UEFA Europa League – First Qualifying Round (First Leg)

1 July 2014
Sliema – Ferencvaros
Referee: Arnold Hunter (NIR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Storey (NIR) 
Assistant Referee 2: David Anderson (NIR)
Fourth Official: Tim Marshall (NIR)
Referee Observer: Jan Carlsen (DEN)

AS Jeunesse Esch – Dundalk FC
Referee: Lorenc Jemini (ALB)
Assistant Referees: Egin Doda (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Ilir Tartaraj (ALB)
Fourth Official: Blerim Ziri (ALB)
Referee Observer:

FC Shkendija – FC Zimbru
Referee: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jimmy Cremers (BEL) 
Assistant Referee 2: Karel De Rocker (BEL)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Laforge (BEL)
Referee Observer: Manuel López Fernández (ESP)

3 July 2014
Pyunik – Astana
Referee: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Assistant Referees: Radoslaw Siejka (POL), Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: László Vagner (HUN)

Shirak – Shakhter
Referee: Yuriy Mozharovskyy (UKR)
Assistant Referees: Igor Bytskalo (UKR), Igor Al'okhin (UKR)
Fourth Official: Vitaliy Romanov (UKR)
Referee Observer: Dusan Krchnak (SVK)

Kairat – Kukesi
Referee: Rahim Hasanov (AZE)
Assistant Referees: Yashar Abbasov (AZE), Rza Mammadov (AZE)
Fourth Official: Anar Salmanov (AZE)
Referee Observer: Erol Ersoy (TUR)

Veris – Litex Lovech
Referee: Mitja Zganec (SVN)
Assistant Referees: Tomaz Klancnik (SVN), Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Fourth Official: Asmir Sagrkovic (SVN)
Referee Observer: Ilkka Koho (FIN)

Qäbälä – Siroki Brijeg
Referee: Artyom Kuchin (KAZ)
Assistant Referees: Yevgeniy Belskiy (KAZ), Rustam Suyunov (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Denis Izmaylov (KAZ)
Referee Observer: Cornelius Bakker (NED)

Santos Tartu – Tromsö
Referee: Michael Lerjeus (SWE)
Assistant Referees: Magnus Sjöblom (SWE), Peter Magnusson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Aleh Chykun (BLR)

Banga – Sligo Rovers
Referee: Suren Baliyan (ARM)
Assistant Referees: Vanik Simonyan (ARM), Erik Arevshatyan (ARM)
Fourth Official: Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM)
Referee Observer: Antonio Costa (POR)

MYPA – IF
Referee: Sergiu Derenov (MDA)
Assistant Referees: Andrei Bodean (MDA), Serghei Trofan (MDA)
Fourth Official: Dumitru Muntean (MDA)
Referee Observer: Marcel Vanelshocht (BEL)

Celik Niksic – FC Koper
Referee: Daniel Stefanski (POL)
Assistant Referees: Rafal Rostkowski (POL), Marcin Boniek (POL)
Fourth Official: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

Sillamäe – Honka
Referee: Petur Reinert (FRO)
Assistant Referees: Jan Lidarenda (FRO), Andrew Christiansen (FRO)
Fourth Official: Dagfinn Fornà (FRO)
Referee Observer: Gevorg Hovhannisyan (ARM)

Turnovo – Chikhura
Referee: Ádám Németh (HUN)
Assistant Referees: Zsolt Varga (HUN), Oszkar Lemón (HUN)
Fourth Official: Zsolt Szabo (HUN)
Referee Observer: John Fleming (SCO)

UE Santa Coloma – Metalurg Skopje
Referee: Tihomir Pejin (CRO)
Assistant Referees: Goran Pataki (CRO), Dejan Berger (CRO)
Fourth Official: Fran Jovic (CRO)
Referee Observer: Eyjolfur Olafsson (ISL)

VPS – Brommapojkarna
Referee: Tore Hansen (NOR)
Assistant Referees: Tom Grövenik (NOR), Geir Isaksen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Ole Nilsen (NOR)
Referee Observer:

Botev Plovdiv – Libertas
Referee: Edin Jakupovic (BIH)
Assistant Referees: Senad Ibrisimbegovic (BIH), Sreten Udovicic (BIH)
Fourth Official: Ognjen Valjic (BIH)
Referee Observer: Nicolae Grigorescu (ROU)

Vaduz – College Europa
Referee: Johnny Casanova (SMR)
Assistant Referees: Massimo Zanotti (SMR), Andrea Guidi (SMR)
Fourth Official: Leonardo Guidi (SMR)
Referee Observer: Niklas Lídarenda (FRO)

Rosenborg – Jelgava
Referee: Adrien Jaccottet (SUI)
Assistant Referees: Sandro Pozzi (SUI), Remy Zgraggen (SUI)
Fourth Official: Sébastien Pache (SUI)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

Göteborg – Fola Esch
Referee: Nikola Dabanovic (MNE)
Assistant Referees: Veslin Radunovic (MNE), Jovica Tatar (MNE)
Fourth Official: Milos Novovic (MNE)
Referee Observer: Siegfried Kirschen (GER)

Sioni – Flamurtari
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referees: Sten Klaasen (EST), Dmiri Vinogradov (EST)
Fourth Official: Juri Fischer (EST)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

Tiraspol – Inter Baki
Referee: Ante Vucemilovic-Simunovic (CRO)
Assistant Referees: Dalibor Conjar (CRO), Hrvojr Barisic (CRO)
Fourth Official: Damir Batinic (CRO)
Referee Observer: Andrejs Sipailo (LVA)

Differdange – Atlantas
Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB)
Assistant Referees: Ridiger Cokaj (ALB), Rejdi Avdo (ALB)
Fourth Official: Ditmar Jubica (ALB)
Referee Observer: Sigurdur Hannesson (ISL)

Broughton – Haugesund
Referee: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Assistant Referees: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN), Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Referee Observer: Salustia Chato (AND)

Vikingur – Daugava
Referee: Joao Capela (POR)
Assistant Referees: Paulo Santos (POR), Tiago Rocha (POR)
Fourth Official: Cosme Machado (POR)
Referee Observer:

B36 – Linfield
Referee: Nikola Popov (BUL)
Assistant Referees: Ivan Valchev (BUL), Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Georgi Yordanov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Medved (SVK)

Rudar Velenje – Laci
Referee: George Vadachkoria (GEO)
Assistant Referees: Zaza Menteshashvili (GEO), Levan Varamishvili (GEO)
Fourth Official: Lasha Silagava (GEO)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

Split – Mika
Referee: Bart Vertenten (BEL)
Assistant Referees: Frank Bleyen (BEL), Yves de Neve (BEL)
Fourth Official: Laurent Colemonts (BEL)
Referee Observer: Christos Skapoullis (CYP)

Hibernians – Spartak Trnava
Referee: Mark Whitby (WAL)
Assistant Referees: Gareth Jones (WAL), Martin Roberts (WAL)
Fourth Official: John Dean (WAL)
Referee Observer: Borislav Alexandrov (BUL)

Cuckaricki – Sant Julia
Referee: Paul McLaughlin (IRL)
Assistant Referees: Mark Gavin (IRL), Emmett Dynan (IRL)
Fourth Official: Derek Tomney (IRL)
Referee Observer: Charles Agius (MLT)

Folgore/Falciano – Buducnost
Referee: Thorvaldur Arnason (ISL)
Assistant Referees: Gylfi Sigurdsson (ISL), Bryngeir Valdimarsson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Ivar Kristjansson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Victor Mintoff (MLT)

Diósgyor – Birkirkara
Referee: Ignasi Villamayor (AND)
Assistant Referees: Laudino Lopez (AND), Hugo Pereira (AND)
Fourth Official: Robert González (AND)
Referee Observer: Cosimo Bolognino (ITA)

Derry – Aberystwyth
Referee: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)
Assistant Referees: Dennis Rasmussen (DEN), Niels Hög (DEN)
Fourth Official: Michael Johansen (DEN)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Aberdeen – Daugava
Referee: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)
Assistant Referees: Laurent Stien (FRA), Philippe Jeanne (FRA)
Fourth Official: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Referee Observer: Zdravko Jokic (SRB)

Crusaders – Ekranas
Referee: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referees: José Fernández Miranda (ESP), Francisco Martin Garcia (ESP)
Fourth Official: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

Stjarnan – Bangor
Referee: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA)
Assistant Referees: Romans Platonovs (LVA), Aleksejs Griscenko (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Paulius Malzinskas (LTU)

FH – Glenavon
Referee: Zbynek Proske (CZE)
Assistant Referees: Jan Paták (CZE), Jiri Kriz (CZE)
Fourth Official: Karel Hrubes (CZE)
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev (BUL)

Fram – Kalju
Referee: Jari Järvinen (FIN)
Assistant Referees: Sami Nykänen (FIN), Jonas Turunen (FIN)
Fourth Official: Dennis Antamo (FIN)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

Zeljeznicar – Lovcen
Referee: Marco Borg (MLT)
Assistant Referees: Edward Spiteri (MLT), Christopher Francalanza (MLT)
Fourth Official: Sandro Spiteri (MLT)
Referee Observer: John Ward (IRL)

UEFA Champions League – First Qualifying Round (First Leg)

1-2 July 2014

Lincoln FC – HB Torshavn
Referee: Alexandre Boucaut (BEL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Danny Huens (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Cedric Waroux (BEL)
Fourth Official: Christof Virant (BEL)
Referee Observer: Rodger Gifford (WAL)

FC Santa Coloma – FC Banants
Referee: Jens Maae (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Heine Sorensen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: David Andersen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jorgen Nielsen (DEN)

SP La Fiorita – FC Levadia Tallinn
Referee: Dejan Jakimovksi (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Dejan Nedelkoski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Goce Petreski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Leif Lindberg (SWE)

Baldassi: “Irmatov was replaced by Eriksson”

Former World Cup 2010 referee Hector Baldassi (photo), currently a member of the Argentinian Parliament, twitted that FIFA initially appointed Ravshan Irmatov (UZB) for the round of 16 match Argentina – Switzerland and then he was replaced by Jonas Eriksson (SWE).

“For our match Argentina - Switzerland, on Tuesday, Blatter and Busacca appointed the Uzbek referee Irmatov. Argentina opposed. Then FIFA appointed a referee from Sweden. Very rare! A referee from UEFA is appointed to referee a match where one of the teams is from the same confederation (Europe). I do not doubt the skills and the professionalism of the Swedish referee, but I cannot understand why FIFA did not pay attention to such details. I am wondering where the Argentinian representative in the FIFA Referees Committee was when this decision was made? For those who do not remember, Irmatov refereed our match Argentina – Germany at the previous World Cup (2010) in South Africa.”

Source: Twitter/HectorBaldassi

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Round of 16 (Matches 55-56)

Argentina-Switzerland will be officiated by Jonas Eriksson, who is 40 and from Sweden. In this competition, he was in charge of the group-stage matches Ghana-USA and Cameroon-Brazil. Eriksson (photo) began refereeing at the age of 20 and made his domestic debut in the Swedish top flight aged 26. He covered two matches at UEFA Euro 2012, and in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers he was selected for the second leg of the CONMEBOL/AFC play-off between Uruguay and Jordan. Eriksson already has experience of refereeing a Swiss team having taken charge of the UEFA Europa League 2013 semi-final between Chelsea and FC Basel (3-1).

The last round-of-16 match, Belgium-USA, will be overseen by Djamel Haimoudi from Algeria. The 43-year-old is the second referee from his country to be selected for the FIFA World Cup after Belaid Lacarne in 1982. It will be Haimoudi’s third match in this tournament after Australia-Netherlands and Costa Rica-England. In the past, he officiated at three editions of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, in 2008, 2012 and 2013. At the end of the most recent edition, he refereed the final between Nigeria and Burkina Faso. In 2013, he was also assigned to two matches at the FIFA Confederations Cup, and six months year earlier he worked at the FIFA Club World Cup. His first FIFA competition was the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2011.

1 July 2014

Argentina – Switzerland
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Fourth Official: Svein Moen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Kim Haglund (NOR)

Belgium – USA
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Redouane Achik (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG)
Fourth Official: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
Reserve AR: Marwa Range (KEN)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Round of 16 (Matches 53-54)

France-Nigeria in the Round of 16 will be officiated by Mark Geiger. For the 39-year-old American, it will be his third match in this competition after Colombia-Greece and Spain-Chile. Geiger (photo) has been an international referee since 2008 and he oversaw the finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2011 and the CONCACAF U-20 Championship that same year. In 2012, he was in charge of two matches at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament and in 2013, he refereed at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Sandro Ricci, 39 and from Brazil, will oversee the Germany-Algeria. The referee from the host country has already officiated France-Honduras and Germany-Ghana at this tournament. In his career so far, he has been in charge of four matches at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 and two at the FIFA Club World Cup of the same year, including the final between Bayern Munich and Raja Casablanca.

30 June 2014
France – Nigeria
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Sean Hurd (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN)
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Reserve AR: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN)

Germany – Algeria
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Reserve AR: Leonel Leal (CRC)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Round of 16 (Matches 51-52)

Netherlands-Mexico will be officiated by Pedro Proenca from Portugal, who refereed Cameroon-Croatia and Japan-Colombia in the group stage. The 43-year-old was selected to oversee two prestigious European finals in 2012, namely Bayern Munich-Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League and Spain-Italy in the UEFA European Championship. Last year, Proenca (photo) was included on the roster of referees for the FIFA Confederations Cup, where he oversaw two opening-round matches. During Brazil 2014 qualifying, Proenca took charge of Greece-Romania in the play-offs. 

The second match on Sunday, 29 June, between Costa Rica and Greece will be officiated by Benjamin Williams. It will be the third World Cup match for the 37-year-old Australian, following Honduras-Ecuador and Korea Republic-Belgium. Williams has previously been selected for the Men's Olympic Football Tournament in 2012 and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2013. He has overseen two Champions League finals in two different confederations, namely Waitakere United-Kossa FC in the OFC in 2007 and Ulsan-Al Ahli in the AFC in 2012.

29 June 2014

Netherlands – Mexico
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tiago Trigo (POR)
Fourth Official: Carlos Vera (ECU)
Reserve AR: Christian Lescano (ECU)

Costa Rica – Greece
Referee: Benjamin Williams (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Cream (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Hakan Anaz (AUS)
Fourth Official: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)
Reserve AR: Yaser Abdulla (BHR)

“Millionaire referee” toils for the love of football

Jonas Eriksson is among the 25 referees who are officiating in the ongoing FIFA World Cup, but what sets the Swede apart from his clan is that he happens to be a millionaire who doesn't really need to do this job for a living. Eriksson, whose experience in refereeing is a vast 20 years, says he his drive to be a referee despite having enough money to sustain himself, comes from his love for the game. He has wealth running up to millions after selling his 15 per cent share in a Swedish media company.

A day after officiating in the Brazil-Cameroon World Cup match in Brasilia, Eriksson said professional referees are able to match up with today's fast-paced game. "The overall standard of refereeing has improved. Professional referees have to study, train their minds hard every day nowadays. Play has become faster and I think the referees are able to match up to the pace of the game. You see the players they tend to elbow often these days and the referee has to be on his toes," Eriksson told. 

Since Yuichi Nishimura's controversial penalty to Brazil in the 2014 World Cup opener against Croatia, referees have been the centre of attention in the ongoing tournament. The 40-year-old Eriksson, however, defended his colleague. "The Japanese referee has been one of the best in Asia in recent years. He has been very good in AFC events," said Eriksson. Nishimura pointed to the spot when Brazil's well-built striker Fred fell to ground from a slight touch on his upper left arm by Dejan Lovren. However, Eriksson, who is making his World Cup debut, added, "A referee is judged by one error rather than his performance in the whole match. Human error can happen." He was also in favour of using the goal-line technology. "I am for goal line technology... you have seen there had been at least two goals which were controversial. It is a good technology." 

Eriksson, who previously refereed the United States' 2-1 win over Ghana, is a full-time referee who officiated two matches at the 2012 European Championships and the second leg of the CONMEBOL/AFC play-off between Uruguay and Jordan last November. Eriksson worked in at least six matches in the UEFA Champions League each of the past three tournaments, including one leg of the semi-final series between Atletico Madrid and Chelsea and a quarter-final match-up between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. He also served as the head official for four different European qualifying matches in the lead-up to the World Cup, handing out a total of 18 yellow cards, one red card and one penalty kick. He was promoted to the elite category of UEFA referees in 2009-10 season. He also officiated three matches in the Under-20 World Cup in 2013, as well as the 2013 UEFA Super Cup final, which saw Bayern Munich beat Chelsea.

Source: IBN

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Round of 16 (Matches 49-50)

England’s Howard Webb (photo) will officiate Brazil-Chile, to be played in Belo Horizonte. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where Webb was in charge of the final, the 42-year-old oversaw the identical encounter: Brazil’s 3-0 win over Chile in the Round of 16. Meanwhile at the 2014 FIFA World Cup he has already refereed the group-stage match Colombia-Cote d’Ivoire. Further highlights in his career were two FIFA Confederations Cups (2009 and 2013), two European Championships (2008 and 2012) and the 2012 UEFA Champions League final.

The second Round of 16 match, Colombia-Uruguay, will be overseen by 41-year-old Bjorn Kuipers from the Netherlands. So far in this competition, Kuipers has refereed the matches England-Italy and Switzerland-France. A few weeks before, he was in charge of the UEFA Champions League final, one of the six international deciders he has refereed in total - namely the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013, Europa League 2013, UEFA Super Cup 2012, UEFA Euro U-21 Championship 2009 and the UEFA Euro U-17 Championship 2006.

28 June 2014
Brazil – Chile
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Cann (ENG)
Fourth Official: Felix Brych (GER)
Reserve AR: Mark Borsch (GER)
Referee Observer: Carlos Batres (GUA)

Colombia – Uruguay
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander Van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Svein Moen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Kim Haglund (NOR)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 45-48)

USA against Germany will be the deciding match to win Group G, and it will be overseen by Ravshan Irmatov (photo), the only Uzbek referee to have officiated at the finals of a FIFA tournament to date. Irmatov is 36 years old and refereed five matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup including the Opening Match, the Argentina-Germany quarter-final, and a semi-final. At Brazil 2014, he has already taken charge of the Switzerland-Ecuador and Croatia-Mexico encounters.

Match 46, Portugal-Ghana, will also be refereed by an Asian referee, namely Nawaf Shukralla from Bahrain. The first FIFA competition for the 37-year-old was the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2011, followed by the FIFA Club World Cup 2012 and the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013. In the same year, he officiated the second leg of the AFC Champions League final, and so far at the 2014 FIFA World Cup he has refereed the Australia-Spain game.

Korea Republic against Belgium will be officiated by Benjamin Williams, who is Australian and 37 years old. He has been overseeing international matches since 2005 and was in charge of two matches at both the Olympic Football Tournament 2012 and the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013, where he led the quarter-final meeting between Iraq and Korea Republic. A few days ago, Williams refereed the match between Honduras and Ecuador in Curitiba.

The same city will play host to Match 48, Algeria-Russia, which will be refereed by Cuneyt Çakir. It will be the second game for the 37-year-old Turkish referee after Brazil against Mexico. Çakir has already seen action at several major competitions such as UEFA Euro 2012 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2012 as well as the FIFA U-20 World Cup in both 2011 and 2013. Last year, he also handled Ukraine-France in the FIFA World Cup preliminary play-offs.

26 June 2014

USA – Germany
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Abduxamidullo Rasulov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Bakhadyr Kochkarov (KGZ)
Fourth Official: Neant Alioum (CMR)
Reserve AR: Djibril Camara (SEN)

Portugal – Ghana
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)
Assistant Referee 1: Yaser Abdulla (BHR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ebrahim Saleh (BHR)
Fourth Official: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Reserve AR: Humberto Clavijo (COL)

Korea – Belgium
Referee: Benjamin Williams (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Cream (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Hakan Anaz (AUS)
Fourth Official: Víctor Carrillo (PER)
Reserve AR: Rodney Aquino (PAR)

Algeria – Russia
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Reserve AR: William Torres (SLV)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 41-44)

Honduras-Switzerland will be overseen by Nestor Pitana (photo), who refereed the Group H match between Russia and Korea Republic on 17 June when he celebrated his 39th birthday. In his international career, the Argentinian took charge of the final match of the Copa Libertadores 2013 and three matches of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the same year. 

The other match in Group E, Ecuador-France, will kick off simultaneously and be officiated by Noumandiez Doue. The 34-year-old of Côte d'Ivoire was the man in the middle for Australia-Chile on 13 January. Doue is the first referee from Côte d’Ivoire to take part in the FIFA World Cup. He has officiated at two editions of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA U-20 World Cup. 

The Group F match between Nigeria and Argentina will be refereed by 33-year-old Nicola Rizzoli,who oversaw Spain-Netherlands on 13 June. Rizzoli has previously taken part in the FIFA Club World Cup and FIFA U-20 World Cup and presided over the final of the UEFA Europa League in 2010 and the UEFA Champions League decider in 2013. 

Meanwhile, Carlos Velasco will referee Bosnia and Herzegovina-Iran kicking off at the same time as the other Group F match. The 43-year-old Spaniard, who refereed the Uruguay-England match on 19 June, has previously officiated at matches in the UEFA Euro 2012 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2013 among other competitions.

25 June 2014

Honduras – Switzerland
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Reserve AR: Milovan Ristic (SRB)

Ecuador – France
Referee: Noumandiez Doue (CIV)
Assistant Referee 1: Songuifolo Yeo (CIV)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean Birumushahu (BDI)
Fourth Official: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Reserve AR: Sander Van Roekel (NED)

Nigeria – Argentina
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Renato Faverani(ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Fourth Official: Svein Moen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Kim Haglund (NOR)

Bosnia – Iran
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Reserve AR: Carlos Astroza (CHI)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 37-40)

In Group D, Italy and Uruguay both still have strong hopes of qualifying for the Round of 16 and Marco Rodriguez (photo) will referee this important match. For Rodriguez, 40, it will be the second match of the tournament after Belgium-Algeria. The Mexican is taking part in his third World Cup, having taken charge of two matches at South Africa 2010 and two more at Germany 2006. During his career, Rodriguez has officiated at three FIFA U-17 World Cups (2003, 2005 and 2013), one FIFA U-20 World Cup (2009) and five editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. His most prestigious assignment was the final of the FIFA Club World Cup 2007 between Boca Juniors and AC Milan. 

Following his first match at this World Cup, Australia-Netherlands, Djamel Haimoudi will officiate Costa Rica-England. Haimoudi is 43 years old and from Algeria. In his career, he has covered the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013, the FIFA Club World Cup 2012 and the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2011. For his home confederation – CAF – he has officiated at three editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, in 2008, 2012 and 2013. At the end of the most recent edition, he refereed the final between Nigeria and Burkina Faso. 

Pedro Proenca from Portugal will take charge of Japan-Colombia. Following Cameroon-Croatia, it will be the 43-year-old’s second game in this competition. He has previously overseen two opening-round matches at last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup and the Brazil 2014 play-off between Greece and Romania. Proenca refereed at the UEFA Euro and the UEFA Champions League final in 2012. 

One day before his 38th birthday, Carlos Vera from Ecuador will oversee Greece-Côte d’Ivoire. Earlier in this tournament, he refereed Iran-Nigeria. Vera has been an international referee since 2007 and officiated at the Copa America 2011 as well two FIFA competitions: the FIFA Club World Cup 2012 and last year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup.

24 June 2014 

Italy – Uruguay

Referee: Marco Rodriguez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcos Quintero (MEX)
Fourth Official: Mark Geiger (USA)
Reserve AR: Sean Hurd (USA)

Costa Rica – England
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Redouane Achik (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG)
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Reserve AR: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN)

Japan – Colombia
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tiago Trigo (POR)
Fourth Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Reserve AR: Eric Boria (USA)

Greece – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Carlos Vera (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Reserve AR: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 33-36)

Proceedings in the match Cameroon - Brazil will be overseen by Jonas Eriksson, the 40-year-old referee from Sweden. He has already refereed the Group G match between Ghana and the USA in this competition. In previous years, Eriksson (photo) has overseen two matches at UEFA EURO 2012 and in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying stages he was selected to referee the second leg of the CONMEBOL/AFC play-off.

The other match in Group A, Croatia - Mexico, will kick off simultaneously. It will be officiated by Ravshan Irmatov, 36 years old and the first Uzbek national to referee at the finals of a FIFA tournament to date. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, he refereed five matches, including the opening match between South Africa and Mexico, Argentina v. Germany in the quarter-finals and the semi-final encounter between Uruguay and the Netherlands. Earlier in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Irmatov took charge of the match Switzerland v. Ecuador.

The match Australia - Spain – the last for both teams in this competition – will be refereed by Nawaf Shukralla who is 37 years old and from Bahrain. For Shukralla it will be the first match of the tournament. He was selected for his first FIFA competition in 2011, the U-17 World Cup. Since then he has handled games at the FIFA Club World Cup 2012 and the U-20 World Cup 2013.

Match 36 will be the decider in Group B. The Netherlands and Chile both won their first two matches and will be vying for first place. The game will be overseen by Bakary Gassama, 35 years old and the first referee from the Gambia to appear in the FIFA World Cup. It will be the tournament debut for Gassama, who officiated two matches at the Olympic Football Tournament 2012 and can also list games at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2013 on his CV.

23 June 2014
Cameroon – Brazil
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Fourth Official: Svein Moen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Kim Haglund (NOR)

Croatia – Mexico
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Bakhadyr Kochkarov (KGZ)
Fourth Official: Neant Alioum (CMR)
Reserve AR: Djibril Camara (SEN)

Australia – Spain
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)
Assistant Referee 1: Yaser Abdulla (BHR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ebrahim Saleh (BHR)
Fourth Official: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
Reserve AR: Marwa Range (KEN)

Netherlands – Chile
Referee: Bakary Gassama (GAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Evarist Menkouande (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Felicien Kabanda (RWA)
Fourth Official: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Reserve AR: William Torres (SLV)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 30-32)

Nestor Pitana (photo) will officiate in the match between USA and Portugal, his second match after Russia-Korea Republic. The 39-year-old Argentinian has been overseeing international matches since 2010, handling both the 2012 Recopa Sudamericana final and the first leg of the Copa Libertadores decider in 2013. His first and only FIFA competition until now was the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013.
The Belgium-Russia match will be refereed by Felix Brych, who is 37 and from Germany. It will be Brych’s second match after Costa Rica’s victory against Uruguay. He refereed at the Olympic Football Tournaments London 2012 and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013. Last year, Brych also handled three Brazil 2014 qualifiers for the, including Spain-France, before overseeing New Zealand-Mexico in the OFC/CONCACAF play-off. More recently, the German oversaw the 2014 UEFA Europa League decider.
After presiding over Mexico-Cameroon, Wilmar Roldan will oversee the Korea Republic-Algeria match. Roldan is 34 years old and from Colombia. He is the youngest referee in the shortlist for Brazil 2014 and made his debut at the tender age of 23 in the Colombian top league. Among other important matches in his confederation of CONMEBOL, he refereed the second leg of the Copa Libertadores finals in 2012 and 2013. His FIFA engagements so far have been the Olympic Football Tournaments 2012, the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 and the Youth Olympic Football Tournaments 2010.

22 June 2014
USA – Portugal
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Reserve AR: Leonel Leal (CRC)

Belgium – Russia
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Carlos Vera (ECU)
Reserve AR: Byron Romero (ECU)

Korea – Algeria
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Diaz (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Reserve AR: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN)

FIFA replaced AR Clavijo

FIFA started an internal investigation to determine whether the Colombian AR Humberto Clavijo’s errors were just human mistakes or something else. Clavijo wrongly disallowed, for offside, two Mexican goals in the match against Cameroon.

He started his refereeing career in 1995 and became FIFA Assistant Referee in 2008. This was the second World Cup for Clavijo, after South Africa 2010, where was an AR for Oscar Ruiz, who is now a member of the FIFA Referees Committee. Being under investigation, Clavijo has been replaced with Christian Lescano (ECU) in Wilmar Roldan’s trio for the next match. (Source: FIFA)

Damon has retired from refereeing

Former World Cup (2010) referee Jerome Damon (South Africa) has called time on his career to pursue other interests. Damon, who made his refereeing debut in the 1996/97 season, informed the South African Football Association (SAFA) of his decision to hang his whistle. He said it was not an easy decision to call time on an occupation that had become part of his life for the past 18 years.

"After a very long introspection, prayer and consultation, I have decided to call an end to my active duty on the SAFA national panel of match officials after having first made my rookie appearance in the 1996/7 season," said Damon. The former Premier Soccer League Referee of the Season said his decision was motivated by two main factors - inability to train regularly and with the same intensity expected of the modern match official and pressing issues at his school where he is an educator. Damon was Referee of the Season in the 2004/05 and 2008/09 seasons. He was also stand-by referee for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and got a run in the FIFA 2010 World Cup on home soil. He was a familiar face on the African continent as he handled the 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations matches. "I have certainly enjoyed every single moment of serving on this county's highest panel as, first, an assistant referee and then, as a referee. I have made many friends along the way and cherish numerous memories - certainly too many to accurately document here. But the most memorable one is being able to represent South Africa on many international tournaments around the world, the climax of course, being the 2010 FIFA World Cup, right here in South Africa. I want to thank everyone involved in forming my refereeing career from my late dad through to every assessor and commissioner (locally and internationally). I especially want to thank the SAFA President and the NEC for rubber-stamping every opportunity that I was given," said Damon. The Capetonian will now focus more attention on his career as an educator but did not completely rule out future involvement in the beautiful game. "With the ending of one chapter, comes the opportunity to write another. I do believe that there is still a lot for me to do in the refereeing world and I look forward to the next challenge, the next opportunity to serve. Football has left an indelible mark on my life and I hope that in some small way I have left a mark in its books", he concluded. 

Source: All Africa

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 27-29)

The Nigeria-Bosnia game will be the first appearance for Peter O’Leary from New Zealand. The 42-year-old worked as a fourth official at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and he holds a number of appearance records in FIFA competitions. O’Leary (photo) has accumulated the most participations (five between 2007 and 2012) and refereed the most matches (five) in the FIFA Club World Cup. He has also taken part in four editions of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (from 2007 to 2013).

Argentina-Iran, will be overseen by Milorad Mazic from Serbia, who also refereed Germany’s victory against Portugal. Mazic is 41 years old and has previously officiated at high-profile youth tournaments such as the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013. During the 2014 World Cup preliminary competition, he was in charge of five matches, including Romania-Greece in the play-offs.

After the historic decision he took with the support of Goal-Line Technology during France’s victory over Honduras, Sandro Ricci will officiate the Germany-Ghana match. Ricci is 39 years old and comes from Brasilia, the capital of the host country. In 2013, he covered four matches at the FIFA U-20 World Cup as well as two at the FIFA Club World Cup, where his path also crossed that of a German team as he was the referee for the final between Bayern Munich and Raja Casablanca.

21 June 2014
Nigeria – Bosnia
Referee: Peter O'Leary (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Hintz (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Rule (NZL)
Fourth Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Reserve AR: Eric Boria (USA)

Argentina – Iran
Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjevic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
Reserve AR: Marwa Range (KEN)

Germany – Ghana
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Reserve AR: Rodney Aquino (PAR)

World Cup referees: preacher, lawyer, dancer, millionaire, wrestler

A dancing chemist, a British bobby and doppelganger for a Hollywood star, a Swedish millionaire and a hair-salon owner are all playing a central role in this year’s football world cup. These are just some of the varied off-pitch personas of the 25 referees attempting to keep things rolling smoothly as players from all corners of the globe collide in Brazil. Chip away at the granite-like veneer of the man in the middle and there’s a treasure trove of weird and wonderful aspects of humanity waiting to be unearthed. 

Take Noumandiez Doue, for example. He created history when he became the first referee from the Ivory Coast to take charge of a world cup game, Chile’s second-day 3-1 win over Australia. As well as being one of Africa’s top officials, the 43-year-old is a qualified chemist, “and I like to dance”. Any hard-up players taking part in the US’ victory over Ghana on Monday should have tapped their referee, Jonas Eriksson. The Swede is known as “the laid-back millionaire” after he made a seven-figure fortune selling shares in a media rights business. A Yorkshire policeman will be keeping law and order in Colombia’s second Group C run-out against Ivory Coast today. Howard Webb, handed the honour of refereeing the 2010 World Cup final, says his colleagues compare him to a Hollywood star. “But unfortunately not a good-looking one,” he admitted to Fifa.com. “They say I look like Shrek, which explains why I have a picture of him as a screen-saver on my mobile.” Here comes the priest Any Belgians or Algerians of a religious nature in Tuesday’s clash in Belo Horizonte will have found a kindred spirit in their referee—Marco Rodriguez. Away from football, the former physical education teacher is at home behind the pulpit delivering sermons in his capacity as a Protestant preacher in a church outside Mexico City. Players needing a short back and sides—Marouane Fellaini?—need look no further than Bjorn Kuipers. The Dutchman, who refereed Real Madrid’s Champions League final win over Atlético last month, owns a hair salon as well as a couple of grocery stores back in Holland. Meanwhile, it might be best not to mess with Bakary Papa Gassama. The first Gambian to referee at the world cup is a devotee in his spare time of buri, a Gambian take on wrestling. “I’m not really very good at it but like to do it as a hobby.” As a former high school math teacher, American Mark Geiger shouldn’t have any problems adding up the yellow cards—unlike Brazil’s Sandro Ricci. He made the fatal error of dishing out a second booking but failing to send the recipient off in a domestic league game. Ricci made history at the world cup on Sunday by awarding the first score by goal-line technology to France against Honduras. He’s also an old sentimentalist. “Before each game,” he explains, “I take off my ring and kiss it four times in honour of the four women in my life—my mother, my wife and my two daughters.” Referees let off steam in different ways—Bahrain’s Nawaf Shukralla, for instance, may well head to Rio’s iconic Copacabana beach after a tough day at the world cup office. “When I want to leave everything behind me, I always go to the sea,” the legal researcher disclosed. Last but not least, step forward Felix Brych. The German lawyer gained notoriety in the Bundesliga last season when awarding Bayer Leverkusen’s infamous “phantom” goal. And he probably spoke for his work colleagues everywhere when he urged fans to always remember, “We are referees, but we are also normal people”.

Source: Live Mint

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 24-26)

Enrique Osses will referee the match Italy-Costa Rica, two teams who meet after winning their first games. The 40-year-old Chilean has already officiated a match at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Cote d’Ivoire-Japan, which was also played in Recife. In 2012, Osses (photo) oversaw his first Copa Libertadores final and he has handled the return leg of each of the last two Copa Sudamericana title-deciders. His first FIFA competition was the FIFA Club World Cup 2011, followed by two games at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013.

Björn Kuipers will take charge of the match between two European teams who have also both won their first encounters, Switzerland-France. Kuipers is 41 and from the Netherlands. Among the highlights in his refereeing career are several finals, including Brazil-Spain at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 and, more recently, the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he officiated the match between England-Italy.

The Australian Benjamin Williams will referee his first match at this tournament, Honduras-Ecuador. Williams is 37-years-old and can boast the 2012 Olympic Football Tournaments and the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 on his CV. He has overseen two Champions League finals in two different confederations: for the OFC in 2007 and for the AFC in 2012.

20 June 2014
Italy – Costa Rica
Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sergio Roman (CHI)
Fourth Official: Neant Alioum (CMR)
Reserve AR: Djibril Camara (SEN)

Switzerland – France
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1:Sander Van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Svein Moen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Kim Haglund (NOR)

Honduras – Ecuador
Referee: Benjamin Williams (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Cream (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Hakan Anaz (AUS)
Fourth Official: Yuichi Nishimura (JPN)
Reserve AR: Toru Sagara (JPN)

JFA: Nishimura speaks English

The Japan Football Association said its referees dispatched to top level international matches have no trouble communicating in English, despite allegations to the contrary after the World Cup’s opening match last Thursday.

Veteran referee Yuichi Nishimura (photo) has received unwanted attention after some controversial calls during the match between Brazil and Croatia. Late in the second half, he awarded Brazil a penalty kick that allowed Brazil to take a 2-1 lead. He then disallowed what would have been Croatia’s second goal. Brazil went on to win 3-1. Afterward, Croatian player Vedran Corluka complained to reporters that Mr. Nishimura didn’t speak English when he approached him during the game. It was “embarrassing that the referee didn’t speak English, he was speaking Japanese”, Corluka said, adding that it was “really difficult to communicate with him”. 

The JFA said it couldn’t comment on what took place, since Mr. Nishimura is still in Brazil, but that its referees don’t generally have trouble communicating in English. “Seminars are conducted in English whenever a referee is to take part in an international match organized by FIFA (the governing body of top-level international matches),” she said, adding that all referees sent to such games are fit to judge them in English. But she said the JFA doesn’t offer lectures specifically on English for its certified referees, and that exams for Class 1 referees, who are allowed to judge JFA matches, don’t include English tests. FIFA named Mr. Nishimura as referee for the Brazil-Croatia match, and he has plenty of experience, including officiating at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and at the 2012 London Olympics. He was named the Asian Football Confederation’s referee of the year in 2012. FIFA has defended Mr. Nishimura’s decision to award Brazil the controversial penalty kick, saying he “was in a very good position and he saw very clearly this situation.” No decision has been made on whether he will referee another game at the tournament.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 21-23)

The match between Colombia and Côte d’Ivoire will be refereed by Howard Webb, the first appearance of the 42-year-old Englishman who refereed the FIFA World Cup Final in 2010. He earned his international credentials in 2005 and since then has already participated in several international competitions, including two FIFA Confederations Cups (2009 and 2013) and the last two European Championships.

When Japan meet Greece, both teams who lost their first encounters, the contest will be officiated by Joel Aguilar, 38 and from El Salvador. He has already refereed at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro in the city’s first match of the competition, bringing with him a vast amount of experience gained within CONCACAF. He has also covered several other FIFA competitions, including the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2011.

Match 23, Uruguay against England, also two teams who lost their first matches, will be refereed by Carlos Velasco Carballo. The 43-year-old Spaniard has already officiated at matches during UEFA Euro 2012 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2013. In 2009, he was the man-in-the-middle for the Egyptian league title play-off. 

18 June 2014
Colombia – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Cann (ENG)
Fourth Official: Víctor Carrillo (PER)
Reserve AR: Rodney Aquino (PAR)

Japan – Greece
Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Fourth Official: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
Reserve AR: Marwa Range (KEN)

Uruguay – England
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Reserve AR: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 18-20)

Pedro Proenca (photo), 43, will referee match 18 between Cameroon and Croatia. In 2012, Proenca was assigned to cover the finals of both the UEFA Euro and the UEFA Champions League. Last year, the Portuguese officiated two matches at the FIFA Confederations Cup. 

Spain-Chile will be refereed by Mark Geiger. It will be second match for the 39-year-old in this competition after Colombia’s 3-0 victory against Greece. Geiger supervised his first international match in 2008 and was the man-in-the-middle for two finals in 2011: the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia and the CONCACAF U-20 Championship. 

Djamel Haimoudi from Algeria will be in charge of Australia-Netherlands. He is 43 years old and the second referee from his country to participate in the World Cup after Belaid Lacarne in 1982. Haimoudi has officiated at three editions of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, in 2008, 2012 and 2013, including the final of last year’s edition. Moreover, the Algerian has worked at three FIFA competitions, namely the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013, the FIFA Club World Cup 2012, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2011, as well as three finals in the CAF Champions League.

18 June 2014
Cameroon – Croatia
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tiago Trigo (POR)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Reserve AR: Leonel Leal (CRC)

Spain – Chile
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Sean Hurd (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN)
Fourth Official: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)
Reserve AR: Yaser Abdulla (BHR)

Australia – Netherlands
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Rédouane Achik (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG)
Fourth Official: Bakary Gassama (GAM)
Reserve AR: Evarist Menkouande (CMR)

Lannoy: "Fred abused the referee"

Stephane Lannoy, who refereed the Brazilian team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, comments on the penalty kick awarded by Nishimura in the opening match.

“What shocks me the most is not the mistake of Mr. Nishimura, but the simulation of Fred. I took my kids to school this morning, I turned on the radio and it's always the same story. It stigmatizes constantly the referee errors and never talks about cheating players. It says "this is a penalty generously granted". They are not talking about the behavior of Fred, who abused the referee. I must say that the referee was abused by an obvious behavior. It is not easy to see, the referee has a front vision, all he sees is a defender in contact with Fred and he thinks that shirt pulling causes his downfall. Watching it on TV with real speed, we also think there was shirt pulling and only in slow motion we realize that there is absolutely nothing. The other question I ask myself is whether or not there is an external intervention; whether or not his assistant, who had a much clearer vision, was able to provide an indication to Nishimura.

Rather than systematically discredit the referees, could we not further stigmatize the deviant behavior of the player? Let's get a couple of seconds in the skin of the Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura. At the end of the game, he is probably already aware of his mistake. It is not the Croatian bench who alerted him, but the FIFA observer who will mark the performance of the referee. Nishimura will definitely spend a dirty evening and will make the press feasted for several days. He will certainly have a second game, less prestigious, to officiate at this World Cup, but it is not at all clear if he will continue. For him it is extremely complicated. And Fred? Nothing. I'm not in the place of people of FIFA, but I would like this kind of behavior to be sanctioned. The preparation of such a game is complicated. Referees selected for the World Cup are entrenched in a camp, but they know all the issues surrounding the games. When a referee is appointed to officiate Brazil, the home team, he knows everything about the mass pressure, the social climate surrounding the competition, the risks if Brazil is quickly eliminated from the competition. Nevertheless, they have to stay focused on the game, anticipate, and be in the best conditions to make the decision as fair as possible. Brazil play fast, Croatia, everything is a matter of anticipation. The referee tried to let them play the game to the fullest, there was not much whistled, he could have issued more cards but the mood on the field was good. He tried, with the exception of the penalty, to seek the best angle and the best positioning. We, referees, are there to make unpopular decisions. It's our job. In 2010, I refereed Brazil against Ivory Coast during the group matches of the World Cup in South Africa. Brazil won 3-1, but at the second goal, Luis Fabiano controlled the ball with his hand. I signalled for the goal, but then I doubted it, I saw the player and asked the question. "With what part of your body did you control the ball? With the chest’, he replied. It was a lie, but it was the only way for me to return the gesture of responsibility on the player. If he had told me that yes, he had controlled the ball with his hand, I would have cancelled the goal. As the game does not resume, you can change your mind and you can always expect to come across a gentleman. That is all the teaching I had pulled from Thierry Henry in the match against Ireland. It was impossible to see, but by asking the player, it returns the responsibility on him and risk to talk to a liar. Football does not need the video; football just needs more honest players.”

Source: Le Monde

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 15-17)

Marco Rodriguez (photo) from Mexico will oversee the Belgium-Algeria game. Rodriguez is 40 years old and will be taking part in his third World Cup, having handled a total of four games at the 2006 and 2010 editions. He has also officiated at three FIFA U-17 World Cups, one FIFA U-20 World Cup and five editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. At club level, he has refereed two CONCACAF Champions League deciders and the final of the FIFA Club World Cup 2007.

Nestor Pitana from Argentina will officiate Russia-Korea Republic on his 39th birthday. Pitana’s international career began in 2010, just three years after he made his refereeing debut in the Argentinian top tier. He can also boast a final match of the 2013 Copa Libertadores and three matches of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the same year on his curriculum.

Brazil-Mexico will be overseen by Cuneyt Cakir, who is 37 and the second Turkish referee to participate in the World Cup, 40 years after Dogan Babacan officiated at Germany 1974. In his career, Cakir has refereed several important matches including the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2012, a 2014 World Cup preliminary play-off and a semi-final of UEFA Euro 2012.

17 June 2014
Belgium – Algeria
Referee: Marco Rodriguez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcos Quintero (MEX)
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Reserve AR: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN)

Russia – Korea
Referee: Néstor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Reserve AR: Eric Boria (USA)

Brazil – Mexico
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Svein Moen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Kim Haglund (NOR)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 12-14)

Germany against Portugal will be refereed by Milorad Mazic (photo) from Serbia. He is 41 years old and worked at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2013 and at several UEFA competitions.
Nine days before his 38th birthday, Carlos Vera from Ecuador will referee Iran-Nigeria. Vera has been overseeing international matches since 2007 and has officiated at several CONMEBOL competitions, including the Copa America 2011 and the Copa Libertadores since 2008, as well as at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2012.
Ghana-USA is the second match in Natal and will be covered by Jonas Eriksson, 40, from Sweden. He officiated two matches at UEFA Euro 2012 and the second leg of the CONMEBOL/AFC play-off between Uruguay and Jordan in November 2013.

16 June 2014
Germany – Portugal
Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjevic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Néant Alioum (CMR)
Reserve AR: Djibril Camara (SEN)

Iran – Nigeria
Referee: Carlos Vera (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Reserve AR: Humberto Clavijo (COL)

Ghana – USA
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Fourth Official: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
Reserve AR: Marwa Range (KEN)

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 9-11)

Switzerland-Ecuador will be officiated by Ravshan Irmatov from Uzbekistan. The 36-year-old is taking part in his second FIFA World Cup, having overseen five matches at the 2010 edition, including the opener between South Africa and Mexico, Argentina-Germany in the quarter-finals, and the semi-final encounter between Uruguay and the Netherlands. Irmatov (photo) has refereed at ten FIFA competitions overall. Most recently, he took charge of Brazil-Italy at the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013. 

Referee for the second Group E game between France and Honduras will be Sandro Ricci from Brazil. He was the ‘Referee of the Year’ in his home country in 2010 and joined FIFA’s international list in 2011. In 2013, he oversaw four FIFA U-20 World Cup fixtures as well as a quarter-final and the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco. 

Argentina against Bosnia-Herzegovina, the first match taking place at the Maracana, will be refereed by Joel Aguilar from El Salvador. In doing so he will become the first referee from his country to officiate at the finals of a World Cup. Aguilar, 38, covered the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in 2011 and 2013 as well as the CONCACAF Champions League in 2011.

15 June 2014

Switzerland – Ecuador
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Abduxamidullo Rasulov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Bakhadyr Kochkarov (KGZ)
Fourth Official: Svein Moen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Kim Haglund (NOR)

France – Honduras
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Peter O’Leary (NZL)
Reserve AR: Jan Hintz (NZL)

Argentina – Bosnia
Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Fourth Official: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG)
Reserve AR: Redouane Achik (MAR)

Nishimura defended by FIFA

FIFA have defended under-fire referee Yuichi Nishimura for his decision to award a penalty in favour of Brazil during the World Cup-opening 3-1 victory over Croatia that has sparked a massive backlash from the European side. Manager Nico Kovac claimed that “two billion people saw it was not a penalty” while squad members Vedran Corluka and Dejan Lovren were equally as scathing, suggesting that Fifa should hand Brazil the trophy now and “everyone else can go home”. But FIFA’s referee chief Massimo Busacca has come to the defence of Nishimura (photo), claiming that there was contact between Fred and Lovren even if it was minimal.

“The referees know the responsibility at the World Cup is a lot, every decision can change a lot,” said Busacca. “In refereeing, we have black and white but we also have cases that can be on the borderline. Yesterday [Thursday], we can discuss; was it enough (contact)? Yes or no? On the pitch, the referee takes a decision in less than one second. He is concentrated on the gesture and when you see the hands doing something, it's difficult to arrive at one conclusion. This is what the referee saw on the pitch, he had a good position, but he is not the attacker or the defender, we have to ask them if it's enough (contact) to fall down. There was contact, if you don't have the contact then we would not be here to discuss it. If the player doesn't touch, doesn't hold, we don't discuss it. The left hand touched and then also the right. If you play with the hands out, the referee sees that clearly and decides one way.” Busacca went on to leave doubt over whether Nishimura would be selected again when the next batch of refereeing appointments are released, with FIFA choosing to name each set of match officials in the days leading up to a fixture. He added that Nishimura’s performance would be evaluated before a decision is made, and that anyone can say that the Japanese official made a mistake given that it is their opinion. “For every player, we can consider their performance and how they did - for referees it is the same,” he added. ”Mistake? It's your opinion, you can say it if you want”. 

Source: The Independent

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 5-8)

Colombia-Greece will be officiated by US referee Mark Geiger (photo), who is 39. He supervised his first international in 2008 and was in charge for two finals in 2011: Costa Rica-Mexico in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship and Brazil-Portugal at the climax of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia. That same year, Geiger was named Major League Soccer Referee of the Year.

Enrique Osses will cover the Côte d'Ivoire-Japan contest. Osses, 40 and from Chile, became an international referee in 2005 and has handled the return leg of each of the last two title-deciders of the Copa Sudamericana. 

The Uruguay-Costa Rica game has been assigned to Felix Brych from Germany (38). He has refereed UEFA Champions League matches since 2008 and most recently led the 2014 UEFA Europa League final. In 2013, he handled Japan-Mexico in the FIFA Confederations Cup. 

The referee for England's showdown with Italy will be Bjorn Kuipers from the Netherlands. The 41-year-old has already supervised six international finals in his career including Brazil-Spain at the Maracana during the last FIFA Confederations Cup and most recently this year's UEFA Champions League decider in Lisbon.

14 June 2014 

Colombia – Greece
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Sean Hurd (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN)
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Reserve AR: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN)

Uruguay – Costa Rica
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Víctor Carrillo (PER)
Reserve AR: Rodney Aquino (PAR)

England – Italy
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander Van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Reserve AR: Leonel Leal (CRC)

Cote d’Ivoire – Japan
Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sergio Roman (CHI)
Fourth Official: Neant Alioum (CMR)
Reserve AR: Djibril Camara (SEN)

Bennett sent home due to injury

After an injury prevented assistant referee Ravinesh Kumar (FIJ) to run the fitness test, another selected match official was forced to miss the 2014 World Cup. Daniel Bennett (RSA) suffered an injury during the training session on 3 June 2014 in Brazil. The medical team estimated that the recovery will take about 4 weeks, so FIFA decided to send him home. Bennett (photo) was appointed as a reserve referee in an African support duo along with the assistant Marwa Range (KEN). The South African referee was originally assigned fourth official duties. After Bennett was sent home, Range joined referee Norbert Hauata (TAH) in a new support duo, replacing Mark Rule (NZL), who was moved to the New Zealand trio, after Kumar’s injury.

FIFA World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 1-4)

Japan’s Yuichi Nishimura has been assigned as the referee for the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Croatia on Thursday, 12 June. He will be assisted by compatriots Toru Sagara and Toshiyuki Nagi, with Alireza Faghani of Iran designated as the fourth official. Nishimura, 42, is set to become the third Japanese referee to have officiated at two World Cup finals after Shizuo Takada (1986 and 1990) and Toru Kamikawa (2002 and 2006). At South Africa 2010 he handled four matches, including the quarter-final encounter between the Netherlands and Brazil. Since making his international refereeing debut in 2004, Nishimura has been assigned to numerous other final tournaments: the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2007 (including the final between Spain and Nigeria), the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2009, the FIFA Club World Cup 2010 (including the final between TP Mazembe and Internazionale), the Olympic Football Tournament 2012 and two editions of the Asian Cup in 2007 and 2011. In addition, Nishimura was selected for the finals of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2008. In 2012, Yuichi Nishimura (photo) was named AFC Men’s Referee of the Year.

12 June 2014
Brazil – Croatia
Referee: Yuichi Nishimura (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Toru Sagara (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Toshiyuki Nagi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Reserve AR: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN)

13 June 2014
Mexico – Cameroon
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Clavijo (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Diaz (COL)
Fourth Official: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
Reserve AR: Marwa Range (KEN)

Spain – Netherlands
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Fourth Official: Svein Moen (NOR)
Reserve AR: Kim Haglund (NOR)

Chile – Australia
Referee: Noumandiez Doue (CIV)
Assistant Referee 1: Songuifolo Yeo (CIV)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean Birumushahu (BDI)
Fourth Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Reserve AR: Eric Boria (USA)

Cann: “My skillset is far more suitable to being an assistant referee”

He’s been there, seen it and done it when it comes to the World Cup but Darren Cann is looking to do it all over again in Brazil. Four years after running the line of the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and Holland, Darren Cann has been chosen again to form part of the England refereeing delegation in South America. Howard Webb and Mike Mullarkey complete the triumvirate, who are the only refereeing trio to be returning to the World Cup having been to South Africa.

It has been quite a journey for the 45-year-old. “At Palace they instilled in us the importance of learning the laws of the game,” he said. “I had a pretty good knowledge of the game so enrolled on a refereeing course and passed that straight away.” Alongside working as a Business Support manager at Lloyds, Cann was gaining the necessary experience on Norfolk’s pitches to work his way up the ladder. “When I started out there were no designs of going to World Cups or Premier League games really,” he admitted. “I did want to get back into the professional game but of course back in 1991 it was refereeing in the Sunday League and the Anglian Combination. It was a case of starting at grassroots level and building up. Over the next few years I was lucky enough to get to the Conference and then the Football League and gradually game by game, assessment by assessment, I worked my way up. You have to learn quickly because often you are dealing with experienced players and I remember one or two real characters. But the more games you do the more confident you get. It’s simply a case of getting those games at grassroots level to hopefully stand you in good stead for what is to come later on.” As an official, praise is often in short supply. Like in many walks of life the only time you get noticed is when you do something wrong. The more unnoticed Cann became as an official was directly proportionate to how noticed he was becoming among the refereeing fraternity. Cann realised himself that he was a cut above the rest of the officials locally when he was chosen to referee the Norfolk Senior Cup final at Carrow Road in 1998. “That was my first season of refereeing clubs at that level and to be awarded that game gave me another level of confidence that I didn’t have before that. It showed that people wanted me and that they believed in me. It gave me that springboard to go into the semi-professional and professional leagues. I think that probably was a key game back then.” Cann continued up the non-league pyramid, but it was when he made it to Conference level that he had a decision to make that would shape the rest of his career. It is at this point when officials must decide whether to continue as a referee or specialise as assistant referee. “My skillset is far more suitable to being an assistant referee”, said Cann. “As a referee you need good man-management skills and you need to be good communicator. They are skills I perhaps feel I don’t have, whereas as an assistant referee you have to have a keen eye for offside. Of course, you also don’t have the immense pressure of refereeing a game. Being an assistant referee, it’s a little like being a goalkeeper. Sometimes you are not involved for 30-35 minutes and then you have to make a crucial decision. It suited me not to have all that pressure and it was probably one of the best decisions I have made.” Cann was promoted to the National List of Assistant Referees for the 2001/02 season, meaning he could officiate in the Football League before moving on to the Premier League in 2005. In that same year he was awarded his first international appointment, a UEFA Cup match between FC Zurich and Legia Warsaw. More importantly it was the first time he met Howard Webb. “We had an UEFA Cup game together and we got on like a house on fire,” said Cann, who left his job at Lloyds to turn professional in 2008. “Ever since I have pretty much been working in his team and we have built up a great friendship. We have built a sixth sense over the nine years we have been working together.” The pair was joined by Mullarkey in 2007 and they have become the standard bearers for World Cup officials. Cann added: “There are times as an assistant referee when you don’t actually flag every single foul you have seen because you know 95 per cent of the time the referee is going to be giving the foul anyway. It is a real art to know when Howard needs me and when he doesn’t. It is very much a partnership where you build trust with each other”. 

Source: EDP

Final seminar for World Cup referees

The 33rd team in action at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil took to the pitch on Friday in Rio de Janeiro. Representing 45 countries, the tournament’s 25 referee trios and eight support duos took part in a practical session at the Zico Football Academy (CFZ). Open to the media, the event formed part of a preparatory seminar that began on 1 June and concludes two days before the start of the tournament. 

Afterwards the match officials had the opportunity to meet with Zico himself, posing for photos while bearing placards promoting the FIFA campaign #SayNoToRacism. Former Swiss referee Massimo Busacca, FIFA’s Head of Refereeing, spoke of the importance of the work being carried out to ensure the success of the officiating at the tournament. “I am very pleased with what we are achieving here,” said Busacca, who refereed at the last two FIFA World Cups. “This work is very important in ensuring that the referees make consistent decisions and are familiar with the situations that can arise in games. We want the refereeing at the World Cup to be of a very high standard. Brazil are the five-time world champions and the country is the home of football, and we are all delighted to be here taking part in this major event.” 

Just as he did at last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup, Zico put in an appearance at his academy to greet the referees and assistant referees. The former Brazil star, who played in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 world finals, said he was pleased that goal-line technology (GLT) was now being used to make life easier for match officials. “Anything that helps the right decisions to be reached has to be welcomed,” said Zico. “It ensures we don’t run the risk of a team preparing for four long years only to lose the title because we don’t have the technology to tell us whether a ball went in or not. I don’t think it’s fair on referees that they should be exposed to criticism on account of slow-motion replays or decisions taken in a split-second.” 

English referee Howard Webb, who took charge of the South Africa 2010 Final, said he was delighted to meet Zico and to have the chance to practice with the spray that will be used to mark out the distance at which walls must be formed at free-kicks. “I’m still getting used to having a spray hanging from my waist the whole time,” he said. “It’s a vital tool for ensuring that the rule is observed and that the wall is 9.15 metres away from the spot where the free-kick is being taken. I’m extremely happy to be back here and to be taking part in preparations that are every bit as good as they were for the Confederations Cup. The World Cup is the pinnacle of a referee’s career.” 

Brazil 2014 is the first World Cup in which referees will have GLT to support them. Most of the match officials are already familiar with the technology, which was used at last year’s Confederations Cup and at the 2012 and 2013 FIFA Club World Cups. GoalControl, a German company that employs 14 high-speed cameras positioned around the pitch as part of the system, is the tournament’s official GLT supplier. FIFA organises practical sessions before every competition in which GLT is used, the idea being to make sure that referees feel confident when it comes to working with the new technology. The Brazil 2014 session took place on Saturday 7 June at the Maracana.

Source: FIFA