UEFA Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

1 October 2013
FC Basel – FC Schalke
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Additional AR1: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes (ESP)
Additional AR2: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Victoriano Diaz Casado (ESP)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

Steaua Bucuresti – Chelsea FC
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Additional AR1: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)
Additional AR2: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Fourth Official: Javier Aguilar Rodriguez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn (GER)

Borussia Dortmund – Olympique Marseille
Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Jesus Calvo Guadamuro (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Fernandez Miranda (ESP)
Additional AR1: Cesar Muniz Fernandez (ESP)
Additional AR2: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Fourth Official: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Referee Observer: Donald McVicar (SCO)

Arsenal – Napoli
Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjevic (SRB)
Additional AR1: Danilo Grujic (SRB)
Additional AR2: Miodrag Gogic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Cadjenovic (SRB)
Referee Observer: Paul Allaerts (BEL)

Zenit St. Petersburg – Austria Wien
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Hacker (GER)
Additional AR1: Marco Fritz (GER)
Additional AR2: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Fourth Official: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Referee Observer: Laszlo Vagner (HUN)

FC Porto – Atletico Madrid
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Cann (ENG)
Additional AR1: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Additional AR2: Michael Jones (ENG)
Fourth Official: Stephen Child (ENG)
Referee Observer: Kaj Ostergaard (DEN)

Ajax Amsterdam – AC Milan
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Additional AR1: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Additional AR2: Markus Strombergsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Referee Observer: Zoran Petrovic (SRB)

Celtic Glasgow – FC Barcelona
Referee: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Annonier (FRA)
Additional AR1: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Additional AR2: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Fourth Official: Eric Dansault (FRA)
Referee Observer: Athanassios Briakos (GRE)

2 October 2013
Shakhtar Donetsk – Manchester United
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Slysko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Wilczek (CZE)
Additional AR1: Radek Prihoda (CZE)
Additional AR2: Michal Patak (CZE)
Fourth Official: Antonin Kordula (CZE)
Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel (GER)

Bayer Leverkusen – Real Sociedad
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Anton Averianov (RUS)
Additional AR1: Maksim Layushkin (RUS)
Additional AR2: Vitaly Meshkov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Aleksei Vorontsov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Vlado Sajn (SVN)

Juventus Turin – Galatasaray
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gyorgy Ring (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Additional AR1: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
Additional AR2: Mihaly Fabian (HUN)
Fourth Official: Robert Kispal (HUN)
Referee Observer: Vaclav Krondl (CZE)

Real Madrid – FC Kobenhavn
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Additional AR1: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
Additional AR2: Dragoslav Peric (SVN)
Fourth Official: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Paris SG – Benfica
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Additional AR1: Andrea De Marco (ITA)
Additional AR2: Antonio Damato (ITA)
Fourth Official: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

Anderlecht – Olympiakos
Referee: Tom Harald Hagen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR)
Additional AR1: Dag Vidar Hafsas (NOR)
Additional AR2: Tore Hansen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Dag-Roger Nebben (NOR)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

CSKA Moskva – Viktoria Plzen
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rov van de Ven (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Charles Schaap (NED)
Additional AR1: Serdar Gozubuyuk (NED)
Additional AR2: Ed Janssen (NED)
Fourth Official: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

Manchester City – Bayern Munchen
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional AR1: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Additional AR2: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Fourth Official: Angelo Boonman (NED)
Referee Observer: Peter Mikkelsen (DEN)

Dutch referee red-faced after card blunder

A leading Dutch referee described himself as sick to the stomach after attempting to book a player in a cup tie on Thursday, only to discover he had forgotten his cards. But Heerenveen defender Joey van den Berg did not got away with his foul. His name was included on the list of cautions on the official report of his team's 3-0 win over fellow top-flight club Twente Enschede, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Friday.

Referee Pieter Vink said that he had changed his soaking wet shirt at halftime but forgot to transfer his cards from the pocket of the old shirt. "I thought I blew the game well," he told Fox Sports television. "And then this happens to you. It has made me furious. This will never happen to me again. I'm really sick to my stomach about it."

Source: Eurosport

EPL referees need independence

English Premier League referees are not showing enough red cards, according to former top official Mark Halsey. "The Premier League want fast, furious and physical games," Halsey told the Sun. "It is also what the world wants and for which TV pays huge sums of money. But you do wonder if we are doing a disservice sometimes by being different and letting the game flow more than our colleagues abroad". Halsey said one of the issues was that the Premier League paid the referees and so had more input into how they officiated games. "In all other footballing nations, it is the national federations who control refereeing, not their main league. La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga are servants, not masters. One of the problems in our current system is that the Premier League funds the [match officials], along with the FA and Football League to a lesser extent. In effect, these organisations are paying the wages of referees. There is clearly potential for vested interest here. Down the years we have seen that certain managers can put pressure on the League to make sure the [game] is run a certain way and refereed under that system. At a referee's meeting at Burton late last season we were shown 39 incidents where red cards should have been issued in the Premier League but only seven had been. That meant we had missed 32 cards between us. I know English football's card count was down to a reputation for letting games flow, an average of one red card every 8.6 games compared with one every 2.6 in Spain, but that was ridiculous".

Source: ESPN

Copa Sudamericana – Round of 16 (Second Leg, I)

25 September 2013
Universidad de Chile – Lanus
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Fourth Official: Jorge Osorio (CHI)
Referee Observer: Guido Aros (CHI)

26 September 2013
River Plate – Liga de Loja
Referee: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Fourth Official: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
Referee Observer: Carlos Coradina (ARG)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

24 September 2013
Montreal Impact – CD Heredia
Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Garnet Page (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Kedlee Powell (JAM)
Fourth Official: Kevin Morrison (JAM)
Referee Observer: Donald Wilbur (USA)

Cruz Azul – Valencia
Referee: Jeffrey Solis (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Fernandez (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Geovany Garcia (SLV)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Cerdas (CRC)
Referee Observer: Amilcar Burgos (HON)

CD Olimpia – Real Esteli
Referee: William Anderson (PUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Jairo Morales (PUR)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Referee Observer: Jozsef Michna (USA)

25 September 2013
Houston Dynamo – W Connection
Referee: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Leonel Leal (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Diaz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Walter Quesada (CRC)
Referee Observer: Donald Campos (NCA)

CS Cartagines – LA Galaxy
Referee: John Pitti (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Williamson (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Rey Mendoza (PAN)
Fourth Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Referee Observer: Jose Pineda (HON)

CSD Comunicaciones – Caledonia AIA
Referee: Marcos Brea (CUB)
Assistant Referee 1: Hiran Dopico (CUB)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Mangandi (SLV)
Fourth Official: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Referee Observer: Ronald Gutierrez (CRC)

26 September 2013
LD Alajuelense – Sporting San Miguelito
Referee: Juan Guzman (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank Anderson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kermit Quisenberry (USA)
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo (USA)
Referee Observer: Peter Prendergast (JAM)

Tijuana Xolos – CD Victoria
Referee: Elmer Bonilla (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Hermenerito Leal (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Octavio Jara (CRC)
Fourth Official: Hugo Cruz (CRC)
Referee Observer: Esfandiar Baharmast (USA)

Copa Sudamericana – Round of 16 (First Leg, II)

24 September 2013
Coritiba – Itagui
Referee: Oscar Maldonado (BOL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Efrain Castro (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Wilson Arellano (BOL)
Fourth Official: Marcelo Henrique (BRA)
Referee Observer: Roberto Braatz (BRA)

25 September 2013
Ponte Preta – Deportivo Pasto
Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Francisco Mondria (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Maturana (CHI)
Fourth Official: Wilson Seneme (BRA)
Referee Observer: Nilson Moncao (BRA)

Libertad – Sport Recife
Referee: Saul Laverni (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivan Nunez (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Fourth Official: Ulises Mereles (PAR)
Referee Observer: Manuel Bernal (PAR)

26 September 2013
Sao Paulo – Universidad Catolica
Referee: Dario Ubriaco (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Changala (URU)
Fourth Official: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Referee Observer: Ednilson Corona (BRA)

Atletico Nacional – Bahia
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Alvarado (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Vera (ECU)
Fourth Official: Adrian Velez (COL)
Referee Observer: Otalvaro Polanco (COL)

Webb: "Players have their eye on going to the World Cup and referees are no different"

Howard Webb is regarded as one of the top referees in world football. After plying his trade in the lower leagues during the mid-1990s, he made the step up to the top flight as an assistant referee in 1998, before taking charge of his first Premier League match five years later. He has been a FIFA-listed official since 2005 and in 2010 he was appointed to referee two of the biggest games in football – the Champions League final and the World Cup final. Here is his Footballers' Football Column.

Many of the players who I will officiate this season in the Premier League and the Champions League will have one eye on the World Cup in the summer – and I am no different. Both Mark Clattenburg and myself are up for selection for the World Cup in Brazil and hopefully one of us will go. I love being involved in tournaments and now my season is geared towards working hard to try and get that again next year by being selected for the World Cup, which would be my last involvement due to my age. Players play for their club every weekend and their immediate focus is to win the game. But they will also have one eye on the national squad and they understand they are being watched all the time and monitored. We are the same, how we do in Premier League or Champions League matches affect selection for the World Cup next year. That is the ultimate aim for the season. You hope your performances are strong and you are in good form and you get selected for a tournament. The referees selected for the tournament are due to find out in February or March. I was a referee at the Confederations Cup in the summer and that was a fantastic experience as was the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. The biggest honour of all as a referee is to be handed the World Cup final. There have only been 19 World Cup finals, so to referee one of them was a huge privilege. It does not happen to many players and it happens to even fewer referees so when you get appointed as a World Cup final referee then you understand what a big occasion it is. It capped off an amazing experience at the World Cup in South Africa and year in general. It was a difficult game to referee, so much has been written about it but it was a challenging game and a very tough job on the night. But that does not take away anything from the game and I look back on it with fond memories.

I was also the referee for the Champions League final in the same year between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich in Madrid and that went a lot more smoothly and we were able to remain anonymous for that game, which is what the aim is. If people don’t know who refereed a game then you have done your job, which is strange. Sometimes though it is not possible to remain anonymous, even if that is your aim because of the nature of the game. What can happen is if you try and keep a low profile in a game and not get involved then you can make a bigger problem. When I have been close to selection for tournaments I have gone into games hoping there would be no controversies and get through the game quietly. But if a situation happens then it is up to the referee to stand up and be counted. On a few occasions I have not done and learned along the way that you are there to do a job. If a big decision needs to be made then it needs to be made and if you don’t make it then it inadvertently end up raising your profile by not doing the job. If you make the call correctly and it is a clear one then no one really talks about you either because you have done the right thing. But if you don’t and try and keep your profile low then you can make a mistake. Speaking of making mistakes, this season has seen the introduction of goal-line technology in the Premier League. I think you will be hard pressed to find a referee who is anti goal line technology. We are taking about a matter of fact and the answer as to whether the ball has crossed the line or not is definitive. I had a bit of experience with it at the Confederations Cup, the system was not the same but it was very similar. There were not any controversial moments that needed the goal-line technology, but it was reassuring to have it. It is like having an airbag in a car, you don’t need it for 99.99 per cent of the time because you don’t crash your car too often, but you need them there for the time there is an accident and it is reassuring. One of the biggest issues in football at the moment is trying to present the game in a positive light. What people involved in a game have to understand is that what happens on the pitch can influence the next generation. So we need to make sure that it is positive.

Diving is an issue that promotes football in a bad way and we have to make people understand what they are doing. It is an issue and has been for a long time, but it is difficult to deal with and cut out completely because of the nature of it, we try and be as accurate as we can by getting in the right position, but you need a level of certainty to book someone for diving because you are calling them a cheat. From time to time we as officials will get it wrong and then it leaves a sour taste in everyone’s mouth if a game has been won or lost on the back of a dive. Everyone involved needs to understand the damage that diving does to the game. But only a small number of players are involved in simulation and if you look at the number of incidents that happen in a game and across thousands of games then simulation is a very small percentage. But when it does happen it leaves a negative feeling. People can sort it out by not doing it.
When I speak at fans’ forums, people will say to me: ‘Why don’t you punish players who swear and the players who dive.’ The swearing issue, emotions are running high and players will sometimes overstep the mark with their language. But they have to understand where the line is. With the added media exposure on the game, it is natural that referees will be scrutinized more. And there are a number of former officials working in the media and their job is to talk about referees and decisions made during games. I think it is healthy when it is done with the intention of informing the public and bringing peoples attention the job of the referee and the processes we go through in making decisions. When I see and read people like Graham Poll in the Daily Mail, and Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports or Talk Sport then they are pretty supportive where they can be. But if there is a mistake then it is only right that they flag it up, but if they can give some insight as to why that mistake might have happened, then that has to be beneficial. Football is a sport but it is also an entertainment industry and people pay good money to go and watch and anything that can improve their experience or give them more of an insight has to be a good thing. But if I have made a mistake then I will know that. I do watch programs like Match of the Day and The Football League Show to see what is going on in other games and watch other referees and learn from them. I will also watch my own games and I do listen to the criticism – if there is any. I hear it and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if I have made mistake then I will know I have made a mistake and don’t really need someone on TV confirming it for me, I know. It does hurt, if you make a mistake then you drive home feeling pretty dejected about it and it can be painful for a few days and while you have not lost a point or two points, it still lives with you. Your reputation is something you care about as a referee.

Source: Daily Mail

UEFA Europa League – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

19 September 2013

Maccabi Haifa – AZ Alkmaar
Referee: Robert Schorgenhofer (AUT, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthias Winsauer (AUT)
Additional AR 1: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Additional AR 2: Rene Eisner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Alain Hoxha (AUT)
Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

Valencia CF – Swansea City
Referee: Serge Gumienny (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank Bleyen (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kristof Meers (BEL)
Additional AR 1: Luc Wouters (BEL)
Additional AR 2: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Fourth Official: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

FC St. Gallen – Kuban Krasnodar
Referee: Pawel Gil (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Piotr Sadczuk (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Additional AR 1: Robert Malek (POL)
Additional AR 2: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Konrad Sapela (POL)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernandez Marin (ESP)

Dinamo Zagreb – Chornomorets Odessa Referee: Huseyin Gocek (TUR) Assistant Referee 1: Emre Eyisoy (TUR) Assistant Referee 2: Orkun Aktas (TUR) Additional AR 1: Halis Ozkahya (TUR) Additional AR 2: Suleyman Abay (TUR) Fourth Official: Serkan Ok (TUR) Referee Observer: Manuel Lopez Fernandez (ESP) PSV Eindhoven – Ludogorets Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK) Assistant Referee 1: Tomas Somolani (SVK) Assistant Referee 2: Tomas Mokos (SVK) Additional AR 1: Richard Trutz (SVK) Additional AR 2: Peter Kralovic (SVK) Fourth Official: Ondrej Brendza (SVK) Referee Observer: Alan Snoddy (NIR) FC Salzburg – IF Elfsborg Referee: Leontios Trattou (CYP) Assistant Referee 1: Michael Soteriou (CYP) Assistant Referee 2: Aristides Christou (CYP) Additional AR 1: Marios Panayi (CYP) Additional AR 2: Marios Tsangaris (CYP) Fourth Official: Petros Petrou (CYP) Referee Observer: Tony Asumaa (FIN) Standard Liege – Esbjerg Referee: Gediminas Mazeika (LTU) Assistant Referee 1: Vytautas Simkus (LTU) Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU) Additional AR 1: Sergejus Slyva (LTU) Additional AR 2: Jurij Paskovskij (LTU) Fourth Official: Audrius Jagintavicius (LTU) Referee Observer: Oguz Sarvan (TUR) NK Maribor – Rubin Kazan Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED) Assistant Referee 1: Angelo Boonman (NED) Assistant Referee 2: Davie Goossens (NED) Additional AR 1: Richard Liesveld (NED) Additional AR 2: Dennis Higler (NED) Fourth Official: Bas van Dongen (NED) Referee Observer: Ilkka Koho (FIN) Zulte Wagerem – Wigan Athletic Referee: Marcin Borski (POL) Assistant Referee 1: Rafal Rostkowski (POL) Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Mucha (POL) Additional AR 1: Daniel Stefanski (POL) Additional AR 2: Bartosz Frankowski (POL) Fourth Official: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL) Referee Observer: Adrian Casha (MLT) ACF Fiorentina – Pacos de Ferreira Referee: Kevin Blom (NED) Assistant Referee 1: Patrick Langkamp (NED) Assistant Referee 2: Berry Simons (NED) Additional AR 1: Danny Makkelie (NED) Additional AR 2: Tom van Sichem (NED) Fourth Official: Charles Schaap (NED) Referee Observer: Michael Ross (NIR) CS Pandurii – FC Dnipro Referee: Sascha Kever (SUI) Assistant Referee 1: Raffael Zeder (SUI) Assistant Referee 2: Devis Dettamanti (SUI) Additional AR 1: Sascha Amhof (SUI) Additional AR 2: Pascal Erlachner (SUI) Fourth Official: Charles Helbling (SUI) Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA) Eintracht Frankfurt – Girondins Bordeaux Referee: Andre Marriner (ENG) Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG) Assistant Referee 2: Simon Long (ENG) Additional AR 1: Anthony Taylor (ENG) Additional AR 2: Mike Jones (ENG) Fourth Official: Jake Collin (ENG) Referee Observer: Stefan Ormandjiev (BUL) Maccabi Tel-Aviv – Apoel Referee: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP) Assistant Referee 1: Javier Aguilar Rodriguez (ESP) Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP) Additional AR 1: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes (ESP) Additional AR 2: Cesar Muniz Fernandez (ESP) Fourth Official: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP) Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED) Dynamo Kyiv – KRC Genk Referee: Anastassios Sidiropoulos (GRE) Assistant Referee 1: Damianos Efthimiadis (GRE) Assistant Referee 2: Dimitrios Gagas (GRE) Additional AR 1: Ilias Spathas (GRE) Additional AR 2: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE) Fourth Official: Christos Akrivos (GRE) Referee Observer: Zdravko Jokic (SRB) SC Freiburg – Slovan Liberec Referee: Cristian Balaj (ROU) Assistant Referee 1: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU) Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Artene (ROU) Additional AR 1: Istvan Kovacs (ROU) Additional AR 2: Marius Avram (ROU) Fourth Official: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU) Referee Observer: Kyros Georgiou (CYP) FC Thun – Rapid Wien Referee: Anastassios Kakos (GRE) Assistant Referee 1: Dimitrios Tatsis (GRE) Assistant Referee 2: Michael Karsiotis (GRE) Additional AR 1: Athanassios Giachos (GRE) Additional AR 2: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE) Fourth Official: Ilias Alexeas (GRE) Referee Observer: Valentin Ivanov (RUS) Estoril Praia – Sevilla FC Referee: Alon Yefet (ISR) Assistant Referee 1: Shabtai Nahmias (ISR) Assistant Referee 2: Danny Krasikow (ISR) Additional AR 1: Eli Hacmon (ISR) Additional AR 2: Daniel Natan (ISR) Fourth Official: Dan Ucenic (ISR) Referee Observer: Leif Sundell (SWE) Betis Sevilla – Olympique Lyon Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE) Assistant Referee 1: Magnus Sjoblom (SWE) Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE) Additional AR 1: Martin Strombergsson (SWE) Additional AR 2: Andreas Ekberg (SWE) Fourth Official: Henrik Andren (SWE) Referee Observer: Erol Ersoy (TUR) Vitoria SC – HNK Rijeka Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR) Assistant Referee 1: Dzmity Zhuk (BLR) Assistant Referee 2: Andrei Hetsikau (BLR) Additional AR 1: Dzianis Shcharbakou (BLR) Additional AR 2: Siarhei Tsynkevich (BLR) Fourth Official: Aleh Maslianka (BLR) Referee Observer: Ioannis Tsachilidis (GRE) Apollon – Trabzonspor Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP) Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP) Assistant Referee 2: Jose Fernandez Miranda (ESP) Additional AR 1: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP) Additional AR 2: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP) Fourth Official: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP) Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA) Lazio Roma – Legia Warszawa Referee: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL) Assistant Referee 1: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL) Assistant Referee 2: Gunnar Gunnarsson (ISL) Additional AR 1: Thoroddur Hjaltalin (ISL) Additional AR 2: Gunnar Jonsson (ISL) Fourth Official: Sigurdur Thorleifsson (ISL) Referee Observer: John Ward (IRL) Sheriff Tiraspol – Anji Referee: Alan Kelly (IRL) Assistant Referee 1: Dermot Broughton (IRL) Assistant Referee 2: Wayne McDonnell (IRL) Additional AR 1: Neil Doyle (IRL) Additional AR 2: Padraigh Sutton (IRL) Fourth Official: Emmet Dynan (IRL) Referee Observer: Asim Khudiyev (AZE) Tottenham – Tromso Referee: Libor Kovarik (CZE) Assistant Referee 1: Krystof Mencl (CZE) Assistant Referee 2: Patrik Filipek (CZE) Additional AR 1: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE) Additional AR 2: Petr Ardeleanu (CZE) Fourth Official: Antonin Kordula (CZE) Referee Observer: Siegfried Kirschen (GER) PAOK – Shakhter Karagandy Referee: Fredy Fautrel (FRA) Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Gringore (FRA) Assistant Referee 2: Laurent Stien (FRA) Additional AR 1: Benoit Bastien (FRA) Additional AR 2: Wilfried Bien (FRA) Fourth Official: Guillaume Debart (FRA) Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Copa Sudamericana – Round of 16 (First Leg, I)

18 September 2013
Lanus – Universidad de Chile 
Referee: Carlos Amarilla (PAR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zorrilla (PAR)
Fourth Official: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Referee Observer: Abel Gnecco (ARG)

La Equidad – Velez Sarsfield
Referee: Roberto Silvera (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Costa (URU)
Fourth Official: Imer Machado (COL)
Referee Observer: Oscar Ruiz (COL)

19 September 2013
Liga de Loja – River Plate
Referee: Jose Buitrago (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilson Berrio (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Fourth Official: Diego Lara (ECU)
Referee Observer: Bommer Fierro (ECU)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

17 September 2013
Club America – Sporting San Miguelito
Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde (SUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ramon Louisville (SUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Briere (CAN)
Fourth Official: Silviu Petrescu (CAN)
Referee Observer: Victor Stewart (JAM)

Sporting Kansas City – Real Esteli
Referee: Sandy Vasquez (DOM)
Assistant Referee 1: Hector Delgadillo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Mario Lopez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Arellano (MEX)
Referee Observer: Neftali Recinos (SLV)

San Jose Earthquakes – Montreal Impact
Referee: Armando Castro (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Melvyn Cruz (HON)
Fourth Official: Raul Castro (HON)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Whittaker (CAY)

18 September 2013
Caledonia AIA – Deportivo Toluca
Referee: Valdin Legister (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Morgan (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Washington (JAM)
Fourth Official: Sherwin Johnson (GUY)
Referee Observer: John Nielsen (CAN)

LA Galaxy – Isidro Metapan
Referee: Hugo Cruz (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Warner Castro (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Fourth Official: Henry Bejerano (CRC)
Referee Observer: Carlos Gonzalez (MEX)

CS Herediano – Valencia FC
Referee: Erick Andino (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Ake (BLZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Hector Recinos (SLV)
Fourth Official: Marlon Meija (SLV)
Referee Observer: Elix Peralta (PAN)

19 September 2013
W Connection – Arabe Unido
Referee: Trevor Taylor (BRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Browne (SKN)
Assistant Referee 2: Venton Mars (GUY)
Fourth Official: Stanley Lancaster (GUY)
Referee Observer: David Meikle (JAM)

LA Firpo – CD Victoria
Referee: Jafeth Parea (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Victoria (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Baines (PAN)
Fourth Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Referee Observer: Carlos Batres (GUA)

UEFA Youth League – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

17 September 2013
Manchester United – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Niels Hoeg (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jannik Vinther (DEN)
Fourth Official: Paul Tierney (ENG)
Referee Observer: Brian Lawlor (WAL)

Real Sociedad – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Laurent Kopriwa (LUX)
Assistant Referee 1: Antonio De Carolis (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Morais (LUX)
Fourth Official: Ricardo De Burgos (ESP)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez (ESP)

FC Kobenhavn – Juventus Turin
Referee: Nikolaj Hanni (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Buhlmann (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Raber (SUI)
Fourth Official: Anders Poulsen (DEN)
Referee Observer: Jens Larsen (DEN)

Galatasaray – Real Madrid
Referee: Lasha Silagava (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgi Elikashvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Davit Gabisiona (GEO)
Fourth Official: Mert Guzenge (TUR)
Referee Observer: Kostadin Gerginov (BUL)

Benfica SL – RSC Anderlecht
Referee: Vlado Glodjovic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uros Stojkovic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dejan Petrovic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Rui Piteira (POR)
Referee Observer: Antonio Almeida (POR)

Viktoria Plzen – Manchester City
Referee: Yuriy Mozharovskyy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rostislav Puzansky (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Yaroslav Trekhlib (UKR)
Fourth Official: Pavel Orel (CZE)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

Bayern Munchen – CSKA Moskva
Referee: Jovan Kaludjerovic (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Danijel Devic (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Milos Asovic (MNE)
Fourth Official: Robert Kempter (GER)
Referee Observer: Lutz-Michael Frohlich (GER)

FC Barcelona – Ajax Amsterdam
Referee: Adrien Jaccottet (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Remy Zgraggen (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Alain Heininger (SUI)
Fourth Official: David Medie Jimenez (ESP)
Referee Observer: John Ferry (NIR)

18 September 2013
Olympiakos – Paris SG
Referee: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikolay Angelov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Krum Stoilov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Christos Andronikidis (GRE)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

Chelsea – Basel
Referee: Sandor Ando-Szabo (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Zoltan Bozo (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Janos Medovarszki (HUN)
Fourth Official: Charles Breakspear (ENG)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Schalke – Steaua Bucuresti
Referee: Gerhard Grobelnik (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gruber (AUT)
Fourth Official: Christian Bandurski (GER)
Referee Observer: Jiri Ulrich (CZE)

Olympique Marseille – Arsenal
Referee: Wim Smet (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny (BEL)
Fourth Official: Florent Batta (FRA)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Vitkovic (CRO)

SSC Napoli – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Damir Batinic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Hrvoje Barisic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Drazen Pejic (CRO)
Fourth Official: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Referee Observer: Plarent Kotherja (ALB)

Austria Wien – FC Porto
Referee: Jan Valasek (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Chladek (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Michal Tomcik (SVK)
Fourth Official: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Referee Observer: Gunter Benko (AUT)

Atletico Madrid – Zenit St. Petersburg
Referee: Alexander Kostadinov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivan Valchev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Petko Pavlov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Jose Lesma Lopez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Martin Iseli (SUI)

AC Milan – Celtic Glasgow
Referee: Dumitru Muntean (MDA)
Assistant Referee 1: Anatolie Bodean (MDA)
Assistant Referee 2: Vitalli Gorbatov (MDA)
Fourth Official: Emilio Ostinelli (ITA)
Referee Observer: Cosimo Bolognino (ITA)

UEFA Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

17 September 2013
Real Sociedad – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Nica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Octavian Sovre (ROU)
Additional AR 1: Alexandru Tudor (ROU)
Additional AR 2: Sebastian Coltescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Miklos Nagy (ROU)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Manchester United – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Roberto Ponis (SVN)
Fourth Official: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

FC Kobenhavn – Juventus Turin
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrovic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgic (CRO)
Additional AR 1: Domagoj Vuckov (CRO)
Additional AR 2: Goran Gabrilo (CRO)
Fourth Official: Dalibor Conjar (CRO)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Galatasaray – Real Madrid
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Beck (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Child (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Lee Probert (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Jonathan Moss (ENG)
Fourth Official: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Referee Observer: Horst Brummeier (AUT)

Benfica – Anderlecht
Referee: Manuel Grafe (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Guido Kleve (GER)
Additional AR 1: Guido Winkmann (GER)
Additional AR 2: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Fourth Official: Holger Henschel (GER)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Olympiakos – Paris SG
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Additional AR 1: Tobias Welz (GER)
Additional AR 2: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Fourth Official: Markus Hacker (GER)
Referee Observer: Patrick Kelly (IRL)

Viktoria Plzen – Manchester City
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Andrea De Marco (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Nicola Nicoletti (ITA)
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez (ESP)

Bayern Munchen – CSKA Moskva
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Additional AR 1: Luca Banti (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Antonio Damato (ITA)
Fourth Official: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Referee Observer: Sandor Piller (HUN)

18 September 2013
Chelsea – Basel
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Andrea Gervasoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Referee Observer: Ryszard Wojcik (POL)

Schalke – Steaua Bucuresti
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Baris Simsek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Cem Satman (TUR)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

SSC Napoli – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tiago Trigo (POR)
Additional AR 1: Joao Capela (POR)
Additional AR 2: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Fourth Official: Venancio Tome (POR)
Referee Observer: Manuel Diaz Vega (ESP)

Austria Wien – FC Porto
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: David McGeachie (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Steven McLean (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Fourth Official: Derek Rose (SCO)
Referee Observer: Christos Skapoullis (CYP)

Olympique Marseille – Arsenal
Referee: Olegario Benquerenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Santos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Rui Barbosa (POR)
Additional AR 1: Artur Soares (POR)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Taborda (POR)
Fourth Official: Joao Santos (POR)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Atletico Madrid – Zenit St. Petersburg
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Cryans (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: William Conquer (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Robert Madden (SCO)
Additional AR 2: John Beaton (SCO)
Fourth Official: Gavin Harris (SCO)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

AC Milan – Celtic Glasgow
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Mike Pickel (GER)
Additional AR 1: Marco Fritz (GER)
Additional AR 2: Robert Hartmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Christoph Bornhorst (GER)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

FC Barcelona – Ajax Amsterdam
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR)
Additional AR 1: Dag Vidar Hafsas (NOR)
Additional AR 2: Svein-Erik Edvartsen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Sven Erik Midthjell (NOR)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

UEFA assistant referees given offside training

Europe's assistant referees had intensive training at UEFA's recent summer gathering for referees, with work focusing on new stipulations on offside in the Laws of the Game. UEFA's summer gathering for Europe's top male and female referees has primed match officials for their assignments in the coming season.

This year special attention was also given at the course to the leading assistant referees as they will be ruling on new stipulations on offside which have been introduced to the Laws of the Game. In the spring football's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), approved a clarification of the wording of Law 11 (Offside, Interpretation of the Laws of the Game). The IFAB agreed that the wording in force was not precise enough, regarding "interfering with an opponent/gaining an advantage". Consequently, European assistant referees received intensive training at the UEFA summer course in Nyon to familiarise themselves with the new provisions.
In the 2013/14 Laws of the Game, Law 11 stipulates that, "A player in an offside position is only penalised if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by:
– interfering with play or
– interfering with an opponent or
– gaining an advantage by being in that position."
In the context of Law 11 on offside, the following definitions (changes in bold) now apply to the above:
• "interfering with an opponent" means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or challenging an opponent for the ball
• "gaining an advantage by being in that position" means playing a ball
i. that rebounds or is deflected to him off the goalpost, crossbar or an opponent having been in an offside position
ii. that rebounds, is deflected or is played to him from a deliberate save by an opponent having been in an offside position.
In addition, from this season: "A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent, who deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save), is not considered to have gained an advantage."
UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina was on hand in Nyon to ensure that the training sessions featuring the assistant referees were carried out in line with the new provisions, and explained the amendments to UEFA.com. "Last March, IFAB changed the instruction and guidelines of Law 11 concerning what is meant as interfering with an opponent, and what is meant as gaining an advantage from being in an offside position," he said. "This course [was] very focused on offside, as it's important to have the assistant referees attuned to the new interpretation and to the new text of Law 11. Offside is such an important thing that it deserves to be carefully dealt with. The main things to be considered now with offsides, in assessing the position of a player as interfering with an opponent, [involve] clearly obstructing the line of vision of an opponent and challenging the opponent for the ball. So these are the two criteria to be assessed in order to deem a player who is in an offside position as punishable. Gaining an advantage from being in an offside position ... now the assistant referees and the referees should consider the nature of the play of the defender, because if the defender made a deliberate play, the outcome of the play doesn't matter – with the exception of a 'save' – and so being in an offside position and gaining an advantage from being in an offside position is not an offence anymore." Do these changes give referees different things to think about in match situations? "Certainly it's more important now to assess the intention of the player," Collina reflected. "It means the referee and the assistant referees must be very careful in assessing if the player deliberately played the ball or not." With the offside law becoming increasingly important each year, UEFA has wisely decided to place even greater focus on the men with the flags. "We did something different before EURO 2012, involving specialists in coaching the assistant referees, and the outcome was very positive," Collina explained. "We had a very successful EURO 2012, with very good decisions taken by assistant referees. We want to continue with this. We decided to involve three former top assistant referees in the preparation of UEFA assistant referees, and 46 of them [attended] this [UEFA] course. We are also implementing new tools to give the assistant referees support in their daily preparation. As it would be very difficult for them to be able to train on offside situations away from a match – they would need players to create the offside situations that occur during a match – UEFA has provided them with a web application that enables them to train by simulating the offside situations they could find in matches. The feedback we are receiving from the assistant referees is very positive".

Source: UEFA

Former World Cup AR candidate shot and wounded

The referee who was once found guilty of murder was seriously wounded last week, after being shot three times. Thanom Borikut, one of Thailand's most controversial on-field referees was shot and seriously wounded by an unknown assailant outside Sport Authority of Thailand (SAT) early Wednesday morning.

A former commando and school teacher, Borikut became a FIFA-certified professional referee, who was well-known for his controversial decisions in the Thai Premier League (TPL) and long rumoured to be an inclusion by match-fixing figures. Borikut was pre-selected by FIFA for the 2010 World Cup as an assistant referee in Mohd Salleh’s trio. He missed out on the World Cup because he was arrested in November 2009 for having killed his boss, the director of the education department where he worked. Thanom was seen on camera, planting a bomb which later went off and killed the director. Borikut later said he was mad at his boss because he "did not give him fair treatment and often barred him from officiating overseas as a FIFA referee". Earning the nickname 'Bomberman', Borikut mysteriously turned up to officiate in the TPL in the 2011 season and was also a security enforcer for the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) at their meetings. Annop Singhtothong, Chonburi FC Vice President and Newin Chidchob of Buriram United, were hopeful that the shooting was not football related, but a result of Barikut's own personal matters. “Too many people have issues with him, so this could be a personal matter”, said Newin. “We all know where his nickname came from; personal matters, which has totally nothing to do with football. I really have no idea why this happened, but all of us in the football scene knew it well what kind of person Thanom is”, Annop added. Meanwhile, Bangkok police chief, Pol. Lt. Gen. Khamronwit Thoopkrachang, is confident that the authorities can take care of the matter swiftly, but was also in shock that Borikut was not in jail having personally arrested him back in 2009.

Source: Goal.com

Additional changes in the FIFA Referees Committee

After former chairman Angel Maria Villar Llona (ESP) and former deputy chairman Michel D’Hooghe (BEL) were replaced by the new chairman Jim Boyce (NIR) and new member Worawi Makudi (THA), there were two additional changes. In the Competitions Department, Tarek Bouchamoudi (TUN) and Jassim Mandi (BHR) have been replaced by Magdi Shams Eldin (SUD), respectively Rahman Al Delawar (BHR).

FIFA Referees Committee 2013-2015

Chairman
Jim Boyce (NIR, photo)

Deputy Chairman
Zhang Jilong (CHN)

Members - Competition
1. Worawi Makudi (THA)
2. Carlos Alarcon (PAR)
3. Rahman Al Delawar (BHR)
4. Carlos Batres (GUA)
5. Lee Harmon (COK)
6. Ingrid Jonsson (SWE)
7. Toru Kamikawa (JPN)
8. Jorge Larrionda (URU)
9. Peter Mikkelsen (DEN)
10. Celestin Ntagungira (RWA)
11. Jorge Romo (ARG)
12. Badara Sene (SEN)
13. Magdi Shams Eldin (SUD)
14. Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)
15. Terence Babwah (TRI) - Medical

Members - Development
1. Belaid Lacarne (ALG)
2. Michal Listkiewicz (POL)
3. Ted Howard (USA)
4. Lambert Maltock (VAN)
5. Katriina Elovirta (FIN)
6. Jacqueline Leleu (AUS)
7. Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (MAS)
8. Michael Riley (ENG)
9. Oscar Ruiz (COL)
10. Hector Vergara (CAN)
11. James Sekajugo (UGA) - Medical

Al-Badwawi out of FIFA U-17 World Cup 2013

After FIFA assigned him for the U-17 World Cup 2013 in his home country, Ali Al-Badwawi (UAE) announced that he was forced to decline the appointment because he is not fully recovered from his injury. Al-Badwawi said on his website that he still hopes to recover by December and then to be selected by FIFA for the Club World Cup, as a last chance for him to compete for a spot at the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil. He will be replaced at the U-17 World Cup by Abdulrahman Hussain (QAT, photo), along with his assistants Taleb Al Marri (QAT) and Yaser Marad (KUW). Hussain (formerly known as Abdou) was on the first list of World Cup candidates and refereed at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2011 in Colombia.
 

Referees

AFC
Referee: Khalil Al Ghamdi (KSA, 1970)
Assistant Referee 1: Badr Al Shumrani (KSA, 1977)
Assistant Referee 2: Hamed Al Mayahi (OMA, 1975)

Referee: Abdulrahman Hussain (QAT, 1972)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT, 1988)
Assistant Referee 2: Yaser Marad (KUW, 1969)

Referee: Kim Dong Jin (KOR, 1973)
Assistant Referee 1: Jeong Hae Sang (KOR, 1971)
Assistant Referee 2: Yang Byoung Eun (KOR, 1976)

CAF
Referee: Daniel Bennett (RSA, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Marwa Range (KEN, 1977)
Assistant Referee 2: Zakhele Siwela (RSA, 1982)

Referee: Badara Diatta (SEN, 1969)
Assistant Referee 1: Djibril Camara (SEN, 1983)
Assistant Referee 2: El Hadji Samba (SEN, 1979)

Referee: Slim Jedidi (TUN, 1970)
Assistant Referee 1: Bechir Hassani (TUN, 1969)
Assistant Referee 2: Anouar Hmila (TUN, 1974)

CONCACAF
Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA, 1977)
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Boria (USA, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Morgan (JAM, 1972)

Referee: Marco Rodriguez (MEX, 1973)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX, 1971)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcos Quintero (MEX, 1973)

Referee: Elmer Bonilla (SLV, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavio Jara (CRC, 1981)
Assistant Referee 2: Hermenerito Leal (GUA, 1972)

CONMEBOL
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA, 1972)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha (BRA, 1976)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA, 1976)

Referee: Raul Orosco (BOL, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Efrain Castro (BOL, 1969)
Assistant Referee 2: Arol Valda (BOL, 1970)

Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG, 1979)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Bonfa (ARG, 1977)

Referee: Juan Soto (VEN, 1977)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN, 1981)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Lopez (VEN, 1982)

Referee: Martin Vazquez (URU, 1971)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Nievas (URU, 1974)

OFC
Referee: Norbert Hauata (TAH, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Rule (NZL, 1981)
Assistant Referee 2: Tevita Makasini (TGA, 1976)

UEFA
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Child (ENG, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Beck (ENG, 1972)

Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE, 1977)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Wilczek (CZE, 1970)
Assistant Referee 2: Roman Slysko (SVK, 1973)

Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR, 1977)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR, 1975)

Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA, 1973)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA, 1972)

Referee: Wolfgang Stark (GER, 1969)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER, 1969)
Assistant Referee 2: Mike Pickel (GER, 1975)

Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO, 1972)
Assistant Referee 1: Derek Rose (SCO, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO, 1980)

Fourth Officials
AFC: Mohammed Mohamed (UAE)
CAF: Bamlak Tessema (ETH)
CONCACAF: Hugo Cruz (CRC)
CONMEBOL: Julio Quintana (PAR)
OFC: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)
UEFA: Kenn Hansen (DEN)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – UEFA

10 September 2013

Ukraine – England
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Trigo (POR)
Fourth Official: Duarte Gomes (POR)

Norway – Switzerland
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Cann (ENG)
Fourth Official: Anthony Taylor (ENG)

Russia – Israel
Referee: Manuel Grafe (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Guido Kleve (GER)
Fourth Official: Marco Fritz (GER)

Iceland – Albania
Referee: Andre Marriner (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren England (ENG)
Fourth Official: Lee Probert (ENG)

Wales – Serbia
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)

Faroe Islands – Germany
Referee: Gediminas Mazeika (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Dovydas Suziedelis (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Nerijus Dunauskas (LTU)

Armenia – Denmark
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Angelo Boonman (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Rob Van De Ven (NED)
Fourth Official: Richard Liesveld (NED)

Malta – Bulgaria
Referee: Alexandru Tudor (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Nica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurel Onita (ROU)
Fourth Official: Cristian Balaj (ROU)

Luxembourg – N. Ireland
Referee: Robert Malek (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Maciej Wierzbowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Konrad Sapela (POL)
Fourth Official: Pawel Gil (POL)

Slovakia – Bosnia
Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)

Macedonia – Scotland
Referee: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frederic Haquette (FRA)
Fourth Official: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)

Andorra – Netherlands
Referee: Ante Vucemilovic-Simunovic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Dalibor Conjar (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Goran Pataki (CRO)
Fourth Official: Damir Batinic (CRO)

Hungary – Estonia
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Stanislav Savitski (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitry Zhuk (BLR)
Fourth Official: Siarhei Tsynvekich (BLR)

Italy – Czech Republic
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Fourth Official: Martin Strombergsson (SWE)

Austria – Ireland
Referee: Olegario Benquerenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Santos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Joao Santos (POR)
Fourth Official: Artur Soares (POR)

San Marino – Poland
Referee: Marco Borg (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Ingmar Spiteri (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Edward Spiteri (MLT)
Fourth Official: Kevin Azzopardi (MLT)

Romania – Turkey
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR)
Fourth Official: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR)

Georgia – Finland
Referee: Leontios Trattou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Sotiriou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Athinodoros Ioannou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Marios Panayi (CYP)

Cyprus – Slovenia
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Dansault (FRA)
Fourth Official: Clement Turpin (FRA)

Greece – Latvia
Referee: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Sigurdur Torleifsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Gunnar Gunnarsson (SL)
Fourth Official: Thorvaldur Arnason (ISL)

Kazakhstan – Sweden
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ondrej Pelikan (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivo Nadvornik (CZE)
Fourth Official: Petr Ardeleanu (CZE)

Belarus – France
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Fourth Official: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)

Lithuania – Liechtenstein
Referee: Lasha Silagava (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: Zaza Pipia (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Besik Chichinadze (GEO)
Fourth Official: George Vadachkoria (GEO)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL

10 September 2013

Paraguay – Argentina
Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2; Sergio Roman (CHI)
Fourth Official: Patricio Polic (CHI)
Referee Observer: Rogger Zambrano (ECU)

Bolivia – Ecuador
Referee: Paulo Oliveira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Altemir Hausmann (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kleber Gil (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Referee Observer: Abel Gnecco (ARG)

Uruguay – Colombia
Referee: Antonio Arias (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Caceres (PAR)
Fourth Official: Ulises Mereles (PAR)
Referee Observer: Salvio Fagundes (BRA)

Venezuela – Peru
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)
Fourth Official: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
Referee Observer: Rene Ortube (BOL)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONCACAF

10 September 2013

USA – Mexico
Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Morgan (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Garnet Page (JAM)
Fourth Official: Valdin Legister (JAM)

Honduras – Panama
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Hurd (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN)
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo (USA)

Jamaica – Costa Rica
Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Boria (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Anderson (USA)
Fourth Official: Silviu Petrescu (CAN)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CAF

10 September 2013

Algeria – Mali
Referee: Eric Otogo-Castane (GAB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Theophile Vinga (GAB)
Assistant Referee 2: Serge Meye (GAB)
Fourth Official: Christian Mouity (GAB)

Egypt – Guinea
Referee: Tesseme Bamlak (ETH)
Assistant Referee 1: Kindie Mussie (ETH)
Assistant Referee 2: Temesgin Samuel (ETH)
Fourth Official: Haileyesus Bazezew (ETH)

International referee for one hour

In the 39th minute of the Euro U-21 qualifier Spain – Austria, French referee Nicolas Rainville got injured and required medical attention. After two minutes, the medical staff advised him not to continue, so he was replaced by the fourth official, Stephane Jochem.

Very interesting, this was the first ever international appointment for Jochem, 35, who had his first Ligue 1 match only a month ago! He actually spoiled his top flight debut by sending off the wrong player during the game Valenciennes – Toulouse. The disaster struck in the 38th minute when Gregory Pujol whipped in a cross from the right and Toulouse defender Steeve Yago hauled back a home forward trying to tuck away the centre. Jochem correctly awarded the penalty but dumbfounded everyone watching when he appeared to show Yago the red card before deciding to send off Uros Spajic. The referee shrugged off the controversy afterwards by blaming his fourth official for the mess. After the game, Stephane Jochem admitted his error. “His initial decision to send off Yago was correct, but then he was influenced by his team, through the communication system. According to the wrong information he received, Jochem ended up sending off Spajic. He described the situation in a supplementary report sent to the discipline committee”, said Pascal Garibian, the new Technical Director of French Refereeing.

Source: Metro

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – UEFA

6 September 2013

Serbia – Croatia
Referee: Felix Brych (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Florian Meyer (GER)

Czech Republic – Armenia
Referee: Antony Gautier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Annonier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Fourth Official: Tony Chapron (FRA)

Russia – Luxembourg
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alasdair Ross (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Stevenson (SCO)
Fourth Official: Steven Mc Lean (SCO)

Macedonia – Wales
Referee: Sascha Kever (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Charles Helbling (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Devis Dettamanti (SUI)
Fourth Official: Alan Bieri (SUI)

Norway – Cyprus
Referee: Kenn Hansen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Rix (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jacob Bille (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)

Ireland – Sweden
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Fourth Official: Slavko Vincic (SVN)

N. Ireland – Portugal
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Dave Goossens (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Fourth Official: Kevin Blom (NED)

Scotland – Belgium
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Antonio Damato (ITA)

Malta – Denmark
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Christos Baltas (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Michail Karsiotis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ilias Spathas (GRE)

England – Moldova
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Balko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomas Mokos (SVK)
Fourth Official: Richard Trutz (SVK)

Bosnia – Slovakia
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Fourth Official: Andrea De Marco (ITA)

Slovenia – Albania
Referee: Istvan Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Istvan Albert (HUN)
Fourth Official: Tamas Bognar (HUN)

Switzerland – Iceland
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Anton Averyanov RUS)
Fourth Official: Alexei Nikolaev (RUS)

Italy – Bulgaria
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)

Germany – Austria
Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjevic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Milenko Vukadinovic (SRB)

Liechtenstein – Greece
Referee: Stanislav Todorov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Georgi Slavov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Nikola Popov (BUL)

Poland – Montenegro
Referee: Bjorn Kupers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Paulus van Boekel (NED)

Kazakhstan – Faroe Islands
Referee: Johnny Casanova (SMR)
Assistant Referee 1: Massimo Zanotti (SMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Guidi (SMR)
Fourth Official: Leonardo Guidi (SMR)

Romania – Hungary
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Fourth Official: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)

Turkey – Andorra
Referee: Sven Bindels (LUX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Tropeano (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: Steven Curfs (LUX)
Fourth Official: Laurent Kopriwa (LUX)

Ukraine – San Marino
Referee: Neil Doyle (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Gavin (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dermot Broughton (IRL)
Fourth Official: Padraigh Sutton (IRL)

Latvia – Lithuania
Referee: Sebastien Delferiere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jimmy Cremers (BEL)
Fourth Official: Luc Wouters (BEL)

Estonia – Netherlands
Referee: Serhiy Boiko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Koriyko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Volodymyr Volodin (UKR)
Fourth Official: Yaroslav Kozyk (UKR)

Finland – Spain
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrovic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgic (CRO)
Fourth Official: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

Georgia – France
Referee: Firat Aydinus (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Serkan Ok (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleks Tascioglu (TUR)
Fourth Official: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)

Israel – Azerbaijan
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Wittberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Fredrik Nilsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Michael Lerjeus (SWE)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL

6 September 2013

Colombia – Ecuador
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcio Santiago (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)
Referee Observer: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Paraguay – Bolivia
Referee: Víctor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Johnny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Cesar Escano (PER)
Fourth Official: Manuel Garay (PER)
Referee Observer: Oscar Ruiz (COL)

Chile – Venezuela
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pericles Cortez (BRA)
Referee Observer: Ernesto Filippi (URU)

Peru – Uruguay
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Referee Observer: Bernardo Corujo (VEN)