee 1: Besfort Kasumi (KOS)
Assistant Referee 2: Fatmir Sekiraqa (KOS)
Fourth Official: Dardan Çaka (KOS)
Referee Observer: Kenneth Clark (SCO)

Germany – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Boris Marhefka (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Pozor (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Michal Tomčík (SVK)
Fourth Official: Martin Dohal (SVK)
Referee Observer: Luc Wouters (BEL)

Sweden – Armenia
Referee: Milovan Milačić (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandar Djikanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Nikola Radulović (MNE)
Fourth Official: Predrag Radovanović (MNE)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Spain – Kazakhstan
Referee: Volen Chinkov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Deniz Sokolov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Vladimir Velev (BUL)
Fourth Official: Nikolai Yordanov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Draženko Kovačić (CRO)

Kosovo – Andorra
Referee: Jamie Robinson (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Gareth Eakin (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Donaldson (NIR)
Fourth Official: Steven Gregg (NIR)
Referee Observer: Jens Larsen (DEN)

Norway – Belarus
Referee: Manfredas Lukjancukas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytis Snarskis (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mangirdas Mirauskas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Robertas Valikonis (LTU)
Referee Observer: Attila Abraham (HUN)

Gibraltar – Portugal
Referee: Fyodor Zammit (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Edward Spiteri (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Mitchell Scerri (MLT)
Fourth Official: Glen Tonna (MLT)
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos (CRO)

Northern Ireland – Ukraine
Referee: Luca Barbeno (SMR)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesco Lunardon (SMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianmarco Ercolani (SMR)
Fourth Official: Raffaele Delvecchio (SMR)
Referee Observer: John Ward (IRL)

Romania – Malta
Referee: Visar Kastrati (KOS)
Assistant Referee 1: Besnik Morina (KOS)
Assistant Referee 2: Imran Kabashi (KOS)
Fourth Official: Alban Shala (KOS)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

England – Turkey
Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Jeanne (FRA)
Fourth Official: Eric Wattellier (FRA)
Referee Observer: Sascha Amhof (SUI)

13-14 October 2020

League A
Ukraine – Spain
Referee: Pawel Gil (POL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Konrad Sapela (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi (SMR)

Germany – Switzerland
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
Fourth Official: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

Poland – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Betts (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Fourth Official: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Referee Observer: Emil Bozhinovski (MKD)

Italy – Netherlands
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

England – Denmark
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodríguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

Iceland – Belgium
Referee: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksei Lunev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitri Safyan (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergei Lapochkin (RUS)
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev (BUL)

Croatia – France
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

Portugal – Sweden
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

League B
Finland – Ireland
Referee: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sladan Josipović (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthias Sbrissa (SUI)
Fourth Official: Lukas Fähndrich (SUI)
Referee Observer: Marian Ružbarsky (SVK)

Norway – Northern Ireland
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Silver Koiv (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Aron Härsing (EST)
Fourth Official: Juri Frischer (EST)
Referee Observer: Michalis Argyrou (CYP)

Romania – Austria
Referee: Daniel Stefański (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dawid Golis (POL)
Fourth Official: Damian Sylwestrzak (POL)
Referee Observer: Milan Karadžić (SRB)

Scotland – Czech Republic
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

Slovakia – Israel
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Naranjo Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magan (ESP)
Fourth Official: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)
Referee Observer: Edward Foley (IRL)

Turkey – Serbia
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Nikola Popov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

Russia – Hungary
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: David Coote (ENG)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Bulgaria – Wales
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Akif Amirali (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE)
Fourth Official: Rahim Hasanov (AZE)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

League C
Azerbaijan – Cyprus
Referee: Fran Jović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivica Modrić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Hrvoje Radić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Ivan Vučković (CRO)
Referee Observer: Karel Vidlak (CZE)

Montenegro – Luxembourg
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Fourth Official: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Lithuania – Albania
Referee: Karim Abed (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Florent Batta (FRA)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

North Macedonia – Georgia
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jakub Winkler (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Marek Arys (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Estonia – Armenia
Referee: Luis Godinho (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Teixeira (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Hugo Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: André Narciso (POR)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

Moldova – Slovenia
Referee: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Pereira (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Correia (POR)
Referee Observer: Peter Sippel (GER)

Greece – Kosovo
Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Nati Dotan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Matityahu Yakobov (ISR)
Fourth Official: Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR)
Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin (ROU)

Belarus – Kazakhstan
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Goce Petreski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Asim Khudiyev (AZE)

League D
Latvia – Malta
Referee: Iwan Griffith (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Lewiss Edwards (WAL)

Assistant Referee 2: Ian Bird (WAL)

Fourth Official: Robert Jenkins (WAL)

Referee Observer: Domagoj Vučkov (CRO)

Faroe Islands – Andorra

Referee: Antti Munukka (FIN)

Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)

Assistant Referee 2: Jukka Honkanen (FIN)

Fourth Official: Kaarlo Oskari Hämäläinen (FIN)

Referee Observer: Andrejs Sipailo (LVA)

Liechtenstein – San Marino

Referee: Jørgen Burchardt (DEN)

Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Rasmussen (DEN)

Assistant Referee 2: Niels Hoeg (DEN)

Fourth Official: Michael Tykgaard (DEN)

Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

As many as five penalty kicks were awarded by the referee Miloš Djordjić and all the goals in the match between Kabel and Metalac were scored from the penalty mark! Although five penalty kicks were awarded, six were shot because one penalty kick was repeated. The referee didn't skimp on showing the cards either, issuing 11 yellow cards and one red.

First, the penalty kick was awarded in favour of the guests, and the opportunity was used by Katanić, who gave Metalac the advantage in the 22nd minute. The referee pointed to the white spot again in the 36th minute, but this time the goalkeeper of Kabel, Vukliš, was safe and stopped Katanić's shot. Kabel got revenge at the end of the first half, when after a corner, the ball hit the hand of one of Metalac's players. Djordjic immediately pointed to the penalty spot, and Karac was safe to equalize. Kabel was able to take the lead in the second half through Junior, who went one-on-one with the Metalac keeper, but failed to realize the action of his team. The turn of the results was expected in the 73rd minute. Faruk Bihorac, meanwhile, was sent off after a foul. Kabel took the lead in the 73rd minute, when Vranjanin pushed Jovanic into the penalty area, which was enough for Djordjic to point to the white spot again. Govedarica was safe from 11 meters and gives Kabel the advantage. In the 88th minute, a penalty again. Petrovic falls in the penalty area of Metalac and the referee once again, for the fifth time in the match, awards a penalty kick. Govedarica takes the ball, but goalkeeper Šćekić defends the shot. However, immediately after the miss, Djordjic points to the white spot again, with the explanation that one of the players of the visiting team entered the penalty area too early. This time, Petrovic was safe from 11 meters.

Source: O21

CONMEBOL will implement the same form of referee appointments of referees for the CONMEBOL Sudamericana that it already carried out for the return of Libertadores. This is in view of the circumstances derived from the Covid-19 pandemic and in order to avoid long trips. The referees will be from neighboring countries - where laboratory tests will be done before leaving - and will travel to the venues by air or land, depending on the conditions. For the referees, the bubble that will govern the teams - which must remain in the local country for a very limited amount of time - does not apply, but must undergo the quarantine imposed and approved by each government. Once this period is over, they will stay in the country for the duration of the second phase of the tournament, awaiting the appointments for the different matches that are played in that territory. This modality of work with the referees is possible thanks to changes in the regulations of CONMEBOL Sudamericana approved by the CONMEBOL Council.

Selected referees and their assigned countries:

Argentina: Derlis Lopez, Roberto Canete, Jose Cuevas (PAR), Andres Cunha (photo), Christian Ferreyra, Santiago Fernandez, Horacio Ferreiro (URU)

Brazil: Michael Espinoza, Coty Carrera, Víctor Raez (PER)

Chile: Christian Aleman, Juan Montano, Ariel Guizada (BOL), Fernando Espinoza, Fernando Echenique, Julio Fernandez, Cristian Navarro (ARG)

Colombia: Franklin Congo, Andres Tola, Monica Amboya (ECU), Angel Arteaga, Carlos Lopez, Lubin Torrealba (VEN)

Paraguay: Nicolas Lamolina, Lucas Germanotta, Daiana Milone (ARG), Andres Matonte, Martin Soppi, Carlos Barreiro (URU)

Peru: Marlon Vera, Dennis Guerrero, Juan Aguiar (ECU), Carlos Betancur, Sebastian Vela, John Gallego (COL)

Uruguay: Andres Merlos, Maximiliano Del Yesso, Mariana De Almeida (ARG), Arnaldo Samaniego, Eduardo Cardozo, Milciades Saldivar (PAR)

Source: CONMEBOL

FIFA announced today that Carol Anne Chenard, 43, confirmed her retirement. “Refereeing is kind of like the best seat in the house. Over the last 15 years, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to be on the field with the best of the best", said Chenard.

A former speed-skating World champion, Chenard became a FIFA referee in 2006. “I really started to fall in love with refereeing. As my skating career was coming to an end, I was looking for a way to stay involved in high-level sport, to continue to travel, and soccer refereeing was the way to go. If you had asked me 20 years ago if I wanted to become a FIFA referee… Who would want to do that? That’s crazy, you get yelled at all the time.” Chenard rapidly scaled the ranks and was soon officiating at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 and the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament London 2012. Then came the chance to oversee matches in her homeland at Canada 2015. Chenard was set to referee at her third Women’s World Cup at France 2019. Then disaster struck in the form of cancer. “I was diagnosed four days before leaving for France,” she said. “A cancer diagnosis is scary at any time, but what made me most upset was that I was going to have to miss going to France. It was one of the first questions I asked my doctor: ‘Can we delay this for five, six weeks and can I go to France?’ They were pretty categorical that that was not the best option for me. Honestly, I was disappointed not to be there with my colleagues – we’d worked for the past four years towards the tournament. But I needed to make sure to put my health first. I was doing chemotherapy on the day of the World Cup kick-off, but I was there as a fan – a referee fan. Those are my colleagues, we put in so much work in the four years leading up to the World Cup, and I wanted to be their biggest fan even though I couldn’t be there. Then I was able to make it to France to watch the Final and cheer them on in person. That was really nice. My oncologist said it was against his advice, but I told him I didn’t ask for his advice! (laughs) I’m still undergoing treatment but I feel really good.” (Source: FIFA)

Carol Anne Chenard

FIFA referee: 2006-2020

FIFA Women’s World Cup: 2011, 2015

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: 2008, 2010 (final), 2014 (final), 2018

Olympic Football Tournament: 2012, 2016 (final)

A total of 33 match officials, made of 17 referees and 16 assistant referees are attending a preparatory course from 11-15 October 2020 in Cairo, Egypt, ahead of the resumption of the inter-clubs competitions. The five-day course is to gauge the readiness of the match officials for the remainder of the competition after a six-month hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and also fine-tune their abilities for the decisive stages of the continental club championship. “We are very happy with the return of football after many months of inactivity due to Covid-19. It is in this regard that this important course is being organized to prepare the match officials for the competitions. The remaining matches are decisive, and the match officials have to be in the best of shapes – physically, mentally and psychologically – to supervise the games”, said Eddy Maillet, CAF Refereeing Director. The participants will remain in a social bubble for the duration of the course and will undergo regular mandatory Covid-19 tests in accordance with the CAF Guidelines to resume Football in Africa and local authorities. “From the course, we will appoint match officials for the upcoming matches (semi-finals and final). They will travel from Cairo to the match venues whilst observing the protocols,” Maillet added. One of the key aspects of the training course will be the emphasis on Video Assistant Referees (VAR) which will be applied for the remaining stages of the Interclub competitions. There will be practical sessions using parallel simulators during trial matches featuring local youth teams. Other topics to be discussed are: amendments to the Laws of the Game, handball incidents, match & video Analysis, offside, penalty area incidents and tactical fouls. The instructors are Jerome Damon (RSA), Jean-Claude Birumushahu (BDI), Noumandiez Doue (CIV) and Mademba Mbacke (SEN).

Referees
1. Alioum Alioum (CMR)
2. Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG)
3. Bakary Gassama (GAM)
4. Eric Otogo Castane (GAB)
5. Victor Gomes (RSA)
6. Bernard Camille (SEY)
7. Bamlak Tessema (ETH)
8. Jean Ngambo (COD)
9. Redouane Jiyed (MAR)
10. Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)
11. Maguette Ndiaye (SEN)
12. Joshua Bondo (BOT)
13. Issa Sy (SEN)
14. Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (BDI)
15. Peter Waweru (KEN)
16. Selmi Sadok (TUN)
17. Guirat Haythem (TUN)

Assistant Referees
1. Elvis Noupue (CMR)
2. Issa Yaya (CHA)
3. Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG)
4. Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
5. Mohammed Ibrahim (SDN)
6. Olivier Safari (COD)
7. Zakhele Siwela (RSA)
8. Jerson Dos Santos (ANG)
9. Soulaimane Amaldine (COM)
10. El Hadji Samba (SEN)
11. Nouha Bangoura (SEN)
12. Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)
13. Arsenio Marengula (MOZ)
14. Lahsen Azgaou (MAR)
15. Mahmoud El Regal (EGY)
16. Souru Phatsoane (LES)

Source: CAF

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