UEFA Referee Categories – second half of the season 2018/2019

Men

Elite
Deniz Aytekin (GER), Benoit Bastien (FRA), Felix Brych (GER), Cüneyt Cakir (TUR), William Collum (SCO), Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP), Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP), Ovidiu Hategan (ROU), Sergei Karasev (RUS), Viktor Kassai (HUN), Pavel Kralovec (CZE), Björn Kuipers (NED), Danny Makkelie (NED), Szymon Marciniak (POL), Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP), Milorad Mazic (SRB), Michael Oliver (ENG), Daniele Orsato (ITA), Gianluca Rocchi (ITA), Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE), Damir Skomina (SVN), Artur Soares Dias (POR), Anthony Taylor (ENG), Clement Turpin (FRA), Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP), Felix Zwayer (GER).

First Category
Aliyar Aghayev (AZE), Ievgenii Aranovskyi (UKR), John Beaton (SCO), Ivan Bebek (CRO), Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS), Kevin Blom (NED), Tamas Bognar (HUN), Sergii Boiko (UKR), Ruddy Buquet (FRA), Andreas Ekberg (SWE), Aleksei Eskov (RUS), Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP), Mattias Gestranius (FIN), Pawel Gil (POL), Hüseyin Göcek (TUR), Serdar Gözübüyük (NED), Orel Grinfeeld (ISR), Srdjan Jovanovic (SRB), Matej Jug (SVN), Georgi Kabakov (BUL), Jakob Kehlet (DEN), Istvan Kovacs (ROU), Ivan Kruzliak (SVK), Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR), Harald Lechner (AUT), Robert Madden (SCO), Davide Massa (ITA), Gediminas Mazeika (LTU), Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR), Bas Nijhuis (NED), Halis Özkahya (TUR), Craig Pawson (ENG), Pawel Raczkowski (POL), Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT), Daniel Siebert (GER), Manuel De Sousa (POR), Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD), Daniel Stefanski (POL), Tobias Stieler (GER), Martin Strömbergsson (SWE), Andris Treimanis (LVA), Istvan Vad (HUN), Slavko Vincic (SVN), Tobias Welz (GER), Miroslav Zelinka (CZE).

Second Category
Karim Abed (FRA), Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE), Petr Ardeleanu (CZE), Thorvaldur Arnason (ISL), Stuart Attwell (ENG), Marius Avram (ROU), Alain Bieri (SUI), Alexandre Boucaut (BEL), Jerome Brisard (FRA), Kevin Clancy (SCO), Sebastian Coltescu (ROU), Fabio Costa Verissimo (POR), Nikola Dabanovic (MNE), Andrew Dallas (SCO), Bastian Dankert (GER), Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP), Amaury Delerue (FRA), Marco Di Bello (ITA), Christian Dingert (GER), Daniele Doveri (ITA), Neil Doyle (IRL), Michael Fabbri (ITA), Adam Farkas (HUN), Bartosz Frankowski (POL), Juri Frischer (EST), Marco Fritz (GER), Filip Glova (SVK), Marco Guida (ITA), Tore Hansen (NOR), Alexander Harkam (AUT), Robert Harvey (IRL), Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP), Dennis Higler (NED), Arnold Hunter (NIR), Massimiliano Irrati (ITA), Sergei Ivanov (RUS), Adrien Jaccottet (SUI), Enea Jorgji (ALB), Fran Jovic (CRO), Mete Kalkavan (TUR), Christopher Kavanagh (ENG), Stephan Klossner (SUI), Georgios Kominis (GRE), Peter Kralovic (SVK), Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN), Artyom Kuchin (KAZ), Sergei Lapochkin (RUS), Jonathan Lardot (BEL), Francois Letexier (FRA), Kirill Levnikov (RUS), Tiago Lopes Martins (POR), Jens Maae (DEN), Maurizio Mariani (ITA), Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP), Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD), Vitaly Meshkov (RUS), Hugo Miguel (POR), Benoît Millot (FRA), Jose Munuera Montero (ESP), Antti Munukka (FIN), Ville Nevalainen (FIN), Ola Hobber Nilsen (NOR), Ali Palabiyik (TUR), Bojan Pandzic (SWE), Anastasios Papapetrou (GRE), Irfan Peljto (BIH), Radu Petrescu (ROU), Nikola Popov (BUL), Nicolas Rainville (FRA), Roi Reinshreiber (ISR), Donatas Rumsas (LTU), Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP), Alan Sant (MLT), Sandro Schärer (SUI), Frank Schneider (FRA), Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT), Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR),Sascha Stegemann (GER), Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL), Paul Tierney (ENG), Vilhjalmur Thorarinnsson (ISL), Kristo Tohver (EST), Siarhei Tsynkevich (BLR), Michael Tykgaard (DEN), Halil Umut Meler (TUR), Paolo Valeri (ITA), Pol van Boekel (NED).

Third Category
Kari a Hovdanum (FRO), Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA), Stefan Apostolov (BUL), Furkat Atazhanov (KAZ), Mykola Balakin (UKR), Suren Baliyan (ARM), Veaceslav Banari (MDA), Luca Barbeno (SMR), Jason Barcelo (GIB), Balazs Berke (HUN), Marcel Bîrsan (ROU), Luis Branco Godinho (POR), Jörgen Burchardt (DEN), Antonio Carvalho Nobre (POR), Volen Chinkov (BUL), Timotheos Christofí (CYP), Matthew De Gabriele (MLT), Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (GRE), Vasilis Dimitriou (CYP), Nenad Djokic (SRB), Milos Djordjic (SRB), Luis Do Nascimento Teixeira (AND), Alain Durieux (LUX), Espen Eskas (NOR), Trustin Farrugia Cann (MLT), Horatiu Fesnic (ROU), Yigal Frid (ISR), Sebastian Gishamer (AUT), Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA), Iwan Griffith (WAL), Danilo Grujic (SRB), Kristoffer Hagenes (NOR), Kaarlo Hämäläinen (FIN), Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB), Rahim Hasanov (AZE), Robert Hennessy (IRL), Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM), Arman Ismuratov (KAZ), Rauf Jabarov (AZE),Christopher Jäger (AUT), Dejan Jakimovski (MKD), Krzysztof Jakubik (POL), Robert Jenkins (WAL), Helgi Jonasson (ISL), Nejc Kajtazovic (SVN), Jovan Kaludjerovic (MNE), Ferenc Karako (HUN), Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE), Besfort Kasumi (KVX), Keith Kennedy (NIR), Peter Kjaersgaard (DEN), Laurent Kopriwa (LUX), Yaroslav Kozyk (UKR), Ivar Kristjansson (ISL), Morten Krogh (DEN), Giorgi Kruashvili (GEO), Mykola Kryvonosov (UKR), Irakli Kvirikashvili (GEO), Nicolas Laforge (BEL), Erik Lambrechts (BEL), Gal Leibovitz (ISR), Manfredas Lukjancukas (LTU), Boris Marhefka (SVK), Bryn Markham-Jones (WAL), Tim Marshall (NIR), Aleksei Matiunin (RUS), Paul McLaughlin (IRL), Ian McNabb (NIR), Milovan Milacic (MNE), Vladimir Moskalev (RUS), Dumitru Muntean (MDA), Tomasz Musial (POL), Nikolas Neokleous (CYP), Genc Nuza (KVX), Glenn Nyberg (SWE), Rade Obrenovic (SVN), Michal Ocenas (SVK), Pavel Orel (CZE), Ümit Öztürk (TUR), Igor Pajac (CRO), Ioannis Papadopoulos (GRE), Erez Papir (ISR), Ondrej Pechanec (CZE), Tihomir Pejin (CRO), Dragan Petrovic (BIH), Christophe Pires Martins (LUX), Zbynek Proske (CZE), Donald Robertson (SCO), Vitaly Romanov (UKR), Rohit Saggi (NOR), Daniyar Sakhi (KAZ), Fedayi San (SUI), Joao Santos Capela (POR), Emmanouíl Skoulas (GRE), Urs Schnyder (SUI), Admir Sehovic (BIH), Dzianis Shcharbakou (BLR), Denys Shurman (UKR), Joao Silva Pinheiro (POR), Kaspar Sjöberg (SWE), Emmanouíl Skoulas (GRE), Loukas Sotiriou (CYP), Kai Steen (NOR), Duje Strukan (CRO), Roomer Tarajev (EST), Alexandru Tean (MDA), Stanislav Todorov (BUL), Alex Troleis (FRO), Lionel Tschudi (SUI), Athanasios Tzílos (GRE), George Vadachkoria (GEO), Bram Van Driessche (BEL), Nathan Verboomen (BEL), Petri Viljanen (FIN), Lawrence Visser (BEL), Nick Walsh (SCO), Julian Weinberger (AUT), Juxhin Xhaja (ALB), Fyodor Zammit (MLT), Mario Zebec (CRO).

Women

Elite
Jana Adamkova (CZE), Sandra Braz Bastos (POR), Stephanie Frappart (FRA), Florence Guillemin (FRA), Riem Hussein (GER), Katalin Kulcsar (HUN), Pernilla Larsson (SWE), Lina Lehtovaara (FIN), Ivana Martincic (CRO), Kateryna Monzul (UKR), Monika Mularczyk (POL), Sara Persson (SWE), Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS), Esther Staubli (SUI), Bibiana Steinhaus (GER), Lorraine Watson (SCO), Olga Zadinova (CZE).

First Category
Eleni Antoniou (GRE), Vesna Budimir (CRO), Amy Fearn (ENG), Marta Frias Acedo (ESP), Cheryl Foster (WAL), Desiree Grundbacher (SUI), Zuzana Kovacova (SVK), Tess Olofsson (SWE), Melis Ozcigdem (TUR), Petra Pavlikova (SVK), Silvia Rosa Domingos (POR), Eszter Urban (HUN), Rebecca Welch (ENG).

Second Category
Ewa Augustyn (POL), Paula Brady (IRL), Tania Fernandes Morais (LUX), Sarah Garratt (ENG), Simona Ghisletta (SUI), Hristiana Guteva (BUL), Marta Huerta de Aza (ESP), Frida Klarlund Nielsen (DEN), Justina Lavrenovaite (LTU), Maria Marotta (ITA), Elvira Nurmustafina (KAZ), Lois Otte (BEL), Vivian Peeters (NED), Graziella Pirriatore (ITA), Barbara Poxhofer (AUT), Ivana Projkovska (MKD), Viola Raudzina (LVA), Angelika Soeder (GER), Tanja Subotic (SVN), Volha Tsiareshka (BLR).

Third Category
Ainara Acevedo Dudley (ESP), Ioanna Allaylotou (CYP), Marina Aufschnaiter (AUS), Victoria Beyer (FRA), Sabina Bolic (CRO), Briet Bragadottir (ISL), Abigail Byrne (ENG), Catarina Ferreira Campos (POR), Merima Celik (BIH), Aleksandra Cesen (SVN), Tinna Christensen (DEN), Jelena Cvetkovic (SRB), Solen Dallongeville (FRA), Viki De Cremer (BEL), Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU), Michalina Diakow (POL), Emilie Rodahl Dokset (NOR), Galiya Echeva (BUL), Maria Ferrieri Caputi (ITA), Valentina Finzi (ITA), Chryso Georgíou (CYP), Zulema Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP), Yuliya Gurbanova (AZE), Liliya Hasanova (KAZ), Lizzy van der Helm (NED), Rasa Imanalijeva (LTU), Jeļena Jermolajeva (LVA), Hanna Kaplainen (FIN), Veronika Kovarova (CZE), Marina Krupskaya (RUS), Ifeoma Kulmala (FIN), Sabayel Kuzutürk (AZE), Triinu Laos (EST), Katarzyna Lisiecka-Sek (POL), Irina Lyussina (BEL), Jurgita Macikunyte (LTU), Maria Martinez Madrona (ESP), Minna Maenpaa (FIN), Dimitrina Milkova (BUL), Ana Minic (SRB), Neslihan Muratdagi (TUR), Henrikke Nervik (NOR), Vera Onica (MDA), Hannelore Onsea (BEL), Vera Opeikina (RUS), Jelena Pejkovic (CRO), Tamara Petric (SRB), Ruzanna Petrosyan (ARM), Alina Pesu (ROU), Alexandra Ponomareva (RUS), Tanja Racic (BIH), Laura Rapp (SWE), Anastasiya Romanyuk (UKR), Emanuela Rusta (ALB), Araksya Saribekyan (ARM), Michele Schmolzer (SUI), Meitar Shemesh (ISR), Rachel Shkuri (ISR), Shona Shukrula (NED), Katalin Sipos (HUN), Tatyana Sorokopudova (KAZ), Nelli Stepanyan (ARM), Sandra Strub (SUI), Lucie Sulcova (CZE), Cristina Trandafir (ROU), Andromachi Tsiofliki (GRE), Reelika Turi (EST), Irina Turovskaya (BLR), Kateryna Usova (UKR), Irena Velevackoska (MKD), Marina Visnjic (SRB), Karoline Wacker (GER), Sarah Zangeneh (NOR).

UEFA: Referees Del Cerro and Martincic promoted to Elite

The UEFA Referees Committee approved the referee categories for the second half of the season 2018/2019. Carols Del Cerro Grande (men, photo) and Ivana Martincic (women) were promoted to Elite Category. The changes take effect on 1 January 2019.

Men

Promoted from First Category to Elite: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP).

Retired/removed from First Category: Sebastien Delferiere (BEL), Manuel Gräfe (GER), Luca Banti (ITA), Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA).

Retired/removed from Second Category: Oliver Drachta (AUT), Bart Vertenten (BEL), Leóntios Tráttou (CYP), Robert Madley (ENG), Charalampos Kalogeropoulos (GRE), Carlos Taborda Xistra (POR), Simon Lee Evans (WAL).

New FIFA referees entered into Second Category: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG), Jose Munuera Montero (ESP), Sascha Stegemann (GER), Michael Fabbri (ITA), Maurizio Mariani (ITA).

Retired/removed from Third Category: Omer Pasayev (AZE), Dimítris Masiás (CYP), Radek Příhoda (CZE), Anders Poulsen (DEN), Jari Järvinen (FIN), Aléxandros Aretopoulos (GRE), Stavros Mantalos (GRE), Sándor Ando-Szabo (HUN), Thoroddur Hjaltalín (ISL), Aleksandr Aliyev (KAZ), George Găman (ROU), Mikhail Vilkov (RUS), Bojan Nikolić (SRB), Alper Ulusoy (TUR).

New FIFA referees entered into Third Category: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT), Bram Van Driessche (BEL), Nathan Verboomen (BEL), Dragan Petrovic (BIH), Nikolas Neokleous (CYP), Loukas Sotiríou (CYP), Ondrej Pechanec (CZE), Morten Krogh (DEN), Kaarlo Hämäläinen (FIN), Irakli Kvirikashvili (GEO), Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (GRE), Emmanouíl Skoulas (GRE), Athanasios Tzílos (GRE), Balazs Berke (HUN), Rauf Jabarov (AZE), Helgi Jonasson (ISL), Gal Leibovitz (ISR), Arman Ismuratov (KAZ), Matthew De Gabriele (MLT), Antonio Nobre (POR), Marcel Bîrsan (ROU), Vladimir Moskalev (RUS), Miloš Djordjić (SRB), Kaspar Sjöberg (SWE), Ümit Öztürk (TUR), Mykola Kryvonosov (UKR), Robert Jenkins (WAL).

Women

Retired/removed from Elite: Gyöngyi Gaal (HUN), Carina Vitulano (ITA).

Promoted from First Category to Elite: Ivana Martincic (CRO).

Retired/removed from First Category: Sofia Karagiorgi (CYP), Marte Soro (NOR).

Promoted from Second Category to First Category: Eleni Antoniou (GRE), Rebecca Welch (ENG), Tess Olofsson (SWE).

Retired/removed from Second Category: Julia Baier (AUT), Karolina Tokarska (POL).

New FIFA referees entered in Third Category: Emanuela Rusta (ALB), Marina Aufschnaiter (AUS), Viki De Cremer (BEL), Ioanna Allaylotou (CYP), Abigail Byrne (ENG), Zulema Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP), Minna Maenpaa (FIN), Katalin Sipos (HUN), Maria Ferrieri Caputi (ITA), Tatyana Sorokopudova (KAZ), Sarah Zangeneh (NOR), Michalina Diakow (POL), Marina Krupskaya (RUS), Jelena Cvetkovic (SRB), Michele Schmolzer (SUI).

IFFHS World’s Best Referee 2018: Pitana (ARG)

Argentin referee Nestor Pitana has capped a stellar season with his election as the World’s Best Referee 2018 in the annual IFFHS Awards. He succeeds the German Felix Brych who took place four this year. Pitana, 43 years old, was the referee of the 2018 World Cup final between France and Croatia. He made great performances during the month of the Russia World Cup, so he won with a large margin before the Dutch referee Björn Kuipers and the Serbian Milorad Mazic. Selected journalists and experts from 90 countries around the world took part in the 2018 annual election of the Top referee, the 32th time it has been carried out by the IFFHS. Nestor Pitana began in 2007 in the Argentina Primera Division and has received his FIFA badge in 2010. He was selected for two World Cups in Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018, where he made a great impression in the whole football world. He took place 5 last year in the IFFHS election. Milorad Mazic was the referee of the Champions League final 2018 between Real Madrid and Livverpool FC. Björn Kuipers continued to be part of the Top 6 since 5 years with his best place, the second in 2018. (Source: IFFHS) 

IFFHS World’s Best Referees 2018
1. Nestor Pitana (ARG, photo) 180 p
2. Björn Kuipers (NED) 100 p
3. Milorad Mazic (SRB) 86 p
4. Felix Brych (GER) 79 p
5. Cuneyt Cakir (TUR) 55 p
6. Gianluca Rocchi (ITA) 25 p
7. Alireza Faghani (IRN) 21 p
8. Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP) 18 p
9. Damir Skomina (SVN) 18 p
10. Sandro Ricci (BRA) 16 p
11. Malang Diedhiou (SEN) 14 p
12. Andres Cunha (URU) 13 p
13. Cesar Ramos (MEX) 7 p
14. David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP) 5 p
15. Janny Sikazwe (ZAM) 5 p
16. Martin Atkinson (ENG) 1 p
17. Matthew Conger (NZL) 1 p
18. Mark Geiger (USA) 1 p

IFFHS World’s Best Woman Referee 2018: Steinhaus (GER)

90 experts and journalists from all continents crowned Bibiana Steinhaus for the fourth time after 2013, 2014 and 2017 to The World’s Best Woman Referee 2018 in the Annual IFFHS Awards. The German referee stepped in a new area in May 2017, when she became the first woman to referee matches in one of the top five leagues of the World. Bibiana Steinhaus, who began her career in 2005, leaded matches in all greatest woman world competitions and since one year in the men Bundesliga with big success. Jana Adamkova, from Czech Republic, took a brilliant second place thanks to her performances in UEFA Champions League particularly the final between Olympique Lyonnais and VFL Wolfsburg. French Stephanie Frappart took again, like last year, place 3 before Esther Stäubli, the swiss regularity (always in the top 5 since 2012). IFFHS Awards winners 2015 Kateryna Monzul and 2016 Katalin Kulcsar took again place in the Top 7. (Source: IFFHS) 

IFFHS World’s Best Women Referees 2018
1. Bibiana Steinhaus (GER, photo) 138 p
2. Jana Adamkova (CZE) 100 p
3. Stephanie Frappart (FRA) 67 p
4. Esther Staubli (SUI) 54 p
5. Kateryna Monzul (UKR) 35 p
6. Carol Anne Chenard (CAN) 31 p
7. Kate Jacewicz (AUS) 24 p
8. Katalin Kulcsar (HUN) 24 p
9. Edina Alves (BRA) 23 p
10. Claudia Umpierrez (URU) 19 p
11. Qin Liang (CHN) 8 p
12. Lydia Tafesse (ETH) 6 p
13. Gladys Lengwe (ZAM) 6 p
14. Ana Maria Keighley (NZL) 5 p
15. Rebecca Welch (ENG) 5 p
16. Melissa Borjas (HON) 4 p
17. Hyang Ok Ri (PRK) 4
18. Pernilla Larsson (SWE) 3 p
19. Sian Massey (ENG) 3 p
20. Amy Fearn (ENG) 1 p
21. Petra Pavlikova (SVK) 1 p
22. Shona Shukrula (NED) 1 p

AFC Asian Cup 2019

With the expansion of Asia’s most prestigious tournament from 16 to 24 teams, a record 60 match officials – comprising 30 referees and assistant referees each – have been appointed to the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, which is scheduled to kick-off in one month’s time on January 5, 2019. The largest-ever contingent, which will also be supported by four reserve officials, will see a diverse range of nationalities, with 19 Member Associations represented across the five AFC zones. The Continent’s best referees and assistant referees were selected based on their skill, technical knowledge, management competence and physical fitness. They will be expected to perform various roles including Additional Assistant Referees, Reserve Assistant Referees as well as Video Assistant Referees (VAR), which will come into force from the quarter-final stage. The appointments are a culmination of a robust and comprehensive preparation programme dating back to the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015. Since then, ten seminars have been organised to ensure optimum consistency and uniformity and the highest level of refereeing standards. As the Continent shifts its attention to the UAE, a final preparatory course is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi five days prior to the competition, which has been designed specifically to focus on the seamless implementation of the VAR system. As part of the main cast, the AFC also appointed a guest trio from Concacaf, led by FIFA World Cup referee Cesar Ramos from Mexico, as part of the existing exchange programme between the two Confederations, with an Asian trio set to feature in the Concacaf's Gold Cup later this year. (Source: AFC)

Referees

1. Christopher Beath (AUS)

2. Peter Green (AUS)

3. Nawaf AShukralla (BHR)

4. Fu Ming (CHN)

5. Ma Ning (CHN)

6. Liu Kwok Man (HKG)

7. Alireza Faghani (IRN)

8. Ali Al-Qaysi (IRQ)

9. Mohanad Sarray (IRQ)

10. Adham Makhadmeh (JOR)

11. Ahmed Alali (JOR)

12. Jumpei Iida (JPN)

13. Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)

14. Ryuji Sato (JPN)

15. Kim Dong Jin (KOR)

16. Ko Hyung Jin (KOR)

17. Turki Alkhudhayr (KSA)

18. Mohd Bin Yaacob (MAS)

19. Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA)

20. Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (QAT)

21. Khamis Al-Kuwari (QAT)

22. Khamis Al-Marri (QAT)

23. Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)

24. Hettikankanamge Perera (SRI)

25. Ali Aljneibi (UAE)

26. Mohammed Abdulla (UAE)

27. Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)

28. Valentin Kovalenko (UZB)

29. Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB)

30. Cesar Ramos (MEX)

Assistant Referees

1. Anton Shchetinin (AUS)

2. Matthew Cream (AUS)

3. Mohamed Salman (BHR)

4. Yaser Tulefat (BHR)

5. Cao Yi (CHN)

6. Huo Weiming (CHN)

7. Mohammadreza Mansouri (IRN)

8. Reza Sokhandan (IRN)

9. Ahmad Alroalle (JOR)

10. Mohammad Alkalaf (JOR)

11. Mihara Jun (JPN)

12. Hiroshi Yamauchi (JPN)

13. Sergei Grishchenko (KGZ)

14. Kim Youngha (KOR)

15. Yoon Kwangyeol (KOR)

16. Mohammed Alabakry (KSA)

17. Mohamad Bin Zainal (MAS)

18. Mohd Bin Muhamad (MAS)

19. Abu Al-Amri (OMA)

20. Ali Al Ghaithi (OMA)

21. Saoud Almaqaleh (QAT)

22. Taleb Al-Marri (QAT)

23. Koh Min Kiat (SIN)

24. Palitha Hemathunga (SRI)

25. Hasan Almahri (UAE)

26. Mohamed Alhammadi (UAE)

27. Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (UZB)

28. Jakhongir Saidov (UZB)

29. Miguel Hernandez (MEX)

30. Alberto Morin (MEX)

Support Referees

1. Hanna Hattab (SYR)

2. Gamini Robesh (SRI)

Support Assistant Referees

1. Ali Ubaydee (IRQ)

2. Palliya Namal (SRI)

VAR to be used in UEFA Champions League knock-out phase

The UEFA Executive Committee met in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and decided to use Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the UEFA Champions League as from the Round of 16 in February 2019 following successful technological testing and the training of referees over the last few months. In addition, the committee decided to also use VAR at the UEFA Europa League Final 2019, in the UEFA Nations Leagues Finals 2019 and in the final tournament of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2019.

As already decided during the September meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee, VAR will then also be used in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League, as of the play-off stage of the competition, and at the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. UEFA still plans to subsequently extend the use of VAR at the final tournament of UEFA EURO 2020, in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League (group-stage onwards), and in the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, said: "We are ready to use VAR earlier than initially planned and we are convinced that it will be beneficial for our competitions as it will provide valuable help to match officials and will allow to reduce incorrect decisions".

Source: UEFA

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019

The FIFA Referees Committee has selected 27 referees and 48 assistant referees, representing 42 different countries, for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019. The journey to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 began for an initial group of female referees and assistant referees from all over the world in September 2015, when FIFA officially started its Road to France 2019 women’s refereeing project. As part of this project, preparatory seminars have taken place over the last three years for referees and assistant referees, focusing on protecting players and the image of the game, as well as on consistency in interpreting the Laws of the Game. Technical expertise, football understanding, fitness and the ability to read the game and teams’ tactical approaches to each match have been the main topics covered at these seminars. The referees selected for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup, the most important competition in women’s sport, have demonstrated their skills at previous tournaments, including the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016 and Uruguay 2018, as well as the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Papua New Guinea in 2016 and this summer in Brittany, France. Preparation will continue for the selected match officials between now and the start of France 2019. There will be a number of further preparatory seminars, while the FIFA referee instructors will carry out observation work and provide ongoing support and guidance. Every effort is being made to ensure that the officials will be 100 per cent ready for the big occasion. The FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 will be played from 7 June to 7 July in Grenoble, Le Havre, Lyon, Montpellier, Nice, Paris, Reims, Rennes and Valenciennes. The final will take place in Lyon on Sunday, 7 July 2019. (Source: FIFA)

AFC

Referee: Qin Liang (CHN, 1979)

Assistant Referee 1: Fang Yan (CHN, 1979)

Assistant Referee 2: Kim Kyoung Min (KOR, 1980)

Referee: Kate Jacewicz (AUS, 1985)

Assistant Referee 1: Lee Seul Gi (KOR, 1980)

Assistant Referee 1: Maiko Hagio (JPN, 1979)

Referee: Ri Hyang Ok (PRK, 1977)

Assistant Referee 1: Hong Kum Nyo (PRK, 1973)

Assistant Referee 2: Cui Yongmei (CHN, 1979)

Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN, 1986)

Assistant Referee 1: Naomi Teshirogi (JPN, 1980)

Assistant Referee 2: Makoto Bozono (JPN, 1980)

Support Referee: Casey Reibelt (AUS, 1988)

CAF

Referee: Lidya Tafesse Abebe (ETH, 1980)

Assistant Referee 1: Queency Victoire (MRI, 1987)

Assistant Referee 2: Mary Njoroge (KEN, 1985)

Referee: Gladys Lengwe (ZAM, 1978)

Assistant Referee 1: Bernadettar Kwimbira (MWI, 1981)

Assistant Referee 2: Lidwine Rakotozafinoro (MAD, 1978)

Support Referee: Salima Mukansanga (RWA, 1988)

CONCACAF

Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (CAN, 1982)

Assistant Referee 1: Stephanie Yee Sing (JAM, 1988)

Assistant Referee 2: Princess Brown (JAM, 1986)

Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON, 1986)

Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON, 1986)

Assistant Referee 2: Felisha Mariscal (USA, 1982)

Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN, 1977)

Assistant Referee 1: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA, 1988)

Assistant Referee 2: Chantal Boudreau (CAN, 1989)

Referee: Lucila Venegas (MEX, 1981)

Assistant Referee 1: Mayte Chavez (MEX, 1979)

Assistant Referee 2: Enedina Caudillo (MEX, 1984)

Support Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA, 1987)

CONMEBOL

Referee: Edina Alves (BRA, 1980)

Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA, 1984)

Assistant Referee 2: Tatiane Sacilotti (BRA, 1986)

Referee: Maria Carvajal (CHI, 1983)

Assistant Referee 1: Leslie Vasquez (CHI, 1987)

Assistant Referee 2: Loreto Toloza (CHI, 1984)

Referee: Laura Fortunato (ARG, 1985)

Assistant Referee 1: Mariana Almeida (ARG, 1982)

Assistant Referee 2: Mary Blanco (COL, 1984)

Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (URU, 1983)

Assistant Referee 1: Luciana Mascarana (URU, 1981)

Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU, 1982)

OFC

Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL, 1982)

Assistant Referee 1: Sarah Jones (NZL, 1990)

Assistant Referee 2: Maria Salamasina (SAM, 1989)

UEFA

Referee: Jana Adamkova (CZE, 1978)

Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajova (CZE, 1979)

Assistant Referee 2: Sanja Rodjak (CRO, 1983)

Referee: Sandra Braz (POR, 1978)

Assistant Referee 1: Julia Magnusson (SWE, 1985)

Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandra Ardasheva (UKR, 1987)

Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA, 1983) 

Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA, 1980)

Assistant Referee 2: Michelle O’Neill (IRL, 1978)

Referee: Riem Hussein (GER, 1980)

Assistant Referee 1: Kylie Cockburn (SCO, 1988)

Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Tepusa (ROU, 1983)

Referee: Katalin Kulcsar (HUN, 1984)

Assistant Referee 1: Sian Massey (ENG, 1985)

Assistant Referee 2: Katalin Torok (HUN, 1985)

Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR, 1981)

Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR, 1983)

Assistant Referee 2: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU, 1979)

Referee: Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS, 1981)

Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Kurochkina (RUS, 1986)

Assistant Referee 2: Maria Sukenikova (SVK, 1975)

Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI, 1979)

Assistant Referee 1: Susanne Kung (SUI, 1988)

Assistant Referee 2: Lisa Rashid (ENG, 1987)

Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER, 1979)

Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER, 1982)

Assistant Referee 2: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE, 1977)

CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana Final 2018 (First Leg)

5 December 2018

Junior – Atletico Paranaense
Referee: Diego Haro (PER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Raez (PER)
Fourth Official: Carlos Orbe (ECU)
VAR: Gery Vargas (BOL)
AVAR 1: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
AVAR 2: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
VAR Observer: Dario Ubriaco (URU)
Referee Assessor: Pablo Silva (ARG)

Kelly earns MLS Referee of the Year honour for third time

Alan Kelly is the 2018 MLS Referee of the Year, announced Major League Soccer and PRO. It's the third time in four seasons Kelly has received the honor. The 43-year-old Irishman was also recognized in 2015 and 2016. In addition, he has been named the referee for the 2018 MLS Cup. Meanwhile, Joe Fletcher has been voted MLS Assistant Referee of the Year. A first-time recipient of the award, Fletcher was one of five officials to represent PRO at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He called 100th MLS game this past August. 

“This has been another successful year for the Professional Referee Organization, and I’m delighted to see Alan Kelly named as our MLS Referee of the Year and Joe Fletcher as our MLS Assistant Referee of the Year,” PRO General Manager Howard Webb said in a statement. “They are excellent ambassadors for PRO and provide strong examples of the professionalism of our group, both domestically and internationally. Alan and Joe achieved high standards in all facets of their work, and PRO continues to make great strides in our accuracy, our impact on key moments and in our expanding influence in the Video Review realm.” Both distinctions are voted on by MLS club management, media and players, with finalists determined by U.S. Soccer, the Canadian Soccer Association and the MLS Competition Committee. (Source: MLS)

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Final 2018: Beaudoin (CAN)

1 December 2018

Final
Spain – Mexico
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (CAN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Princess Brown (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephanie Yee Sing (JAM)
Fourth Official: Maria Carvajal (CHI)
Reserve AR: Sarah Jones (NZL)

Match for Third Place
New Zealand – Canada
Referee: Riem Hussein (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Kylie Cockburn (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Tepusa (ROU)
Fourth Official: Salima Mukansanga (RWA)
Reserve AR: Oleksandra Ardasheva (UKR)