Venezuelan referee Argote involved in the case "Hands of paper"

At least 1133 bank accounts of companies and individuals have been blocked by the Venezuelan Government for being linked to "acts of corruption". The Venezuelan FIFA referee José Argote (photo) appeared on a list published by the Superintendent of the Banking Sector Institutions for allegedly being involved in paper money transactions. According to the newspaper La Nación, the bank accounts of the referee were blocked by the Government after determining that it had strange movements of money. For the moment, the sports judge has not ruled on the matter. 
"José Argote, 14207030" appears on the list of people linked to the "Hands of paper". According to the Minister of Justice and Peace, Néstor Reverol, the people and companies blocked have been implicated in the "smuggling and theft of the Venezuelan currency". A few days ago, Attorney General Tareck Saab, reported that "three houses of illegal remittances that operated with websites registered abroad were dismantled", as part of the operation "Hands of paper" and ordered the blocking of other 247 bank accounts. 
José Argote represented Venezuela at the Copa America 2015, where he refereed three games and served as the fourth official in the final. 

Source: Panorama

UEFA Champions League – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

1 May 2018
Real Madrid – Bayern München
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Barış Şimşek (TUR)
Fourth Official: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

2 May 2018
AS Roma – FC Liverpool
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: Slavko Vinčič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

Video Assistant Referees appointed for FIFA World Cup 2018

The FIFA Referees Committee has selected 13 referees who will act solely as video assistant referees (VARs) during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. The selection criteria for these VARs were primarily based on their experience as video match officials in their respective association and confederation competitions, in addition to their successful participation in several preparatory seminars and FIFA competitions, where they enhanced their VAR knowledge and skills by using the system. Each match at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia will have a VAR together with three assistants, AVAR1, AVAR2, AVAR3 (for more information about the different roles and tasks of the VAR team please check fifa.com/VAR). In addition to these 13 referees who will act solely as video assistant referees, some of the referees and assistant referees who have been selected for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia (see list published on 29 March 2018) will also act as video match officials during FIFA’s flagship competition. These appointments will be confirmed before each match. (Source: FIFA)


Video Assistant Referees

AFC
1. Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT, 1987)

CONMEBOL
1. Wilton Sampaio (BRA, 1981)
2. Gery Vargas (BOL, 1981)
3. Mauro Vigliano (ARG, 1975)

UEFA
1. Bastian Dankert (GER, 1980)
2. Artur Dias Soares (POR, 1979)
3. Pawel Gil (POL, 1976)
4. Massimiliano Irrati (ITA, 1979)
5. Danny Makkelie (NED, 1983)
6. Tiago Martins (POR, 1980)
7. Daniele Orsato (ITA, 1975)
8. Paolo Valeri (ITA, 1978)
9. Felix Zwayer (GER, 1976)

UEFA Women's Champions League – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

29 April 2018

Olympique Lyonnais – Manchester City
Referee: Katalin Kulcsár (HUN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Katalin Török (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Marina Striletska (UKR)
Fourth Official: Gyöngyi Gaál (HUN)

VfL Wolfsburg – Chelsea LFC
Referee: Olga Zadinová (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajová (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Slavomira Majkuthová (SVK)
Fourth Official: Lucie Šulcová (CZE)

Zimbabwe referee was offered bribe to fix CAF Confederation Cup game

Following the draw for the group phase of the African Confederation Cup, conducted in Cairo, more revelations of attempted match fixing in the qualifying rounds of the competition have emerged. The Zimbabwe Football Association confirmed that one of its referees reported being offered a bribe of $10,000 to fix a CAF Confederation Cup game in Equatorial Guinea. Two weeks ago, South African referee Victor Gomes also reported to CAF that he and his assistants were offered $30,000 to fix a game in Nigeria in the same competition. CAF is investigating both cases.
Gladmore Mzambi, vice-chairman of the Zimbabwe association’s referees committee, told The Associated Press that referee Norman Matemera (photo) reported being offered the bribe by representatives of Equatorial Guinea’s Deportivo Niefang club. They wanted the referee to influence the second leg of their knock-out tie against Ivory Coast’s Williamsville AC on April 18 so they could overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit. “We applaud what Matemera did. He has shown a high degree of integrity”, Mzambi said. “He did the right thing. He reported the matter to CAF whilst he was still in Equatorial Guinea. CAF are already looking into the matter”. Matemera was also reportedly approached by the match commissioner, Togo’s Lawson Mahuwe, who also tried to bribe him on behalf of Deportivo Niefang. Deportivo Niafeng were eventually booted out of Africa’s second-biggest club tournament on aggregate despite winning the game in question last week 2-1.
Equatorial Guinea, the small, oil-rich country on the west coast of Africa, has a history of breaking all sorts of rules to try and win in soccer. In 2016, the vice-president of the country’s soccer federation, Gustavo Ndong Edu, was banned for two years by CAF and FIFA for attempting to bribe match officials for a women’s African Cup of Nations qualifier. Edu has since returned to soccer and was elected president of the Equatorial Guinea Football Federation this past weekend, according to the federation. The country has been embroiled in other cheating scandals, including fielding overage players in youth competitions and ineligible players who aren’t actually from Equatorial Guinea in other tournaments. Last year, FIFA expelled Equatorial Guinea from the 2019 Women’s World Cup for using fake documents and selecting at least 10 ineligible players in its Olympic team.

Source: AfricaNews

Bundesliga season will end early for referee Stieler

German referee Tobias Stieler (36) gets the receipt for his performance in front of the DFB sports court. According to Bild information, the FIFA referee will not be used until the end of the season.
Three weeks ago, in a Bundesliga match, Stieler sent-off Petersen (Freiburg) for receiving a second caution in the same match. At the disciplinary hearing, he refused to make any statements and kept the reason for the dismissal of the Freiburg player for thimself - although there is no legal basis for it. On the field, during the match against Schalke (0-2) the word "Pisser" was directed towards the referee. Why Stieler did not send-off Petersen with a straight red card because of insulting and then later remained silent in court is a mystery. If Stieler would have apologized in writing to the DFB, the control committee procedure would have probably been spared.

Source: Bild

CONCACAF Champions League Final 2018 (Second Leg)

25 April 2018

Chivas Guadalajara – Toronto FC
Referee: Oscar Moncada (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Fourth Official: Kimbell Ward (SKN)

UEFA Europa League – Semi-finals (First Leg)

26 April 2018

Arsenal – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)
Fourth Official: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Olympique de Marseille – FC Salzburg
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Francis Connor (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Robert Madden (SCO)
Additional AR 2: John Beaton (SCO)
Fourth Official: Douglas Potter (SCO)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Copa Libertadores – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

24-26 April 2018

Deportivo Lara – Millonarios
Referee: Michael Espinoza (PER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Orue (PER) 

Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Atoche (PER)
Fourth Official: Luis Garay (PER)
Referee Assessor: Candelario Andarcia (VEN)

Atletico Nacional – Bolivar
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Danilo Manis (BRA)
Fourth Official: Dewson Freitas (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Rodolfo Otero (ARG)

Santos – Estudiantes
Referee: Eber Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Fourth Official: Jose Mendez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Herrera (ECU)

Atletico Tucuman – The Strongest
Referee: Luis Oliveira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wagner Magalhaes (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Francisco Mondria (CHI)

Nacional – Real Garcilaso
Referee: Jose Argote (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Fourth Official: Juan Soto (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Joel Ruiz (PAR)

Monagas – Defensor Sporting
Referee: Andres Rojas (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Leon (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Betancur (COL)
Referee Assessor: Miguel Buitrago (VEN)

Boca Juniors – Palmeiras
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Cesar Deischler (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Torres (PAR)

Santa Fe – Flamengo
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Fourth Official: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Referee Assessor: Manuel Bernal (PAR)

River Plate – Emelec
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Raez (PER)
Fourth Official: Miguel Santivañez (PER)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Cruzeiro – Universidad de Chile
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Vera (ECU)
Fourth Official: Juan Albarracin (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Jaimes (PER)

Peñarol – Libertad
Referee: Anderson Daronco (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kleber Gil (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guillherme Camilo (BRA)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Marques (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Pablo Silva (ARG)

Junior – Alianza Lima
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Murillo (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Fourth Official: Marlon Escalante (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Silvera (URU)

Vasco da Gama – Racing Club
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Lopez (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Sanchez (PER)
Fourth Official: Joel Alarcon (PER)
Referee Assessor: Martin Vazquez (URU)

UEFA Champions League – Semi-finals (First Leg)

24 April 2018
FC Liverpool – AS Roma
Referee: Felix Brych (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Additional AR 1: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Additional AR 2: Marco Fritz (GER)
Fourth Official: Markus Häcker (GER) 

Referee Observer: Juan Fernandez Marín (ESP)

25 April 2018
Bayern München – Real Madrid
Referee: Bjorn 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: Dennis Higler (NED)
Fourth Official: Charles Schaap (NED)
Referee Observer: Sandor Piller (HUN)

Laws of the Game Changes 2018-2019

Modifications
  • There is no limit on the number of substitutes that can be used in youth football 
  • Permission is needed from The IFAB for any modifications not already permitted 
  • Temporary dismissals – System B: a player who receives two temporary dismissals and a non-temporary dismissal caution (YC) may not be substituted/replaced 

Law 1
  • Clarification of measurements on the field of play 
  • Reference to substituted players being permitted to be in the technical area 
  • Commercial advertising is not permitted on the ground in the Referee Review Area (RRA) 
  • Reference to the Video Operation Room (VOR) and Referee Review Area (RRA) 

Law 3
  • Competition rules may permit the use of an additional substitute in extra time (even if not
  • all permitted substitutes have been used) 
  • A maximum of 12 substitutes can be named for international ‘A’ friendly matches 

Law 4
  • Small, hand-held electronic or communication devices are permitted in the technical area
  • if used for coaching/ tactics or player welfare 
  • Introduction of a FIFA quality mark for EPTS, and data from EPTS may be received in the
  • technical area during the match 
  • Detailed guidelines for what can and cannot appear on players’ equipment 
  • Player who has left the field because of an equipment issue and returns without
  • permission and interferes is penalised with a direct free kick (or penalty kick) 

Law 5
  • Reference to video assistant referees (VARs) and assistant VARs (AVARs) and the ability of a referee to use video replays for decision making as part of VAR system 
  • Some sending-off offences can be reviewed even if play has restarted 
  • Distinction between ‘on-field’ match officials and ‘video’ match officials 
  • Match officials are not permitted to wear cameras 
  • Inclusion of the referee ‘check’ and ‘review’ signals used in the VAR process 

Law 6
  • Duties of the video assistant referee (VAR) and assistant VAR (AVAR) 

Law 7
  • Drinks breaks should not exceed one minute 
  • Allowance must be made for time ‘lost’ for drinks breaks and VAR checks/ reviews 

Law 10
  • Kicks from the penalty mark – a replacement for a goalkeeper cannot take a kick in that
  • ‘round’ if the goalkeeper has already taken a kick 

Law 11
  • The first point of contact when the ball is played/touched is the moment when offside position is judged 

Law 12
  • Biting is included as a direct free kick and sending-off offence 
  • Throwing an object at the ball or hitting the ball with a held object are separate direct free kick offences (not a form of handball) 
  • If the ball rebounds from the goalkeeper this does not prevent the goalkeeper handling
  • the ball a second time even if the first attempt to catch/holds the ball was deliberate 
  • If the referee plays advantage for a DOGSO the offender is cautioned (YC) whether or not a
  • goal is scored 
  • Entering the RRA or excessively showing the TV signal are cautions (YCs) 
  • Where 2 separate cautionable (YC) offences are committed in close proximity, both cautions (YCs) must be issued; same principle if one is a sending off offence 
  • Entering the VOR is a sending-off (RC) offence 
  • If a player commits an offence outside the field of play (ball in play) against someone from their own team (including a team official) it is an indirect free kick on the boundary line 

Law 13
  • Clarification that free kicks can also be awarded for offences by a substitute, substituted or sent off player, or a team official 

Law 15
  • A player must stand to take a throw-in (kneeling, sitting etc. not permitted) 

Deleted text in Law 2
  • Reference to previous ball quality marks: Balls carrying previous quality marks such as “FIFA Approved”, “FIFA Inspected” or “International Matchball Standard” may be used in aforementioned competitions until 31 July 2017 

Source: IFAB

UEFA Women's Champions League – Semi-finals (First Leg)

22 April 2018

Manchester City – Olympique Lyonnais
Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Fourth Official: Riem Hussein (GER)
Referee Observer: Ingrid Jonsson (SWE)

Chelsea LFC – VfL Wolfsburg
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Belinda Brem (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Susann Küng (SUI)
Fourth Official: Désirée Grundbacher (SUI)
Referee Observer: Antonia Kokotou (GRE)

UEFA Futsal Cup Final 2018: Sorescu (ROU) & Tomic (CRO)

22 April 2018

Final
Sporting – Inter 

Referee 1: Bogdan Sorescu (ROU, photo) 
Referee 2: Sasa Tomic (CRO)
Third Referee: Angelo Galante (ITA)
Timekeeper: Maria Marin Pastor (ESP)

Match for Third Place
Gyor – Barcelona
Referee 1: Ondrej Cerny (CZE)
Referee 2: Angelo Galante (ITA)
Third Referee: Sasa Tomic (CRO)
Timekeeper: Maria Marin Pastor (ESP)

UEFA Futsal Cup 2018 – Semi-finals

20 April 2018

Gyor – Sporting
Referee 1: Ondrej Cerny (CZE, photo)
Referee 2: Angelo Galante (ITA)
Third Referee: Sasa Tomic (CRO)
Timekeeper: Maria Marin Pastor (ESP)

Inter – Barcelona
Referee 1: Bogdan Sorescu (ROU)
Referee 2: Sasa Tomic (CRO)
Third Referee: Angelo Galante (ITA)
Timekeeper: Maria Marin Pastor (ESP)

VAR decisions at World Cup to be explained on giant screens

Fans attending World Cup matches in Russia won’t be left wondering about the reasons behind decisions of the video assistant referee. After the VAR’s decision is made, replays will be shown on giant screens inside the stadiums accompanied by a written explanation, as part of the VAR information system recently unveiled by FIFA.
FIFA will place someone in the VOR (video operations room) who will listen in to the VAR’s decisions and communicate them to both TV commentators and stadium personnel operating the giant screens. “So we will have graphics on the giant screens, we will have replays after the decision on the giant screens, and we will also inform the fans about the outcome of a VAR incident and review,” said Sebastian Runge, group leader of football innovation at FIFA. With the VAR making its tournament debut during the June 14 -July 15 World Cup, FIFA is holding its final training camp this month for the 99 match officials — 36 referees and 63 assistants — who have been selected to go to Russia. Thirteen VARs have been pre-selected and are being trained at Italy’s Coverciano complex, and FIFA referees chief Pierluigi Collina said more VARs and AVARs will be chosen from the 99 match officials. Three of the 13 VARs come from Italy’s Serie A and two from Germany’s Bundesliga — elite competitions that already use video assistants. The VAR can support the referee in four game-changing situations: goals and offences leading up to a goal, penalty decisions and offences leading up to a penalty, direct red card incidents and cases of mistaken identity. Still, VARs in both Italy and Germany have received vehement criticism for long delays and bungled decisions this season. On Monday, Mainz was awarded a penalty during half-time against a rival Freiburg side that had already left the pitch for the break — prompting the unusual scene of a team returning from the changing room to defend a penalty. “Yesterday we had already discussed this incident here and gave match officials and VARs clear indication about what should be done if something similar in a FIFA competition - specifically the World Cup - happens,” Collina said without providing further details. He added that the VAR should not be overused, adding that ideally it would intervene at all in a match. “The goal of VAR is to avoid major mistakes,” Collina said. “The objective is not to have clear and obvious mistakes committed on the field of play. This is the target, the goal is not to re-referee the match using technology. “There will continue to be incidents when a final answer will not be given and there will be different opinions,” Collina added.


VAR Control centre in Moscow
FIFA will follow the Bundesliga model of a central control centre for the VAR rather than using trucks outside stadiums. “We will have all of the referees based in Moscow, so there won’t be any stress in terms of travel,” Collina said. For each match, Collina will select one VAR and three AVARs. Training operation rooms presented to media included six monitors for the VARs and two more for technical assistants enabling the VARs to see requested replays. There could be up to four technical assistants in the room for World Cup matches.

Offside cameras
FIFA will install two extra cameras at matches to monitor offside decisions. The cameras will be in addition to the 33 cameras used for broadcasters and they will be installed under stadium roofs. Broadcasters will not have direct access to the cameras, but if they are used by the VAR then broadcasters can show the video. Runge added that three dimensional technology - considered the ultimate strategy for determining offside - is not ready for real-time access yet.

Sweat and stress
VARs will not officiate more than one match per day. “It’s not like watching a match on the sofa sipping coffee,” Collina said. Collina, who officiated Brazil’s 2-0 win over Germany in the 2002 World Cup final, explained why the VARs will wear track suits similar to referees’ on-pitch attire. “The reason is at the end they sweat as much as someone on the field, because the tension is very high,” Collina said. “They cannot do two matches per day - it’s too stressful.”

Communications and hacking
The Moscow control centre will be connected to match officials via a fiber optic network. If the network fails, the backup plan includes an old-fashioned land telephone line and a telephone stationed near the fourth referee for emergency use. “Worst-case scenario includes a backup plan on site. That’s when the IBC is down - no power, no fiber network,” Runge said. “Then we have a plan in place where the fourth official would become the VAR and the fourth official would be replaced by the reserve assistant referee. “We have a cabin in the broadcast compound from where we send all of the feeds to the IBC anyway. That cabin can be turned into a smaller, light version of the VOR.” Hacking has also been considered. “We are aware that there might be something, but our IT department put measurements in place that will protect us from that,” Runge said.

Post-match briefings
In extraordinary circumstances, FIFA will hold post-match briefings to explain decisions in greater detail. “If something should happen that we think should properly and accurately be explained - and it doesn’t matter if it’s related to VAR or something different - if it is a matter to explain the background of a decision, as an exception certainly we will do it,” Collina said. “But it won’t be a post-match press conference for every match, explaining every single decision taken during every single match”.

Source: AP

UEFA Youth League Final 2018: Ekberg (SWE)

Semi-finals (20 April 2018)

Chelsea – FC Porto
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Fedayi San (SUI)
Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

Manchester City – FC Barcelona
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Akif Amirali (AZE)
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)



Final (23 April 2018)

Chelsea/FC Porto – Manchester City/FC Barcelona
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)

Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

CONCACAF Champions League Final 2018 (First Leg)

17 April 2018 

Toronto FC – Chivas Guadalajara 
Referee: Ricardo Montero (CRC, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mora (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Ainsley Rochard (TRI)
Fourth Official: Hector Martinez (HON)

FIFA World Cup 2018 Seminar for Referees, Assistant Referees and VARs

The selected FIFA World Cup match officials will attend another dedicated seminar for two weeks at the technical centre of the Italian Football Association in Coverciano. The match officials will be divided into two groups, which will also include video assistant referee (VAR) candidates: CAF and UEFA (16-20 April 2018), AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and OFC (23-27 April 2018). There has been only one change since the previous seminars: Pawel Gil (POL, photo) replaced Jair Marrufo (USA) on the list of candidates for the VAR designated positions, after Marrufo was included amongst the 36 selected referees.


AFC

Referee: Fahad Al Mirdasi (KSA, 1985)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdulah Al Shalwai (KSA, 1975)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammed Al Abakry (KSA, 1980)

Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Reza Sokhandan (IRN, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammadreza Mansouri (IRN, 1978)

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB, 1977)
Assistant Referee 1: Abduxamidullo Rasulov (UZB, 1976)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakhongir Saidov (UZB, 1979)

Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Yaser Abdulla (BHR, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Taleb Al Marri (QAT, 1988)

Referee: Abdulla Mohamed (UAE, 1978)
Assistant Referee: Mohamed Al-Hammadi (UAE, 1984)

Referee: Ryuji Sato (JPN, 1977)
Assistant Referee: Toru Sagara (JPN, 1976)

Video Assistant Referee:
Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT, 1987)

CAF

Referee: Mehdi Abid Charef (ALG, 1980)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG, 1981)
Assistant Referee 2: Anouar Hmila (TUN, 1974)

Referee: Malang Diedhiou (SEN, 1973)
Assistant Referee 1: Djibril Camara (SEN, 1983)
Assistant Referee 2: El Hadji Samba (SEN, 1979)

Referee: Bakary Gassama (GAM, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Jean Birumushahu (BDI, 1972)
Assistant Referee 2: Marwa Range (KEN, 1977)

Referee: Ghead Grisha (EGY, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Redouane Achik (MAR, 1972)
Assistant Referee 2: Waleed Ahmed (SDN, 1974)

Referee: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Dos Santos (ANG, 1983)
Assistant Referee 2: Zakhele Siwela (RSA, 1982)

Referee: Bamlak Tessema (ETH, 1980)

CONCACAF

Referee: Mark Geiger (USA, 1974)
Assistant Referee 1: Joe Fletcher (CAN, 1976)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Anderson (USA, 1975)

Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX, 1983)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX, 1971)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Hernandez (MEX, 1977)

Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV, 1975)
Assistant Referee: Juan Zumba (SLV, 1982)

Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA, 1977)
Assistant Referee: Corey Rockwell (USA, 1974)

Referee: Ricardo Montero (CRC, 1986)
Assistant Referee: Juan Mora (CRC, 1989)

Referee: John Pitti (PAN, 1978)
Assistant Referee: Gabriel Victoria (PAN, 1973)

CONMEBOL

Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI, 1976)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Schiemann (CHI, 1977)

Referee: Enrique Caceres (PAR, 1974)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR, 1982)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zorrilla (PAR, 1975)

Referee: Andres Cunha (URU, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauricio Espinosa (URU, 1972)

Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG, 1972)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG, 1979)

Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA, 1974)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA, 1972)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA, 1976)

Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL, 1980)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL, 1985)
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian De La Cruz (COL, 1978)

Video Assistant Referees:
1. Wilton Sampaio (BRA, 1981)
2. Gery Vargas (BOL, 1981)
3. Mauro Vigliano (ARG, 1975)

OFC

Referee: Matthew Conger (NZL, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Lount (NZL, 1981)
Assistant Referee 2: Tevita Makasini (TGA, 1976)

Referee: Norbert Hauata (TAH, 1979)
Assistant Referee: Bertrand Brial (NCL, 1979)

UEFA

Referee: Felix Brych (GER, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER, 1977)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER, 1978)

Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR, 1975)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR, 1973)

Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averianov (RUS, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS, 1974)

Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED, 1973)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED, 1977)

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP, 1977)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP, 1979)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP, 1976)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL, 1981)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL, 1978)

Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB, 1973)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjevic (SRB, 1973)

Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA, 1973)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (ITA, 1973)

Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN, 1985)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN, 1976)

Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA, 1982)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA, 1972)

Video Assistant Referees:
1. Bastian Dankert (GER, 1980)
2. Pawel Gil (POL, 1976)
3. Massimiliano Irrati (ITA, 1979)
4. Danny Makkelie (NED, 1983)
5. Tiago Martins (POR, 1980)
6. Daniele Orsato (ITA, 1975)
7. Artur Soares Dias (POR, 1979)
8. Paolo Valeri (ITA, 1978)
9. Felix Zwayer (GER, 1976)

Copa Libertadores – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

17-19 April 2018

Defensor Sporting – Monagas
Referee: Diego Haro (PER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Orue (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Raez (PER)
Fourth Official: Joel Alarcon (PER)
Referee Assessor: Ricardo Casas (ARG)

Millonarios – Deportivo Lara
Referee: Carlos Orbe (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Vera (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Baren (ECU)
Fourth Official: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Martin Vazquez (URU)

Cerro Porteno – Gremio
Referee: German Delfino (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonga (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Fourth Official: Jorge Balino (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)

The Strongest – Atletico Tucuman
Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Fourth Official: Piero Maza (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Torres (PAR)

Libertad – Penarol
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian De la Cruz (COL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Herrera (COL)
Referee Assessor: Sergio Cristiano (BRA)

Independiente – Corinthians
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Fourth Official: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Referee Assessor: Cesar Escano (PER)

Flamengo – Santa Fe
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Fourth Official: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Racing Club – Vasco da Gama
Referee: Ulises Mereles (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Canete (PAR)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Dario Ubriaco (URU)

Alianza Lima – Atletico Junior
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Flavio Nall (ECU)
Fourth Official: Roberto Sanchez (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Juan Lugones (BOL)

Emelec – River Plate
Referee: Enrique Caceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zorrilla (PAR)
Fourth Official: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Claudio Puga (CHI)

Universidad de Chile – Cruzeiro
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Raul Lopez (PER)
Fourth Official: Miguel Santivanez (PER)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Herrera (ECU)

Eriksson: “Disappointed, angry, sad, frustrated and annoyed”

Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson had to read in a newspaper article that he was not selected for the World Cup this summer. Then, 37 days passed before he heard anything from FIFA. But that does not mean that Eriksson received some sensible explanation. “The team that was selected is not Europe's Top 10 team, I can say that”. 44-year-old Jonas Eriksson has been refereeing for a long time. He has refereed a World Cup and two Euros, as well as a host of Champions League matches. Last week, he also started his 18th Swedish premiere league, with the match between Hammarby and Sirius. When NSD talked with him, he has taken a few days off with the family, but he is also pleased that a new domestic Swedish season is running. “Yes, that's funny. During my 18 years, Allsvenskan has become hotter and hotter. It is much more interesting now, the audience is bigger. This also feels like a very open season. Everyone says Malmö, but you also have AIK, Gothenburg, Häcken, Norrköping and Östersund. There are many good teams this year, it will be exciting”, he says.
- It is your 18th Swedish season, do you know that the end of your career is approaching?
- Yes, of course I do. But I've said I'll stay on as long as I think it's fun and as long as the body feels okay. Right now, it just feels good. I feel comfortable.
- But there are other things that come with Jonas Eriksson's job. For example, he cannot tell in the newspaper where he is vacationing with his family. This is because of the threat against the country's football referees.
- I'm always very careful. I do not want people to know where I am and when I'm somewhere. The fewer that know the better.
- Do you feel that the threat against the referees has gotten worse?
- It has always been there in one way or another. I do not know if it's worse today, but I'm never on social media. I do not have Facebook, Twitter, Messenger or Instagram. It's not easy to get hold of me. I am cautious all the time. I am very careful who I give my phone number to and where I print my email address.
- Have you been up for any unpleasantness?
- No, not really. But I stay away from reading what people are writing. Googling yourself is not to be considered. But in fact, as a member of a team sport, such as football, you are at a much greater risk of being threatened than if you work at the police or at the Swedish Tax Agency. Then it's just one of eight threats reported to the police. It's a huge dark valley.
- Have you notified a police officer?
- No.
- Have you been close?
- Oh, no.
- Have you always been cautious throughout your career?
- Of course, it has become worse, over time. Secondly, it is a social development that has taken place in a certain direction, since I have gotten higher and higher up in my career. It brings harder and harder matches, bigger and bigger focus.
- What social development do you mean?
- The attitude people have against each other on social media for example. People have a language that is much more unpleasant now, for example on Twitter. It did not happen before, when you had to go to the person or send a handwritten letter. It took a while and cost a postage. In the new social climate, it feels like everyone is looking for people who do something wrong.
“The team that was selected is not Europe's Top 10 team"
Jonas Eriksson began to referee football in 1988. Over the past decade he has evolved into an international referee. Together with his assistants Mathias Klasenius and Daniel Wärnmark, he went to three straight international competitions: Euro 2012 in Poland/Ukraine, World Cup 2014 in Brazil and Euro 2016 in France. But there will be no World Cup in Russia for him this summer. Jonas Eriksson's team has gotten nothing. "It was very surprising", says Eriksson, who was told about the decision taken last fall via a newspaper article. “Then, 37 days passed before I received any communication from FIFA. On Christmas Eve, I received a text message where there was no explanation. Then I had a meeting with the protagonist at the end of January, beginning of February, where I was told that we were not selected, but I did not really get any explanation”. Jonas Eriksson is highly critical of FIFA's selection of World Cup referees: “The team that was selected is not Europe's Top 10 team, I can say that.”
- What do you mean?
- It's about traditions and that some countries are important to be represented. Sweden does not belong to those countries. I have also been told that it is an age question.
- An age question?
- Yes. That means that if they were to select referees from the top ten European championships, everyone would be too old to referee at the World Cup in Qatar in four years. Obviously, they had to think about the future, but they have never did that before.
- The younger referees will see and learn?
- Yes, you can say that. Of course, it's hard to hear it when you think you should be in the right place instead.
FIFA referees must not be older than 45 years. Jonas Eriksson has recently turned 44, meaning this would have been his last World Cup. He was very disappointed when he finally got the message.
- Obviously, I was disappointed, angry, sad, frustrated, irritated. There was a palette of feelings. At the same time, I have played football and have not been taken to the team; it is just to accept. But you think the coach should tell you what was wrong and bad. He continues: "We have refereed a World Cup and two European Championships, including a semi-final in 2016. Then I was ranked fourth amongst the world's best referees, but a year later I do not belong to Top 36. That's something that makes me wonder what has happened. I think that FIFA should communicate better and tell why you are not selected.
- Did you receive a message via a newspaper article?
- Yes, it was my colleague who read it first. We did not hear it from FIFA. It was very annoying. That respect should be possible after so many years in the referee career.
- Are you going to follow the World Cup?
- We shall see. Obviously, I'm interested. I'll hang out and watch some matches. But not at all with the same intensity as before.

Source: NSD

South African referee Gomes rejected bribe attempt to fix CAF match

Referee Victor Gomes was approached to fix the result of the African Confederation Cup first leg tie between Nigerian side Plateau United and USM Alger of Algeria but rebuffed those advances and has reported the matter to the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Times Live has been able to verify the incident from two independent sources‚ though which‚ if any‚ of the clubs is involved remains a closely guarded secret while the matter is under investigation by CAF. Gomes was in Lagos along with his assistants Johannes Moshidi and Athenkosi Ndongeni‚ and regular Premier Soccer League referee Thando Ndzandzeka‚ who acted as the fourth official. They were approached before the game on Saturday with an offer of US$30‚000 (R362‚822) to fix the result‚ but immediately turned down the approach and reported the matter to CAF. It is unclear at this stage who were the parties involved in trying to initiate the fix‚ one of the clubs or betting syndicates‚ details that will likely come out when CAF release their findings into the incident. Plateau United won the game 2-1‚ but now face a difficult away trip in the second leg on April 17‚ which will be officiated by Maguette N'Diaye from Senegal. The attempted manipulation of referees is a long-standing problem on the African continent and just recently South Africa fell foul of this. Ghana referee Joseph Lamptey was found guilty of match-fixing in South Africa’s 2-1 FIFA World Cup qualifier victory over Senegal in November 2016. He did this on behalf of betting syndicates and when the match was forced to be replayed by FIFA‚ South Africa lost 2-0. One of South Africa’s top former referees‚ Jerome Damon‚ has also previously spoken of finding “a bag of cash” in his hotel room on one away assignment in an attempted bribe that he flatly refused. (Source: Times Live)
“Top SAFA referee Victor Gomes was approached to fix the result of the first leg clash that took place this past weekend (Saturday, 7 April 2018) in Nigeria, but instead reported the matter to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), who are investigating the issue,” confirmed SAFA. “Our referees have conducted themselves impeccably well in the sense that they were able to identify and report the issue immediately to CAF for them to make further investigations on the matter. Because it was a CAF appointment, they wrote a report and sent it to them, and they (CAF) are dealing with it”, said Tenda Masikhwa, SAFA’s Head of Referees. “The honesty displayed by Gomes and company is partly because of the integrity workshops being conducted by SAFA throughout the country. Part of the integrity workshops is early detection of corrupt activities and reporting them to authorities without delay”, added SAFA. “Our officials showed the rest of the continent and the world that they won’t tolerate corruption within the game. We are proud of what they did and this is why South African referees are so much sought after and are highly regarded on the continent”, said Masikhwa. “On 13-14 February this year, we held an Integrity Workshop in Sandton, Johannesburg where two FIFA representatives articulated the need to have honest and upright match officials; people of integrity within our game. What we see today are the fruits of that particular workshop”, added Masikhwa. (Source: SoccerLaduma)

UEFA Europa League – Quarter-finals (Second Leg)

12 April 2018

Sporting CP – Atlético de Madrid
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjević (SRB)
Additional AR 1: Nenad Djokić (SRB)
Additional AR 2: Danilo Grujić (SRB)
Fourth Official: Nemanja Petrović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Salzburg – Lazio
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: Slavko Vinčič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

CSKA Moskva – Arsenal
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Additional AR 1: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Additional AR 2: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
Fourth Official: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Olympique de Marseille – RB Leipzig
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: Dennis Higler (NED)
Fourth Official: Charles Schaap (NED)
Referee Observer: Luciano Luci (ITA)

UEFA U-17 Euro 2018

England, 4-20 May 2018

Referees
1. Tihomir Pejin (CRO, 1983, photo)
2. Zbyněk Proske (CZE, 1981)
3. Juri Frischer (EST, 1984)
4. Robert Harvey (IRL, 1988)
5. Vilhjálmur Thórarinsson (ISL, 1985)
6. Dennis Higler (NED, 1986)
7. Horațiu Fesnic (ROU, 1989)
8. Halil Umut Meler (TUR, 1986)

Assistant Referees
1. Robert Steinacher (AUT, 1989) 

2. Rza Mammadov (AZE, 1986)
3. Georgi Doynov (BUL, 1983)
4. Petur Højgaard (FRO, 1981)
5. Levan Todria (GEO, 1981)
6. Chasan Koula (GRE, 1980)
7. Péter Kóbor (HUN, 1988)
8. Yuriy Tikhonyuk (KAZ, 1988)
9. Vytis Snarskis (LTU, 1984)
10. Vladislav Lifciu (MDA, 1986)
11. Douglas Potter (SCO, 1985)
12. Volodymyr Vysotskyi (UKR, 1983)

Fourth Officials
1. Robert Hennessy (IRL, 1990)
2. Keith Kennedy (NIR, 1991)
3. Tim Marshall (NIR, 1988) 

4. Bryn Markham-Jones (WAL, 1986)

Referee Observers

1. Marc Batta (FRA)
2. David Elleray (ENG)
3. Kyros Vassaras (GRE)
4. Vlado Svilokos (CRO)

UEFA Champions League – Quarter-finals (Second Leg)

10 April 2018
AS Roma – FC Barcelona
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)
Fourth Official: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Manchester City – Liverpool FC
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: Teodoro Sobrino Magán (ESP)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

11 April 2018
Bayern München – Sevilla FC
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Francis Connor (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Robert Madden (SCO)
Additional AR 2: John Beaton (SCO)
Fourth Official: Douglas Potter (SCO)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

Real Madrid – Juventus FC
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Andre Marriner (ENG)
Fourth Official: Lee Betts (ENG)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 6)

9-10 April 2018

Italy – Belgium
Referee: Katalin Kulcsár (HUN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Katalin Török (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad (HUN)
Fourth Official: Tiziana Trasciatti (ITA)

Kazakhstan – Russia
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Kristina Yanushkevich (KAZ)

Croatia – Hungary
Referee: Cheryl Foster (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Laura Griffiths (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Rebecca Thomas (WAL)
Fourth Official: Ivona Pejić (CRO)

Denmark – Ukraine
Referee: Jana Adámková (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Chrysoúla Kourompýlia (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jana Zaplatilová (CZE)
Fourth Official: Line-Maria Rasmussen (DEN)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – England
Referee: Andromáchi Tsioflíki (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Georgía Komisopoúlou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: María Détsi (GRE)
Fourth Official: Almira Spahić (BIH)

Albania – Belarus
Referee: Ifeoma Kulmala (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Nina Hammarberg (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jenni Mahlamäki (FIN)
Fourth Official: Mirela Çemeri (ALB)

Slovenia – Germany
Referee: Sarah Garratt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Lisa Rashid (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Kirsty Dowle (ENG)
Fourth Official: Helena Buh (SVN)

Israel – Serbia
Referee: Araksya Saribekyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 1: Liana Grigoryan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 2: Hasmik Gharibyan (ARM)
Fourth Official: May Moalem (ISR)

Faroe Islands – Iceland
Referee: Anastasia Romanyuk (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandra Vdovina (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Irina Petrova (UKR)
Fourth Official: Jóhan Ellefsen (FRO)

Moldova – Romania
Referee: Vesna Budimir (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Gordana Katušić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Barbara Vidović (CRO)
Fourth Official: Maria Bucliș (MDA)

Ireland – Netherlands
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Solenne Bartnik (FRA)
Fourth Official: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)

Northern Ireland – Norway
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tonja Paavola (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heini Hyvönen (FIN)
Fourth Official: Paula Brady (IRL)

Austria – Spain
Referee: Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Kurochkina (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Sabina Valiyeva (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sara Telek (AUT)

Scotland – Poland
Referee: Riem Hussein (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Sina Diekmann (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Franziska Wildfeuer (GER)
Fourth Official: Kylie Cockburn (SCO)

Copa Sudamericana – Round 1 (First Leg, III)

10-12 April 2018

Jaguares – Boston River
Referee: Fernando Echenique (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)
Fourth Official: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Candelario Andarcia (VEN)

LDU Quito – Guabira
Referee: Piero Maza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Edson Cisternas (CHI)
Fourth Official: Cesar Deischler (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Nelson Moncao (BRA)

Deportivo Cali – Danubio
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Elbis Gomez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Torrealba (VEN)
Fourth Official: Marlon Escalante (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Herrera (ECU)

Estudiantes Merida – Deportivo Temuco
Referee: Ivo Mendez (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Antelo (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ariel Guizada (BOL)
Fourth Official: Jose Jordan (BOL)
Referee Assessor: Imer Machado (COL)

San Lorenzo – Atletico Mineiro
Referee: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Popovits (URU)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Blooming – Bahia
Referee: Luis Quiroz (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Macias (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Baren (ECU)
Fourth Official: Omar Ponce (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Cesar Escano (PER)

Fluminense – Nacional Potosi
Referee: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Diaz (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Murillo (COL)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Silvera (URU)

Atletico Paranaense – Newell's Old Boys
Referee: Gery Vargas (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Montaño (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Reluy Vallejos (BOL)
Fourth Official: Juan Garcia (BOL)
Referee Assessor: Francisco Mondria (CHI)

Audax Italiano – Botafogo
Referee: Andres Rojas (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dionisio Ruiz (COL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Herrera (COL)
Referee Assessor: Rodolfo Otero (ARG)

Sol de America – Independiente Medellin
Referee: Michael Espinoza (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Sanchez (PER)
Fourth Official: Luis Garay (PER)
Referee Assessor: Saul Laverni (ARG)

Rosario Central – Sao Paulo
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Orue (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Atoche (PER)
Fourth Official: Joel Alarcon (PER)
Referee Assessor: Juan Cardellino (URU)

FIFA World Cup 2018: Referee Salaries and Match Fees

The biggest competition on the planet, the World Cup generates a few billion dollars and fills the coffers of FIFA and the 32 participating national federations. But it's not just the managers who make money from the tournament. Sponsors, players, coaches, members of technical committees, workers, and officials also get a slice of this billionaire cake. But how much of this money goes to the referees, the men in charge of making the most important decisions of the World Cup and that, in a way, will decide the future of the teams in Russia 2018? The value of the payment received by the World Cup referees is not standardized, FIFA paying different amounts to referees based on their level and experience. The referees with a consolidated career at the top level will earn more than those less experienced or who are debuting in the competition.
In Russia 2018, top level referees, such as German Felix Brych (photo), who refereed the last UEFA Champions League final, Turkish Cüneyt Çakir and Argentine Nestor Pitana, will receive $70,000 plus match fees of $3,000 per game. These figures represent a significant increase over the amount paid at the last two editions of the tournament (2010 and 2014), when the referees earned between $35,000 and $50,000. The assistant referees will receive a fixed amount of $25,000 plus a bonus of $2,000 for each game assigned. 
In total, 36 referees and 63 assistants were selected by FIFA for the 2018 World Cup. At the end of April, they will attend a seminar in Italy. Only after that, FIFA will announce which referees will work on the pitch and who will be in operation of the video review system. The 2018 FIFA World Cup starts on 14 June with the match between Russia and Saudi Arabia in Moscow. The final is scheduled for 15 July and will be played on the same stadium as the opening match.

Source: UOL Esporte

AIA: Nicchi and Rizzoli were sent packages with bullets

The AIA president, Marcelo Nicchi, said on Thursday that he, the AIA vice-president Narciso Pisacreta and the referee assignor Nicola Rizzoli - who officiated the 2014 FIFA World Cup final - were all sent packages with bullets in the mail. Nicchi (photo), who reported the incident to the police and the interior ministry, also denounced recent comments on TV: "There is a journalist who said: 'They have declared war on a people and in war you do not play the whistle, you are shooting. You have to shoot the referees and not allow them to referee'. This is the consequence". The Rome prosecutor's office said it was investigating the case on a possible charge of making aggravated threats, judicial sources said. Anti-terror chief prosecutor Francesco Caporale is leading the probe.
VAR has been introduced in Serie A this season with mixed results and has been the subject of fan protests. Last month, an estimated 1,000 Lazio fans showed up outside the Italian football federation's offices to protest decisions by VAR. AC Milan beat Lazio 2-1 on Jan. 28 after a VAR failed to recognise the ball first hit Patrick Cutrone's arm before he scored. Nearly a month earlier, in a 0-0 draw with Inter Milan, Lazio was awarded a penalty, but VAR revoked the decision as Ciro Immobile's cross hit Milan Skriniar's leg before bouncing up onto his arm, so the handball was declared involuntary. In December, an aggrieved group of Biancocelesti supporters also initiated legal action against match officials Piero Giacomelli and Marco Di Bello over perceived errors in a 3-1 loss to Torino. "Yesterday, Di Bello managed the Milan derby very well, yet he and Giacomelli will have to appear before the justice of the peace because of supposed errors", said Nicchi. "Tell me, if Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo or a Serie A player misses a chance, are they up in court the next week? This is scandalous. How can we send our referees on to the pitch when, if they happen to make a mistake, they might be subjected to this same fate?" 

Source: ANSA/SBS/ESPN

UEFA Europa League – Quarter-finals (First Leg)

5 April 2018

Lazio – Salzburg
Referee: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Șovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Additional AR 1: István Kovács (ROU)
Additional AR 2: Sebastian Colţescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Atlético de Madrid – Sporting
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averianov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Sergei Lapochkin (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Arsenal – CSKA Moskva
Referee: Pavel Královec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Slyško (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivo Nádvorník (CZE)
Additional AR 1: Petr Ardeleánu (CZE)
Additional AR 2: Karel Hrubeš (CZE)
Fourth Official: Jan Paták (CZE)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP)

RB Leipzig – Olympique de Marseille
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Additional AR 2: José Sánchez Martínez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 5)

5-7 April 2018

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Russia
Referee: Carina Vitulano (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucia Abruzzese (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Veronica Martinelli (ITA)
Fourth Official: Aida Jusufović (BIH)

Croatia – Ukraine
Referee: Marte Soro (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Elisabeth Thoresen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Monica Lokkeberg (NOR)
Fourth Official: Maja Petravić (CRO)

Hungary – Sweden
Referee: Viola Raudziņa (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Diāna Vanaga (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Līga Didriķe (LVA)
Fourth Official: Anita Vad (HUN)

Switzerland – Scotland
Referee: Olga Zadinová (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajová (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Nikola Šafránková (CZE)
Fourth Official: Nadine Reichmuth (SUI)

Austria – Serbia
Referee: Sandra Braz Bastos (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Olga Martins Almeida (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Vanessa Dias Gomes (POR)
Fourth Official: Sara Telek (AUT)

Moldova – Italy
Referee: Shona Shukrula (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Franca Overtoom (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Fijke Hoogendijk (NED)
Fourth Official: Natalia Ceban (MDA)

Slovenia – Iceland
Referee: Amy Fearn (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Sian Massey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Abigail Marriott (ENG)
Fourth Official: Staša Špur (SVN)

Finland – Spain
Referee: Florence Guillemin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kylie Cockburn (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)
Fourth Official: Jenni Mahlamäki (FIN)

Poland – Albania
Referee: María Martínez Madrona (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Silvia Fernández Pérez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Aleksandra Prus (POL)

Ireland – Slovakia
Referee: Simona Ghisletta (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Émilie Aubry (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Linda Schmid (SUI)
Fourth Official: Paula Brady (IRL)

Belgium – Portugal
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Belinda Brem (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Susann Küng (SUI)
Fourth Official: Bérengère Pierart (BEL)

Netherlands – Northern Ireland
Referee: Monika Mularczyk (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruța Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Țepușă (ROU)
Fourth Official: Bianca Scheffers (NED)

England – Wales
Referee: Pernilla Larsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandra Österberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Camilla Stendahl (SWE) 

Fourth Official: Lauren Holt (ENG)

Germany – Czech Republic
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Svitlana Grushko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Katharina Kruse (GER)

Chiquirankings Referees FWC 2018

Former three-time World Cup (2006, 2010, 2014) referee Marco Rodriguez (MEX, photo) ranked the top 19 referees selected for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


1. Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
2. Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
3. Alireza Faghani (IRN)
4. Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)
5. Sandro Ricci (BRA)
6. Felix Brych (GER)
7. Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
8. Nestor Pitana (ARG)
9. Wilmar Roldan (COL)
10. Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
11. Damir Skomina (SVN)
12. Cesar Ramos (MEX)
13. Milorad Mazic (SRB)
14. Joel Aguilar (SLV)
15. Enrique Caceres (PAR)
16. Clement Turpin (FRA)
17. Mark Geiger (USA)
18. Julio Bascunan (CHI)
19. Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)

Irmatov in CONCACAF Champions League Semi-finals

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) announced a referee exchange with the Asian Football Confederation, which will begin when the AFC provides referees for next week’s Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League semi-final return leg in Mexico City, between Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC and Liga MX’s Club America. Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov, the youngest referee ever to whistle a FIFA World Cup opening match and five-time AFC Referee of the Year, will lead the referee team assigned to the match. As part of the reciprocal referee exchange with the AFC, a yet-to-be-determined Concacaf referee trio will referee an Asian Football Confederation Champions League semi-final later this year. The referee exchange comes about as part of cooperation delineated in Concacaf’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) signed last year, which enumerates ways in which the two Confederations can cooperate towards continued growth of the game across both regions. Both Concacaf and AFC have seen explosive growth in club and national team football in recent decades. “The appointment of three-time FIFA World Cup Referee Ravshan Irmatov to our Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League semi-final marks a historic moment for refereeing in Concacaf”, said Concacaf Director of Refereeing Brian Hall. “We are honored to have a referee, with his pedigree, lead our teams onto the field at Azteca Stadium. Mr. Irmatov’s appointment will also pave the way future exchanges that will help strengthen refereeing in both Confederations”. The AFC’s Irmatov will direct the Mexico City semi-final along with two countrymen, Abdukhamidullo Rasulov and Jakhongir Saidov. Irmatov has been a FIFA referee since 2003 and is a five-time AFC Referee of the Year (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014). His career includes the honour of being the youngest referee to ever officiate the opening match of a FIFA World Cup when he took the field in South Africa 2010. Following South Africa and Brazil 2014, Irmatov will make his third consecutive World Cup appearance this summer in Russia. Entering his third FIFA World Cup, Irmatov already holds the record for most matches ever officiated in the World Cup competition: a total of 9. The winner of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League will represent the region in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. (Source: Concacaf)


First Leg, 3-4 April 2018

Toronto FC – Club America
Referee: Henry Bejarano (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Fernandez (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Ainsley Rochard (TRI)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

CD Guadalajara – New York Red Bulls
Referee: John Pitti (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Victoria (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Fourth Official: Kimbell Ward (SKN)

Second Leg, 10 April 2018

Club America – Toronto FC
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakhongir Saidov (UZB)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

New York Red Bulls – CD Guadalajara
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Fourth Official: Hector Rodriguez (HON)

Clattenburg returns to UEFA

The UEFA Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) in Nyon plays a key role in training potential future FIFA match officials, ensuring high quality standards for the next generation.
Every two years, the national federations are invited to send to the CORE a referee and two assistant referees with potential to become, in the near future, FIFA match officials. The course started in March and includes an introductory stage of 10 consecutive days followed, a few months later, by an 8-day consolidation phase. The course will be attended by only eight referee teams who will work closely with four referee coaches, former international referees, as tutors, two assistant referee coaches and two athletic trainers. UEFA selected Mark Clattenburg, Silvia Spinelli and Peter Frojdfeldt (photo) as referee coaches for the 2018-2019 cycle. The training is normally divided into a purely theoretical first phase, with audiovisual support in English, followed by a subsequent phase of practice on the pitch, in which the participants will be engaged in refereeing international games of minor importance. On the other hand, in the consolidation phase the progress made in the refereeing field will be evaluated, as well as the English language and their fitness level. At the conclusion of the program, the referees will receive a prestigious certificate of attendance.

Source: AIA Terni