FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL (Matchday 7)

1 September 2016

Ecuador – Brazil
Referee: Enrique Caceres (PAR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Mario Diaz de Vivar (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Otalvaro Polanco (COL)

Colombia – Venezuela
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Fourth Official: Esteban Ostojich (URU)

Bolivia – Peru

Referee: Jose Argote (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Sanchez (VEN)
Fourth Official: Jose Hoyo (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Argentina – Uruguay
Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Barraza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Chirstian Schiemann (CHI)
Fourth Official: Jorge Osorio (CHI)

Paraguay – Chile

Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Dario Herrera (ARG)

International Friendly Matches

1-6 September 2016

Turkey – Russia
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)

Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Fourth Official: Alper Ulusoy (TUR)

Germany – Finland
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitry Zhuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleg Maslianka (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dzianis Shcharbakov (BLR)

Czech Republic – Armenia
Referee: Vladimír Vnuk (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Ondrej Brendza (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Michal Tomčík (SVK)

Estonia – Malta
Referee: Michael Tykgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Rix (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Niels Høg (DEN)
Fourth Official: Sten Klaasen (EST)

Norway – Belarus
Referee: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakob Bille (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jon Michael Knutsen (NOR)

Albania – Morocco
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Fourth Official: Enea Jorgji (ALB)

Denmark – Liechtenstein
Referee: Thoroddur Hjaltalín (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Frosti Gunnarsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Jens Maae (DEN)

Ireland – Oman
Referee: Demetrios Masias (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Marios Demetriades (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Ioannis Lazarou (CYP)

Italy – France
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)

Fourth Official: Richard Liesveld (NED)
VAR 1: Danny Makkelie (NED)
VAR 2: Pol van Boekel (NED)

Belgium – Spain
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)

Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frederic Haquette (FRA)
Fourth Official: Frank Schneider (FRA)

Portugal – Gibraltar
Referee: Erez Papir (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mahmud Mahagna (ISR)
Fourth Official: Joao Pinheiro (POR)

Netherlands – Greece
Referee: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ceyhun Sesigüzel (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kerem Ersoy (TUR)

Latvia – Luxembourg
Referee: Andrew Davey (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Donaldson (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Georgios Argyropoulos (NIR)
Fourth Official: Andris Treimanis (LVA)

Russia – Ghana
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Reza Mammadov (AZE)

FIFA to trial VAR in an international match

The Video Assistant Referee will be tested for the first time in an international match during the Italy - France friendly in Bari on 1 September 2016. The new technology has entered the experimental phase and Italy volunteered to have offline tests during the next two seasons. 
It is now confirmed the first use of FIFA VAR will be at the Stadio San Nicola in Bari, when Italy host France in a friendly on 1 September 2016. This means the assistant referee viewing video images will be in communication with the referee, without interrupting the game for replays. FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Vice-Secretary General Zvonimir Boban will be present at the match. It is hoped this pilot scheme will provide useful suggestions for the next sessions of VAR experimentation. “The FIGC is honoured to host the first experimentation of VAR in an international encounter,” said Federation President Carlo Tavecchio. “I thank FIFA and IFAB, with whom we have a constant rapport. Italy are on the front line of the process of modernising football, which was inaugurated by President Infantino, and the start of experimentation off-line in Serie A from October is a clear example”. 
There will be a press conference on 2 September 2016, at the Stadio San Nicola in Bari, to present the findings, including international referee Bjorn Kuipers, who will officiate the Italy - France match, and a representative of Hawk-Eye Innovations. 

Source: FIGC

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2016


Jordan, 30 September - 21 October 2016

AFC
Referee: Kate Jacewicz (AUS, 1985, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Renae Coghill (AUS, 1979)
Assistant Referee 2: Uvena Fernandes (IND, 1981)

Referee: Park Ji Yeong (KOR, 1981)
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Seul Gi (KOR, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Liang Jianping (CHN, 1977)

Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN, 1986)
Assistant Referee 1: Thi Truong (VIE, 1984)
Assistant Referee 2: Maiko Hagio (JPN, 1979)

CAF
Referee: Aissata Amegee (TGO, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Josiane Mbakop (CMR, 1979)
Assistant Referee 2: Fanta Kone (MLI, 1990)

Referee: Ledya Tafesse (ETH, 1980)

CONCACAF
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (CAN, 1982)
Assistant Referee 1: Princess Brown (JAM, 1986)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephanie Yee Sing (JAM, 1986)


Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA, 1987)

Assistant Referee 1: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA, 1988)
Assistant Referee 2: Deleana Quan (USA, 1984)

Referee: Mirian Leon (SLV, 1986)
Assistant Referee 1: Thelma Beltran (SLV, 1987)
Assistant Referee 2: Yudilia Briones (MEX, 1986)

CONMEBOL
Referee: Laura Fortunato (ARG, 1985)
Assistant Referee 1: Daiana Milone (ARG, 1988)
Assistant Referee 2: Leslie Vasquez (CHI, 1987)

Referee: Regildenia Moura (BRA, 1974)
Assistant Referee 1: Tatiane Sacilotti (BRA, 1986)
Assistant Referee 2: Nilda Gamarra (PAR, 1977)

Referee: Yeimy Martinez (COL, 1981)
Assistant Referee 1: Luzmila Gonzalez (COL, 1978)
Assistant Referee 2: Liliana Bejarano (BOL, 1978)

OFC
Referee: Finau Vulivuli (FIJ, 1982)

UEFA
Referee: Esther Azzopardi (MLT, 1981)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucia Abruzzese (ITA, 1976)

Assistant Referee 2: Kylie McMullan (SCO, 1988)

Referee: Sandra Braz (POR, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Susanne Kung (SUI, 1988)

Assistant Referee 2: Nicolet Bakker (NED, 1984)

Referee: Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS, 1981)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Kurochkina (RUS, 1986)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandra Ardasheva (UKR, 1987)

Referee: Olga Zadinova (CZE, 1985)
Assistant Referee 1: Slavomira Majkuthova (SVK, 1979)
Assistant Referee 2: Katarzyna Wojs (POL, 1984)

Reserve Referee (AFC)
Oh Hyeon Jeong (KOR, 1988)

Is the new FIFA fitness test more demanding?

Last year, FIFA removed the age limits for international referees, so 2016 allowed again match officials over 45 to be nominated and accepted on the FIFA List. In exchange for that concession, FIFA decided to make the fitness tests more demanding. The format is similar, but the reference times have changed. The rest time between each set of 40 metres sprints was reduced from 90 to 60 seconds and the intervals were reduced in half: the running distance (from 150 to 75 meters), the running time (from 30 to 15 seconds), the rest distance (from 50 to 25 meters) and the rest time (from 30 to 15 seconds). The minimum number of laps remains unchanged: 10.
For speed, there is no doubt: the new 60-second recovery time between the sprints make the test more difficult. Just enough time to walk from the finish line back to the start. It affects the “explosive” referees more and those who are "diesel" less, as they are able to do many sets at the same rate. There is more debate with respect to the interval test. The first argument is that it should be easier, as runners are always faster over four sets of 500 m with a minute rest than two sets of 1000 m with two or even three minutes of rest. However, this clashes with the reality of the new testing sessions. Why is it a little harder? First of all, because the number of intervals has doubled. This involves another handicap: although 150 m appears the same as two 75 m intervals, it is actually not, as the 150 m interval includes one start, while two intervals of 75 m include two starts. Then there is the issue of "safety margin". Nobody likes to risk a "caution" and the referees always try to arrive in the “finish area” one second before the whistle. That means the referees used to run in 29 seconds, while the new test forces them to do it at 14 s, but 14 plus 14 is 28, which means a higher rate. Psychologically, it also becomes harder, but this is only for weak minds. Although it remains 10 laps, now there are 40 starts, 40 beeps and 40 "finishes". There is not enough time even to tell a joke during the rest time. Simply, it is a bit more demanding. Therefore, referees have to train a little more.

Referee categories

According to the 2010 FIFA Regulations on the Organisation of Refereeing, the number of Referee categories shall correspond to the number of football levels the Member Association has. The top four categories should be composed as follows:
a) Category 1: Referees who officiate in the professional competitions organised by the Member Association (or whose organisation is delegated to a professional league).
b) Category 2: Referees who officiate in the semi-professional and amateur competitions organised at national level.
c) Category 3: Referees who officiate in the competitions organised at regional or provincial level.
d) Category 4: Referees who officiate in grassroots and youth competitions.

In the 2016 FIFA Fitness Tests document, the referees are split into new categories:
a) International: FIFA referees and assistant referees.
b) Category 1: Referees who officiate in the professional competitions organised by the Member Association (or whose organisation is delegated to a professional league).
c) Category 2: Referees who officiate in the semi-professional and amateur competitions organised at national level.
d) Lower categories: Referees who officiate in the competitions organised at regional or provincial 
level, grassroots and youth competitions.

Referees (men and women)


From 2010 to 2015, the official fitness test for football referees consisted of two tests. Test 1, Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA), measures the referee’s ability to perform repeated sprints over 40 m. Test 2, Interval Test, evaluates the referee’s capacity to perform a series of high-speed runs over 150 m interspersed with 50 m walking intervals.



In 2016, Test 1, Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA), has been kept, but with more demanding reference times. Test 2, Interval Test, was changed to a series of high-speed runs over 75 m interspersed with 25 m walking intervals. The time between the end of Test 1 and the start of Test 2 should be 6 to 8 minutes maximum.


Test 1 (RSA, 40 m)
2015 Reference times for men referees
1. Category 1: 6.20 seconds per trial
2. Category 2: 6.40 seconds per trial
3. Category 3 and 4: 6.60 seconds per trial

2016 Reference times for men referees
1. International and category 1: 6.00 seconds per trial
2. Category 2: 6.10 seconds per trial
3. Lower categories: 6.20 seconds per trial

2015 Reference times for women referees
1. Category 1: 6.60 seconds per trial
2. Category 2, 3 and 4: 6.80 seconds per trial

2016 Reference times for women referees
1. International and category 1: 6.40 seconds per trial
2. Category 2: 6.50 seconds per trial
3. Lower categories: 6.60 seconds per trial

Test 2 (Intervals, 150 m/50 m)
2015 Reference times for men referees
1. Category 1: 30 seconds per 150 m run and 35 seconds per 50 m walk
2. Category 2: 30 seconds per 150 m run and 40 seconds per 50 m walk
3. Category 3 and 4: 35 seconds per 150 m run and 40 seconds per 50 m walk

Test 2 (Intervals 75 m/25 m)
2016 Reference times for men referees
1. International and category 1: 15 seconds per 75 m run and 18 seconds per 25 m walk
2. Category 2: 15 seconds per 75 m run 20 seconds per 25 m walk
3. Lower categories: 15 seconds per 75 m run and 22 seconds per 25 m walk

2015 Reference times for women referees
1. Category 1: 35 seconds per 150 m run and 40 seconds per 50 m walk
2. Category 2, 3 and 4: 35 seconds per 150 m run and 45 seconds per 50 m walk

2016 Reference times for women referees
1. International and category 1: 17 seconds per 75 m run and 20 seconds per 25 m walk
2. Category 2: 17 seconds per 75 m run and 22 seconds per 25 m walk
3. Lower categories: 17 seconds per 75 m run and 24 seconds per 25 m walk

Assistant Referees (men and women)

From 2010 to 2015, the official fitness test for assistant referees consisted of two tests. Test 1, Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA), measures the referee’s ability to perform repeated sprints over 40 m. Test 2, Interval Test, evaluates the referee’s capacity to perform a series of high-speed runs over 150 m interspersed with 50 m walking intervals.
In 2016, the Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA), became Test 2 and was changed to repeated sprints over 30 m. The Interval Test became Test 3 and was changed to a series of high-speed runs over 75 m interspersed with 25 m walking intervals. In addition, a new test (Test 1) has been introduced, Change of Direction Ability (CODA), to assesses the assistant referee’s ability to change direction. The time between the end of Test 1 and the start of Test 2 should be 2 to 4 minutes maximum. The time between the end of Test 2 and the start of Test 3 should be 6 to 8 minutes maximum.


Test 1
2016 Reference times for men assistant referees (CODA)
1. International and category 1: 10.00 seconds per trial
2. Category 2: 10.10 seconds per trial
3. Lower categories: 10.20 seconds per trial

Test 2
2015 Reference times for men assistant referees (RSA, 40 m)
1. Category 1: 6.00 seconds per trial
2. Category 2: 6.20 seconds per trial
3. Category 3 and 4: 6.40 seconds per trial

2016 Reference times for men assistant referees (RSA, 30 m)
1. International and category 1: 4.70 seconds per trial
2. Category 2: 4.80 seconds per trial
3. Lower categories: 4.90 seconds per trial

Test 3 (Intervals, 150 m/50 m)
2015 Reference times for men assistant referees
1. Category 1: 30 seconds per 150 m run and 40 seconds per 50 m walk
2. Category 2: 30 seconds per 150 m and 50 seconds per 50 m walk
3. Category 3 and 4: 35 seconds per 150 m run and 50 seconds per 50 m walk

Test 3 (Intervals, 75 m/25 m)
2016 Reference times for men assistant referees
1. International and category 1: 15 seconds per 75 m run and 20 seconds per 25 m walk
2. Category 2: 15 seconds per 75 m run and 22 seconds per 25 m walk
3. Lower categories: 15 seconds per 75 m run and 24 seconds per 25 m walk

Test 1
2016 Reference times for women assistant referees (CODA)
1. International and category 1: 11.00 seconds per trial
2. Category 2: 11.10 seconds per trial
3. Lower categories: 11.20 seconds per trial

Test 2
2015 Reference times for women assistant referees (RSA, 40 m)
1. Category 1: 6.40 seconds per trial
2. Category 2, 3 and 4: 6.60 seconds per trial

2016 Reference times for women assistant referees (RSA, 30 m)
1. International and category 1: 5.10 seconds per trial
2. Category 2: 5.20 seconds per trial
3. Lower categories: 5.30 seconds per trial

Test 3 (Intervals, 150 m/50 m)
2015 Reference times for women assistant referees
1. Category 1: 35 seconds per 150 m run and 45 seconds per 50 m walk
2. Category 2, 3 and 4: 35 seconds per 150 m run and 50 seconds per 50 m walk

Test 3 (Intervals, 75 m/25 m)
2016 Reference times for women assistant referees
1. International and category 1: 17 seconds per 75 m run and 22 seconds per 25 m walk
2. Category 2: 17 seconds per 75 m run and 24 seconds per 25 m walk
3. Lower categories: 17 seconds per 75 m run and 26 seconds per 25 m walk


Futsal referees and Beach soccer referees


The FIFA fitness test for futsal referees and beach soccer referees consists of three tests, but the types of runs have changed significantly. From 2010 until 2015, Test 1 measured the endurance for an extended match of two 20-minute halves, Test 2 measured speed and ability to accelerate and decelerate over short distances, Test 3 measured the ability to change direction quickly and use different and match-specific types of runs.

Test 1 (1,000 m)
2015 Reference times for men referees:
a) International: 1,000 m in 4 minutes
b) Other categories: 1,000 m in 4 minutes and 10 seconds

2015 Reference times for women referees:
a) International: 1,000 m in 4 minutes and 10 seconds
b) Other categories: 1,000 m in 4 minutes and 20 seconds

Test 2 (4 x 10 m)
2015 Reference times for men referees:
a) International: 4 x 10 m (40 m) in 10 seconds
b) Other categories: 4 x 10 m (40 m) in 11 seconds

2015 Reference times for women referees:
a) International: 4 x 10 m (40 m) in 11 seconds
b) Other categories: 4 x 10 m (40 m) in 12 seconds

Test 3: (Agility)
2015 Reference times for men referees:
a) International: 30 m/10 m/10 m/10 m/20 m in 20.5 seconds
b) Other categories: 30 m/10 m/10 m/10 m/20 m in 21.5 seconds

2015 Reference times for women referees:
a) International: 30 m/10 m/10 m/10 m/20 m in 21.5 seconds
b) Other categories: 30 m/10 m/10 m/10 m/20 m in 22.5 seconds



The 2016 fitness test for futsal referees and beach soccer referees consists of three tests. Test 1, Speed, measures the referee’s maximum speed over 20 metres. Test 2, CODA, assesses the referee’s ability to change direction. Test 3, ARIET, measures the referee’s capacity to perform repeated forwards and sideways running bouts over a prolonged period. The time between the end of Test 1 and the start of Test 2 should be 2 to 4 minutes. The time between the end of Test 2 and the start of Test 3 should be 6 to 8 minutes.

Test 1 (Speed, 20 m)
2016 Reference times for men futsal and beach soccer referees
1. International and category 1: 3.30 seconds per trial
2. Lower categories: 3.40 seconds per trial

2016 Reference times for women futsal and beach soccer referees
1. International and category 1: 3.60 seconds per trial
2. Lower categories: 3.70 seconds per trial

Test 2 (CODA)
2016 Reference times for men futsal and beach soccer referees
1. International and category 1: 10.00 seconds per trial
2. Lower categories: 10.10 seconds per trial

2016 Reference times for women futsal and beach soccer referees
1. International and category 1: 11.00 seconds per trial
2. Lower categories: 11.10 seconds per trial

Test 3 (ARIET)
2016 Reference times for men futsal and beach soccer referees
1. International and category 1: level 15.5-3 / 1,275 metres
2. Lower categories: level 15-3 / 1,170 metres

2016 Reference times for women futsal and beach soccer referees
1. International and category 1: level 14-8 / 975 metres
2. Lower categories: level 14-3 / 820 metres

UEFA Europa League – Play-offs (Second Leg)

25 August 2016

Grasshopper Zürich – Fenerbahçe
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Kevin Blom (NED)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Qarabağ FK – IFK Göteborg
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Valeri Danchenko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Kirill Levnikov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Michael Ross (NIR)

Slovan Liberec – AEK Larnaca
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Mario Zebec (CRO)
Referee Observer: Gaetano De Gabriele (SMR)

Brøndby IF – Panathinaikos FC
Referee: Oliver Drachta (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Kuehr (AUT)
Fourth Official: Manuel Schuettengruber (AUT)
Referee Observer: Hans Reijgwart (NED)

Rosenborg BK – Austria Wien
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Child (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Fourth Official: Lee Mason (ENG)
Referee Observer: Zdravko Jokić (SRB)

FK Partizani – FC Krasnodar
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Rix (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sorensen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Michael Tykgaard (DEN)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Anderlecht – Slavia Praha
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: Kevin Friend (ENG)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

Sparta Praha – Sonderjyske
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Sean Carr (SCO)
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Draženko Kovačić (CRO)

PAOK FC – Dinamo Tbilisi
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

Shkëndija – KAA Gent
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Vuoto (ITA)
Fourth Official: Marco Guida (ITA)
Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)

Bate Borisov – FC Astana
Referee: Tony Chapron (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Philippe Jeanne (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandre Viala (FRA)
Fourth Official: Mikaël Lesage (FRA)
Referee Observer: Andrejs Sipailo (LVA)

AZ Alkmaar – FK Vojvodina
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Häcker (GER)
Fourth Official: Robert Kampka (GER)
Referee Observer: Alan Snoddy (NIR)

KRC Genk – Lokomotiva Zagreb
Referee: John Beaton (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Douglas Potter (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Graham Chambers (SCO)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Walsh (SCO)
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

Osmanlispor – Midtjylland
Referee: Ievgenii Aranovskyi (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sergii Bekker (UKR)
Fourth Official: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

SC Maribor – Qäbälä FK
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: György Ring (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Tóth (HUN)
Fourth Official: Tamás Bognár (HUN)
Referee Observer: Igor Ischenko (UKR)

Hajduk Split – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Brand (GER)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

Crvena Zvezda – Sassuolo Calcio
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Canelo Prieto (ESP)
Fourth Official: Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva (ESP)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

AS Saint Étienne – Beitar Jerusalem
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazović (SVN)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP)

Olympiacos – FC Arouca
Referee: Aleksei Eskov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitri Mosiakin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Dani Koren (ISR)

West Ham United – Astra Giurgiu
Referee: Manuel Gräfe (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Pickel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Holger Henschel (GER)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

Shakhtar Donetsk – İstanbul Başakşehir
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Balko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomas Somolani (SVK)
Fourth Official: Peter Kralovic (SVK)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

Rapid Wien – AS Trenčín
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Marjan Kirovski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dejan Jakimovski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn (GER)

Recopa Sudamericana 2016 (Second Leg)

25 August 2016

River Plate – Santa Fe
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Coty Carrera (PER)
Fourth Official: Miguel Santivanez (PER)
Referee Assessor: Wilson Seneme (BRA)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

23 August 2016
Alianza FC – Antigua GFC
Referee: John Pitti (PAN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Victoria (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Fourth Official: Oscar Davila (NCA)

Vancouver Whitecaps – Sporting KC
Referee: Erick Miranda (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Hernandez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Roberto Garcia (MEX)

Pachuca – Police United
Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Anderson (USA)
Fourth Official: Mark Geiger (USA)

24 August 2016
Don Bosco – Arabe Unido
Referee: Sandy Vasquez (DOM)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Walter Cid (DOM)
Fourth Official: Hector Rodriguez (HON)

Tigres – Plaza Amador
Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Mangandi (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: David Moran (SLV)
Fourth Official: Jonathan Polanco (GUA)

Real Esteli – FC Dallas

Referee: Jaime Herrera (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: William Torres (SLV)

Fourth Official: Henry Bejarano (CRC)

25 August 2016
CD Dragon – Saprissa
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcos Quintero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Salvador Rodriguez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jose Penaloza (MEX)

W Connection – H Progreso
Referee: Baldomero Toledo (USA)

UEFA Women’s Champions League – Qualifying Round

23-28 August 2016

PK35 – Futebol Benfica
Referee: Petra Chuda (SVK, photo)

Sarajevo – Ramat Hasharon
Referee: Esther Azzopardi (MLT)

Olimpia Cluj – Pärnu Jalgpalliklubi 

Referee: Marte Soro (NOR)

Avaldsnes – Newry City Ladies
Referee: Kateryna Zora (UKR)

Gintra – ARF Criuleni
Referee: Eleni Antoniou (GRE)

NSA Sofia – Cardiff Met
Referee: Vivian Peeters (NED)

Apollon – KÍ ĺtrottarfelag
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)

Zürich – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Lorraine Clark (SCO)

Standard – Minsk
Referee: Sofia Karagiorgi (CYP)

Kharkiv – Rīgas Futbola Skola
Referee: Zuzana Valentová (SVK)

Medyk Konin – ŽFK Breznica
Referee: Julia-Stefanie Baier (AUT)

Konak – Hibernians
Referee: Barbara Poxhofer (AUT)

Twente – Ferencváros
Referee: Eleni Lampadariou (GRE)

Spartak Subotica – Breidablik
Referee: Zuzana Kováčová (SVK)

Osijek – Dragon
Referee: Marta Frias Acedo (ESP)

PAOK – WFC Hajvalia
Referee: Karolina Radzik-Johan (POL)

BIIK Kazygurt – Wexford Youths
Referee: Florence Guillemin (FRA)

Pomurje – Vllaznia
Referee: Ana Minić (SRB)

Olimpia Cluj – ŽFK Breznica
Referee: Elvira Nurmustafina (KAZ)

WFC Ramat Hasharon – WFC Kharkiv
Referee: Zuzana Valentová (SVK)

CF Benfica – Avaldsnes IL
Referee: Kateryna Zora (UKR)

BIIK Kazygurt – ARF Criuleni
Referee: Désirée Grundbacher (SUI)

Breidablik – NSA Sofia
Referee: Vivian Peeters (NED)

KÍ ĺtrottarfelag – PAOK Thessaloniki
Referee: Karolina Radzik-Johan (POL)

Zürich Frauen – Vllaznia
Referee: Olga Tereshko (BLR)

Standard Liège – ŽFK Dragon
Referee: Maria Marotta (ITA)

Sarajevo WFC – Rīgas Futbola Skola
Referee: Marta Huerta De Aza (ESP)

PK35 Vantaa – Newry City Ladies
Referee: Dimitrina Milkova (BUL)

Pärnu Jalgpalliklubi – Medyk Konin
Referee: Julia-Stefanie Baier (AUT)

FC Twente – FC Hibernians
Referee: Tess Olofsson (SWE)

Ferencvárosi TC – Belediyespor Konak
Referee: Barbara Poxhofer (AUT)

ZFK Spartak Subotica – Cardiff Met Ladies
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)

Wexford Youths – Gintra Universitetas
Referee: Eleni Antoniou (GRE)

ZFK Minsk – ŽNK Osijek
Referee: Marta Frias Acedo (ESP)

Apollon Ladies – WFC Hajvalia
Referee: Yuliya Larionova (AZE)

Slovan Bratislava – ŽNK Pomurje
Referee: Ana Minić (SRB)

Newry City Ladies – CF Benfica
Referee: Dimitrina Milkova (BUL)

Avaldsnes IL – PK35 Vantaa
Referee: Petra Chudá (SVK)

NSA Sofia – Spartak Subotica
Referee: Zuzana Kováčová (SVK)


ARF Criuleni – Wexford Youths
Referee: Désirée Grundbacher (SUI)

Gintra Universitetas – BIIK Kazygurt
Referee: Florence Guillemin (FRA)

Cardiff Met Ladies – Breidablik

Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)

Hibernians FC – Ferencvárosi TC
Referee: Tess Olofsson (SWE)

Konak Belediyespor – FC Twente
Referee: Eleni Lampadariou (GRE)

PAOK Thessaloniki – Apollon Ladies
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)

WFC Hajvalia – ĺtrottarfelag KÍ

Referee: Yuliya Larionova (AZE)

ŽNK Pomurje – FC Zürich Frauen
Referee: Lorraine Clark (SCO)

Vllaznia – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Olga Tereshko (BLR)

ŽFK Dragon – ZFK Minsk
Referee: Maria Marotta (ITA)

WFC Kharkiv – SFK Sarajevo
Referee: Esther Azzopardi (MLT)

Rīgas Futbola Skola – WFC Ramat Hasharon
Referee: Marta Huerta De Aza (ESP)

Medyk Konin – Olimpia Cluj
Referee: Marte Soro (NOR)

ŽFK Breznica – Pärnu Jalgpalliklubi
Referee: Elvira Nurmustafina (KAZ)

ŽNK Osijek – Standard Liège

Referee: Sofia Karagiorgi (CYP)

Copa Sudamericana – Second Stage (First Leg)

Image result for roberto tobar
23 August 2016
La Guaira – Emelec
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Orellana (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: José Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Patricio Polic (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Adrián Gómez (VEN)

Banfield – San Lorenzo
Referee: Luiz De Oliveira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guilherme Dias (BRA)
Fourth Official: Dewson Freitas (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Coradina (ARG)

Blooming – Junior
Referee: Jonathan Fuentes (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Fourth Official: Leodán Gonzalez (URU)
Referee Assessor: Pedro Saucedo (BOL)

24 August 2016
Real Garcilaso – Palestino
Referee: Raúl Orosco (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Montaño (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: José Antelo (BOL)
Fourth Official: José Jordan (BOL)
Referee Assessor: Ana Pérez (PER)

Cerro Porteño – Real Potosí
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Yupanqui (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Braulio Cornejo (PER)
Fourth Official: Joel Alarcón (PER)
Referee Assessor: Manuel Bernal (PAR)

Bolivar – Atlético Nacional

Referee: Enrique Cáceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zorilla (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Cañete (PAR)
Fourth Official: José Mendez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Freddy Vilty (BOL)

Independiente Medellín – Sportivo Luqueño
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Diego Lara (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Otalvaro Polanco (COL)

Estudiantes – Belgrano
Referee: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Eber Aquino (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Rodolfo Otero (ARG)

Figueirense – Flamengo
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolás Tarán (URU)
Fourth Official: Óscar Rojas (URU)
Referee Assessor: Nilson Moncao (BRA)

Santa Cruz – Sport Recife
Referee: Julio Bascuñán (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Barraza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Fourth Official: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Milton Otaviano (BRA)

25 August 2016
Cuiabá – Chapecoense
Referee: Jorge Baliño (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovksy (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Navarro (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Alicio Peña (BRA)

Lanús – Independiente
Referee: Wilmar Roldán (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Clavijo (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John León (COL)
Fourth Official: Juan Pontón (COL)
Referee Assessor: Luis Pasturenzi (ARG)

Zamora – Wanderers
Referee: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pericles Cortez (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Bernardo Corujo (VEN)

Sol de América – Sport Huancayo
Referee: Germán Delifno (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Lucas Germanotta (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Espinoza (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Joel Ruiz (PAR)

Vitoria – Coritiba
Referee: José Argote (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Francheskoly Chacón (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Elbis Gómez (VEN)
Fourth Official: Marlon Escalante (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Manoel Serapiao (BRA)

UEFA Champions League – Play-Offs (Second Leg)

23 August 2016
AS Roma – FC Porto
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL, photo)
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: Christakis Skapoullis (CYP)

Hapoel Beer Sheva – Celtic FC
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rob van de Ven (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Charles Schaap (NED)
Additional AR 1: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Additional AR 2: Dennis Higler (NED)
Fourth Official: Patrick Langkamp (NED)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

Viktoria Plzeň – Ludogorets Razgrad
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Carlos Clós Gomez (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: Miguel Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)

AS Monaco – Villarreal
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

Legia Warszawa – Dundalk FC
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR)
Additional AR 1: Svein-Erik Edvartsen (NOR)
Additional AR 2: Tore Hansen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Jan Erik Engan (NOR)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

24 August 2016
Apoel Nicosia – FC Kobenhavn
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Davide Massa (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega (ESP)

Rostov – Ajax
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: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Referee Observer: Jozef Marko (SVK)

Manchester City – Steaua Bucureşti
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: Horst Brummeier (AUT)

FC Salzburg – Dinamo Zagreb
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: Andrew Dallas (SCO)
Fourth Official: Stuart Stevenson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Oguz Sarvan (TUR)

Borussia Mönchengladbach – Young Boys
Referee: Andre Marriner (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Beck (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Robert Madley (ENG)
Fourth Official: Harry Lennard (ENG)
Referee Observer: Jorn West Larsen (DEN)

Olympic Games Final 2016 (Men): Faghani (IRN)

20 August 2016

Gold Medal Match
Brazil – Germany
Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Reza Sokhandan (IRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammadreza Mansouri (IRN)
Fourth Official: Malang Diedhiou (SEN)
Reserve AR: Djibril Camara (SEN)
Referee Assessor: Esfandiar Baharmast (USA)



Bronze Medal Match
Honduras – Nigeria
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Reserve AR: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)
Referee Assessor: Jacqueline Leleu (AUS)

Olympic Games Final 2016 (Women): Chenard (CAN)

19 August 2016

Gold Medal Match
Germany – Sweden
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Marie-Josee Charbonneau (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Suzanne Morisset (CAN)
Fourth Official: Olga Miranda (PAR)
Reserve AR: Yoleida Lara (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Dagmar Damkova (CZE)



Bronze Medal Match
Brazil – Canada
Referee: Teodora Albon (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Sukenikova (SVK)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Reserve AR: Sanja Rodak (CRO)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Alarcon (PAR)

UEFA Europa League – Play-offs (First Leg)

17-18 August 2016

Beitar Jerusalem – AS Saint Etienne
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Fourth Official: Paul Tierney (ENG)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

FC Astana – Bate Borisov
Referee: Sébastien Delferiere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny (BEL)
Fourth Official: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

Dinamo Tbilisi – PAOK FC
Referee: Liran Liany (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: David Bitton (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Nissan Davidy (ISR)
Fourth Official: Menashe Masiah (ISR)
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev (BUL)

Sonderjyske – Sparta Praha

Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kemal Yilmaz (TUR)
Fourth Official: Barış Şimşek (TUR)
Referee Observer: Michel Vautrot (FRA)

FC Krasnodar – FK Partizani
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytautas Šimkus (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)
Referee Observer: Niklas Lídarenda (FRO)

Midtjylland – Osmanlıspor

Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Cristian Balaj (ROU)
Referee Observer: Manuel López Fernández (ESP)

Maccabi Tel Aviv – Hajduk Split
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Ángel Nevado Rodríguez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: José Fernández Miranda (ESP)
Fourth Official: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

IFK Göteborg – Qarabağ FK
Referee: Paweł Raczkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Radosław Siejka (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Michal Obukowicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Qäbälä FK – NK Maribor
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Vitali Malyutin (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleg Maslyanko (BLR)
Fourth Official: Denis Scherbakov (BLR)
Referee Observer: Sergey Zuev (RUS)

Slavia Praha – Anderlecht
Referee: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Nilsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Referee Observer: Luciano Luci (ITA)

Austria Wien – Rosenborg

Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frédéric Haquette (FRA)
Fourth Official: François Letexier (FRA)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

AEK Larnaca – Slovan Liberec
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Frank Schneider (FRA)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

İstanbul Başakşehir – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Francisco Martín (ESP)
Fourth Official: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
Referee Observer: László Vagner (HUN)

Lokomotiva Zagreb – KRC Genk
Referee: Tamás Bognar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Zsolt Varga (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Balázs Buzás (HUN)
Fourth Official: Péter Solymosi (HUN)
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytiä (FIN)

Panathinaikos – Brondby
Referee: István Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: István Albert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Berettyán (HUN)
Fourth Official: Zsolt Szabó (HUN)
Referee Observer: Vasily Melnychuk (UKR)

Fenerbahçe SK – Grasshoppers Zürich
Referee: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Riedel (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Gutschi (AUT)
Fourth Official: Rene Eisner (AUT)
Referee Observer: Patrick Kelly (IRL)

FK Vojvodina – AZ Alkmaar
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Paulius Malzinskas (LTU)

Astra Giurgiu – West Ham United
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: João Pinheiro (POR)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

KAA Gent – KF Shkëndija
Referee: Serhiy Boiko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Igor Alokhin (UKR)
Fourth Official: Oleksandr Derdo (UKR)
Referee Observer: Gudmunder Jónsson (ISL)

Sassuolo Calcio – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Dave Goossens (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Fourth Official: Dennis Higler (NED)
Referee Observer: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

FC Arouca – Olympiacos
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovacic (SVN)
Fourth Official: Roberto Ponis (SVN)
Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel (GER)

AS Trenčín – Rapid Wien
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Nilsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Antonio Almeida Costa (POR)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

16 August 2016
Central FC – Sporting Kansas City
Referee: Henry Bejarano (CRC, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Warner Castro (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero (CRC)


Alianza FC – New York Red Bulls
Referee: Oscar Moncada (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Oscar Velazquez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Omar Leiva (HON)
Fourth Official: Raul Castro (HON)

Olimpia – Police United
Referee: Jonathan Polanco (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ronaldo De La Cruz (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Geovany Garcia (SLV)

Fourth Official: Joel Aguilar (SLV)

17 August 2016
Monterrey – Arabe Unido
Referee: Mario Escobar (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Diaz (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rene Ochoa (GUA)

Fourth Official: Oscar Reyna (GUA)

Herediano – Tigres
Referee: Marlon Mejia (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Bermudez (SLV) 

Fourth Official: Jaime Herrera (SLV)

18 August 2016
Suchitepequez – Real Esteli
Referee: Ricangel DeLeca (ARU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Washington (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Eugene Farro (ARU)
Fourth Official: Valdin Legister (JAM)

Pumas – Progreso
Referee: Jose Kellys (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Hermenerito Leal (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Henry Pupiro (NCA)
Fourth Official: John Pitti (PAN)

Saprissa – Dragon
Referee: Mathieu Bourdeau (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Philippe Briere (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Hurd (USA)
Fourth Official: David Gantar (CAN)

Olympic Games (Men) – Semi-finals

17 August 2016

Brazil – Honduras
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Sovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Fahad Al-Mirdasi (KSA)
Reserve AR: Abdulah Al-Shalwai (KSA)
Referee Assessor: Dagmar Damkova (CZE)

Nigeria – Germany
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Reserve AR: Pau Cebrian Devís (ESP)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Alarcon (PAR)

UEFA Champions League – Play-offs (First Leg)

16 August 2016
Steaua Bucureşti – Manchester City
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Carmine Russo (ITA)
Fourth Official: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Zbigniew Przesmycki (POL)

FC Kobenhavn – Apoel Nicosia

Referee: Pavel Královec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Slyško (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivo Nadvorník (CZE)
Additional AR 1: Petr Ardeleanu (CZE)
Additional AR 2: Karel Hrubeš (CZE)
Fourth Official: Tomas Mokrusch (CZE)
Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)

AFC Ajax – FC Rostov
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Bobby Madden (SCO)
Additional AR 2: John Beaton (SCO)
Fourth Official: Alastair Mather (SCO)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernández Marín (ESP)

Dinamo Zagreb – FC Salzburg

Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Damianos Efthimiadis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Additional AR 1: Charambalos Kalogeropoulos (GRE)
Additional AR 2: Alexandros Aretopoulos (GRE)
Fourth Official: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Young Boys – Borussia Mönchengladbach
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: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Fourth Official: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Referee Observer: Peter Jones (ENG)

17 August 2016
Ludogorets Razgrad – Viktoria Plzeň
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Jake Collin (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Andre Marriner (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Lee Mason (ENG)
Fourth Official: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

Celtic FC – Hapoel Beer Sheva
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Matej Jug (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Dragoslav Peric (SVN)
Fourth Official: Tomaz Klancnik (SVN)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

FC Porto – AS Roma
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: William Young (SCO)

Dundalk FC – Legia Warszawa
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: Benjamin Brand (GER)
Fourth Official: Jan Seidel (GER)
Referee Observer: Rodger Gifford (WAL)

Villarreal CF – AS Monaco
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Additional AR 1: Marco Fritz (GER)
Additional AR 2: Robert Hartmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Referee Observer: Kaj Natri (FIN)

Olympic Games (Women) – Semi-finals

16 August 2016

Brazil – Sweden
Referee: Lucila Venegas (MEX, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mayte Chavez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Reserve AR: Mariana Almeida (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Dagmar Damkova (CZE)

Canada – Germany
Referee: Ri Hyang Ok (PRK)
Assistant Referee 1: Hong Kum Nyo (PRK)
Assistant Referee 2: Allyson Flynn (AUS)
Fourth Official: Maria Carvajal (CHI)
Reserve AR: Yongmei Cui (CHN)
Referee Assessor: Jacqueline Leleu (AUS)

The first Video Assistant Referee decision in football history

The video replay was officially introduced in competitive play as the United Soccer League, via two MLS reserve teams, became the first North American league to utilize FIFA's video assistant referee (VAR) initiative during the course of a league match. Once in each half, head referee Ismail Elfath made use of the video screen behind the goal, which was manned by review assistants. In both instances, Elfath needed just a few moments to communicate with the VAR, located in a mobile truck on Red Bull Arena property. And both times, Elfath and the VAR – on this night it was PRO referee Allen Chapman who oversaw the technology – worked together to make a clear, precise call. The VAR automatically reviews every goal, every red card and all penalties, and communicates directly with the head referee, who ultimately decides whether to resort to the monitor. 
The first use of the VAR on Friday came in the 36th minute: Orlando’s Conor Donovan fouled Junior Flemings right near the 18-yard line, just as the young New York forward was heading in on goal. Within moments of the foul being whistled by Elfath, Chapman communicated with the referee. “The VAR first had to identify if it was a penalty kick or a free kick outside the box, looking at both some pulling and a trip," David Elleray, the Technical Director of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), told MLSsoccer.com after the match. "Initially, Elfath correctly called the foul outside the box, which was upheld by the replay.” Elfath needed just one camera angle and a handful of seconds to review the replay himself, as well as some simple communication with Chapman, to make the call. He decided on a foul outside the box and a straight red card to Donovan for denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
In the other instance in the 82nd minute, Elfath also employed video review to determine that Orlando City B defender Kyle McFadden’s challenge on a 50-50 ball was not worthy of a red card. In this instance, Chapman communicated to Elfath that he should review the play, so Elfath jogged behind the goal and this time reviewed the play a couple times before determining that a yellow card and not a red card was warranted. Chapman, with the same multiple views available to Elfath, did not give any personal input on the play just “that it deserved and needed to be reviewed. He made the call that it was a yellow card after reviewing the play,” Chapman said. The time utilized to make the review was added on as part of the four minutes of stoppage time at the end of the match.
While the focus from this match was clearly the two calls made after Elfath used video review, the technology also came in handy in a moment when there was no need for the referee himself to refer to a replay. In stoppage time, Red Bulls II forward Zoumana Simpara scored on a rebound off the post. As per the standard, Chapman immediately reviewed the goal. Elfath had communicated to him that Simpara, a member of Mali’s U-17 national team, might have been offside. Within moments, Chapman made the review and communicated to Elfath that Simpara was not offside. The final call on video reviews always belong to the head referee, who ruled that the goal stood, capping off the first night for the VAR and this emerging technology. “I’d give it a very high grade,” Elleray said.

Source: MLS

Recopa Sudamericana 2016 (First Leg)

18 August 2016

Santa Fe – River Plate

Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Kleber Gil (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Fourth Official: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Otalvaro Polanco (COL)

Olympic Games (Men) – Quarter-finals

Image result for walter lopez arbitro 2016
13 August 2016

Portugal – Germany
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Leonel Leal (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Gerson Lopez (GUA)
Fourth Official: Fahad Al-Mirdasi (KSA)
Referee Assessor: Lee Harmon (COK)

Nigeria – Denmark
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Diego Haro (PER)
Referee Assessor: Hector Vergara (CAN)

Korea – Honduras
Referee: Ghead Grisha (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Redouane Achik (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Waleed Ahmed (SDN)
Fourth Official: Joseph Lamptey (GHA)
Referee Assessor: Jacqueline Leleu (AUS)

Brazil – Colombia
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Alarcon (PAR)

Olympic Games (Women) – Quarter-finals

12 August 2016

China – Germany
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Natalia Rachynska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sanja Rodak (CRO)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Referee Assessor: Hector Vergara (CAN)

USA – Sweden
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Sarah Jones (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Lata Kaumatule (TGA)
Fourth Official: Rita Gani (MAS)
Referee Assessor: Lee Harmon (COK)

Canada – France
Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Loreto Toloza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Neusa Back (BRA)
Fourth Official: Maria Carvajal (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Alarcon (PAR)

Brazil – Australia
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Marie-Josee Charbonneau (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Suzanne Morisset (CAN)
Fourth Official: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Referee Assessor: Jacqueline Leleu (AUS)

Mazic savours UEFA Super Cup

Serbia's Milorad Mažić is "excited and proud" to referee the UEFA Super Cup between Real Madrid and Sevilla, saying focus and people management skills are key to a good performance. "Be proud, be focused, and be yourself". Three key sentiments that Serbian referee Milorad Mažić is taking into Tuesday's UEFA Super Cup between Real Madrid and Sevilla in Trondheim.
The 43-year-old official from Vrbas, a town of 25,000 inhabitants, located 130 kilometres north of Belgrade, is naturally relishing the prospect of his first major UEFA final, but stresses that it is crucial for a referee not to let emotions take over on such a big occasion. "I feel excited and proud, but you must remember to stay focused and confident before the match and after the first whistle," says the company director in the meat industry. He gained his international badge in 2009 and has amassed a wealth of experience since then, most recently taking charge of three matches at UEFA Euro 2016. Mažić will be accompanied in Trondheim by four compatriots – assistant referees Milovan Ristić and Dalibor Djurdjević, and additional assistant referees Danilo Grujić and Nenad Djokić. Szymon Marciniak (Poland) is the fourth official. "Just like the two teams of players, the referees are also a team, and this is a great achievement for all of us," he added. "We'll be motivating each other to produce our very best." 
Mažić's entrance into refereeing in his early 20s was similar to many of his colleagues. "I was a footballer when I was younger, but I suffered an injury," he reflects. "I took a break, and my friends suggested I try refereeing. After my first match, I realised how much I liked the job. From that moment, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I watched all of the great UEFA referees at the time and tried to take a little something from all of them, while staying true to my own personality – which is extremely important for any referee." The married father of two young boys, who places great importance on spending time with his family amid his busy schedule, has twice refereed matches involving Real Madrid, both in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League; at Basel in the group stage, and at Atlético Madrid in the quarter-final second leg. He has also been involved in two Sevilla games – the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg against Valencia, and the same season's UEFA Europa League final, when he was fourth official for Sevilla's victory over Benfica in a penalty shoot-out in Turin.
The refereeing team will travel to Trondheim fully prepared, not only physically and mentally, but also in terms of knowing about the two teams. UEFA encourages its referees to study the tactics and players of the teams they will be taking charge of, and Mažić is a total advocate. "It's good to study in advance, because it helps you and your colleagues to feel more confident and know what to expect," he says. "The use of analysts at Euro 2016 to help the referees in this way was an excellent idea by UEFA, and a very big step. In addition, my professional job has helped me in refereeing, and refereeing has helped me in my work. In both areas, you learn how to manage people with different characters." What about the future after this prestigious appointment in Norway? “There is always another match ahead," Mažić said. "So you must stay concentrated and work hard every day to learn, develop your skills and make progress. You must always say to yourself that there is room for improvement. (Source: UEFA)


9 August 2016
Real Madrid – Sevilla FC
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: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Reserve AR: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)

Olympic Games (Men) – Group Stage (Matches 17-24)

10 August 2016

Argentina – Honduras
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
Referee Assessor: Lee Harmon (COK)

Algeria – Portugal
Referee: Matt Conger (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Lount (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tevita Makasini (TGA)
Fourth Official: Diego Haro (PER)
Referee Assessor: Jacqueline Leleu (AUS)

Germany – Fiji
Referee: Fahad Al-Mirdasi (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdulah Al-Shalwai (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammed Al-Abakry (KSA)
Fourth Official: Ryuji Sato (JPN)
Referee Assessor: Jacqueline Leleu (AUS)

Korea – Mexico
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Fourth Official: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Referee Assessor: Lee Harmon (COK)

Colombia – Nigeria
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Hernandez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Alarcon (PAR)

Japan – Sweden
Referee: Malang Diedhiou (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Djibril Camara (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: El Hadji Samba (SEN)
Fourth Official: Ghead Grisha (EGY)
Referee Assessor: Hector Vergara (CAN)

Denmark – Brazil
Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Assistant Referee 1: Reza Sokhandan (IRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammadreza Mansouri (IRN)
Fourth Official: Joseph Lamptey (GHA)
Referee Assessor: Hector Vergara (CAN)

South Africa – Iraq
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Alarcon (PAR)

Olympic Games (Women) – Group Stage (Matches 14-20)

9 August 2016

Colombia – USA
Referee: Teodora Albon (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Sukenikova (SVK)
Fourth Official: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Referee Assessor: Badara Sene (SEN)


Germany – Canada
Referee: Ri Hyang Ok (PRK)
Assistant Referee 1: Hong Kum Nyo (PRK)
Assistant Referee 2: Yongmei Cui (CHN)
Fourth Official: Gladys Lengwe (ZAM)
Referee Assessor: Lee Harmon (COK)

Australia – Zimbabwe
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)

Fourth Official: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Referee Assessor: Hector Vergara (CAN)

New Zealand – France
Referee: Lucila Venegas (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Mayte Chavez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Rita Gani (MAS)
Referee Assessor: Hector Vergara (CAN)

South Africa – Brazil
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Yolanda Parga Rodriguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Maria Carvajal (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Badara Sene (SEN)

China – Sweden

Referee: Olga Miranda (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mariana Almeida (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Yoleida Lara (VEN)
Fourth Official: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
Referee Assessor: Lee Harmon (COK)

Copa Sudamericana – First Stage (First Leg)

9 August 2016
Fénix – Cerro Porteño
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Iván Núñez (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Espinoza (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Martín Vázquez (URU)


Luqueño – Peñarol
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Anderson Daronco (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Deportivo Lara – Atlético Junior
Referee: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Orellana (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: José Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Jorge Osorio (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Candelario Andarcia (VEN)

Real Potosí – Universidad Católica

Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos López (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Franchescoli Chacón (VEN)
Fourth Official: José Hoyo (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Pedro Saucedo (BOL)

Universitario – Emelec
Referee: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian De La Cruz (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John León (COL)
Fourth Official: Luis Sánchez (COL)
Referee Assessor: Alfredo Velarde (PER)

10 August 2016
Universidad de Concepción – Bolívar
Referee: Eber Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Cáceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Cañete (PAR)
Fourth Official: Ulises Mereles (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Mario Vargas (CHI)

Sol de América – Jorge Wilstermann
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Popovits (URU)
Fourth Official: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Referee Assessor: Manuel Bernal (PAR)

Montevideo Wanderers – O´Higgins
Referee: Carlos Orbe (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Edwin Bravo (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Macías (ECU)
Fourth Official: Juan Albarracín (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Juan Cardellino (URU)

Barcelona – Zamora
Referee: Óscar Rojas (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Horacio Ferreyro (URU)
Fourth Official: Leodán Gonzalez (URU)
Referee Assessor: José Carpio (ECU)

Independiente Medellín – Universidad Católica
Referee: Víctor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl López (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Braulio Cornejo (PER)
Fourth Official: Michel Espinoza (PER)
Referee Assessor: Pablo Montoya (COL)

11 August 2016
Aucas – Real Garcilaso
Referee: Gustavo Murillo (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Díaz (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dionisio Ruiz (COL)
Fourth Official: Juan Pontón (COL)
Referee Assessor: Miguel Erazo (ECU)

Deportivo Anzoátegui – Sport Huancayo
Referee: Luis Yrusta (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Montaño (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Edwin Saavedra (BOL)
Fourth Official: Juan García (BOL)
Referee Assessor: Bernardo Corujo (VEN)

Blooming – Plaza Colonia
Referee: José Argote (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Sánchez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Murillo (VEN)
Fourth Official: Adrián Cabello (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Iván Gamboa (BOL)

Palestino – Libertad
Referee: Darío Herrera (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Lucas Germanotta (ARG)
Fourth Official: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Patricio Basualto (CHI)

Deportes Tolima – La Guaira
Referee: Dewson Freitas (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guilherme Dias (BRA)
Fourth Official: Luiz Oliveira (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Dember Perdomo (COL)

Deportivo Municipal – Atlético Nacional
Referee: Mario Diaz de Vivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Darío Gaona (PAR)
Fourth Official: José Méndez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Victor Rivera (PER)

Lopes: From washing dishes to Copa America final

Londrina, 1985. A 13-year-old boy watches an amateur football game close to his home. The referee did not show up and he was called to put order in the duel. It went well and started a road that will bring him, decades later, a record number of matches refereed in the Brazilian Championship, a Copa America final, aggression, polemics and even shots. At age 44, Heber Lopes started last week his final season. He will hang up his whistle in July 2017, at 45 years of age, 22 of them dedicated to professional football.
Heber Lopes agreed to speak to the GloboEsporte.com about everything, from his bald head designed in a New Year's Eve 15 years ago to his favourite team, Londrina, which he asked the Referees Committee not to referee any of their games. The final of the Copa America, the Chilean and Argentine claims, the penalty missed by Messi "almost out of the stadium" and the lie about the party with women published by a Peruvian newspaper are still in memory. With 312 games refereed in the Brazilian Championship (a record!), four Cup finals in Brazil, 103 FIFA and CONMEBOL matches, Lopes remembered his long career. From his start in the Village Playground in Londrina, where, as a teenager, he was nicknamed "Satan" (note: he does not like that nickname received when his brother called him so after he escaped a punishment), security guaranteed by gun shots of an 80-year-old or going through tense moments in futsal in Parana, where he was assaulted by a coach and fans in Arapongas to professional football. His memories of his mother - Ursulina Lopes - who died in 2012, are many. From the opposition to the referee work in the beginning to the full support afterwards. The loss of his father - Fonseca Lopes – in the same year as his mother, still hurts. His power comes a lot from his marriage to Ana Paula Lopes, his wife who has suffered a lot watching her husband's games and consequently the traditional criticism of the referees. Today, Heber advises her not to watch his games, so she can stay away from tranquilizers. In the final stretch of his career, Lopes is already planning the next step. He is studying journalism, being close to the graduation and will apply for a job as refereeing commentator. But he opens the door and becoming a coach is one of the possibilities. "Why not?" he said. After all, football is always complicated.
- The beginning in the village football.
- I have not been so privileged in my childhood with respect to the financial part, but I had good orientation in education. I started very early, in the village football in 1985, when I was only 13-year-old. The beginning was by chance; I never imagined being a football referee. I refereed a game of Revisora, a team of a company that plays to this day on Saturdays. Jose Prestes, who is today the owner of the company, was the person who gave me the whistle. On that Saturday, the person who was supposed to referee missed. I was around the field and Jose handed me the whistle. At first I was afraid, but I did well. The next Saturday, the referee showed up, but they said "No, put Heber to whistle." My mother had a little trepidation at the time. They were in the amateur championships and I have been assaulted. Those fields had no fences and occasionally we had serious things like physical aggression.
- What have you learned refereeing in the village football that helped you later?
- I learned to survive, in the good sense of the word, of course. I went through strong moves, complaints, fights, shootings. Here I learned a lot in the subject part. When I got to referee the Brazilian Championship, it did not scare me much, because I said, man, who referees in the village football, referees anywhere on the planet. It was a very helpful lesson.
- Security guaranteed with gun shots by an 80-year-old lady.
- The village football had some sensational stories. One of the coolest person was the owner, Ana, which was at that time about 75-80 years old. She was one of the people who helped me in the beginning. When there were problems, she was coming here armed and guaranteed my security with gun shots, in spite of her being 75-80 years old. There are many stories, things that today make us laugh, but at the time it was very serious. Thank God we did not have any major problems. But here in the village football it was very difficult, the field was open, did not have much security. We had skilful players, but also violent actions. Everything was more difficult. The village football had this reputation, many people used to say that "if you did not play in the village football, you did not play anywhere." So we had this protection. I will be honest, without it, it would be impossible to referee football here in the Village Playground. If you do not have the cooperation and assistance of this security, it would be very difficult to finish a game.
- Your mother, who was against refereeing at the beginning, started to follow you from the fence.
- My mother was totally against it because she thought it was too much for me. But my brother, who was doing karate, provided support, saying that the sport was a good way. And, thank God, my mother could see me refereeing important games before passing away in 2012. She took me to many games when I was not driving. She was on the fence and heard exalted fans cursing me.
- You asked not to referee your favourite team.
- I live for forty years in Londrina. Before becoming a CBF referee, I followed many games of my home club and I have a great respect for them. Professionally I could whistle, yes. But I try to avoid. I asked our chairman Sergio Correa to not only avoid any games of Londrina, but also games of any team that is competing with Londrina. I always warn Sergio not to put me on these games, being a resident of the city and having friends who were leaders, presidents, players, former players. Because Londrina, despite being a city with over 600,000 people, is small. Everyone knows everyone in football.
- Aggression in indoor football in 1991.
- Our indoor football here has been very strong, now is not so much, but it was. At the time, it was a championship with 25 to 30 clubs. I was assistant referee in a game in Arapongas. The referee was Valter Luis, popular here in Londrina. A player kicked an opponent and the other elbowed him. I witnessed the incident. I called Valter over and reported the assault. He could have sent off the visitor player first and then the local player. He applied the rules, but lacked a little procedure. He sent off the local player first and the crowd understood that only the home team player would be expelled. He then moved towards the other side of the court to send off the visitor player, but the crowd invaded the pitch. I ran away and went into a tunnel. I got hit in the back and in the buttocks. It was a lesson. Later I met the person who assaulted me (Altair Sartori). He was in the locker room and was only joy and laughter. But I took it as a lesson, as a good teaching. Of course, I am totally against aggression, not only in football as in any industry. Then it was funny, but it was difficult, because I even thought to stop refereeing. To the young referees I say they have to be persistent because now comes a stone but then you can see a flower.
- Two years washing dishes in Italy.
- I went to Italy in 1991 to try to referee. Once there, they opened the doors to me, but I would have had to start at the base category. I thought, here in Brazil I was already refereeing adult games, so I will not give that up. I did not have Italian citizenship. I started washing dishes and then I worked two years as a waiter.
- The referee routine.
- Watchin games is a must, to see the profile of the athletes, the tactical schemes, knowing how a team plays. The preparation has to be a different thing because I recently completed 44 years. 25 is one thing, 35 is another. I thank God for helping me to avoid any serious injuries, just muscle. If you go out on Monday to have a wine with friends, you know that on Tuesday and Wednesday you have to recover what was lost. Eating carbohydrate and salad the day before the games and, of course, having a good night. I have been very rebellious in this regard, but today it is no longer possible to disregard it. It is almost the life of a professional athlete, only that we are amateurs. Each referee has its procedure. I, for one, have physiotherapist and nutritionist. The Santa Catarina Federation, through the President, Dr. Delfim, opened the door for me. But 90% of my colleagues do not have this support. No doubt, with the professionalization, the income would be much better.
- Professional refereeing.
- In the past five years, I was pleased to sign a contract with the Santa Catarina Federation, which gives me an important support within the financial and social follow-up. But most referees do not. Most have to have another job. But it is difficult for a referee to work in a company since he often travels Tuesday to a game back Thursday and Friday already has to leave again for another game. So it would be important to introduce professionalization, so that the referees had all the support mental and physical. No doubt we would have better training and more quality on the playing field.
- Bald head.
- At the end of 2001, actually the New Year's Eve 2002, I was in the house of my mother and I said: I will make a surprise, I will shave my head. I took the little machine there and on the way it crashed. I said, now what do I do? Then I picked up the razor and I went to zero. It took me almost an hour. Today I do it in five minutes. I do it myself. They told me "you are crazy!”, because my hair was long to the shoulder. Many said that I wanted to copy Collina, but Collina refereed the World Cup final in the middle of the following year. Soon after I shaved my head I refereed Rio – Sao Paulo, match televised live.And then immediately had the Rio-São Paulo Tournament. And I did a television set. The late Armando Marques, who was very important in my career, nearly had a heart attack. After that I never let my hair grow. Since that New Year's Eve I always shave my hair before the games and it turned into routine. If I do not do it, it looks like I am missing something.
- What are the best games to referee?
- Copa Libertadores is better because the players play more, they do not get complicated. Sometimes, a player is fouled, gets up and go play. It's a different spirit. We do not referee games with Brazilian teams, only from other countries. When you look at the clock 15 minutes have already passed, then you look again and already passed 30. The games flow more. And with Brazilian players you have to be careful with the simulations.
- Preparing by studying players.
- We have to be careful with "prepared" or "premeditated". Going to field with the idea of sending off such player is not fair, but it is important to know the profile of the player. For example, I recently refereed the final of the Copa do Brazil between Palmeiras and Santos, and I watched the first game, where I saw some things difficult to interpret. I am not criticising my fellow referee Luis Flavio. I looked at the run-ins, interviews, all this is important to get prepared. I believe that 99.9% of the referees know what they will face. The player behavior, coach, whether it is a knockout game, a goal can make a difference by taking or not a competition team.
- Watching own errors on TV.
- First is the cell phone. If you see after the game that you have more than 200 messages, either a family member died or something serious happened. But we watch sports programs, yes. Just a way to improve, watching the mistake you made and review what was the reason. But I think the referee should have the power, when the game ends, to attend the press conference, and give their opinion about what he saw, but FIFA prohibits all kinds of technical review and we cannot make any kind of comments. And now, doing the journalism course, I understand much more the reporter function. Some look for polemics, but most are giving you the opportunity to give your opinion in relation to the match. What gets me upset is to see a journalist ignorant of the rules. That hurts. If the game was over and we had the opportunity to speak, to give a clarification, solve the problem. Even for fans, managers, club presidents, you give your technical view of what happened.
- Superstition: shave the head before games.
- At the hotel, I always try to stay on the right side of the room. Also, the haircut. I always do it on game day, when I shave it with the blade. Each person has its own superstition. The most important thing is to always believe that there is a greater force coming from above. I am a person who strongly believes in God.
- The story with women published by a Peruvian newspaper.
- It was an ugly story (laughs). I was traveling back from the match in New Jersey. I stopped in Mexico City and when I turned on the phone, I had thousands of messages. When I saw the first pictures, it hurt. For those who followed the Copa America, I was very proud to referee the final. I just wanted to celebrate, but to open the newspaper and see a lie that is a sad thing. The matter was recorded and now I am just waiting to see if we file a lawsuit in Brazil or in Peru. The lawyer is studying the laws of the country to see what the appropriate measure is. The story was reflected in more than 180 countries and is not true. Who wrote it will have to answer, especially now, as a journalism student, I know the responsibility with a pen.
- Lawsuit for errors on the field.
- I did a match once, Santos - Botafogo (in 2005). I awarded a penalty kick and it was controversial goal. After 15 days I was here in Londrina and got a letter. A fan filed a lawsuit because at that time a person could win the Sports Lottery with 13 results, he made 12 and just missed this game. He filed a lawsuit wanting 9 or 10 million, wanted me to pay the lottery jackpot because the penalty that I awarded was no penalty. When we arrived in front of the judge, the judge looked at the boy and said "You do not have anything else to do?"
- Whistle mafia. In 2005, your name was cited in the Whistle Mafia by Edilson Pereira de Carvalho, who advised a businessman to bet on the home team because Heber Lopes favours home teams.
- This citizen that I do not like to mention his name (Edilson Pereira de Carvalho) was bad for football. It was a disastrous testimony. On that day, the National Journal was read in my house. It was a bomb, "look, Heber also has a problem," and it was nothing like that. The Federal Police had many thousand hours of recording, because I am sure our cell phones today are monitored and I prefer it that way. At that time I opened my bank and phone records and made them available for any Brazilian citizen to check. It was something that shocked me and brought me many problems. Then when I went on, the fan was in the momentum. I was called names. We had to redo those 11 games and it was difficult because it changed the ranking of the championship. We had to redouble security, every day stay in a different hotel, going to hire security guards in and out of the stadiums and walk safely on the plane. This citizen put all referees of Brazil in a very great loss. We were despised and treated as outlaws. But in fact it was a one-off thing because the Brazilian refereeing is one of the most honest in the world.
- In a book written by journalist Camila Mattoso, he said that he did not want Heber to referee more games of his teams. For five years or ten games, Corinthians did not win with Lopes refereeing.
- I did not have access; I am waiting to buy the book. Or maybe I will see if I can get it on the internet because I will not spend money on it and I will analyze, see the comment that was made. And if there is something derogatory about my name, I will punch it. This (not wanting a referee in his game) is a normal thing, a right he has. There are more than 400 referees in CBF and he has every right to think that A or B should not whistle. But it is not he who does the ranking. I do not know why he thinks so. It is a matter of choice, taste. It was always a polite and quiet person. And speaking as a professional, he deservedly gets the post of coach of the Brazilian team. My concern is when there are some errors. Numbers… sometimes you whistle games of a team that won six straight games and no one will make any kind of comment. If you have a sequence of errors against the same team, you have a problem. But numbers are numbers. I refereed the decisive match Atlético – Corinthians (0-3) last year. We had a wonderful evening. When things happen in favor of a team, there are no comments. Then suddenly, when a mistake happens, they will get a whole profile and history. But now, at 44 years old, I can absorb and manage it.
- Copa America final.
- At the Copa America I was along with great referees. We went day-by-day, training to training. We tried to respect the nutrition, for example, because we were in the best US hotels and, if you do not respect your nutrition program, you end up having a change of weight. The CONCACAF and CONMEBOL made weight controls every Sunday and we tried to respect it. We tried to study very recent changes of the Laws of the Game not to commit any mistake, we took seriously every day. The Brazilian team did not have a good tournament and it opened the doors for us and increased our responsibility. It was one of the most important games of my career. The stadium was packed, 88,000 people, important people watching. Not to mention the responsibility to our committee because we were representing the confederation.
- Complaints of Chilean and Argentine.
- When the referee makes 190 decisions per game, a decision may be wrong, in either way. But I believe that in general we have adopted a balanced way, both for the team A and team B. The most important was that we did not interfere in the outcome of the game. Now, there were some mistakes, of course, but generally we adopted a balanced criterion in the final.
- Difficult challenges in the final.
- Who referees Libertadores, referees any competition on the planet. Most players from Copa America are playing in Europe, but it's amazing how when they put their national shirts on, their thinking changes radically. The behavior of the South American players in European clubs is very different from when they come to play for their national selection. We knew which were the most skilled players, which were most targeted, we were prepared for everything. We had no unfair things, but we had expulsions. They respected enough, but played the ball too hard.
- Messi.
- One of the most educated players that I refereed in my career. He is very polite with the referees and with the opponents. There were no problems during the game. Sometimes he questions, of course, but it's normal. I see him with a sharp humility. We see players with much smaller CV and a totally different behavior. I was privileged to have refereed him in the U-20 Tournament in Colombia and now in the qualifiers and the Copa America.
- What did you feel when you saw Messi missing a penalty in the final?
- The ball was almost out of the stadium. It scares you? Would you think, a player of that level, right? At the end of the game, an image that struck me was that he had gone to the bench, he sat and stood alone. We felt the pain of him having lost, because every moment was on the big screen.
- Does your family suffer when dealing with your referee life and the criticism you receive?
- My wife was already ill and even takes medication. That's because she reads a lot, watches everything, hears everything, and that is not good. So I speak of the responsibility of who is narrating, commenting. The fan not so much because we know that the fans are passionate. But the professional who deals on a daily basis have to understand that is not only hurting the referee, but his family too.
- Did you former boss, Armando Marques, make you cry?
- Armando made us cry often (with reprimands and charges); not only me, but also Paulo Cesar Oliveira or Leonardo Gaciba. You can even ask them to confirm. He was the person who understood refereeing the most, the referee of the human being. He had mouthed. But at the same time, he was able to form many referees. He held us as children with protection. If a club made a claim, in another round you would referee the game of this club in their city. He had these follies. He was a person who helped me a lot. It was a person who many saw as controversial, with a different behavior, but for us, referees, he was the best leader in the Brazilian and international refereeing.
- This is your last year in refereeing. What is your plan for the future?
- I had a recent chat with the president of the CBF Referees Committee, Sergio Correa, who has a project for me to go beyond 45. Today I can say that I would close the cycle of 45 years. It is not just the physical side, it is also the mental side, travel, etc. Everything has an expiration date. I am programming to end my cycle at 45. I intend to close the loop with 45 years. When I finish it, let's see what doors God can open. As a referee who studied and understand the rules for a long time, I am thinking to become a refereeing commentator. It is a field that is open, we now have great commentators, like Leonardo Gaciba or Jose Roberto Wright, who recently retired, but it was one of the pioneers who opened this field. Armando Marques had a short period, but his temper was a little difficult. Arnaldo (César Coelho) and finally Paulo César (Oliveira) are opening an important door for others like Renato Marsiglia. I think it is an interesting field and a thing where I will be participating in football and talking about a topic that I know well. I think that is the most important.
- Could you become a coach?
- I intend to do the coaching course of the CBF. Being so long in football, with all due respect to the coaches, I see that is something that will not be simple, not easy. It will not be Heber alone. If I'm a coach, I will try to get together people with more experience for aggregating our work. Who knows?

Source: Globo Esporte