UEFA Euro 2016 Referee Teams

Following December's unveiling of the 18 main referees (photo) to take charge of the 51 matches at the tournament between 10 June and 10 July 2016, the UEFA Referees Committee has decided on the assistant referees, additional assistant referees and third (reserve) assistant referees to complete the 18 teams. Each referee team comprises six match officials: one main referee, two additional assistant referees, and two assistant referees. The majority of assistants and additional assistants come from the same country as the referee. A third assistant referee has also been named as a reserve for each team, and will remain on standby until the start of the tournament to take the place of a colleague if necessary. The Referees Committee has also chosen two referees and two assistant referees to serve only as fourth officials and reserve assistant referees.

Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE, 1977)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Slysko (SVK, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Wilczek (CZE, 1970)
Additional AR 1: Petr Ardeleanu (CZE, 1980)
Additional AR 2: Michal Patak (CZE, 1975)
Standby AR: Tomas Mokrusch (CZE, 1982)

Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG, 1971)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG, 1970)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Child (ENG, 1973)
Additional AR 1: Michael Oliver (ENG, 1985)
Additional AR 2: Craig Pawson (ENG, 1979)
Standby AR: Gary Beswick (ENG, 1977)

Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Beck (ENG, 1972)
Assistant Referee 2: Jake Collin (ENG, 1972)
Additional AR 1: Anthony Taylor (ENG, 1978)
Additional AR 2: Andre Marriner (ENG, 1971)
Standby AR: Stuart Burt (ENG, 1980)

Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA, 1982)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Danos (FRA, 1980)
Additional AR 1: Benoît Bastien (FRA, 1983)
Additional AR 2: Fredy Fautrel (FRA, 1971)
Standby AR: Cyril Gringore (FRA, 1972)

Referee: Felix Brych (GER, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER, 1977)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER, 1978)
Additional AR 1: Bastian Dankert (GER, 1980)
Additional AR 2: Marco Fritz (GER, 1977)
Standby AR: Marco Achmuller (GER, 1979)

Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Gyorgy Ring (HUN, 1981)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Toth (HUN, 1978)
Additional AR 1: Tamas Bognar (HUN, 1978)
Additional AR 2: Adam Farkas (HUN, 1982)
Standby AR: Istvan Albert (HUN, 1980)

Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA, 1971)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (ITA, 1973)
Additional AR 1: Luca Banti (ITA, 1974)
Additional AR 2: Antonio Damato (ITA, 1972)
Standby AR: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA, 1972)

Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED, 1973)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED, 1977)
Additional AR 1: Pol van Boekel (NED, 1975)
Additional AR 2: Richard Liesveld (NED, 1973)
Standby AR: Mario Diks (NED, 1977)

Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR, 1977)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR, 1975)
Additional AR 1: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR, 1975)
Additional AR 2: Svein Erik Edvartsen (NOR, 1979)
Standby AR: Sven Erik Midthjell (NOR, 1983)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL, 1981)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL, 1978)
Additional AR 1: Pawel Raczkowski (POL, 1983)
Additional AR 2: Tomasz Musial (POL, 1981)
Standby AR: Radoslaw Siejka (POL, 1974)

Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU, 1980)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Sovre (ROU, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU, 1976)
Additional AR 1: Alexandru Tudor (ROU, 1971)
Additional AR 2: Sebastian Coltescu (ROU, 1977)
Standby AR: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU, 1981)

Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averyanov (RUS, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS, 1974)
Additional AR 1: Sergei Lapochkin (RUS, 1981)
Additional AR 2: Sergei Ivanov (RUS, 1984)
Standby AR: Nikolai Golubev (RUS, 1970)

Referee: William Collum (SCO, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Damien MacGraith (IRL, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Francis Connor (SCO, 1981)
Additional AR 1: Robert Madden (SCO, 1978)
Additional AR 2: John Beaton (SCO, 1982)
Standby AR: Douglas Ross (SCO, 1983)

Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB, 1973)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjevic (SRB, 1973)
Additional AR 1: Danilo Grujic (SRB, 1980)
Additional AR 2: Nenad Djokic (SRB, 1979)
Standby AR: Nemanja Petrovic (SRB, 1980)

Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN, 1985)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN, 1976)
Additional AR 1: Matej Jug (SVN, 1980)
Additional AR 2: Slavko Vincic (SVN, 1979)
Standby AR: Bojan Ul (SVN, 1970)

Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP, 1971)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP, 1976)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP, 1975)
Additional AR 1: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP, 1984)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP, 1976)
Standby AR: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP, 1981)

Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE, 1974)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE, 1975)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE, 1974)
Additional AR 1: Stefan Johannesson (SWE, 1971)
Additional AR 2: Markus Strombergsson (SWE, 1975)
Standby AR: Mehmet Culum (SWE, 1983)

Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR, 1975)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR, 1973)
Additional AR 1: Huseyin Gocek (TUR, 1976)
Additional AR 2: Baris Simsek (TUR, 1976)
Standby AR: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR, 1980)

Fourth Official: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR, 1979)
Reserve AR: Vitali Maliutsin (BLR, 1974)

Fourth Official: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE, 1979)
Reserve AR: Damianos Efthimiadis (GRE, 1973)

The latest appointments mean that 112 match officials in total will attend a UEFA Euro 2016 preparatory workshop on the outskirts of Paris from 18 to 21 April. The referee teams will train together, undertake fitness tests and review the application of technical instructions for the final tournament. Subsequently, 94 match officials will return to France on 6 June for the tournament itself.

FIFA Seminar for Referee Instructors

As a part of the Refereeing Assistance Program, FIFA recently held a seminar for referee instructors in Sevilla (Spain). Among the 80 participants from five continents were former World Cup referees Jorge Larrionda (URU), Oscar Ruiz (COL), Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP), Dagmar Damkova (CZE), Kari Seitz (USA).

Led by the FIFA Director of Refereeing Mustapha Fahmy, FIFA Head of Refereeing Massimo Busacca and FIFA Senior Manager of Refereeing Fernando Tresaco, the five-day FIFA referee instructor training event had several objectives: to provide the instructors new teaching materials and teaching/learning tools that have been developed by FIFA, to update the instructors on the current interpretations and application of the Laws of the Game, to examine the methodology of teaching in order to optimize the learning process for students. The objectives were accomplished through classroom and on-field sessions.

Source: RFEF

Portrait of an icon: Pierluigi Collina

Like control pants, sub-editors, your appendix and the NHS, the conventional wisdom is that referees are at their best when they go unnoticed. Referees are the game’s facilitators, the caretakers who mop the stage and hoover the stalls before the production begins. If your seat in the theatre is clean, you get on with your evening. If it is dirty, you curse whoever failed in their task. Refereeing is the same. Or at least it used to be.

Before the mid-1990s, we hardly knew the names of English football referees, let alone those from abroad. It took a bald Italian from Bologna to change the face of officiating, dragging it into the entertainment industry that was growing around him. Step forward Pierluigi Collina, the most famous referee in the history of the game. Crucially, he was also one of the best. If Collina’s ubiquity had not been matched by his aptitude, his fame would have become grating very quickly. He took the leading role, but also remained respected and loved. In contrast with the majority of football’s ex-professionals, he is not just heard but listened to. Far too many fail to appreciate the difference. Named as the top referee in the world for six years in succession between 1998 and 2003 and Serie A referee of the year on seven occasions, there was a time when every showpiece occasion seemed to be under Collina’s authority. UEFA Cup final, Champions League final, World Cup final, Olympic Games final, two World Cups, two European Championships. Tick them all off the list.

Collina had no playing career to speak of, representing an amateur team while studying for an economics degree in Bologna. It brings to mind a quote from Arrigo Sacchi who, when questioned over his own humble playing days before becoming a coach, said: “I never realised that to be a jockey you had to be a horse first.” Collina enrolled on a refereeing course when aged 17, and quickly moved through the ranks of the profession. Within three years he had moved up to the highest level of regional football and by 28 was at Serie C1 level. By the age of 32, he was officiating top-flight matches. The secret to Collina’s success was respect. “You have to be accepted on the field of play not because you are the referee, but because people trust you,” he said after retiring. “This means you can reach the best result a referee can reach, which is to be accepted even when he is wrong.” Respect for officials is entirely self-fulfilling. If elite players begin to trust your actions and your manner, others will follow suit. If players and managers begin to lose faith in your judgement, every one of your decisions is placed under an unforgiving microscope. Collina went beyond mere respect; he created an aura.

There is no doubt that the Italian’s appearance formed a large part of that aura. Collina’s tall frame and no-nonsense mannerisms continuously took the spectator by surprise, while the complete lack of hair above the neckline made him a striking presence. It came as a result of severe alopecia in his late 20s, causing a permanent loss of hair. Above all else, it was the eyes. They boggled whenever Collina went serious, like a hamster being squeezed too tightly. His stares were enough to make millionaire footballers feel naked and exposed. Somewhere, deep inside all of us, is the bad side of our conscience, an innate desire to break the rules. Collina’s eyes are the superhero to counteract these recalcitrant desires. They will seek out your sins, scold them and make them apologise.

“I am a man of the rules,” Collina once said. “For now the only way to deal with problems is by being very, very hard and punishing those that do wrong.” It’s that extra “very” that makes you swallow hardest of all. If one were creating a disciplinarian Frankenstein from scratch, its development would probably mirror Collina’s own. He was educated by nuns, his mother worked as a teacher and father for the Ministry of Defence. Playing as a central defender in a team of referees post-retirement, Collina has only one boast: “I have never been booked.” It is in no way a revelation. Yet respect is not simply gained, but earned. Sport demands great sacrifice from its competitors and supporters, and Collina did not believe referees should be exempt from such dedication. It may not be possible to find a man more committed to his profession. Across the world every day, thousands of people referee matches on a part-time or voluntary basis, while a select few make a career out of it. Collina turned it into a way of life. His focus became famous. Collina would visit stadiums the day before matches, walking around to take in the sights and smells so as not to feel disorientated in the heat of the moment. He speaks English, Spanish and French alongside his native Italian in order to converse with players. “I think it is enough,” the Italian once said of his multilingualism, offering a glimpse of his humility. ‘In preparation for a match I watch both teams on television at least once. The first thing I try to memorise when I study a game on television is how the teams play, the tactics they use on the pitch, both for defending and attacking,’ he writes in his autobiography. ‘It’s important to understand how their games progress, how the various moves are played out, to observe how they deal with their set pieces, their free-kicks and corners. I then move on to an analysis of individuals, because carrying out a game plan depends on the characteristics of the various players’. More scouting than many managers. More preparation than many players.

There is a wonderful anecdote from Graham Poll, England’s representative in the 2002 World Cup. Poll remembers being fourth official for Japan vs Turkey, with Collina in charge of the match. “He drew their line-ups on a board,” Poll says. “He told us how they would play, who the fiery characters were, where the likely flashpoints would be, what each assistant might expect to happen on his part of the pitch. He covered everything. It was incredible. It was preparation to the nth degree. And, furthermore, he wasn’t wrong.” Even among his peers, at the highest level of his profession, Collina was on a higher plane. The logic is clear. When dealing with inflated egos and supercharged emotions, a referee has a responsibility to also be at their peak. How will they respect me if I am less fit or prepared than them? “The more you know, the better you perform,” is Collina’s own motto. Flexibility also played a role in Collina’s reputation. He was a keen exponent of the principle that the laws of the game were there to be interpreted rather than blindly administered. Just as every match differs, so too should the nuances in refereeing. “There is no type of refereeing that works well for all games,” Collina says. “The referee has to develop an almost chameleon-like capacity to be able to adapt his own abilities to the requirements of the match.”

In 2011, Collina was welcomed into the Italian football hall of fame, among the list of inaugural inductees. Arrigo Sacchi, Marcello Lippi, Roberto Baggio, Gigi Riva, Giuseppe Meazza, Michel Platini, Silvio Piola, Pierluigi Collina. Paolo Maldini and Dino Zoff would have to wait until the following year.

Football refereeing is a thankless task. They have the near-impossible job of balancing strict laws with common sense, and authority without over-dominance. They must manage 22 separate egos, in charge of players sometimes paid more for a week’s work than you are for a year. They are expected to be at the heart of every second of every match without ever becoming the story. One referee has done that better than any other. Collina was the antidote to everything that had gone before. He adorned the cover of computer games, helped to sell cars and fronted advertising campaigns for Mastercard and Adidas. Over a decade after his retirement, he remains one of the most recognisable faces in the game. Referees are supposed to be sport’s bad guys, the pantomime villains and the scapegoats. Two sets of supporters go into a stadium with diametrically opposite views, argue amongst each other for 90 minutes and then finally agree that the referee was s**t. For a while, Pierluigi Collina changed all that. He was the teacher it was okay to like, the bad guy you could root for. Mostly, he was the man who took football refereeing into the modern age, who added a new level of professionalism to the profession. “People probably do not consider referees as athletes,” Collina once said. “But we are.”

Source: Football365

UEFA Europa League – Round of 32 (Second Leg)

25 February 2016

Athletic Bilbao – Olympique Marseille
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Vitali Malyutsin (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleg Maslyanka (BLR)
Additional AR 1: Sergei Tsinkevich (BLR)
Additional AR 2: Denis Scherbakov (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dmitri Zhuk (BLR)
Referee Observer: László Vagner (HUN)

Braga – Sion
Referee: Liran Liany (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Danny Krasikow (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: David Biton (ISR)
Additional AR 1: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Additional AR 2: Eli Hacmon (ISR)
Fourth Official: Nissan Davidy (ISR)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Lokomotiv Moskva – Fenerbahçe
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Balko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaš Somolani (SVK)
Additional AR 1: Peter Kralović (SVK)
Additional AR 2: Mário Vlk (SVK)
Fourth Official: Tomaš Mokoš (SVK)
Referee Observer: Hans Reijgwart (NED)

Schalke – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Mitja Žganec (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Dejan Balažič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Liverpool – Augsburg
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Fourth Official: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Krasnodar – Sparta Praha
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Nilsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Magnus Sjöblom (SWE)
Referee Observer: Stefan Ormandjiev (BUL)

Lazio – Galatasaray
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: Christos Skapoullis (CYP)

Bayer Leverkusen – Sporting Lisbon
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Laurent Stien (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Tony Chapron (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)
Fourth Official: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP)

Rapid Wien - Valencia
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Davide Massa (ITA)
Fourth Official: Andrea Padovan (ITA)
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

Tottenham Hotspur – Fiorentina
Referee: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Șovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Additional AR 1: Alexandru Tudor (ROU)
Additional AR 2: Sebastian Colţescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

FC Porto – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Beck (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Jake Collin (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Andre Marriner (ENG)
Fourth Official: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

SSC Napoli – Villarreal
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Additional AR 1: Tobias Welz (GER)
Additional AR 2: Benjamin Brand (GER)
Fourth Official: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Referee Observer: Michel Vautrot (FRA)

FC Basel – AS Saint Étienne
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: Dennis Higler (NED)
Fourth Official: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

Molde – Sevilla
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alastair Mather (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Andrew Dallas (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Fourth Official: David McGeachie (SCO)
Referee Observer: Ryszard Wójcik (POL)

Olympiacos – Anderlecht
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: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Manchester United – Midtjylland
Referee: István Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: István Albert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Berettyán (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Sándor Andó-Szabó (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Jozsef Erdos (HUN)
Fourth Official: László Viszokai (HUN)
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI)

Referee blunder in the UEFA Youth League Round of 16

Chelsea's UEFA Youth League clash with Valencia ended in farcical scenes after a controversial penalty shootout. The Round of 16 match ended 1-1 at the Chelsea training ground with the game going to penalties. Charlie Colkett put Chelsea in front in the shootout before Alberto Gil's controversial spot kick. The Valencia youngster found the stanchion in the bottom left corner of the goal and turned away in celebration. However, referee Adrien Jaccottet (SUI) and AR Vital Jobin (SUI) adjudged the ball to have hit the post.

Replays clearly showed the ball had crossed the line as Gil and his team-mates protested. The decision proved costly too as all other penalties were scored, meaning Chelsea won the shootout 5-4. After the game, Valencia's players and staff ran onto the pitch to confront referee Adrien Jaccottet, urging him to check the TV footage, but his decision stood.

Valencia has reported that it will challenge their elimination from the UEFA Youth League. The club prepared an official complaint to UEFA and will provide the video with the kick from the penalty mark taken by Alberto Gil in which it is clear that the ball entered the goal.

There was a precedent in the European football in 2015, when UEFA decided that a decisive penalty kick from the women's U-19 match Norway – England shall be repeated a few days later. With Norway winning 2-1, England was awarded a penalty kick in min. 96. They scored the penalty kick, but the referee, Marija Kurtes (GER), disallowed the goal because one England player entered the penalty area before the ball was kicked and awarded an indirect free kick. Norway played out the final minute of stoppage time and won the match 2-1. The Laws of the Game state that the penalty kick should have been retaken and UEFA said it had no choice but to order the final moments of the match to be replayed from the point of the penalty kick.

In 2005, FIFA ordered an entire match to be replayed when confronted with similar circumstances, to the detriment of the side denied the second chance at a penalty. Uzbekistan was leading Bahrain 1-0 in the first leg of a World Cup qualifying play-off when they were awarded a penalty kick, which was converted. But the Japanese referee Toshimitsu Yoshida disallowed it for encroachment and awarded an indirect free kick to Bahrain. The match finished 1-0 to Uzbekistan, but FIFA ruled that the match must be replayed, despite protests from Uzbekistan, who wanted the game to restart from the 38th minute with the penalty kick. In the restaged game, Bahrain drew 1-1 and that away goal proved decisive in the tie, though they lost the subsequent intercontinental play-off to Trinidad & Tobago, who qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Source: Mirror/Super Deporte

CONCACAF Champions League – Quarter-finals (First Leg)

23 February 2016
Queretaro – DC United
Referee: Hector Rodriguez (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Oscar Velasquez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Tabora (HON)
Fourth Official: Raul Castro (HON)

Seattle Sounders – Club America
Referee: Oscar Reyna (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rene Ochoa (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ronaldo De La Cruz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Jonathan Polanco (GUA)

24 February 2016
Tigres – Real Salt Lake
Referee: Yadel Martinez (CUB)
Assistant Referee 1: Hiran Dopico (CUB)
Assistant Referee 2: Leonardo Sanchez (CUB)
Fourth Official: Marcos Brea (CUB)

LA Galaxy – Santos Laguna
Referee: Armando Castro (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Walter Lopez (HON)
Fourth Official: Melvin Matamoros (HON)

Copa Libertadores – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

23 February 2016 
Huracán – Atletico Nacional 
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Orellana (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: José Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Patricio Polic (CHI)
Referee Observer: Miguel Scime (ARG)

Liga de Quito – San Lorenzo
Referee: Jonathan Fuentes (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Fourth Official: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Referee Observer: Bomer Fierro (ECU)

24 February 2016
Colo Colo – Melgar
Referee: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Cañete (PAR)
Fourth Official: José Mendez (PAR)
Referee Observer: Pablo Pozo (CHI)

Racing – Bolívar
Referee: Ulises Mereles (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zorrilla (PAR)
Fourth Official: Eber Aquino (PAR)
Referee Observer: Luis Bongianino (ARG)

Deportivo Cali – Boca Juniors
Referee: Pericles Cortez (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kleber Gil (BRA)
Fourth Official: Luiz De Oliviera (BRA)
Referee Observer: Otalvaro Polanco (COL)

Atlético Mineiro – Independiente del Valle
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Iván Núñez (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Espinoza (ARG)
Referee Observer: Alicio Peña (BRA)

25 February 2016
Rosario Central – Nacional
Referee: Wilmar Roldán (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Díaz (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian De la Cruz (COL)
Fourth Official: Luis Sánchez (COL)
Referee Observer: Luis Pasturenzi (ARG)

Cerro Porteño – Cobresal
Referee: Néstor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ariel Scime (ARG)
Fourth Official: Germán Delfino (ARG)
Referee Observer: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Emelec – Deportivo Táchira
Referee: Raúl Orosco (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilson Arellano (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Edwin Paredes (BOL)
Fourth Official: Juan García (BOL)
Referee Observer: Juan Corozo (ECU)

Trujillanos – River Plate
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Macías (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Flavio Nall (ECU)
Fourth Official: Diego Lara (ECU)
Referee Observer: Bernardo Corujo (VEN)

UEFA Youth League – Round of 16

23 February 2016 
Real Madrid – Manchester City
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Giacomo Paganessi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Valentín Gómez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernández Marin (ESP)

Chelsea – Valencia
Referee: Adrien Jaccottet (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Vital Jobin (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Zürcher (SUI)
Fourth Official: Darren England (ENG)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

Barcelona – Midtjylland
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Venev (BUL)
Fourth Official: David Medié Jiménez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vázquez (ESP)

Anderlecht – Dinamo Zagreb
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonnikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Wesley Alen (BEL)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

24 February 2016
PSV Eindhoven – AS Roma
Referee: Michael Tykgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Rasmussen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Amir Sabic (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

Paris St. Germain – Middlesbrough
Referee: Alexander Harkam (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Staudinger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Dzubanowski (FRA)
Referee Observer: Ray Ellingham (WAL)

Lyon – Ajax
Referee: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sean Carr (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Potter (SCO)
Fourth Official: Hakim Ben El Hadj (FRA)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

Príbram – Benfica
Referee: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averianov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Fourth Official: Jiří Houdek (CZE)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

UEFA Champions League – Round of 16 (First Leg, II)

23 February 2016
Juventus Turin – Bayern München
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Child (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Fourth Official: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

Arsenal London – FC Barcelona
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (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: Çem Satman (TUR)
Referee Observer: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

24 February 2016
PSV Eindhoven – Atletico Madrid
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: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

Dynamo Kyiv – Manchester City
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Paul Allaerts (BEL)

Turkish player sent off for showing the referee his own red card

Trabzonspor player Salih Dursun was sent off after showing dissent to the referee by picking up and brandishing his red card, moments after his team-mate has been sent off. The incident left Trabzonspor with just seven players on the pitch, yet Galatasaray still required a last-minute Selcuk Inan penalty to snatch a 2-1 victory.

Dursun seized his opportunity after team-mate Luis Cavanda had been dismissed. Trabzonspor’s players, already reduced in number after two earlier red cards, surrounded referee Deniz Bitnel, causing him to drop his red card. Dursun picked it up and waved it at the referee, who took it back and returned the favour, ordering the Turkish utility player off the pitch. Earlier in the match, midfielder Ozer Hurmaci and defender Aykut Demir were both sent off for picking up two yellow cards, while Lukas Podolski and Wesley Sneijder were booked for the hosts. Podolski equalised for Galatasaray after an hour, cancelling out Erkan Zengin’s opener for Trabzonspor, which also came from the penalty spot.

It’s not the first time this season that Trabzonspor have been embroiled in refereeing controversy. In October, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, had to intervene after Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, the club’s president, locked four match officials inside the stadium, following a 2-2 draw with Gaziantepspor. They were released after four hours.
Players showing cards to match officials is not unprecedented. During his time at Rangers, Paul Gascoigne was booked in a fixture against Hibernian after showing referee Dougie Smith a yellow card in jest. Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer showed Matt Messias a red card after the official inadvertently elbowed Leicester City’s Robbie Savage in the face.

Source: The Independent

Bundesliga match halted after coach refused to leave

Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 win at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga was interrupted for eight minutes after the home side's coach refused to be sent to the stands. Referee Felix Zwayer said he sent off Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt "because of repeated unsporting actions." Schmidt said later he regretted his actions, adding he had wanted an "explanation" from the referee.

The standoff was triggered by Aubameyang's 64th-minute goal, which was enough for second-placed Dortmund to restore the eight-point gap behind Bayern Munich. Immediately after the goal, Zwayer sent Schmidt off for complaining vociferously over the positioning of a free kick in the build-up to the goal, when Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling lost the ball and fouled Sven Bender. Matthias Ginter took a quick free kick from where the ball rolled to Erik Durm, who crossed for the onrushing Aubameyang to finish easily. The Bayer Leverkusen head coach, Roger Schmidt, has accepted that he was wrong to defy the referee and refuse orders to go to the stands. “We went behind through an irregular goal and I told the fourth official as much. I was sent a signal from 45 meters that I should go to the stands. I wanted an explanation," Schmidt said. "I hesitated too long. It was definitely a mistake of mine. I didn't think the game would be interrupted. I hurt my team through that. I am a role model and I’ve not done myself justice, but sometimes it is easy to react in hectic and emotional situations. I have the fourth official noting that the kick was executed a thousand per cent irregularly. The referee also did not give us a thousand per cent penalty and I’m just challenging for justice for my team”. Referee Zwayer, who had sent Kiessling over to talk to Schmidt, ordered both sides off the pitch and walked off himself - along with his officials - when the coach made no sign of moving, prompting widespread confusion among players and fans. The pitch was left vacant for several minutes, until players and officials came back on.

Herbert Fandel, chairman of the German football federation's referee committee, said Zwayer acted according to the rules. "When a player or even the coach refuses to leave the inner area after a sending off, stopping play and threatening to call it off is the correct decision. Whether the referee speaks directly with the coach or sends a leading player is solely at his discretion", Fandel said.
Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voeller saw it differently. "To interrupt a game like that and to make things so hectic is completely unnecessary", Voeller said. His annoyance was compounded minutes after the restart, when Dortmund defender Sokratis wasn't penalized for blocking Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's header with his arm in the penalty area. Zwayer acknowledged that Leverkusen should have been awarded the penalty. "It's a foul play. It's regrettable that it wasn't seen", the referee said.

Source: AP/Yahoo Sports

2016 Olympic Qualifying Play-off (Men)

First Leg, 25 March 2016
Colombia – USA
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Orkun Aktas (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehmet Staman (TUR)
Fourth Official: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
Referee Observer: Massimo Busacca (SUI)

Second Leg, 29 March 2016
USA – Colombia
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Abduxamidullo Rasulov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakhongir Saidov (UZB)
Fourth Official: Sherzod Kasimov (UZB)
Referee Observer: Manuel Navarro (SUI)

Leo Horn and his unique achievement

For many people, Leo Horn’s name means little or nothing, but in the refereeing world it has an important place. The Dutch, with a Jewish ancestry, has a particular record of having refereed both the UEFA and the CONMEBOL club finals in the same year. Leo Horn refereed the Champions League final (Benfica – Real Madrid) and the Copa Libertadores final (Santos – Penarol), both in 1962, a very unique achievement in the international refereeing.

Leopold "Leo" Horn (photo) was nicknamed "the judge of war" for having served on the front with the Dutch resistance during the Second World War. After having refereed his first European Cup final, Real Madrid – Fiorentina (2-0), in 1957, Horn was appointed to his second European Cup final Benfica – Real Madrid (5-3), on 2 May 1962, at the Olympic stadium in Amsterdam, in his native Netherlands, becoming one of the only four referees with appearances in two finals of the UEFA Champions League. Just a few months later, on 30 August 1962, he had the honour to referee the third and decisive final match for the Copa Libertadores, between Santos FC with Pele and Penarol (3-0) at the River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina. No other referee has ever refereed both the Champions League and the Copa Libertadores finals in the same year. Although he was from Europe, Horn was appointed again to a Copa Libertadores final in 1964, the first leg of Nacional – Independiente, which ended in a goalless draw. That was the last participation of a European referee in a Copa Libertadores match in South America.

Source: Taringa

UEFA Europa League – Round of 32 (First Leg)

16 February 2016 

Fiorentina – Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Additional AR 1: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Additional AR 2: Robert Hartmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Mark Borsch (GER)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

Fenerbahçe – Lokomotiv Moskva
Referee: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Bojan Pandžić (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Fourth Official: Magnus Sjöblom (SWE)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Anderlecht – Olympiacos
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgić (CRO)
Additional AR 1: Marijo Strahonja (CRO)
Additional AR 2: Goran Gabrilo (CRO)
Fourth Official: Goran Pataki (CRO)
Referee Observer: Peter Jones (ENG)

Midtjylland – Manchester United
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Additional AR 1: João Pinheiro (POR)
Additional AR 2: Cosme Machado (POR)
Fourth Official: Alvaro Mesquita (POR)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Borussia Dortmund – FC Porto
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Marco Guida (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Andrea Gervasoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Andrea Padovan (ITA)
Referee Observer: Emil Bozhinovski (MKD)

Villarreal – SSC Napoli
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: Ed Janssen (NED)
Fourth Official: Dave Goossens (NED)
Referee Observer: Sergey Zuev (RUS)

AS St. Etienne – FC Basel
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Damianos Efthymiadis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Additional AR 1: Charalambos Kalogeropoulos (GRE)
Additional AR 2: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
Referee Observer: Rodger Gifford (WAL)

Sevilla – Molde
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vyautas Šimkus (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Additional AR 1: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)
Additional AR 2: Jurij Paskovskij (LTU)
Fourth Official: Dovydas Sužiedėlis (LTU)
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)

Sporting – Bayer Leverkusen
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: Mario Diks (NED)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

Valencia – Rapid Wien
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ondřej Pelikán (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Paták (CZE)
Additional AR 1: Radek Příhoda (CZE)
Additional AR 2: Jan Jílek (CZE)
Fourth Official: Ivo Nádvorník (CZE)
Referee Observer: Luciano Luci (ITA)

Augsburg – Liverpool
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Referee Observer: Horst Brummeier (AUT)

Sparta Praha – Krasnodar
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Robert Ponis (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Dragoslav Perič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Galatasaray – Lazio
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Robert Madley (ENG)
Fourth Official: John Brooks (ENG)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

Sion – Braga
Referee: Ievgenii Aranovskiy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sergiy Bekker (UKR)
Additional AR 1: Sergiy Boiko (UKR)
Additional AR 2: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
Fourth Official: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

Shakhtar Donetsk – Schalke
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Orkun Aktaş (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kemal Yılmaz (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Ali Palabıyık (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Deniz Bitnel (TUR)
Fourth Official: Serkan Ok (TUR)

Olympique Marseille – Athletic
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Steven McLean (SCO)
Fourth Official: Alastair Mather (SCO)
Referee Observer: Ilkka Koho (FIN)

Referee shot dead by player he sent off

A referee has been shot dead by a young player after the official had shown him a red card and sent him off. The incident took place in Campo de la Ribera, the provincial capital of Cordoba, which is 700 km from Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Referee Cesar Flores was shot three times by the player who had been given marching orders. According to reports, the player retrieved the gun from a bag in his car and returned to the pitch to shoot at the 48-year-old referee. Police sources told the Efe news agency: “It all happened during the football match. We don’t know [exactly what took place], but it appears the player was angry, fetched a gun and killed him”. Reports stated that the player shot Flores, once in the head, the neck and the chest. Another player, Walter Zarate was also injured in the shooting but is understood be recovering. The killer is still on the run and the subject of a police hunt. Authorities in Argentina continue to struggle with violence in football. In June last year a match between Ferro and Tiro Federal was abandoned after a played punched a referee unconscious after being shown a yellow card. Last month, five players were sent off during a friendly between River Plate and Boca Juniors. Referee Patricio Loustau booked nine others during a stormy encounter. In December 2012, Richard Nieuwenhuizen, a 41-year-old father of three was kicked to death while officiating in his son’s junior football game in Netherlands.

Source: World Soccer

Copa Libertadores – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

16 February 2016
River Plate – Palmeiras
Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Francisco Mondria (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Barraza (CHI)
Fourth Official: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI)
Referee Observer: Juan Cardellino (URU)

Deportivo Tachira – Olimpia
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo van Gasse (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Fourth Official: Anderson Daronco (BRA)
Referee Observer: Candelario Andaracia (VEN)

Santa Fe – Cerro Porteno
Referee: Roberto García (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Camargo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jorge Rojas (MEX)
Referee Observer: Denver Perdomo (COL)

17 February 2016
Sao Paulo – The Strongest
Referee: Mario Diaz De Vivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Caceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Jose Mendez (PAR)
Referee Observer: Ednilson Corona (BRA)

Melgar – Atletico Mineiro
Referee: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexander Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Murillo (COL)
Referee Observer: Víctor Rivera (PER)

Cobreal – Corinthians
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Popovits (URU)
Fourth Official: Oscar Rojas (URU)
Referee Observer: Guido Aros (CHI)

Toluca – Gremio
Referee: Gery Vargas (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Javier Bustillos (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Montano (BOL)
Fourth Official: Alejandro Mancilla (BOL)
Referee Observer: Edgardo Codesal (MEX)

18 February 2016
Independiente Del Valle – Colo Colo
Referee: Jose Argote (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Murillo (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Elbis Gomez (VEN)
Fourth Official: Jose Hoyos (VEN)
Referee Observer: Miguel Erazo (ECU)

Sporting Cristal – Penarol
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Fourth Official: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)
Referee Observer: Cesar Mongrut (PER)

Pumas Unam – Emelec
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Víctor Raez (PER)
Fourth Official: Miguel Santivanez (PER)
Referee Observer: Jorge Gasso (MEX)

UEFA Champions League – Round of 16 (First Leg, I)

16 February 2016
SL Benfica – Zenit St. Petersburg
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Antonio Damato (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Carmine Russo (ITA)
Fourth Official: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Paris SG – Chelsea FC
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Fourth Official: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Oguz Sarvan (TUR)

17 February 2016
AS Roma – Real Madrid
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Slysko (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: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

KAA Gent – VfL Wolfsburg
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR)
Additional AR 1: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR)
Additional AR 2: Svein Erik Edvartsen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Sven Erik Midthjell (NOR)
Referee Observer: Vítor Melo Pereira (POR)

UEFA Futsal Euro Final 2016: Malfer (ITA) & Sorescu (ROU)

Italian match official Alessandro Malfer will lead the refereeing team for the UEFA Futsal EURO 2016 final on Saturday and is relishing the atmosphere in Belgrade. The 41-year-old, who is in his second UEFA Futsal EURO and was also on the refereeing team for the 2015 UEFA Futsal Cup final in Lisbon, is joined for the game between Russia and Spain by Romania's Bogdan Sorescu, Portuguese third official Eduardo Fernandes Coelho and Czech timekeeper Ondřej Černý. Malfer spoke to UEFA.com about the final and his route to futsal refereeing.

- UEFA.com: What does it mean to referee the final?

- Alessandro Malfer: It is a real honour to represent all my friends the UEFA referees, my friends and colleagues in this tournament, and also to represent all Italian referees. They support me with all the work we do throughout the season.

- UEFA.com: How have you enjoyed the tournament and the atmosphere in the arena?

- Malfer: For me, it was not a surprise as I had previous experience in Belgium [in 2014] but the atmosphere in the arena with the Serbian fans is something special. I was fortunate to referee the opening match [between Serbia and Slovenia] and the atmosphere was amazing.

- UEFA.com: How has the atmosphere been within the referees' unit?

- Malfer: In futsal we are real friends. There is a real brotherhood between us. We have had experiences together in other tournaments and every time we meet up it feels like home.

- UEFA.com: Is it good for you to be able to follow in the footsteps of UEFA instructor Massimo Cumbo as an Italian futsal referee in the biggest games?

- Malfer: Massimo has been a guide to me. He is also my boss in Italy and we are working hard to create a group of Italian referees that can set the very highest standards for every competition, domestic and international. Every referee in Serie A1 is at the same level. This is because of our teacher and our association.

- UEFA.com: How did you become a futsal referee?

- Malfer: Some friends said to me: "Why don't you try to be a referee, it's another way to enjoy football?" I was a basketball player so when I had to decide between football and futsal I chose futsal because of the pitch, because of the hall, because of the same atmosphere. Maybe I chose right!

- UEFA.com: You are with referees from many countries, some from smaller leagues; is it interesting to be with that selection of people?

- Malfer: It feels different from how the situation used to be years ago. Now we are a real group and we work hard in the courses and the meetings with our instructors – this means we grow together. Watching what we have done right, or wrong, during the tournament, we are able to grow more and more, and every time you go onto the pitch to referee it doesn't matter which referees you have in your team, you referee as a 'mirror' [always to the same standard] – that is the most important thing.

13 February 2016

Final
Russia – Spain
Referee 1: Alessandro Malfer (ITA, photo)
Referee 2: Bogdan Sorescu (ROU, photo)
Third Official: Eduardo Fernandes (POR)
Timekeeper: Ondrej Cerny (CZE)

Match for Third Place
Serbia – Kazakhstan
Referee 1: Pascal Lemal (BEL)
Referee 2: Kamil Cetin (TUR)
Third Official: Ondrej Cerny (CZE)
Timekeeper: Eduardo Fernandes (POR)

UEFA Futsal Euro 2016 – Semi-finals

11 February 2016

Serbia – Russia
Referee 1: Marc Birkett (ENG, photo)
Referee 2: Ondrej Cerny (CZE)
Third Official: Kamil Cetin (TUR)
Timekeeper: Bogdan Sorescu (ROU)

Spain – Kazakhstan
Referee 1: Saaa Tomic (CRO)
Referee 2: Eduardo Fernandes (POR)
Third Official: Pascal Lemal (BEL)
Timekeeper: Alessandro Malfer (ITA)

Copa Libertadores – Preliminary Round (Second Leg)

9 February 2016
Universidad de Chile – River Plate
Referee: Carlos Vera (ECU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Edwin Bravo (ECU)
Fourth Official: Juan Albarracin (ECU)
Referee Observer: Patricio Basualto (CHI)

Caracas – Huracan
Referee: Enrique Cáceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Cáceres (PAR)
Fourth Official: Eber Aquino (PAR)
Referee Observer: Bernanrdo Corujo (VEN)

10 February 2016
Sao Paulo – Cesar Vallejo
Referee: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolás Tarán (URU)
Asistente 2 Richard Trinidad (URU)
Fourth Official: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Referee Observer: Nilson Moncao (BRA)

Racing – Puebla
Referee: Ricardo Marques (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guillerme Camilo (BRA)
Fourth Official: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Referee Observer: Luis Bongianino (ARG)

11 February 2016
Guarani – Independiente del Valle
Referee: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Fourth Official: Jorge Baliño (ARG)
Referee Observer: Carlos Alarcón (PAR)

Santa Fe – Oriente Petrolero
Referee: Víctor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl López (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Yupanqui (PER)
Fourth Official: Michael Espinoza (PER)
Referee Observer: Pablo Montoya (COL)

UEFA Youth League – Play-offs

9 February 2016
Ajax – Sevilla
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Fourth Official: Dennis Higler (NED)
Referee Observer: Rene Temmink (NED)

Anderlecht – Arsenal
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianmattia Tasso (ITA)
Fourth Official: Wesley Alen (BEL)
Referee Observer: Paul Allaerts (BEL)

Middlesborough – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Svein-Erik Edvartsen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1:Magnus Lundberg (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Erik Engan (NOR)
Fourth Official: David Webb (ENG)
Referee Observer: Peter Jones (ENG)

10 February 2016
Salzburg – AS Roma
Referee: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Adrian Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: George Neacşu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

Midtjylland – Atlético Madrid
Referee Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Laurent Conotte (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Frédéric Godelaine (BEL)
Fourth Official: Morten Krogh (DEN)
Referee Observer: Jan Carlsen (DEN)

Príbram – CSKA Moskva
Referee: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Georgi Doynov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Vojtěch Severýn (CZE)
Referee Observer: Vaclav Krondl (CZE)

Celtic – Valencia
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Edward Smart (ENG)
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Referee Observer: John Fleming (SCO)

Elfsborg – Real Madrid
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Aron Härsing (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitri Vinogradov (EST)
Fourth Official: Per Melin (SWE)
Referee Observer: Leif Sundell (SWE)

UEFA Futsal Euro 2016 – Quarter-finals

8 February 2016
Serbia – Ukraine
Referee 1: Bogdan Sorescu (ROU, photo)
Referee 2: Marc Birkett (ENG)
Third Official: Fernando Gutierrez (ESP)
Timekeeper: Gerald Bauernfeind (AUT)

Portugal – Spain
Referee 1: Gábor Kovács (HUN)
Referee 2: Ondřej Černý (CZE)
Third Official: Tomasz Frak (POL)
Timekeeper: Lukáš Peško (SVK)

9 February 2016
Russia – Azerbaijan
Referee 1: Pascal Lemal (BEL)
Referee 2: Timo Onatsu (FIN)
Third Official: Saša Tomić (CRO)
Timekeeper: Tomasz Frak (POL)

Kazakhstan – Italy
Referee 1: Kamil Çetin (TUR)
Referee 2: Cédric Pelissier (FRA)
Third Official: Lukáš Peško (SVK)
Timekeeper: Ivan Shabanov (RUS)

UEFA Futsal Euro 2016 – Group Stage

2 February 2016
Serbia – Slovenia
Referee 1: Ondřej Černý (CZE, photo)
Referee 2: Alessandro Malfer (ITA)
Third Official: Pascal Lemal (BEL)
Timekeeper: Cédric Pelissier (FRA)

Spain – Hungary
Referee 1: Saša Tomić (CRO)
Referee 2: Bogdan Sorescu (ROU)
Third Official: Lukáš Peško (SVK)
Timekeeper: Timo Onatsu (FIN)

3 February 2016
Russia – Kazakhstan
Referee 1: Eduardo Fernandes (POR)
Referee 2: Fernando Gutiérrez (ESP)
Third Official Gerald Bauernfeind (AUT)
Timekeeper Gábor Kovács (HUN)

Italy – Azerbaijan
Referee 1: Marc Birkett (ENG)
Referee 2: Oleg Ivanov (UKR)
Third Official: Kamil Çetin (TUR)
Timekeeper: Tomasz Frak (POL)

4 February 2016
Slovenia – Portugal
Referee 1: Ivan Shabanov (RUS)
Referee 2: Saša Tomić (CRO)
Third Official: Bogdan Sorescu (ROU)
Timekeeper: Lukáš Peško (SVK)

Hungary – Ukraine
Referee 1: Gerald Bauernfeind (AUT)
Referee 2: Eduardo Fernandes (POR)
Third Official: Alessandro Malfer (ITA)
Timekeeper: Admir Zahovič (SVN)

5 February 2016
Kazakhstan – Croatia
Referee 1: Oleg Ivanov (UKR)
Referee 2: Gábor Kovács (HUN)
Third Official: Marc Birkett (ENG)
Timekeeper: Ondřej Černý (CZE)

Azerbaijan – Czech Republic
Referee 1: Admir Zahovič (SVN)
Referee 2: Gerald Bauernfeind (AUT)
Third Official: Tomasz Frak (POL)
Timekeeper: Saša Tomić (CRO)

6 February 2016
Ukraine – Spain
Referee 1: Alessandro Malfer (ITA)
Referee 2: Kamil Çetin (TUR)
Third Official: Lukáš Peško (SVK)
Timekeeper: Eduardo Fernandes (POR)

Portugal – Serbia
Referee 1: Fernando Gutiérrez (ESP)
Referee 2: Pascal Lemal (BEL)
Third Official: Timo Onatsu (FIN)
Timekeeper: Bogdan Sorescu (ROU)

7 February 2016
Croatia – Russia
Referee 1: Cédric Pelissier (FRA)
Referee 2: Admir Zahovič (SVN)
Third Official: Gábor Kovács (HUN)
Timekeeper: Tomasz Frak (POL)

Czech Republic – Italy
Referee 1: Timo Onatsu (FIN)
Referee 2: Ivan Shabanov (RUS)
Third Official: Oleg Ivanov (UKR)
Timekeeper: Pascal Lemal (BEL)

Referees Atkinson and Clattenburg earn more than the Prime Minister

The top flight official, who will represent Britain at Euro 2016, pockets £90,000-a-season basic, with some matches fetching him up to £4,000 a pop.

Martin Atkinson (photo) pocketed over £8,000 more than British Prime Minister David Cameron last season. The Premier League referee banked a mammoth £150,650 during the 2014-2015 campaign. That's £8,150 more than Tory leader and PM Cameron, whose annual salary stands at £142,500. Top flight referees are paid £90,000 per season and receive match fees on top of that amount, with domestic games worth £450, while European and international ones worth an eye-watering £4,000. During the 2014-2015 season, Atkinson refereed six Champions League matches, two Europa League matches and three European Championship qualifiers, raking in £44,000 in the process. The 37 domestic games he officiated saw him earn £16,650. Fellow referee Mark Clattenburg also pocketed more than Cameron, coming away with £150,200 - just £450 less than Atkinson. Michael Oliver, another top flight official, placed third in the referees' money table. In December, Atkinson and Clattenburg were confirmed among the 18 referees appointed to officiate matches at the European Championship in France this summer. 

Source: The Mirror

How are UEFA referees educated?

Education is paramount for referees, and this week's UEFA winter referee courses in Cyprus brought a wealth of technical and instruction sessions with a view to helping referees learn and progress. Educating and instructing referees is high on the list of UEFA's priorities within its programme for match officials, in particular the young referees just setting out on an international career.

UEFA refereeing officer Hugh Dallas and his Referees Committee colleague Vladimir Sajn have been hard at work in Cyprus this week, conducting a series of education sessions at the European body's winter courses. The aim is to help the match officials achieve the standards of quality that have made European referees respected across the game. "There is much more instruction for the young introductory course referees, because they have to know what UEFA expects from them, and owing to the importance of having a consistent application and interpretation of the Laws of the Game," said Dallas, a former top international referee himself. There is less instruction but more discussion on the advanced course, as the elite referees prepare for the second half of the club competition season. "We are seeing the young referees for the first time," said Dallas, "so we pay considerable attention to them on and off the field of play. We not only emphasise the need for consistency in the laws but also give advice on match management, because the top referees must be good man managers. We ask them to use their personality on the field, as well as how to manage specific incidents and the manner in which they should communicate with the players. In addition, while they should be themselves, they can also learn a great amount from our elite referees, so we demonstrate and give examples of how the top referees would act and react in given situations. This is achieved not only in the classroom but also on the field of play, where we had the young referees participating in practical exercises with players." A significant examination for referees at UEFA courses involves checking their knowledge of the Laws of the Game. "If unusual incidents take place on the field, then our officials must be ready to arrive at the correct decision," Dallas explained. "We also must ensure that the referees are up to date with the competition regulations as well. The young referees are tested on the basic Laws of the Game, and we also appreciate their national associations testing the referees on these laws in preparation for our courses".

Dedication is the key word for Dallas and Sajn in producing hundreds of match incidents that are shown to the referees to analyse and arrive at the correct decisions, which includes highlighting any changing trends that the match officials need to be aware of. "We have a network of TV spotters around Europe," said Dallas. "Their role is to highlight interesting match incidents from our top competitions, which are identified for educational purposes and forwarded to UEFA, where I and my colleague Vlado Sajn select the most interesting ones. These incidents are then used for our various courses throughout the year. This material is also produced for the national associations for their own needs, so it's a top-down educational programme. We will also produce material for the competing teams in the Euro 2016 final tournament in France, and prior to the commencement of the competition, every team will be visited by members of our Referees Committee to ensure that the players and coaches are aware of what guidelines our referees have been given. We did this prior to the Euro final tournaments in 2008 and 2012 with huge success, and I must say that the players responded excellently."

Dallas, like his colleagues within the UEFA refereeing structure, derives great pleasure from helping the young referees set off on their career path which, in some instances, takes them to the very top to officiate at major finals. "It's very rewarding," he reflected. "For example, when I came on to the Referees Committee, I was appointed to coach Howard Webb and Alberto Undiano from Spain, among others. I had the pleasure of working with them in their early years and it was great to witness them progress to the very top level. I feel you can always offer advice which can improve not only the individual referee but also the overall standards, and I think it is so important to have former experienced top referees passing on their wisdom and knowledge to new generations of young match officials".

Source: UEFA

UEFA referees face exciting challenges

UEFA has urged its top referees to reach even higher levels of excellence this spring and summer – and is showing young newcomers to the international list the qualities they need to progress along a successful career path. The European body's latest winter advanced and introductory courses for men and women referees in Limassol, Cyprus provide the key platform for briefing the match officials ahead of their coming assignments in, among others, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Women's Champions League. In addition, 18 elite men referees are stepping up their preparations for duty at UEFA Euro 2016 in France in June and July.

"The UEFA Referees Committee decided some years ago to offer courses which bring together elite men and women referees, and newcomers starting out on the international scene," Referees Committee chairman and UEFA first vice-president Ángel Villar Llona told the referees in Limassol. "This has brought excellent results. In particular, I would like to direct my words at the young referees who are new to the international game. It would be a shame to be among experienced international referees here, and not learn from them. Use every chance and every minute to learn from those with a lot of experience to offer." Villar Llona also congratulated the 18 match officials who have been selected to officiate at UEFA Euro 2016. "They face an important test this summer in taking charge of matches in the first EURO with 24 teams," he reflected. "This means that they can show the world how good they are, but it also carries a great responsibility in terms of preparation and training. And in February, already, the major European club competitions resume, and the success of these extraordinary events will also depend on the referees, men and women, who join the players as important actors in the matches. I urge everyone to prepare to face this challenge". The referees were also briefed about the UEFA Executive Committee's decision last month to introduce goal-line technology for UEFA Euro 2016, as well as for the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League from the play-offs onwards. The system will work alongside additional assistant referees, who will continue to monitor all activity in and around the penalty area.

UEFA chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina gave a presentation to the young international newcomers about what it takes to become a top referee. "You need talent, but talent is not enough," he explained. "Talent must be aligned to hard work, and courage, which is needed to take difficult decisions quickly under pressure in important matches with high stakes. You have to learn to cope with this pressure. Preparation is key", he added. "As an athlete, you must be in top physical condition. Tiredness means less lucidity and more chances to make a mistake, particularly at the end of a game. You should study the tactics of the teams you referee and the players who play for them. You must know the Laws of the Game and their correct interpretation. Learn from mistakes. Protect players from serious injury caused by reckless challenges, protect yourselves on the field, and protect the image of the game". 

Source: UEFA

Collina: “Assistant referees are checked for their shape”

Leading assistant referees have been in Cyprus this week for their latest UEFA course. UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina tells us about the role and training of assistant referees.

- What is the reason for bringing the assistant referees to Cyprus this week?

- Pierluigi Collina: To prepare for matches in UEFA competitions in the second half of the season and because we consider the contribution of assistant referees to be crucial. It is obviously important that referees are on top form, but they need assistant referees to be at the top of their game as well for a good overall performance.

- Does assistant referee training have its own specific characteristics?

- Collina: Absolutely. The training of assistant referees compared with referees is different in terms of physical preparation. We have training programmes and fitness tests that are specific to assistants. The focus is more on speed, in particular over short distances, as well as acceleration, agility, changing direction and sideways running. We put particular emphasis on training for offside incidents. We have created a special computer-based system for the assistants when they are back home, in which offside situations have been set up and they can practise taking the correct decisions.

- Good communication and teamwork between referees, assistant referees and additional assistant referees is essential. What work do you do with assistant referees?

- Collina: The assistants use the communication system at matches and they have to work out a way to be very fast, on time, clear and convincing in their communication. We give them guidelines and criteria, and it is part of their pre-match preparation with the referee and additional assistants to agree on what works best for the team in terms of communication during a match.

- You ask referees to prepare for matches by studying teams' tactics and players' characteristics. Do you make the same request to assistant referees?

- Collina: Yes. They should be fully prepared in knowing how teams play, because the way teams play defensively, for instance, can make each match completely different, especially regarding offside situations. We ask them to study players and know what they are likely to do on the field. For example, a player may be good with his left foot, but not so good with his right, so it may be more difficult for that player to make a long pass with his right foot. If assistants know this, they can often predict what a player will do next. It is one of their tasks to look ahead and prepare for what happens next.

- In addition to the UEFA referee fitness team in Cyprus, Werner Helsen and Koen Put, you have brought four assistant referee experts – Leif Lindberg, Philip Sharp, Giovanni Stevanato and Maciej Wierzbowski.

- Collina: It is important to bring onboard people who have had many years of experience on the field of play. Frankly, myself and the UEFA referee officers here, Hugh Dallas and Marc Batta, while we coach the referees, we can't give fully specialist help to assistant referees. I've never been an assistant referee in my life! So it's good to have former top assistants with us who have the knowledge and who bring additional value to our work.

- How has the role of the assistant referee changed over the years, especially in the high-level game?

- Collina: The speed of the game is the main change. Everything is done faster. This, and the ability of players to do difficult things very quickly, has made the job of the referees and assistants more demanding. But I must say that we are pleased with what we see from the assistants at matches, in training and in the tests. If you compare today with six, seven years ago, there is a huge difference in terms of image. The assistant referees are checked for their shape. For example, they are tested for body fat percentage, because this is important. If you are five kilos overweight, it is difficult for an assistant referee to be fast in running the line. 

- Some of the assistant referees also face a challenging summer because they will be part of the refereeing team at UEFA Euro 2016. What's the programme between now and then?

- Collina: For Euro we will have 18 referee teams – each consisting of a referee, two assistant referees, two additional assistant referees, and one assistant referee on standby for any possible problem that might occur between the end of February, when we make the announcement about the full referee teams selected for Euro 2016, and the beginning of the competition in June. So we are now hard at work preparing the specific Euro course which will take place in France in the third week of April. All the referee teams – referees, assistants and additional assistants – will be there. They will undergo fitness tests and review the application of the technical instructions they have received.

Source: UEFA