Proenca prepared for career peak

"I have finally reached my peak as a referee," Portuguese referee Pedro Proença told UEFA.com as prepares to take charge of the UEFA Euro 2012 final at the Olympic Stadiuim in Kyiv. Portuguese referee Pedro Proença will set the seal on a memorable season when he takes charge of his fourth and most important fixture, at UEFA Euro 2012 in Kyiv tonight. The 41-year-old also officiated the UEFA Champions League final on Munich on 19 May and told UEFA.com that being awarded the final at the Olympic Stadium is not only a privilege and an honour, but the peak of his career.

- Being awarded the UEFA Euro 2012 final must be very special for you?
- Yes, it's an honour to have this chance and to be invited. For any referee this would be one of the best moments of his career and I really feel privileged to have been asked, both for me and my team. It's a sign of acknowledgement of the work we have done at this tournament so it brings us happiness that has to be shared with the two finalists.

- How does it feel having been awarded the UEFA Champions League final and the UEFA Euro 2012 final?

- This means I have finally reached my peak as a referee. Several factors were involved in me getting here at my age and reaching the top level. I feel really satisfied and privileged so tomorrow I will try to honour the job, make the most of it and share the happiness with my colleagues.
- You have refereed a lot of these players before. Does that help you?
- Luckily, I have met a lot of the players over the years during UEFA competitions and, of course, football has a universal language. The behaviour of people of latin heritage is a bit different and we have a body language that makes us understand each other. I understand players' behaviour and the players understand the referee's behaviour. From this point of view it will be a bit easier for me.
- What does it mean for a Portuguese man to referee the final?
- At the moment we represent the quality of Portuguese refereeing and I hope tomorrow we prove it on the pitch. It shows the work we Portuguese have been doing all this time. I feel satisfied and I know this feeling is shared by every Portuguese referee. I will represent Portugal tomorrow.
- Can you explain a little bit about what you need from your assistants?
- The referee is just the face of a team and I couldn't do anything if I didn't have these fantastic men with me. They're the ones who, at the end of the day, give me support and the confidence to decide what's best. Tomorrow is a prize which will be shared by many people, but most of all, by the people who will be with me on the pitch, these four fantastic men.
- What are your thoughts on UEFA Euro 2012 so far?
- It has been fantastic. I really want to highlight the behaviour of every athlete and every player. They have shown extraordinary fair play. This shows the respect they have for the fans, the crowd and the people who watched them on TV. Unity and respect, which I think people deserve, was conveyed by players.

Source: UEFA

UEFA Euro Final 2012: Proenca (POR)

Pedro Proenca of Portugal has been selected to referee the UEFA Euro 2012 final between Italy and Spain at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv on Sunday (kick-off 20:45 CET). The appointment completes a memorable end to the season for the financial director from Pinhal Novo, who oversaw last month's UEFA Champions League showpiece in Munich, where Chelsea FC defeated Bayern Munchen on penalties. Sunday's fixture will be the 41-year-old's fourth of the tournament, having taken charge of two group stage matches – Spain's 4-0 victory against the Republic of Ireland on 14 June and Sweden's 2-0 defeat of France five days later – as well as the England-Italy quarter-final in the Ukrainian capital.
Pedro Proenca Oliveira will be assisted by countrymen Bertino Cunha Miranda and Ricardo Ferreira Santos, with Manuel Moreira De Sousa and Duarte Pereira Gomes acting as additional assistant referees. The fourth official will be Cuneyt Cakir and the reserve assistant referee Bahattin Duran, both from Turkey.
Proenca has been on the rise in European refereeing circles since handling the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final in 2004. Promoted to UEFA's Elite category at the start of 2009/10, he was in the middle for four games in that season's UEFA Champions League, five in the 2010/11 edition and six this term, culminating in the Fussball Arena Munchen decider on 19 May 2012.

1 July 2012
Spain – Italy

Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Santos (POR)
Additional AR 1: Manuel De Sousa (POR)
Additional AR 2: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Fourth Official: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Reserve AR: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Referee Observer: David Elleray (ENG)

CONCACAF Elite Referees Course 2012

Fifty of CONCACAF's top on-field officials will gather in Florida on Wednesday for the confederation's elite men's referee course, an annual event this year geared to further preparation for upcoming World Cup qualifying and Champions League matches. The four-day combine involving 25 referees and 25 assistant referees will include a fitness test, classroom instruction, as well as technical field sessions at the Kics Sports Complex in Fort Lauderdale (USA). FIFA instructors and former referees Peter Prendergast of Jamaica, Rodolfo Sibrian of El Salvador and Esse Baharmast of the United States will conduct the course with FIFA's head of referee Massimo Busacca and the world body's senior manager of referee development Fernando Tresaco also in attendance. The course will conclude Saturday night with Jamaican referee Kevin Morrison and assistants Ricardo Morgan of Jamaica and Dion Neil of Trinidad - all course participants - officiating the North American Soccer League (NASL) game between the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and RailHawks at Lockhart Stadium. "Our annual elite referee course is a fantastic opportunity to bring the best of the best in CONCACAF together”, said CONCACAF Director of Referee Administration, Brian Hall. "Under the guidance of FIFA's brightest instructors, our referees and assistant referees will have the opportunity to sharpen their technical skills. Additionally, since we will be conducting the FIFA fitness test, we will ensure that all referees are in top-class physical condition".

CONCACAF Elite Referees

1. David Gantar (CAN)
2. Walter Quesada (CRC)
3. Hugo Cruz (CRC)
4. Jeffrey Solis (CRC)
5. Marcos Brea (CUB)
6. David Betancourt (CUB)
7. Joel Aguilar (SLV, photo)
8. Elmer Bonilla (SLV)
9. Marlon Mejia (SLV)
10. Walter Lopez (GUA)
11. Oscar Reyna (GUA)
12. Hector Rodriguez (HON)
13. Raul Castro (HON)
14. Jose Pineda (HON)
15. Courtney Campbell (JAM)
16. Kevin Morrison (JAM)
17. Marco Rodriguez (MEX)
18. Roberto Garcia (MEX)
19. Francisco Chacon (MEX)
20. Roberto Moreno (PAN)
21. Jafeth Perea (PAN)
22. Javier Santos (PUR)
23. Enrico Wijngaarde (SUR)
24. Mark Geiger (USA)
25. Jair Marrufo (USA)

CONCACAF Elite Assistant Referees

1. Joe Fletcher (CAN)
2. Philippe Briere (CAN)
3. Leonel Leal (CRC)
4. Roberto Jara (CRC)
5. Warner Castro (CRC)
6. William Torres (SLV)
7. Juan Zumba (SLV)
8. Gerson Lopez (GUA)
9. Ronaldo De La Cruz (GUA)
10. Dion Inniss (GUY)
11. Juan Rodas (HON)
12. Oscar Velasquez (HON)
13. Ricardo Morgan (JAM)
14. Alberto Morin (MEX)
15. Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
16. Jose Camargo (MEX)
17. Marcos Quintero (MEX)
18. Juan Rangel (MEX)
19. Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
20. Daniel Williamson (PAN)
21. Ramon Louisville (SUR)
22. Dion Neil (TRI)
23. Charles Morgante (USA)
24. Eric Boria (USA)
25. Mark Hurd (USA)

Copa Libertadores Final 2012 (First Leg)

27 June 2012

Boca Juniors – Corinthians Sao Paulo
Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Francisco Mondria (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Fourth Official: Patricio Polic (CHI)

UEFA Euro 2012 – Semi-finals

27 June 2012
Spain – Portugal
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Bulent Yildirim (TUR)
Fourth Official: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Reserve AR: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Referee Observer: Jozef Marko (SVK)

28 June 2012
Germany – Italy
Referee: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Annonier (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Fourth Official: Howard Webb (ENG)
Reserve AR: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

UEFA U-19 Euro 2012

Estonia, 3-15 July 2012

Referees
1. Alain Bieri (SUI, 1979)
2. Vadims Direktorenko (LVA, 1981)
3. Kenn Hansen (DEN, 1980)
4. Arnold Hunter (NIR, 1979)
5. Danny Makkelie (NED, 1983, photo)
6. Paolo Valeri (ITA, 1978)

Assistant Referees
1. Anatolie Bodean (MDA, 1974)
2. Yves De Neve (BEL, 1975)
3. Johann Gudmundsson (ISL, 1978)
4. Ivo Kolev (BUL, 1979)
5. Aleksei Lebedev (RUS, 1980)
6. Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL, 1978)
7. Marco Tropeano (LUX, 1974)
8. Dmitry Zhuk (BLR, 1986)

Fourth Officials
1. Kristo Tohver (EST, 1981)
2. Eiko Saar (EST, 1978)

Referee Observers
1. Jozef Marko (SVK)
2. Juan Fernandez Marin (ESP)
3. Are Habicht (EST)
4. Uno Tutk (EST)

Kassai: “We stand together as a team”

After his early return from Euro 2012, Viktor Kassai took part in a press conference at the Hungarian FA headquarters in Budapest. He was joined in the discussions by former FIFA World Cup referees Karoly Palotai and Sandor Puhl.

Former Olympic champion and three times (1974, 1978, 1982) World Cup referee Karoly Palotai emphasized that Viktor Kassai and his team, aside from the considerable media interest in underlying fault, superbly led their matches at Euro 2012; however, the error is always possible and belongs to the referees’ work. According to Palotai, UEFA and FIFA will not forget Kassai’s excellent results in recent years and the error from England – Ukraine will not affect his career in the long run. Palotai remembered that, many years ago, he wrongly disallowed a goal at the end of a Hungarian derby Gyor – Ferencvaros and that error played a major role in making him the World Cup referee he became later.

Sandor Puhl, who refereed the 1994 FIFA World Cup final, Italy – Brazil, and was voted four times the world's best referee, said that there will always be errors in refereeing. “First, it should be clear that a serious human mistake happened, which should not have been. However, under high pressure, it was a very difficult task to judge that the ball crossed the goal line by a few centimetres in a fraction of a second. Lessons should be learned, to move forward and build on from what happened. I cannot remember a single match without any errors. There will be errors as long as the human factor plays a role in football, and they must be accepted”, said Puhl, who demonstrated how difficult it was for the additional assistant referee Istvan Vad to judge whether the ball entirely crossed the goal line after a shot from the Ukrainians.

Viktor Kassai specified that, according to UEFA policies, he cannot discuss specific match situations, but readily responded to general questions. “After the match, we watched the video, analyzed the situation and immediately realized that we made mistakes. We tried to find the cause, but according to the requirements of UEFA, the referee's own decisions cannot be made public. It was very unfortunate that a single erroneous judgement was fatal for us, after we performed very well in 99% of the match. Every referee on the field of play has to judge live situation, in a fraction of a second, with centimetres to be decided, without having different camera angles and replay images”, said the world’s best referee in 2011. “We have no reason to hide, as long as we also made other very good decisions. My refereeing team was composed of the best officials; my colleagues have demonstrated their qualifications many times over the last few years and many times it happened that their help saved me an error. We bear the consequences together, as well as the successes, and we must move over together. It is all about the trust. If we have another match tomorrow, I will accept my assistants without any doubt and will accept their decisions in similar situations. All members of our team were fully prepared and I consider them the best in the business. There is no doubt that the error was not good for us, but we cannot stay long on the floor; new tasks await us, and we, as professionals, must continue our work”, underlined Kassai. “Since 2007, we got important appointments every year: the U-20 World Cup, the 2008 Olympic Games final, the U-17 World Cup semi-final, the 2010 World Cup semi-final, the 2011 UEFA Champions League final and the big match Spain – Italy at Euro 2012. We built ourselves a very good reputation in the international football, but that also brought higher expectations from us. Unfortunately, as it happens with the teams, there are defeats. We are extremely disappointed and very affected by this issue. However, it should be remembered that our team also achieved success and we should stand together as a team. I can hardly bear what happened, because we know that many people trust us. What has happened is something that we cannot change. It was an erroneous judgment that had ended the European Championship for us, as it was considered as a big mistake. However, I am sure that that all members of our team will build their strength from this failure and next season we can again prove that people can trust us as referees”, said Viktor Kassai.

Source: MLSZ

Collina: “97.5% accuracy rate for offside is huge”

UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina has expressed his satisfaction at the quality of refereeing in the 24 group stage matches at UEFA Euro 2012 – and has also praised the players for their overall behaviour in the tournament so far.

Giving his overall view of refereeing issues up to now in Poland and Ukraine, Collina said that the pre-tournament dialogue between members of the UEFA Referees Committee and the players and coaches of each team had played a considerable part in the reduced number of incidents during matches. "There has been a long period of preparation for the match officials in various aspects, to help them to produce the best possible performances on the field of play," said the experienced Italian, who took charge of some of the biggest matches in world football during a distinguished career. "Over the last two years the feedback we have received about referees' performances has been very good. The general feeling from the football world has been very positive, and we are very happy about this. The 12 referees selected for Euro 2012 are definitely among the best in Europe," Collina added. "After the first 24 matches, we are satisfied by the performances. We have tried to achieve consistency, which is always a very important goal when you need to interpret the Laws of the Game on the field of play – and in particular, decisions relating to offside and fouls. We need to reach consistency, and I think we have had it in this competition. We felt the need to make the decisions of the referees understood by the players and coaches," Collina explained. "The feedback is very positive. The players' behaviour on the field has been very positive in terms of cooperation with referees and accepting referees' decisions. We have definitely seen fewer incidents on the field of play. We have had no red cards for violent conduct. I would like to take this public opportunity to thank all the players who have played in the first 24 matches."
Collina said that the preparation of the assistant referees had also been stepped up in recent times. "In modern football, offside has become very important. We decided to dedicate more attention to the assistant referees – a staff of former assistant referees worked with the selected referees before Euro, and we have former assistant referees here as instructors. When an assistant referee takes a decision, he can raise the flag or keep the flag down. We considered all the assessments made by assistant referees involving a distance of one metre from the offside line, with the assistant either raising his flag or keeping the flag down. We had 302 of these decisions in the 24 matches - with 289 correct decisions and 13 wrong decisions. This represents 95.7% accuracy and that is a huge result. What is even more important, 19 goals were scored on a very positive decision taken by the assistant referees to keep the flag down. We can be very happy about the performances of the assistant referees."
The 31 games in Poland and Ukraine are each being handled by a referee, two assistant referees and fourth official, supplemented by two additional assistant referees, as well as a reserve assistant referee. The additional assistant referees are positioned behind the goal line as part of a continuing experiment, authorized by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), and they focus in particular on incidents in and around the penalty area. "As an overall assessment, the additional assistants have contributed 16 times in the 24 matches to the decision taken by the referees," Collina explained. "Among these were three goal/non-goal situations. Two decisions were absolutely correct and the third was unfortunately wrong – it was a human mistake made by a human being. The ball crossed the line. That was unfortunate. It would have been better not to have it", Collina told a news conference in the Polish capital, Warsaw. He blamed human error for the call but said two similar decisions in the 24 matches so far played in the tournament – in the Germany - Portugal and Italy - Croatia group matches – had been correct, adding: "The third, unfortunately, was wrong." Collina tried to put the Ukraine incident into context, saying that the five officials system had been trialled successfully over "thousands of matches" in European domestic competitions. "This is the only problem we have had," he said. "It's one negative decision in three years of Champions League and two years of Europa League and 24 matches in the Euro," he told reporters. "I would be very happy to know if the same questions would have been asked without yesterday's decision." Collina said the decision was not a reflection on Kassai's overall performance and insisted that officials had a 95.7 percent accuracy rate in calling offside decisions in the group matches. They included a disputed goal by Spain's Jesus Navas in their 1-0 win against Croatia and two Cristiano Ronaldo goals in Portugal's 2-1 win against the Netherlands. But a goal by Greece in their match against the Czech Republic should not have been disallowed for offside, said Collina, blaming again "human error".
The incident has reopened the debate about the introduction of goal-line technology after a series of high-profile cases where goals were either given or disallowed, including against England in the last World Cup two years ago. FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, who is in favour of technology, wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter: "After last night's match #GLT (goal-line technology) is no longer an alternative but a necessity." That again put him at odds with his counterpart at European football's governing body UEFA, Michel Platini, who told reporters this week that the five officials currently being used in Euro 2012 were enough to prevent any controversial decisions. FIFA is currently trialling two prototypes of goal-line technology, one from British firm HawkEye, which uses a series of cameras in stadium roofs to track the trajectory of the ball, and another from German firm GoalRef, which uses sensors.

Source: AFP/UEFA

UEFA Euro 2012 – Quarter-finals

21 June 2012
Czech Republic – Portugal
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Additional AR 1: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Fourth Official: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Reserve AR: Stefan Wittberg (SWE)
Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

22 June 2012
Germany – Greece
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Matej Jug (SVN)
Fourth Official: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)
Reserve AR: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

23 June 2012
France – Spain
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Fourth Official: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Reserve AR: Alasdair Ross (SCO)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

24 June 2012
England – Italy
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Santos (POR)
Additional AR 1: Manuel De Sousa (POR)
Additional AR 2: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Fourth Official: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Reserve AR: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Referee Observer: Jozef Marko (SVK)

UEFA Euro 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 21-24)

18 June 2012
Croatia – Spain
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Mike Pickel (GER)
Additional AR 1: Florian Meyer (GER)
Additional AR 2: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Fourth Official: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Reserve AR: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

Italy – Ireland
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Bulent Yildirim (TUR)
Fourth Official: Viktor Shvetsov (UKR)
Reserve AR: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
Referee Observer: Jozef Marko (SVK)

19 June 2012
England – Ukraine
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabor Eros (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gyorgy Ring (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Istvan Vad (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
Fourth Official: Tom Harald Hagen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Damien MacGraith (IRL)
Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

Sweden – France
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Santos (POR)
Additional AR 1: Manuel De Sousa (POR)
Additional AR 2: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Fourth Official: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Reserve AR: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Referee Observer: Youri Baskakov (RUS)

Copa Libertadores – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

20 June 2012
Corinthians – Santos
Referee: Leandro Pedro Vuaden (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Altemir Hausmann (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Marques (BRA)

21 June 2012
Universidad de Chile – Boca Juniors
Referee: Dario Ubriaco (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Fourth Official: Liber Prudente (URU)

UEFA Euro 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 17-20)

16 June 2012
Greece – Russia
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Wittberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Markus Strombergsson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
Reserve AR: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Referee Observer: Pierluigi Collina (ITA)

Czech Republic – Poland
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alasdair Ross (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Derek Rose (SCO)
Additional AR 1: William Collum (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Euan Norris (SCO)
Fourth Official: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Reserve AR: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Referee Observer: Youri Baskakov (RUS)

17 June 2012
Denmark – Germany
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Reserve AR: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Portugal – Netherlands
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Fourth Official: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Reserve AR: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Referee Observer: David Elleray (ENG)

Collum joins UEFA refereeing elite

William Collum (SCO) has received more good news at the UEFA Euro 2012 after being elevated to UEFA Elite Referee level. For the first time ever, Scotland now has more than one official operating at the highest echelons of the game. The 33-year-old joins Craig Thomson on the 24-strong list of the world’s leading referees.

Both Collum and Thomson are in Poland and Ukraine as part of the Scotland referee team at UEFA Euro 2012, but in an exclusive interview with the Scottish FA web site, William considers the announcement the culmination of a 20-year dedication to refereeing. “I have been involved in refereeing since I was 14 and this excellent news makes that commitment all the more worthwhile,” he said. “Obviously it is great news for me but it is great news for Scottish refereeing. We have never had two referees in that category before and I am absolutely delighted to have been nominated. It shows the work we put is being recognized at the highest level and it shows other referees who are making their own journeys that there really is no barrier to success. “Working in as intense an environment as Scottish football gives you tremendous experience as a referee and, certainly in the last few years we have all had to handle a variety of situations.” While the rest of the Scottish referee team await their first group match, Denmark - Portugal, Collum has already made his debut as Fourth Official for the defending champions’ 1-1 draw against Italy on Sunday. “That experience has served us well when we have been appointed to European and international matches and now that the Scottish referee team is at the Euro Championships, I believe we are well equipped to deal with the unique pressure and environment of a major international tournament. I would like to thank the Scottish FA and [Head of Referee Development] John Fleming for their support – not just to myself but the whole refereeing fraternity - and also to Hugh Dallas, who remains a huge supporter and champion for Scottish refereeing in his position at UEFA."

John Fleming believes Collum’s promotion is a testament to the work undertaken by the Scottish FA’s Referee Development Department. “Firstly, I am absolutely thrilled for Willie,” he said. “He is one of the most dedicated, focused and professional people I have met, never mind in refereeing. That drive and search for constant improvement has now taken him to the top of refereeing. Having Thomson and Collum at Elite level and Pirie at Women's Elite Development is a huge boost to Scottish refereeing and they are now role models for all aspiring referees. They have shown that the path to the very top is possible and the incentive is now there for others to follow." (Source: Scottish FA)

Promotions and demotions
Kevin Blom (NED) has been relegated from Elite to First Category, Alan Kelly (IRL) and Robert Schorgenhofer (AUT) have been relegated from Elite Development to First Category, while Istvan Vad (HUN) has been promoted from First Category to Elite Development. Stuart Attwell (ENG) has been removed from the Second Category after his demotion from the Select Group in England. Anders Hermansen (DEN) and Petros Konstantineas (GRE) have been removed from the Third Category after their retirement.

UEFA Euro 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 13-16)

14 June 2012
Italy – Croatia

Referee: Howard Webb (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Fourth Official: Pavel Kralovec (CZE)
Reserve AR: Roman Slysko (SVK)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

Spain – Ireland
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Santos (POR)
Additional AR1: Manuel De Sousa (POR)
Additional AR2 : Duarte Gomes (POR)
Fourth Official: Marcin Borski (POL)
Reserve AR: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: David Elleray (ENG)

15 June 2012
Ukraine – France
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional AR 1: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Additional AR 2: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Fourth Official: Tom Harald Hagen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Damien MacGraith (IRL)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Sajn (SVN)

England – Sweden
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Matej Jug (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
Fourth Official: Florian Meyer (GER)
Reserve AR: Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)
Referee Observer: Jozef Marko (SVK)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONCACAF

12 June 2012
Guatemala – USA

Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Fourth Official: Marlon Mejia (SLV)

Panama – Cuba
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Hurd (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Boria (USA)
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo (USA)

El Salvador – Mexico
Referee: Jose Pineda (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Rodas (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Oscar Velasquez (HON)
Fourth Official: Hector Rodriguez (HON)

Canada – Honduras
Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde (SUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ramon Louisville (SUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dion Neil (TRI)
Fourth Official: Neal Brizan (TRI)

Guyana – Costa Rica
Referee: Marcos Brea (CUB)
Assistant Referee 1: Hiran Dopico (CUB)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Rodriguez (CUB)
Fourth Official: David Rubalcaba (CUB)

Antigua – Jamaica
Referee: Stanley Lancaster (GUY)
Assistant Referee 1: Dion Inniss (GUY)
Assistant Referee 2: Egbert Paesch (ARU)
Fourth Official: Rudolph Angela (ARU)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – AFC

12 June 2012
Iran – Qatar

Referee: Peter Green (AUS, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Brad Hobson (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohd Mat Daud (MAS)
Fourth official: Mohd Abdul Wahab (MAS)

Iraq – Oman
Referee: Abdulrahman Abdou (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Salem Al Naimi (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Fourth Official: Khamis Al Marri (QAT)

Australia – Japan
Referee: Khalil Al Ghamdi (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Badr Al Shumrani (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdul Al Kathiri (KSA)
Fourth official: Fahad Al Mirdasi (KSA)

Korea – Lebanon
Referee: Masaaki Toma (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Akane Yagi (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Hideo Nishio (JPN)
Fourth Official: Yudai Yamamoto (JPN)

UEFA Euro 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 9-12)

12 June 2012
Greece – Czech Republic
Referee: Stephane Lannoy (FRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Annonier (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Fourth Official: Matej Jug (SVN)
Reserve AR: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Poland – Russia
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Mike Pickel (GER)
Additional AR 1: Florian Meyer (GER)
Additional AR 2: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Fourth Official: Istvan Vad (HUN)
Reserve AR: Gabor Eros (HUN)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

13 June 2012
Denmark – Portugal
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alasdair Ross (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Derek Rose (SCO)
Additional AR 1: William Collum (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Euan Norris (SCO)
Fourth Official: Viktor Shvetsov (UKR)
Reserve AR: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Netherlands – Germany
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Wittberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Markus Strombergsson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Tom Harald Hagen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Damien MacGraith (IRL)
Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

OFC Nations Cup Final 2012: O’Leary (NZL)

10 June 2012

Final
Tahiti – New Caledonia
Referee: Peter O’Leary (NZL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Hintz (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ravinesh Kumar (FIJ)
Fourth Official: George Oiaka (SOL)

Match for Third Place
Solomon Islands – New Zealand
Referee: Kader Zitouni (TAH)
Assistant Referee 1: Tevita Makasini (TGA)
Assistant Referee 2: Terry Piri (COK)
Fourth Official: Bruce George (VAN)

Copa Libertadores – Semi-finals (First Leg)

13 June 2012
Santos – Corinthians
Referee: Marcelo De Lima Henrique (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Dibert Moises (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Braatz (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pericles Cortez (BRA)

14 June 2012
Boca Juniors – Universidad de Chile
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Abraham Gonzalez (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Diaz (COL)
Fourth Official: Imer Machado (COL)

Velasco Carballo: "We must enjoy it and have fun"

Carlos Velasco Carballo will become the 13th man to blow the whistle at the start of a UEFA European Championship on Friday and he tells UEFA.com that he is determined to savour the moment.

Spain's Carlos Velasco Carballo is no stranger to big occasions, having refereed the 2011 UEFA Europa League final, but being tasked with officiating the opening game at a UEFA European Championship is a rare honour indeed. Only 12 men have previously had the pleasure, and the 41-year-old told UEFA.com that he is confident he will not become unlucky No.13 when Poland face Greece on Friday. In fact, he hopes he will barely be noticed.
- How does it feel to referee the opening match at UEFA Euro 2012?

- Above all it's a source of great happiness and honour to have the chance to referee such an important and significant match. After 25 years of refereeing and training – all the matches, all the grounds I have been to, starting in the youth sector and amateur league – to have made it all the way to an important occasion such as this is just great.
- You are known as a great analyst of teams and players. How important is it to know the tactics of each team?

- I think that professional refereeing has developed a lot in recent years, with regards to the physical, psychological and technical aspects, and consistency. I think we have to continue on that path and focus on the technical development of football itself as, without a doubt, tactics affect our work. Professional referees of today and the future should know about all of this.
- What will you tell your assistants before the match? What advice will you give them?

- During the last few hours I will try to get across the mantra that they should “enjoy it and have fun”, because in matches like these you don't have to worry about motivation and concentration; the match takes care of that. It's more important to release the pressure and tension, to make sure there is a positive vibe within the group. Conversations in the days leading up to the game have been more technical, so we needn't worry about that.
- How do you prepare for the matches?

- I'm not such a modern person. I don't like to have music in the dressing room – I'm one of a minority who doesn't. I prefer to talk, to communicate and talk to my colleagues, make jokes and stay relaxed. I'm a very calm person, and a big match like Friday's doesn't affect me that much.
- What are your own aims for UEFA Euro 2012?

- It's a dream come true to be here and now my objective is to meet expectations, to make sure with my refereeing colleagues that football is the main thing. That is our ambition, that at the end of the tournament you're all talking about football.

Source: UEFA

OFC Nations Cup 2012 – Semi-finals

8 June 2012
New Zealand – New Caledonia

Referee: Norbert Hauata (TAH, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tevita Makasini (TGA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Joseph (VAN)
Fourth Official: Kader Zitouni (TAH)

Tahiti – Solomon Islands
Referee: Peter O’Leary (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Hintz (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ravinesh Kumar (FIJ)
Fourth Official: Bruce George (VAN)

UEFA Euro 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 5-8)

10 June 2012
Spain – Italy
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabor Eros (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gyorgy Ring (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Istvan Vad (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
Fourth Official: William Collum (SCO)
Reserve AR: Damien MacGraith (IRL)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Ireland – Croatia
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional AR 1: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Additional AR 2: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Fourth Official: Victor Shvetsov (UKR)
Reserve AR: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
Referee Observer: Youri Baskakov (RUS)

11 June 2012
France – England
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Fourth Official: Pavel Kralovec (CZE)
Reserve AR: Roman Slysko (SVK)
Referee Observer: Jozef Marko (SVK)

Ukraine – Sweden
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Bulent Yildirim (TUR)
Fourth Official: Marcin Borski (POL)
Reserve AR: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

UEFA Euro 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 1-4)

The match officials for the first four games of UEFA Euro 2012 have been announced, with Spain's Carlos Velasco Carballo taking charge of the tournament opener on Friday between co-hosts Poland and Greece. Howard Webb has been selected to referee the second match of the night between Russia and Czech Republic at the Municipal Stadium Wroclaw, kick-off 20.45CET. The Netherlands against Denmark at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv on Saturday 9 June, kick-off 18.00CET, will be officiated by Damir Skomina. Stephane Lannoy was appointed to referee the game between Germany and Portugal at the Arena Lviv also on Sunday, kick-off 20.45CET. The officials for the matches 5-8 will be announced on Thursday 7 June at 09.30CET. Officials for matches 9-12 will be announced on Sunday 10 June at 09.30CET, for matches 13-16 on Tuesday 12 June at 09.30CET, for matches 17-20 on Thursday 14 June at 09.30CET, and for matches 21-24 on Saturday 16 June at 09.30CET.
In total, 12 referees have been appointed to handle the 31 matches of the final tournament. They will work together with 24 assistant referees and 24 additional assistant referees in teams of the same nationality. After the successful ongoing experiment in the use of additional assistant referees in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, for the first time in the history of the UEFA European Football Championship, referees will have added support. This is thanks to a decision by football’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), to allow the continuation of the experiment. The referees’ team is joined by four appointed fourth officials, who will only act in this specific function. Additional assistant referees will also act as fourth officials. During the final tournament any injured referee will be replaced either by the fourth official or by the first additional assistant referee at the match, thanks to a permission granted by the IFAB.

8 June 2012
Poland – Greece
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Reserve AR: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Pierluigi Collina (ITA)

Russia – Czech Republic
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Fourth Official: Manuel De Sousa (POR)
Reserve AR: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

9 June 2012
Netherlands – Denmark
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Matej Jug (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
Fourth Official: Pavel Kralovec (SVK)
Reserve AR: Roman Slysko (SVK)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

Germany – Portugal
Referee: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Annonier (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Fourth Official: Marcin Borski (POL)
Reserve AR: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: David Elleray (ENG)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL

9 June 2012
Bolivia – Paraguay
Referee: Roberto Silvera (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee2: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Fourth Official: Martin Vazquez (URU)

Venezuela – Chile
Referee: Jose Buitrago (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Abraham Gonzalez (COL)
Assistant Referee2: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Fourth Official: Imer Machado (COL)

10 June 2012
Uruguay – Peru
Referee: Leandro Pedro Vuaden (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Altemir Hausmann (BRA)
Assistant Referee2: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Fourth Official: Marcelo Henrique De Lima (BRA)

Ecuador – Colombia
Referee: Wilson Seneme (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee2: Roberto Braatz (BRA)
Fourth Official: Paulo Oliveira (BRA)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONCACAF

8 June 2012
Costa Rica – El Salvador

Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ronaldo De la Cruz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Oscar Reyna (GUA)

Honduras – Panama
Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Camargo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jose Penaloza (MEX)

Jamaica – Guatemala
Referee: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Williamson (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Fourth Official: Jafeth Perea (PAN)

Cuba – Canada
Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Morgan (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Garnet Page (JAM)
Fourth Official: Kevin Morrison (JAM)

USA – Antigua
Referee: Hugo Cruz (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Warner Castro (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Cerdas (CRC)

Mexico – Guyana
Referee: Javier Santos (PUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Antonio Lopez (PUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jairo Morales (PUR)
Fourth Official: William Anderson (PUR)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CAF

9 June 2012
Mali – Algeria

Referee: Daniel BENNETT (RSA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandile DILIKANE (RSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Lindikhaya BOLO (RSA)
Fourth Official: Victor GOMES (RSA)

Malawi – Nigeria
Referee: Rajindraparsad SEECHURN (MRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Bakrishna BOOTUN (MRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Akhtar ROSSAYE (MRI)
Fourth Official: Ganesh CHUTOOREE (MRI)

Botswana – South Africa
Referee: Mahamadou KEITA (MLI)
Assistant Referee 1: Balla DIARRA (MLI)
Assistant Referee 2: Drissa NIARE (MLI)
Fourth Official: Ousmane KAREMBE (MLI)

Zambia – Ghana
Referee: Med KORDI (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Anouar HMILA (TUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Kamel ABDELMOUMEN (TUN)
Fourth Official: Nasrallah JAOUADI (TUN)

Gabon – Burkina Faso
Referee: Ousmane FALL (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Moussa DIAKHATE (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: El Hadji SAMBA (SEN)
Fourth Official: Malang DIEDHIOU (SEN)

Congo – Niger
Referee: Hudu MUNYEMANA (RWA)
Assistant Referee 1: Felicien KABANDA (RWA)
Assistant Referee 2: Honore SIMBA (RWA)
Fourth Official: Gervais MUNYANZIZA (RWA)

Uganda – Senegal
Referee: Mohamed BENOUZA (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed BECHIRENE (ALG)
Assistant Referee 2: Bouabdallah OMARI (ALG)
Fourth Official: Mokhtar AMALOU (ALG)

Cape Verde Islands – Tunisia
Referee: Redouane JIYED (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mimoun BEKKALI (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mouhib FILALI (MAR)
Fourth Official: Hicham TIAZI (MAR)

Equatorial Guinea – Sierra Leone
Referee: Adam CORDIER (CHA)
Assistant Referee 1: Issa YAYA (CHA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kriga ABDOULAYE (CHA)
Fourth Official: Oumar MAHAMAT (CHA)

Namibia – Kenya
Referee: Joshua BONDO (BOT)
Assistant Referee 1: Meshack MEDUPI (BOT)
Assistant Referee 2: Elijah MASITHA (BOT)
Fourth Official: Lekgotla JOHANNES (BOT)

Morocco – Cote D’Ivoire
Referee: Ghead GRISHA (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Ayman DEGAISH (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Tamer DORRY (EGY)
Fourth Official: Abdel OMAR (EGY)

10 June 2012
Lesotho – Sudan
Referee: Rainhold SHIKONGO (NAM)
Assistant Referee 1: David SHAANIKA (NAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Hendrik SWARTBOOI (NAM)
Fourth Official: Andreas HELMUT (NAM)

Mozambique – Zimbabwe
Referee: Ali KALYANGO (UGA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hussein BUGEMBE (UGA)
Assistant Referee 2: Yahaya KITTI (UGA)
Fourth Official: Denis BATTE (UGA)

Ethiopia – Central African Republic
Referee: Anthony RAPHAEL (MWI)
Assistant Referee 1: Moffat CHAMPITI (MWI)
Assistant Referee 2: Chalvin NGOLANGA (MWI)
Fourth Official: Kalyoto NGOSI (MWI)

Tanzania – Gambia
Referee: Ruzive RUZIVE (ZIM)
Assistant Referee 1: Salani NCUBE (ZIM)
Assistant Referee 2: Edgar RUMECK (ZIM)
Fourth Official: Norman MATEMERA (ZIM)

Guinea – Egypt
Referee: Neant ALIOUM (CMR)
Assistant Referee 1: Evarist MENKOUANDE (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Yanoussa MOUSSA (CMR)
Fourth Official: Mathurin OTTOU (CMR)

Libya – Cameroon
Referee: Mensur MAERUF (ERI)
Assistant Referee 1: Angesom OGBAMARIAM (ERI)
Assistant Referee 2: Berhe TESFAGIORGHIS (ERI)
Fourth Official: Luelseghed GHEBREMICHAEL (ERI)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – AFC

8 June 2012
Oman – Australia
Referee: Alireza FAGHANI (IRN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hassan KAMRANIFAR (IRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Reza SOKHANDAN (IRN)
Fourth Official: Akbar BAKHSHIZADEH (IRN)

Lebanon – Uzbekistan
Referee: Abdullah AL HILALI (OMA)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalid AL HINAI (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Saif AL GHAFRI (OMA)
Fourth Official: Ibrahim AL HOSNI (OMA)

Qatar – Korea
Referee: Ali ALBADWAWI (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Saleh AL MARZOUQI (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Omar ALHUMOUDI (UAE)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Abdulla MOHAMED (UAE)

Japan – Jordan
Referee: KIM Dong Jin (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: JEONG Hae Sang (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: YANG Byoung Eun (KOR)
Fourth Official: KIM Dae Yong (KOR)

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2012

Japan, 19 August – 8 September 2012

                                                                            Referees

AFC

1. Abirami Apbai (SIN, 1983)
2. Liang Qin (CHN, 1979)
3. Nami Sato (JPN, 1978, photo)

CAF
1. Fadouma Dia (SEN, 1976)

CONCACAF
1. Margaret Domka (USA, 1979)
2. Dianne Ferreira-James (GUY, 1970)
3. Lucila Venegas (MEX, 1981)

CONMEBOL
1. Ana Marques (BRA, 1979)

UEFA
1. Teodora Albon (ROU, 1977)
2. Christine Baitinger (GER, 1974)
3. Pernilla Larsson (SWE, 1976)
4. Silvia Spinelli (ITA, 1970)
5. Esther Staubli (SUI, 1979)
                                                                         

Assistant Referees

AFC
1. Emi Chiba (JPN, 1975)
2. Yongmei Cui (CHN, 1979)
3. Yan Fang (CHN, 1979)
4. Thi Thuy Kieu (VIE, 1978)
5. Lee Seul Gi (KOR, 1980)
6. Praphaiphit Tarik (THA, 1983)

CAF
1. Mana Dzodope (TOG, 1978)
2. Souad Oulhaj (MAR, 1974)

CONCACAF
1. Emperatriz Ayala (SLV, 1980)
2. Enedina Caudillo (MEX, 1984)
3. Lixy Enriquez (MEX, 1973)
4. Elizabeth Cuff (CUB, 1976)
5. Kimberly Moreira (CRC, 1966)
6. Marisol Salazar (GUA, 1977)

CONMEBOL
1. Mariana De Almeida (ARG, 1982)
2. Luzmila Gonzalez (COL, 1978)

UEFA
1. Natalie Aspinall (ENG, 1981)
2. Eveline Bolli (SUI, 1982)
3. Ella De Vries (BEL, 1977)
4. Petruta Iugulescu (ROU, 1979)
5. Angela Kyriakou (CYP, 1977)
6. Sian Massey (ENG, 1985)
7. Manuela Nicolosi (FRA, 1980)
8. Sanja Rodak (CRO, 1983)
9. Maria Sukenikova (SVK, 1975)
10. Karine Vives Solana (FRA, 1978)
                                                                      

Reserve Trio – AFC

Referee
Fusako Kajiyama (JPN, 1977)
Assistant Referees
Shiho Ayukai (JPN, 1972)
Jianping Liang (CHN, 1977)

UEFA Referees Committee meeting Euro 2012 teams

Members of the UEFA Referees Committee are meeting the coaches and players of the 16 participating teams ahead of the UEFA Euro 2012 kick-off to discuss the guidelines which have been given to the 12 refereeing teams for the tournament. The committee members – all vastly-experienced former international match officials – will emphasise the message that cooperation between the coaches, players and referees will contribute to the success and image of the tournament.

The refereeing teams have been issued with clear guidelines as far as decision-making and interpretation of the Laws of the Game are concerned. Protection of players and the game's image, and punishment for mobbing the referee, as well as for incidents of mass confrontation, are among the instructions delivered by the UEFA Referees Committee to the 12 refereeing teams. The 31 games in Poland and Ukraine will each be handled by a referee, two assistant referees and fourth official, supplemented by two additional assistant referees as well as a reserve assistant referee. The additional assistant referees will be positioned behind the goalline as part of a continuing experiment, authorised by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), and they will focus in particular on incidents in and around the penalty area. "The instructions given to the match officials will be exactly the same as those delivered to the players and coaches," said UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina in announcing the guidelines at the Euro referees' preparatory workshop last month. "I and members of the Referees Committee will visit each national-team camp to speak to coaches and players – we would like referees, coaches and players to be speaking the same language in terms of football, interpretation and the Laws of the Game."
UEFA referee officer Hugh Dallas added: "Meeting the teams is something that we introduced for Euro 2008, and it was well received by both the coaches and players. We think it's important that the referees and players both know exactly what they're trying to achieve. "We got very positive feedback four years ago, and the reaction was very good. We're trying to make sure that the players and the referees are working together to make this a highly-successful tournament. We are trying to guide the players, and hopefully we will get the same reaction as we did four years ago. "It's important to have dialogue," Dallas continued. "There is no point in us giving instructions to referees and not informing the coaches and players. We want to make sure that we are transparent and open by telling the players what they should not get involved in, and I am sure this will help the overall tournament."

Source: UEFA

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – AFC

3 June 2012
Uzbekistan – Iran
Referee: Yuichi Nishimura (JPN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Toru Sagara (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Toshiyuki Nagi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Jumpei Iida (JPN)

Lebanon – Qatar
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BAH)
Assistant Referee 1: Yaser Tulefat (BAH)
Assistant Referee 2: Ebrahim Saleh (BAH)
Fourth Official: Jameel Abdulhusin (BAH)

Jordan – Iraq
Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Ilyasov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Mamur Saidkasimov (UZB)
Fourth Official: Vladislav Tseytlin (UZB)

Japan – Oman
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Bakhadyr Kochkarov (KGZ)
Fourth Official: Timur Faizullin (UZB)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL

2 June 2012
Uruguay – Venezuela
Referee: Antonio Arias (PAR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee2: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)

Bolivia – Chile
Referee: Alfredo Intriago (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Cedeno (ECU)
Assistant Referee2: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Fourth Official: Omar Ponce (ECU)

Argentina – Ecuador
Referee: Victor Rivera (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Cesar Escano (PER)
Assistant Referee2: Jorge Yupanqui (PER)
Fourth Official: Henry Gambetta (PER)

3 June 2012
Peru – Colombia
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee2: Ricardo Casas (ARG)
Fourth Official: Federico Beligoy (ARG)