UEFA Europa League – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

1 October 2015

FC Augsburg – Partizan
Referee: Alexandru Tudor (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Additional AR 1: Cristian Balaj (ROU)
Additional AR 2: Marian Petrescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Referee Observer: Marián Ružbarský (SVK)

Rosenborg – Dnipro
Referee: Sébastien Delferiere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Additional AR 1: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Additional AR 2: Erick Lambrechts (BEL)
Fourth Official: Jo De Weirdt (BEL)
Referee Observer: Gaetano De Gabriele (SMR)

Lazio – St. Étienne
Referee: Halis Ozkahya (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kemal Yilmaz (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ekrem Kan (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Tolga Özkalfa (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Fourth Official: Cem Satman (TUR)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Beşiktaş – Sporting 
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Davide Massa (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Referee Observer: Asim Khudiyev (AZE)

Lokomotiv Moskva – Skënderbeu
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Danny Krasikow (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Nissan Davidy (ISR)
Additional AR 1: Liran Liany (ISR)
Additional AR 2: Daniel Natan (ISR)
Fourth Official: Dvir Shimon (ISR)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP)

FC Basel – Lech Poznán
Referee: Ognjen Valjić (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Haris Baković (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Drašković (BIH)
Additional AR 1: Edin Jakupović (BIH)
Additional AR 2: Admir Šehović (BIH)
Fourth Official: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Referee Observer: Hans Reijgwart (NED)

Belenenses – Fiorentina
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Marjan Kirovski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Additional AR 1: Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD)
Additional AR 2: Goran Spirkoski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Nikola Karakolev (MKD)
Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

AS Monaco – Tottenham
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Alvaro Mesquita (POR)
Additional AR 1: Hugo Ferreira (POR)
Additional AR 2: Cosme Machado (POR)
Fourth Official: Nuno Pereira (POR)
Referee Observer: Christas Skapoullis (CYP)

Qarabağ – Anderlecht
Referee: Oliver Drachta (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Kuehr (AUT)
Additional AR 1: Manuel Schuettengruber (AUT)
Additional AR 2: Dieter Muckenhammer (AUT)
Fourth Official: Roland Riedel (AUT)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

Schalke – Asteras Tripolis
Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Bas Van Dongen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Davie Goossens (NED)
Additional AR 1: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Additional AR 2: Dennis Higler (NED)
Fourth Official: Patrick Langkamp (NED)
Referee Observer: Aleksei Spirin (RUS)

Sparta Praha – Apoel
Referee: Pawel Gil (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Piotr Sadczuk (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Additional AR 1: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Additional AR 2: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Fourth Official: Konrad Sapela (POL)
Referee Observer: Michel Piraux (BEL)

AZ Alkmaar – Athletic Club
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Balko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Ondrej Brendza (VK)
Additional AR 1: Peter Kralovic (SVK)
Additional AR 2: Mario Vlk (SVK)
Fourth Official: Tomas Somolani (SVK)
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)

Celtic – Fenerbahçe
Referee: Kenn Hansen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Rix (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: David Andersen (DEN)
Additional AR 1: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)
Additional AR 2: Jørgen Daugbjerg Burchardt (DEN)
Fourth Official: Daniel Nørgaard (DEN)
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

Molde – Ajax
Referee: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Michał Obukowicz (POL)
Additional AR 1: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Additional AR 2: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytiä (FIN)

Liverpool – FC Sion
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaz Klancnik (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Roberto Ponis (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Dragoslav Peric (SVN)
Fourth Official: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

Rubin Kazan – GirondinsBordeaux
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: Donatas Rumsas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Dovydas Suziedelis (LTU)
Referee Observer: Kostadin Gerginov (BUL)

PAOK – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: John Brooks (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Lee Mason (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Robert Madley (ENG)
Fourth Official: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Referee Observer: Vítor Melo Pereira (POR)

Krasnodar – Qəbələ
Referee: Marcin Borski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafal Rostkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Additional AR 1: Daniel Stefanski (POL)
Additional AR 2: Tomasz Wajda (POL)
Fourth Official: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Legia Warszawa – SSC Napoli
Referee: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexandros Grevenis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Additional AR 1: Athanasios Giachos (GRE)
Additional AR 2: Andreas Pappas (GRE)
Fourth Official: Christos Baltas (GRE)
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn (GER)

Club Brugge – FC Midtjylland
Referee: Steven McLean (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Fourth Official: Stuart MacMillan (SCO)
Referee Observer: Tony Asumaa (FIN)

Villarreal – Viktoria Plzeň
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional AR 1: Jochen Kamphuis (NED)
Additional AR 2: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Fourth Official: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Referee Observer: Patrick Kelly (IRL) 

Dinamo Minsk – Rapid Wien
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Henrik Larsen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sørensen (DEN)
Additional AR 1: Michael Tykgaard (DEN)
Additional AR 2: Peter Kjærsgaard (DEN)
Fourth Official: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Referee Observer: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)

SC Braga – FC Groningen
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alastair Mather (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Additional AR 1: John Beaton (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Andrew Dallas (SCO)
Fourth Official: Stuart Stevenson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

Olympique Marseille – Slovan Liberec
Referee: Aleksei Eskov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitri Mosiakin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Valeri Danchenko (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Nikolai Golubev (RUS)
Referee Observer: Kaj Ostergaard (DEN)

Copa Sudamericana – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

29 September 2015
Sportivo Luqueño – Deportes Tolima
Referee: Julio Bascuñan (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Barraza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Ulises Mereles (PAR)
Referee Observer: Manuel Bernal (PAR)

Santa Fe – Emelec
Referee: Dario Ubriaco (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Fourth Official: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)
Referee Observer: Pablo Montoya (COL)

30 September 2015
LDU Quito – River Plate
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian De La Cruz (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Rivas (COL)
Fourth Official: Vinicio Espinel (ECU)
Referee Observer: Jose Carpio (ECU)

Olimpia – Independiente
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Fourth Official: Mario Diaz de Vivar (PAR)
Referee Observer: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Brasília – Atlético Paranaense
Referee: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivan Nuñez (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Navarro (ARG)
Fourth Official: Dewson Freitas (BRA)
Referee Observer: Antonio Pereira (BRA)

Huracán – Sport Recife
Referee: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Cáceres (PAR)
Fourth Official: Pablo Diaz (ARG)
Referee Observer: Miguel Scime (ARG)

1 October 2015
Defensor Sporting – Lanús
Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Andrés Cunha (URU)
Referee Observer: Juan Cardellino (URU)

Chapecoense – Libertad
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Lopez (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Raez (PER)
Fourth Official: Anderson Daronco (BRA)
Referee Observer: Nilson Monção (BRA)

UEFA Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

29 September 2015
Bayern München – Dinamo Zagreb
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Vitali Maliutsin (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleh Maslianka (BLR)
Additional AR 1: Siarhei Tsynkevich (BLR)
Additional AR 2: Dzianis Shcharbakou (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dmitry Zhuk (BLR)
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

Bate Borisov – AS Roma
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Beck (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Jake Collin (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Andre Marriner (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Jonathan Moss (ENG)
Fourth Official: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Referee Observer: Stefan Ormandjiev (BUL)

FC Barcelona – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Child (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Fourth Official: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Referee Observer: Michel Vautrot (FRA)

Arsenal – Olympiakos
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rob van de Ven (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Charles Schaap (NED)
Additional AR 1: Kevin Blom (NED)
Additional AR 2: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Fourth Official: Mario Diks (NED)
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

FC Porto – Chelsea
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: Miguel Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: Oguz Sarvan (TUR)

Maccabi Tel Aviv – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Fourth Official: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

Zenit – KAA Gent
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gregor Rojko (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Mitja Žganec (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Dejan Balažič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

Olympique Lyon – Valencia
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjević (SRB)
Additional AR 1: Danilo Grujić (SRB)
Additional AR 2: Nenad Djokić (SRB)
Fourth Official: Nemanja Petrović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Stefano Farina (ITA)

30 September 2015
Malmö FF – Real Madrid
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Barış Şimşek (TUR)
Fourth Official: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

Shakhtar Donetsk – Paris St. Germain
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Häcker (GER)
Additional AR 1: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Additional AR 2: Benjamin Brand (GER)
Fourth Official: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

CSKA Moskva – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Débart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Tony Chapron (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Fourth Official: Laurent Stien (FRA)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Manchester United – VfL Wolfsburg
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: György Ring (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Tóth (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Tamás Bognar (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Adam Farkas (HUN)
Fourth Official: Peter Berettyán (HUN)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Sajn (SVN)

Astana – Galatasaray
Referee: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Flink (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Michael Lerjeus (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Fourth Official: Per Brogevik (SWE)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

Atlético Madrid – Benfica
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Antonio Damato (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Carmine Russo (ITA)
Fourth Official: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Juventus Turin – Sevilla FC
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Referee Observer: Zbigniew Przesmycki (POL)

Borussia Monchengladbach – Manchester City
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Fourth Official: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

CAF Champions League – Semi-finals (First Leg)

26-27 September 2015

El Merreikh – TP Mazembe
Referee: Neant Alioum (CMR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Evarist Menkouande (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Elvis Noupue (CMR)

El Hilal – USM Alger
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Dos Santos (ANG)
Assistant Referee 2: Arsenio Marengula (MOZ)

CAF Confederation Cup – Semi-finals (First Leg)

26-27 September 2015

Etoile du Sahel – Zamalek SC
Referee: Bernard Camille (SEY, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hensley Petrousse (SEY)
Assistant Referee 2: Eldrick Adelaide (SEY)

Orlando Pirates – Al Ahly
Referee: Malang Diedhiou (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Djibril Camara (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Aboubacar Doumbouya (GUI)

Clattenburg on his life as a referee

English referee Mark Clattenburg has seen the very highs, and the very lows, of what whistle blowing can bring. From a UEFA Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Barcelona, or an Olympics Games gold medal match, to being accused by Chelsea of being a racist in a stormy game against Manchester United in 2012.

It’s easy for fans, pundits, coaches, players and angry supporters on social media to vent, but how does the actual man in the middle cope with it? “24 cans of beer”, Clattenburg joke “No, it’s difficult. A lot of guys deal with it in different ways. I’ll have a few beers, because it’s stressful. You have to wind down; the wife and family leave us alone. Within 24 hours, you turn. We use sports psychologists and it’s important to say ‘park it, move on’.” One of those examples was the stormy afternoon at Stamford Bridge in 2012, when he sent off Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres as Chelsea lost to Manchester United 3-2, with the winning goal offside, before he was accused of calling Jon Obi Mikel a “monkey”. Mikel was subsequently suspended for three games, while Clattenburg was cleared. “Probably the biggest low in my life was the Chelsea-Manchester United game, when I was accused of being a racist. But, take the racism out of it, one of the biggest lows, was I thought I was right when I sent off Torres”, Clattenburg reflected. “I possibly was right under the laws of the game. But under the spirit of the game, to reduce a team down to nine men for simulation is too tough, in hindsight I was wrong. I should’ve been experienced enough to use my knowledge of the game to not reduce a team down to nine men. I probably would’ve taken less criticism after the game. I’m not saying things would’ve changed, but I would’ve looked back at the match and thought ‘okay, the offside goal’s not my fault’... I’ve made many mistakes in my career but it’s made me the man I am now.” And it’s not always easy to deal with, given the rampant spotlight on elite sport nowadays. “Your life changes, of course it does”, he said. “When you go out you’re a recognised figure. That’s not something I want to be, but in England, it’s difficult because the scrutiny in England, you’re like a player. The media have turned referees into world stars – because controlling a football match at the highest level takes a lot of effort and dedication. I think social media has changed a lot of things, because people can have an opinion, but don’t have the insights into handling multi-millionaires successfully. That takes a lot of man management skills. The laws of the game are there, you have to understand them and apply… a little bit of understanding, life understanding, and that’ll make the most successful referee. If you apply the laws of the game strictly, the public paying extremely good money won’t see an event. Even on Saturday, I could’ve blown five or six more free-kicks, but I was taking risks. The game needed to be moved on to another level, also, the ICC, you don’t want to see a send-off early, people have paid to watch a good game of football between 11 v 11.” Clattenburg reveals a feel for the game and its nuances that the public take for granted when watching the match. Indeed, in a fascinating insight into the work that goes into becoming a top line referee, dealing with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, or multi-millionaire egos on the football pitch, Clattenburg explained to foxsports.com.au some of the requirements to stay at the top of the EPL for a decade, while becoming one of UEFA’s best referees.

Legendary referee Pierluigi Collina, the boss of UEFA’s whistle blowers, has taught Clattenburg the importance of detail, particularly as they’re exposed to more different styles of player from across the globe. “For example, I did Bayern v Barcelona, the (UEFA Champions League) semi-final, he was my observer and he gave me some tips from the first game, a little insight, and when I saw it in the game, I knew exactly what was going to happen,” he revealed. It was tactical. It was unbelievable, it solved the game. From the 16th minute, when he gave me some information and I punished it with a foul, the simplest foul that any journalist or anyone in the world wouldn’t have thought anything of, it actually won us the match. That simple preparation won us the match. I’ll openly admit five years ago I didn’t prepare for a game. I just turned up. You can’t now; you need to know everything that’s going on”. Alongside the mental side of the game, referees need to keep pace – and the EPL is renowned as the quickest in the world. Pre-season involves high intensity and endurance work, while in the season recovery becomes as big a factor as speed becomes more of a focus. “When I first started in the Premier League, I would see statistics and I would work hard in the first-half and then fatigue in the second-half”, Clattenburg said. “Most of my mistakes were made in the last 10 minutes. That was interesting, because, I wasn’t fit for the level I was refereeing at. I was 96 kilo – a big young boy, now I’m 74-75, less than 10 per cent body fat. That’s something I’ve dedicated to because the modern game has changed. 10 years ago, the game wasn’t as quick as it is now. You’ve got athletes. As a referee, you’ve got to make sure you’re in the best position possible. Distance is important. We use Pro Zone and they calculate how far away you are from the ball. But it’s also about perception – players will accept the decision more if you’re closer, and if you are, you’ve got less chance of a player running across you. People don’t understand, they see it clear on camera – but sometimes a player can run across you at the wrong time, and you can miss it,” he said. Clattenburg admits he’s a bit different in his approach as his fitness allows him to get wider of the play to make the best decision possible. “Definitely true, because if you’re looking at a front end decision, you’ll see it differently. If I’m looking front on to an attacker I can’t see an attacker behind, but if I go wide, I can see the push or the touch on the ankle and you can’t guess in football. When a player goes down now, you’ve got to make sure you’ve seen the contact. And if there’s contact, you’ve got to be sure it’s a foul – because the way some of these players hit free-kicks now, it’s like giving a penalty. Coaches and players who lose will analyse a game and then move on. It’s the same in refereeing; you have to learn from your mistakes. It’s the most important thing. You’re not going to be right all the time. Don’t just say I got it wrong, ask why”, he said. “One of my weaknesses is I lose concentration. The game might be too easy, I’m strolling around, and I lose my concentration and thought. It’s like a goalkeeper losing his thought and the ball goes past him. I’m trying to find ways not to lose my concentration. As long as you understand why you’re making mistakes...”

The Europa League curse is an excuse for players – but what about referees returning from the continent, fitting two or three games into a week? “Gone are the days where you’d have a beer after the match. Sure, you want to enjoy the success of a match. But once it’s done, you want to start preparing yourself for your next one. For example, if you’re doing a Champions League game Wednesday, travelling Thursday, got a game Saturday – once the game’s done Wednesday evening late, you’re preparing for your next one. Is it a massage, a recovery, even if you’re travelling – for me living in the North, it’s difficult with travel time. It’s what happens all season”. Clattenburg says the work-life balance that full-time refereeing allows will not just improve standards, but encourage aspiring referees. “I wouldn’t call them ‘professional’ referees. Every referee in the world is professional, on the field and off the field. The dedication I’ve seen these guys do is phenomenal”, he said. “These guys are at the same level, just that they haven’t got the full-time commitment from the financial and off the field point of view. What full-time referees allows, it makes them figure heads for the next generation. And that’s what improves – the next generation want to be full-time referees. It gives them something to enjoy. What job allows me to stand on the MCG, in the middle of a Real Madrid v Roma match, and I’m the happiest man in the world because that is the most satisfying. We have 30,000 referees, but only 17 full-time. The ratio is small. But what happens in England is they might have a mid-week game, go to work fatigued, and then they have to train to keep fit in the evening. Where’s the family time? And family time is important to me – so if I’m happy, when I go out to referee, I’m happy. It’s a great balance”.

Source: Fox Sports

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

22 September 2015 
W Connection – Santos
Referee: Baldomero Toledo (USA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Manikowski (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Anderson (USA)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Salazar (USA)

Montego Bay – DC United
Referee: Yadel Martinez (CUB)
Assistant Referee 1: Hiran Dopico (CUB)
Assistant Referee 2: Leonardo Sanchez (CUB)
Fourth Official: Marcos Brea (CUB)

Verdes FC – San Francisco
Referee: Oscar Macias (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Israel Valenciano (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Hernandez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Luis Santander (MEX)

23 September 2015
Central FC – Los Angeles
Referee: William Anderson (PUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kenroy Wellis (CAY)
Assistant Referee 2: Graeme Browne (SKN)
Fourth Official: Trevor Taylor (BRB)

Seattle Sounders – Vancouver Whitecaps
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Rangel (MEX)
Fourth Official: Francisco Chacon (MEX)

24 September 2015
Walter Feretti – Motagua
Referee: Chris Penso (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Charles Morgante (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Boria (USA)
Fourth Official: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)

Isidro Metapan – Tigres
Referee: Christopher Reid (BLZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Ake (BLZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Ramon Louisville (SUR)
Fourth Official: Dwight Royal (JAM)

Real Salt Lake – Santa Tecla
Referee: Kevin Morrison (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Keble Williams (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Ainsley Rochard (TRI)
Fourth Official: Dwight Royal (JAM)

Copa Sudamericana – Round of 16 (First Leg)

22 September 2015 
Deportes Tolima – Sportivo Luqueno
Referee: German Delfino (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ariel Scime (ARG)
Fourth Official: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)
Referee Observer: Demver Perdomo (COL)

23 September 2015
Emelec – Santa Fe
Referee: Ricardo Marques (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Fourth Official: Carlos Orbe (ECU)
Referee Observer: Juan Corozo (ECU)

River Plate – LDU Quito
Referee: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Popovits (URU)
Fourth Official: Diego Ceballos (ARG)
Referee Observer: Miguel Scime (ARG)

Independiente – Olimpia
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guilherme Camilo (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cleriston Barreto (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pablo Diaz (ARG)
Referee Observer: Carlos Coradina (ARG)

Sport Recife – Huracan
Referee: Adrian Velez (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Fourth Official: Dewson Freitas (BRA)
Referee Observer: Milton Otaviano (BRA)

Atletico Paranaense – Brasília
Referee: Gery Vargas (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Javier Bustillos (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Edwin Paredes (BOL)
Fourth Official: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Referee Observer: Roberto Perassi (BRA)

24 September 2015
Libertad – Chapecoence
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Carlos Amarilla (PAR)
Referee Observer: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Lanus – Defensor Sporting
Referee: Jose Argote (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Sanchez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Fourth Official: Jorge Balino (ARG)
Referee Observer: Luis Pasturenzi (ARG)

UEFA Women's Euro 2017 Qualifiers (Matchday 2)

21-22 September 2015

Ireland – Finland
Referee: Jana Adamkova (CZE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajová (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriela Hanáková (CZE)

Estonia – England
Referee: Dilan Gökçek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Deybet Gök (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Nebahat Maktur (TUR)

Austria – Wales
Referee: Florence Guillemin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elodie Coppola (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Emilie Mougeot (FRA)

Iceland – Belarus
Referee: Marija Kurtes (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Inka Müller (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Mirka Derlin (GER)

Slovenia – Scotland
Referee: Sandra Bastos (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Olga Almeida (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ana Teixeira (POR)

Croatia – Germany
Referee: Sabine Bonnin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Jennifer Maubacq (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelie Labadot-Cadinot (FRA)

Georgia – Czech Republic
Referee: Paula Brady (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Rachel Smith (NIR)

Sweden – Poland
Referee: Morag Pirie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Kylie McMullen (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Hayley Irvine (SCO)

Kazakhstan – Norway
Referee: Simona Ghisletta (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Belinda Brem (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Emilie Aubry (SUI)

Belgium – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Kateryna Zora (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandra Ardasheva (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kateryna Kozhurina (UKR)

France – Romania
Referee: Silvia Spinelli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucia Abruzzese (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)

FIFA: No more age limits for international referees

FIFA’s decision to eliminate the age limits for international referees has been confirmed by the Circular no. 1497, recently sent to all national associations. There will be no more maximum age for first time nominations (38) and no more retirement age (45). In order to be nominated for the 2016 list, referees must be born no later than 1990 and assistant referees must be born no later than 1992 in order to ensure a minimum level of experience. FIFA reserves the right to require referees over the age of 45 (born in 1971 or before) to undergo additional technical assessments as well as specific medical examinations and fitness testing on a case-by-case basis. Each candidate must be ranked based on the marks obtained for officiating games at the national level during the 12 months prior to being nominated to the list of international referees, not in alphabetical order. At a minimum, all nominated referees must pass a FIFA-approved fitness test and a medical examination on or after 18 June 2015. The deadline to nominate international referees for the upcoming year is 18 October 2015.

Regulations governing the registration of international referees, assistant referees, futsal referees and beach soccer referees on FIFA's lists:

Article 1

Each year, FIFA publishes a list of referees, a list of assistant referees, a list of futsal referees and a list of beach soccer referees who are eligible to officiate at international matches. These lists come into effect on 1 January and are valid until 31 December of the same year.

Article 2

The FIFA Referees Committee shall draw up the lists of international referees, assistant referees, futsal referees and beach soccer referees in compliance with the articles of the FIFA Statutes.

Article 3

Each year, the FIFA Referees Committee shall request each member association to nominate candidates whom they consider qualified to act as an international referee, assistant referee, futsal referee or beach soccer referee.

Article 4

Lists shall be compiled for referees, assistant referees, women referees, women assistant referees, futsal referees, women futsal referees, beach soccer referees.

When nominating a candidate, the member associations shall observe the following conditions:

1. Candidates may be nominated for only one list.

2. Member associations that do not have an organised league may not make any nominations.

3. The maximum number of referees from each association shall be decided annually by the FIFA Referees Committee, taking the following factors, among others, into account:

3.1. The level of refereeing of each association

3.2. The level of competitions of each association

3.3. The professional level of each association’s competitions

4. The proposed referees shall be at least 25 years old (23 years old in the case of assistant referees) on 1 January of the year for which they have been nominated. See also the additional requirements for referees over the age of 45 under article 4 paragraph 7.

5. The proposed referees shall have officiated regularly at matches in the highest division in their country for at least two years.

6. Only candidates who have officiated more often as assistant referees than as referees in the previous twelve months may be considered for the list of international assistant referees.

7. The proposed referees shall have passed the appropriate FIFA fitness test related to the list they belong to within the four months prior to the deadline for nomination for the lists of international referees and assistant referees. They shall also have passed a medical examination certifying that they are fit to act as referees within the four months prior to the deadline for nomination for the lists of international referees. FIFA reserves the right to require referees over the age of 45 to undergo additional technical assessments as well as specific medical examinations and fitness testing on a case-by-case basis.

8. Only women referees or women assistant referees who have passed FIFA’s physical fitness test set for men may be nominated for men’s tournaments or matches.

9. Candidates who are injured, ill or pregnant at the time of registration may be approved provisionally until they have passed the above-mentioned medical examination and physical fitness test and FIFA has received official notification of the results.

10. The member associations shall supply FIFA with the rankings of the proposed referees based on the marks obtained at national level. These rankings shall apply only to first division matches at which they have officiated in the twelve months prior to their nomination.

11. The official forms shall be returned, duly completed and bearing the association’s official stamp, to the FIFA general secretariat by the prescribed deadline.

12. Failure to fulfil any of the foregoing conditions will lead to rejection of the candidate in question.

Article 5

An international referee included in one of the lists for any given year may not be proposed for any other list until a period of twelve months (for specialised training) has elapsed. This period shall begin on the day on which the referee concerned no longer appears on the international list.

Article 6

A referee proposed for the lists may not exercise any official function as a member of an executive committee, general secretary, or member of the referees committee of any football club, member association, confederation or FIFA.

Article 7

The FIFA Referees Committee shall decide which nominations will be accepted for the lists of

international referees, assistant referees, futsal referees and beach soccer referees. The committee may consult the confederations before reaching a decision.

Article 8

The committee reserves the right to decide on the number of referees, assistant referees, futsal

referees and beach soccer referees that it deems appropriate for the lists. When making its choice, the committee is not obliged to accept the ranking mentioned in art. 4, par. 10 above.

Article 9

The referees selected will automatically be given the FIFA international referee's, assistant referee's, futsal referee's or beach soccer referee's badge, which they shall wear at all of the domestic and international matches at which they officiate during their year of appointment as international referees, assistant referees, futsal referees or beach soccer referees. However, a FIFA assistant referee may not wear the FIFA international assistant referee’s badge in matches at which he is officiating as a referee. The same applies to a FIFA futsal referee or beach soccer referee when officiating at traditional football matches as a referee.

Article 10

The FIFA Referees Committee reserves the right to suspend or eliminate any international referee, assistant referee, futsal referee or beach soccer referee from the lists on grounds of mediocrity, indiscipline or for any other justifiable reason.

Article 11

The member associations to which international referees belong may request the FIFA Referees Committee in writing to suspend or remove a referee from the lists for any justifiable reason.

Article 12

The FIFA Referees Committee reserves the right to decide whether or not to appoint a referee appearing on the international lists.

Article 13

Decisions passed by the FIFA Referees Committee are final and not subject to appeal.

Source: FIFA

UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 Qualifiers (Matchday 1)

17-18 September 2015

Moldova – Sweden
Referee: Riem Hussein (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Imke Lohmeyer (GER)

Kazakhstan – Austria
Referee: Gordana Kuzmanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Svetlana Bilić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandra Kojović (SRB)

Finland – Montenegro
Referee: Marte Sørø (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ann-Marie Sjøvika (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sonia Bakhtawar (NOR)

Estonia – Serbia
Referee: Elia Martínez Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Belinda Castilla Mesa (ESP)

Turkey – Croatia
Referee: Esther Azzopardi (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Angela Kyriakou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: May Moalem (ISR)

Germany – Hungary
Referee: Sara Persson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Anna Nyström (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Annica Johansson (SWE)

Italy – Georgia
Referee: Zuzana Kováčová (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Maria Lisická (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Slavomira Majkuthová (SVK)

UEFA Europa League – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

17 September 2015

Fenerbahce – Molde
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frédéric Haquette (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Frank Schneider (FRA)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Ajax – Celtic
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Marco Guida (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Carmine Russo (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega (ESP)

Girondins Bordeaux – Liverpool
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Raúl Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Fourth Official: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
Referee Observer: Kaj Natri (FIN)

FC Sion – Rubin Kazan
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Flink (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Michael Lerjeus (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Bojan Pandžić (SWE)
Fourth Official: Peter Magnusson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Paul Allaerts (BEL)

Qäbälä – PAOK
Referee: Xavier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magan (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP)
Fourth Official: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Borussia Dortmund – Krasnodar
Referee: Liran Liany (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Danny Krasikow (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Amihay Mozes (ISR)
Additional AR 1: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Additional AR 2: Menashe Masiah (ISR)
Fourth Official: Mahmud Mahagna (ISR)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

Midtjylland – Legia
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Orkun Aktaş (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Barış Şimşek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Süleyman Abay (TUR)
Fourth Official: Serkan Ok (TUR)
Referee Observer: Paulius Malžinskas (LTU)

SSC Napoli – Club Brugge
Referee: István Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: István Albert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Berettyán (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Sándor Szabó (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Jozsef Erdos (HUN)
Fourth Official: Zsolt Varga (HUN)
Referee Observer: Emil Bozhinovski (MKD)

Rapid Wien – Villarreal
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Nilsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Magnus Sjöblom (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Ioannis Tsachilidis (GRE)

Viktoria Plzeň – Dinamo Minsk
Referee: Marius Avram (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vladimir Urzică (ROU)
Additional AR 1: István Kovács (ROU)
Additional AR 2: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Mircea Orbulet (ROU)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Liberec – Braga
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: John Brooks (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Jonathan Moss (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Kevin Friend (ENG)
Fourth Official: Stephen Child (ENG)
Referee Observer: Zdravko Jokić (SRB)

Groningen – Olympique Marseille
Referee: Yevhen Aranovskiy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Serhiy Bekker (UKR)
Additional AR 1: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
Additional AR 2: Anatolii Zhabchenko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Oleg Pluzhnyk (UKR)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

Dnipro – Lazio
Referee: Arnold Hunter (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Storey (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Neeson (NIR)
Additional AR 1: Raymond Crangle (NIR)
Additional AR 2: Mervyn Smyth (NIR)
Fourth Official: Stephen Bell (NIR)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

AS Saint Étienne – Rosenborg
Referee: Christian Dingert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Pickel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christoph Bornhorst (GER)
Additional AR 1: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Additional AR 2: Benjamin Brand (GER)
Fourth Official: Tobias Christ (GER)
Referee Observer: Dragutin Poljak (CRO)

Sporting CP – Lokomotiv Moskva
Referee: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthias Winsauer (AUT)
Additional AR 1: Alexander Harkam (AUT)
Additional AR 2: Dominik Ouschan (AUT)
Fourth Official: Richard Hübler (AUT)
Referee Observer: Ilkka Koho (FIN)

Skënderbeu – Beşiktaş
Referee: Tamás Bognar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: László Viszokai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabor Erös (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Zsolt Szabó (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Peter Solymosi (HUN)
Fourth Official: Oszkar Lemon (HUN)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Vitković (CRO)

Fiorentina – Basel
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Andre Marriner (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Lee Mason (ENG)
Fourth Official: Jake Collin (ENG)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

Lech – Belenenses
Referee: Serhiy Boiko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Korniyko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Volodymyr Volodin (UKR)
Additional AR 1: Yuriy Mozharovskyy (UKR)
Additional AR 2: Sergiy Berezka (UKR)
Fourth Official: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Referee Observer: Dušan Krchñák (SVK)

Anderlecht – AS Monaco
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ondřej Pelikán (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Paták (CZE)
Additional AR 1: Zbynek Proske (CZE)
Additional AR 2: Jan Jilek (CZE)
Fourth Official: Ivo Nadvornik (CZE)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

Tottenham Hotspur – Qarabağ
Referee: Adrien Jaccottet (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Raffael Zeder (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Vital Jobin (SUI)
Additional AR 1: Alain Bieri (SUI)
Additional AR 2: Nikolaj Hänni (SUI)
Fourth Official: Johannes Vogel (SUI)
Referee Observer: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

Apoel – Schalke
Referee: Tony Chapron (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Annonier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Laurent Stien (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Mikaël Lesage (FRA)
Fourth Official: Philippe Jeanne (FRA)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

Asteras – Sparta Praha
Referee: Marijo Strahonja (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivica Modrić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Hrvoje Radić (CRO)
Additional AR 1: Fran Jović (CRO)
Additional AR 2: Mario Zebec (CRO)
Fourth Official: Igor Krmar (CRO)
Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel (GER)

Partizan – Alkmaar
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Andrea Gervasoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Referee Observer: László Vágner (HUN)

Athletic – Augsburg
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikolai Golubev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Aleksei Eskov (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Igor Fedotov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Valeri Danchenko (RUS)
Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

15 September 2015
DC United – Arabe Unido
Referee: Sherwin Moore (GUY, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Venton Mars (GUY)
Assistant Referee 2: Trevor Porter (GUY)
Fourth Official: Sherwin Johnson (GUY)

Santa Tecla – Real Salt Lake
Referee: Leo Clarke (LCA)
Assistant Referee 1: Sean Thompson (BAH)
Assistant Referee 2: Jeremy Holland (BAH)
Fourth Official: Wilson Da Costa (BAH)

16 September 2015
W Connection – Saprissa
Referee: Hector Rodriguez (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Walter Lopez (HON)
Fourth Official: Melvin Matamoros (HON)

Walter Ferretti – Club America
Referee: Walter Quesada (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavio Jara (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Warner Castro (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

Vancouver Whitecaps – CD Olimpia
Referee: Jeffrey Solis (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Mora (CRC)
Fourth Official: Henry Bejarano (CRC)

17 September 2015
Central FC – Comunicaciones
Referee: David Gantar (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Garnet Page (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Briere (CAN)
Fourth Official: Mathieu Bourdeau (CAN)

Isidro Metapan – Herediano
Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcos Quintero (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jorge Rojas (MEX)

Queretaro – Verdes FC
Referee: Elmer Bonilla (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Douglas Bermudez (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Geovany Garcia (SLV)
Fourth Official: Marlon Mejia (SLV)

Australia’s first full-time referees

Football Federation Australia (FFA) Chief Executive Officer David Gallop announced the appointment of Australia’s first three full-time professional referees: Chris Beath (31), Jarred Gillett (29) and Ben Williams (38). The trio (photo) have signed contracts for the Hyundai A-League for the next two seasons.

Speaking at the announcement, David Gallop emphasised the historic significance of these appointments. “Professionalism for club footballers arrived in Australian at the start of the A-League in 2005 and there’s been a long-held ambition to make referees full-time,” Gallop said. “The reality is that limited resources for Australian football mean we have not been able to take this initiative until Season 11. We’ll start with a panel of three, instead of a full panel of seven, which would be required to cover every A-League match. It’s a compromise, but it’s a move in the right direction.” Establishing the three-member panel means FFA is investing a further $300,000 in the referee program across the Hyundai A-League, Westfield W-League and Foxtel National Youth League. Last season, a total of $1.2million was spent on refereeing. “Australian football now has a career pathway from the grassroots to the very top of the game. This aligns with the Whole of Football Plan, which calls for a lift in the retention rate of grassroots referees from 64% to 90%. The project to have a full-time professional referees program is at least three years in the making. I commend Ben Wilson, our Director of Referees, who has worked hard on the implementation and congratulate Chris, Jarred and Ben”, said Gallop.

FFA Director of Referees Ben Wilson was proud to see the appointment of Australia’s first full-time professional referees. “The breakthrough to professional referees means these match officials can prepare for their appointed matches, in a similar fashion to the players, without the added burden of juggling other work commitments,” Wilson said. “Our long-term vision is to increase the number of full-time professional referees in the Hyundai A-League and eventually the Westfield W-League in due course”.

The three referees named today have accepted two-year contracts and in addition to professional refereeing, would participate in a referee well-being program which has been established to enhance the development and welfare of all Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League match officials. The referees will train regularly at the Referee Headquarters at the FFA’s Centre of Excellence which is located at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

Source: Football Australia

Copa Sudamericana – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

15 September 2015
Aguilas Doradas – Olimpia
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Adrian Velez (COL)
Referee Observer: Pablo Montoya (COL)

Sportivo Luqueno – Deportivo La Guaira
Referee: Jonathan Fuentes (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Fourth Official: Mario Diaz De Vivar (PAR)
Referee Observer: Carlos Alarcon (PAR)

Universitario – Defensor Sporting
Referee: Omar Ponce (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Edwin Bravo (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Macias (ECU)
Fourth Official: Luis Garay (PER)
Referee Observer: Antonio Arnao (PER)

16 September 2015
Huracan – Tigre
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Murillo (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Elbis Gomez (VEN)
Fourth Official: Pablo Diaz (ARG)
Referee Observer: Luis Bongianino (ARG)

Nacional – LDU Quito
Referee: Luiz Oliveira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Fourth Official: Ulises Mereles (PAR)
Referee Observer: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Santa Fe – Nacional
Referee: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ernesto Uziga (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Fourth Official: Jose Buitrago (COL)
Referee Observer: Oscar Ruiz (COL)

Independiente – Arsenal
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Fourth Official: Jorge Baliño (ARG)
Referee Observer: Carlos Coradina (ARG)

17 September 2015
Juventud – Emelec
Referee: Enrique Caceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zorrilla (PAR)
Fourth Official: Fernando Falce (URU)
Referee Observer: Gustavo Lopez (URU)

Junior – Deportes Tolima
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Fourth Official: Luis Sanchez (COL)
Referee Observer: Otalvaro Polanco (COL)

Libertad – Universidad Catolica
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Clavijo (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Diaz (COL)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Referee Observer: Manuel Bernal (PAR)

Lanus – Belgrano
Referee: Antonio Arias (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Fourth Official: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Referee Observer: Miguel Scime (ARG)

UEFA Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

15 September 2015 
Manchester City – Juventus Turin
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Matej Jug (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Slavko Vinčič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

Paris SG – Malmö FF
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averianov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Sergei Lapochkin (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

Real Madrid – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgić (CRO)
Additional AR 1: Domagoj Vuckov (CRO)
Additional AR 2: Goran Gabrilo (CRO)
Fourth Official: Dalibor Conjar (CRO)
Referee Observer: Alan Snoddy (NIR)

PSV Eindhoven – Manchester United
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Antonio Damato (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Davide Massa (ITA)
Fourth Official: Andrea Padovan (ITA)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Orrason (ISL)

VfL Wolfsburg – CSKA Moskva
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andås (NOR)
Additional AR 1: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR)
Additional AR 2: Svein Erik Edvartsen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Magnus Lundberg
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

SL Benfica – FC Astana
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Damianos Efthymiadis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Additional AR 1: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)
Additional AR 2: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Christos Akrivos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Horst Brummeier (AUT)

Galatasaray – Atlético Madrid
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Additional AR 1: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Additional AR 2: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Fourth Official: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Sevilla FC – Borussia Monchengladbach
Referee: Pavel Královec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Slyško (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Wilczek (CZE)
Additional AR 1: Petr Ardeleanu (CZE)
Additional AR 2: Michal Patak (CZE)
Fourth Official: Tomas Mokrusch (CZE)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

16 September 2015
Bayer Leverkusen – Bate Borisov
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Additional AR 1: Kevin Blom (NED)
Additional AR 2: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
Fourth Official: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernández Marín (ESP)

AS Roma – FC Barcelona
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional AR 1: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Additional AR 2: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Fourth Official: Charles Schaap (NED)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

Dinamo Zagreb – Arsenal
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Sovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Additional AR 1: Alexandru Tudor (ROU)
Additional AR 2: Sebastian Coltescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Olympiacos – Bayern München
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Fourth Official: Angel Nevado Rodríguez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)

Dynamo Kyiv – FC Porto
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Additional AR 1: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Additional AR 2: Marco Fritz (GER)
Fourth Official: Markus Häcker (GER)
Referee Observer: Adrian Casha (MLT)

Chelsea – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Additional AR 1: Tobias Welz (GER)
Additional AR 2: Robert Hartmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Guido Kleve (GER)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Valencia – Zenit
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: William Conquer (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Steven McLean (SCO)
Additional AR 2: John Beaton (SCO)
Fourth Official: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

KAA Gent – Olympique Lyon
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Damien MacGraith (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Francis Connor (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Robert Madden (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Fourth Official: Alastair Mather (SCO)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

UEFA Youth League – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

15 September 2015
Galatasaray – Atlético Madrid
Referee: Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Avi Goldstain (ISR)
Fourth Official: Mert Guzenge (TUR)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

VfL Wolfsburg – CSKA Moskva
Referee: Danilo Grujić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Miodrag Zdravković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Pesović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
Referee Observer: Lutz Michael Fröhlich (GER)

Paris SG – Malmö FF
Referee: Sven Bindels (LUX)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Fernandes (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: David Santos (LUX)
Fourth Official: Stéphane Jochem (FRA)
Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)

Real Madrid – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Almeida (POR)
Fourth Official: Valentín Pizarro Gómez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP)

PSV Eindhoven – Manchester United
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Karel De Rocker (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jo De Weirdt (BEL)
Fourth Official: Dennis Higler (NED)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

SL Benfica – FC Astana
Referee: Padraigh Sutton (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Clarke (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Darragh Keegan (IRL)
Fourth Official: Bruno Alves (POR)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

Manchester City – Juventus Turin
Referee: Andrew Dallas (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Jordan Stokoe (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: David Roome (SCO)
Fourth Official: Ross Joyce (ENG)
Referee Observer: Peter Jones (ENG)

Sevilla FC – Borussia Monchengladbach
Referee: Fabio Verissimo (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Antonio Godinho (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Rodrigues (POR)
Fourth Official: Jorge Figueroa Vázquez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vazquez (ESP)

16 September 2015
Bayer Leverkusen – Bate Borisov
Referee: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Rasmussen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Ole Kronlykke (DEN)
Fourth Official: Timo Gerach (GER)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

AS Roma – FC Barcelona
Referee: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Fevzi Demirhan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Serkan Olguncan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Federico La Penna (ITA)
Referee Observer: Charles Agius (MLT)

Dinamo Zagreb – Arsenal FC
Referee: Edin Jakupović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Dalibor Drasković (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Goran Dujak (BIH)
Fourth Official: Zeljko Frković (CRO)
Referee Observer: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

Olympiakos – Bayern München
Referee: Adrian Azzopardi (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Mitchell Scerri (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: William Debattista (MLT)
Fourth Official: Christos Andronikidis (GRE)
Referee Observer: Christoforos Zografos (GRE)

Dynamo Kyiv – FC Porto
Referee: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Romans Platonovs (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Raimonds Tatriks (LVA)
Fourth Official: Ivan Bondar (UKR)
Referee Observer: Igor Ishchenko (UKR)

Chelsea FC – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Ola Hobber Nilsen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Geir Isaksen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Eivin Hansen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Lee Swabey (ENG)
Referee Observer: Marcel Vanelshocht (BEL)

Valencia – Zenit
Referee: Alain Durieux (LUX)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Da Costa (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: Tom Hansen (LUX)
Fourth Official: Saúl Reig (ESP)
Referee Observer: Manuel López Fernández (ESP)

KAA Gent – Olympique Lyon
Referee: Mitja Zganec (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Pospeh (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordez (SVN)
Fourth Official: Bram van Driessche (BEL)
Referee Observer: Hans Reijgwart (NED)

Webb supports video technology

Former World Cup referee Howard Webb believes that most officials welcome greater help from video technology and will not be undermined deferring to a colleague watching replays. Last season, the Netherlands trialled closed tests on such a system and will continue to train their officials for a time when they are given the go-ahead by FIFA, who rejected their application to run a live trial.

Webb has seen the technology in operation first-hand and believes the only way to see whether it will be of benefit or not is to actually put it into operation. "There is a misunderstanding in the public's eyes that referees would be against it because it would undermine their authority but even the PGMOL (the UK's official body for officials) were pretty positive about what is happening here," he told Soccerex in Manchester. "We went to Amsterdam Arena to look at this in practice. We are keen to look at anything which makes us more credible on the field of play and means we make less mistakes. You will always have subjectivity in refereeing and decisions but I think we need to see it live-trialled because we won't be able to see the argument moved forward. If the goal is to be 100 percent accurate on decision-making we won't reach that because what you and I think on a handball, for example, can vary because football is a subjective mater. But what this system would do is rule out those clear mistakes which can affect not only a game but the career of a referee, whose career can be tainted by one particular decision".

UEFA president Michel Platini has long been opposed to video technology, although he has conceded some ground and allowed it to be used at Euro 2016. Platini is running to be FIFA, Blatter's replacement which, if successful, is likely to mean there is less experimentation with technology in the world game. But Webb called for the Frenchman to be more open-minded, saying: "He's had a long held view not to support technology. I would say let's at least trial it."

Webb retired from refereeing in 2014 to become technical director for PGMOL but has since quit that post to become a pundit for BT Sport and consultant head of refereeing in Saudi Arabia. He admits officials in the Arab nation come under far more scrutiny that their Premier League counterparts. "There is certainly pressure on referees over there. The media are pretty keen to focus on mistakes made by referees,'' he added. "Genuine mistakes are analysed and inferences drawn as to why mistakes are made. It is a tough place to be a ref".

Source: ESPN

FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers – CONCACAF (Round 3, Second Leg)

8 September 2015

Guatemala – Antigua & Bermuda
Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Israel Valenciano (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Fourth Official: Cesar Ramos (MEX)

Nicaragua – Jamaica
Referee: Oscar Reyna (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hermenerito Leal (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Lemus (GUA)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)

El Salvador – Curacao
Referee: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Warner Castro (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Fourth Official: Hugo Cruz (CRC)

Haiti – Grenada
Referee: David Gantar (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Philippe Briere (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Belleau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Drew Fischer (CAN)

Aruba – St. Vincent
Referee: Jose Penaloza (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Salvador Rodriguez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jorge Perez (MEX)

Belize – Canada
Referee: Javier Santos (PUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jairo Morales (PUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Henry Pupiro (NCA)
Fourth Official: William Anderson (PUR)

FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers – AFC (Round 2, Matchday 4)

8 September 2015

Thailand – Iraq
Referee: Masaaki Toma (JPN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Haruhiro Otsuka (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Hiroyuki Igarashi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Ullah Hidayat (PAK)

Guam – Oman
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Toshiyuki Nagi (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Satoshi Karakami (JPN)
Fourth Official: Takuto Okabe (JPN)

Chinese Taipei – Vietnam
Referee: Kim Dae-Young (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kang Dojoon (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Park Insun (KOR)
Fourth Official: Mizanur Rahman (BAN)

Cambodia – Syria
Referee: Wang Di (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ma Ji (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Cao Yi (CHN)
Fourth Official: Wang Zhe (CHN)

Maldives – China
Referee: Sukhbir Singh (SIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tzu Liang (SIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Min Koh (SIN)
Fourth Official: Pranjal Banerjee (IND)

Hong Kong – Qatar
Referee: Kim Sang Woo (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jeong Hae Sang (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Bang Giyeol (KOR)
Fourth Official: Ashantha Hadeege (SRI)

Bangladesh – Jordan
Referee: Yu Ming Hsun (TPE)
Assistant Referee 1: Hsu Min Yu (TPE)
Assistant Referee 2: Kuo Chan Yu (TPE)
Fourth Official: Kao Jung Fang (TPE)

Philippines – Uzbekistan
Referee: Peter Green (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Brad Hobson (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Mathew Cheeseman (AUS)
Fourth Official: Suhaizi Shukri (MAS)

Laos – Kuwait
Referee: Sivakorn Pu-Udom (THA)
Assistant Referee 1: Binla Preeda (THA)
Assistant Referee 2: Anuwat Feemuechang (THA)
Fourth Official: Alongkron Feemuechang (THA)

Afghanistan – Japan
Referee: Khamis Al Kuwari (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Juma Al Burshaid (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al Maqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT)

Malaysia – Saudi Arabia
Referee: Liu Kwok Man (HKG)
Assistant Referee 1: Chow Chun Kit (HKG)
Assistant Referee 2: Lam Nai Kei (HKG)
Fourth Official: Fong Hei Lau (HKG)

Tajikistan – Australia
Referee: Jameel Abdulhusin (BHR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Salman (BHR)
Assistant Referee 2: Nawaf Moosa (BHR)
Fourth Official: Abdulaziz Abdulla (BHR)

India – Iran
Referee: Ammar Aljeneibi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmed Alrashadi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Zayed Kamal (UAE)
Fourth Official: Nivon Gamini (SRI)

Palestine – UAE
Referee: Ali Al Qaysi (IRQ)
Assistant Referee 1: Najah Alhamaidah (IRQ)
Assistant Referee 2: Luay Subhi (IRQ)
Fourth Official: Wathik Al Baag (IRQ)

Lebanon – Korea
Referee: Dmitri Mashentsev (KGZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Bakhadyr Kochkarov (KGZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Ismailzhan Talipzhanov (KGZ)
Fourth Official: Alibek Sapayev (TKM)

Yemen – Bahrain
Referee: Turki Alkhudhayr (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Badr Al Shumrani (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Khalaf Al Shammari (KSA)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Al Hoish (KSA)

UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers (Matchday 8, Part 3)

8 September 2015

Macedonia – Spain
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Marco Guida (ITA)
Fourth Official: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Referee Observer: Zdravko Jokić (SRB)

Belarus – Luxembourg
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Mitja Žganec (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Dragoslav Perič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Gregor Rojko (SVN)
Referee Observer: Marcel Vanelshocht (BEL)

Slovakia – Ukraine
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Child (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Kevin Friend (ENG)
Fourth Official: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Referee Observer: Vaclav Krondl (CZE)

England – Switzerland
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Luca Banti (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Antonio Damato (ITA)
Fourth Official: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel (GER)

Lithuania – San Marino
Referee: Clayton Pisani (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Camilleri (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Edward Spiteri (MLT)
Additional AR 1: Alan Sant (MLT)
Additional AR 2: Marco Borg (MLT)
Fourth Official: Duncan Sultana (MLT)
Referee Observer: Marian Ruzbarsky (SVK)

Slovenia – Estonia
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Damianos Efthimiadis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Additional AR 1: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)
Additional AR 2: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Christos Akrivos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

Liechtenstein – Russia
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Stevenson (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Steven McLean (SCO)
Additional AR 2: John Beaton (SCO)
Fourth Official: David McGeachie (SCO)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

Moldova – Montenegro
Referee: Sébastien Delferière (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Additional AR 1: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Additional AR 2: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)
Fourth Official: Jo De Weirdt (BEL)
Referee Observer: Patrick Kelly (IRL)

Sweden – Austria
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Xavier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Fourth Official: Marcos Álvarez Moreno (ESP)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers (Matchday 8, Part 2)

7 September 2015

Scotland – Germany
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional AR 1: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Additional AR 2: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Fourth Official: Charles Schaap (NED)
Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

Albania – Portugal
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega (ESP)

Armenia – Denmark
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andås (NOR)
Additional AR 1: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR)
Additional AR 2: Svein Erik Edvartsen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Sven Erik Midthjell (NOR)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Poland – Gibraltar
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytautas Šimkus (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Additional AR 1: Nerijus Dunauskas (LTU)
Additional AR 2: Jurij Paškovskij (LTU)
Fourth Official: Aleksandr Radius (LTU)
Referee Observer: Adrian D. Casha (MLT)

Ireland – Georgia
Referee: István Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Berettyán (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: László Viszokai (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Sandor Szabó (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Zsolt Szabó (HUN)
Fourth Official: Balázs Buzás (HUN)
Referee Observer: Dani Koren (ISR)

Finland – Faroe Islands
Referee: Marcin Borski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafal Rostkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL)
Additional AR 1: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Additional AR 2: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Fourth Official: Arkadiusz Wójcik (POL)
Referee Observer: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

Northern Ireland – Hungary
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Barış Şimşek (TUR)
Fourth Official: Çem Satman (TUR)
Referee Observer: Sergey Zuev (RUS)

Romania – Greece
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Vitali Malyutin (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleg Maslyanko (BLR)
Additional AR 1: Sergei Tsinkevich (BLR)
Additional AR 2: Viktor Shimusik (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dmitri Zhuk (BLR)
Referee Observer: Vadimir Sajn (SVN)

Friendly
France – Serbia
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Additional AR 1: Hugo Miguel (POR)
Additional AR 2: Cosme Machado (POR)
Fourth Official: Bruno Rodrigues (POR)

UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers (Matchday 8, Part 1)

6 September 2015

Norway – Croatia
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: György Ring (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Tóth (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Tamás Bognar (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Ádám Farkas (HUN)
Fourth Official: Zsolt Varga (HUN)
Referee Observer: Hans Reijgwart (NED)

Latvia – Czech Republic
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Häcker (GER)
Additional AR 1: Tobias Welz (GER)
Additional AR 2: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Fourth Official: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Referee Observer: Gevorg Hovhannisyan (ARM)

Turkey – Netherlands
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jon Núñez Fernández (ESP)
Referee Observer: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

Malta – Azerbaijan
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Staudinger (AUT)
Additional AR 1: Alexander Harkam (AUT)
Additional AR 2: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Fourth Official: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytiä (FIN)

Wales – Israel
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgić (CRO)
Additional AR 1: Domagoj Vučkov (CRO)
Additional AR 2: Goran Gabrilo (CRO)
Fourth Official: Dalibor Conjar (CRO)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

Cyprus – Belgium
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikolai Golubev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Aleksei Eskov (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Igor Fedotov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Aleksei Lebedev (RUS)
Referee Observer: Michel Vautrot (FRA)

Bosnia – Andorra
Referee: Arnold Hunter (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Storey (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Gareth Eakin (NIR)
Additional AR 1: Raymond Crangle (NIR)
Additional AR 2: Mervyn Smyth (NIR)
Fourth Official: Stephen Bell (NIR)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Italy – Bulgaria
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averianov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Sergei Lapochkin (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)

Iceland – Kazakhstan
Referee: Yevhen Aranovskiy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Volodymyr Volodin (UKR)
Additional AR 1: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
Additional AR 2: Yuriy Mozharovskyy (UKR)
Fourth Official: Igor Alokhin (UKR)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP)