FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 8)

30-31 August 2018

Scotland – Switzerland
Referee: Sara Persson (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Julia Magnusson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Stéphanie Frappart (FRA)

Russia – Kazakhstan
Referee: Eleni Antoniou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Panagiota Koutsoumpou (GRE)
Fourth Official: Jana Eleferenko (RUS)

Moldova – Portugal
Referee: Irena Velevačkoska (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Biljana Milanova (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Elena Soklevska-Ilievski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Maria Buclis (MDA)

Sweden – Ukraine
Referee: Monika Mularczyk (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Anna Dabrowska (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Slavomira Majkuthová (SVK)
Fourth Official: Petra Pavlikova (SVK)

Denmark – Croatia
Referee: Volha Tsiareshka (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Alena Karas (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Anna Ilyankova (BLR)
Fourth Official: Line-Maria Rasmussen (DEN)

Belarus – Poland
Referee: Ainara Acevedo Dudley (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Rocio Puente Pino (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrada Aloman (ESP)
Fourth Official: Tatsiana Dankouskaya (BLR)

Czech Republic – Slovenia
Referee: Elvira Nurmustafina (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Elena Alistratova (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Dinara Idrisova (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Jana Štychová (CZE)

Ireland – Northern Ireland
Referee: Angelika Soeder (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Ines Appelmann (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Franziska Wildfeuer (GER)
Fourth Official: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)

Romania – Belgium
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tonja Paavola (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jenni Mahlamäki (FIN)
Fourth Official: Alexandra Apostu (ROU)

Spain – Finland
Referee: Désirée Grundbacher (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Susann Küng (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Linda Schmid (SUI)
Fourth Official: Silvia Fernandez Perez (ESP)

Slovakia – Norway
Referee: Valentina Finzi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucia Abruzzese (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Tiziana Trasciatti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Maria Sukenikova (SVK)

Wales – England
Referee: Katalin Kulcsár (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Katalin Török (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lucie Ratajová (CZE)
Fourth Official: Jana Adámková (CZE)

Iceland – Germany
Referee: Pernilla Larsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandra Österberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Lisa Rashid (ENG)
Fourth Official: Cheryl Foster (WAL)

4 September 2018

Russia – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Tanja Subotič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Helena Buh (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tanja Vrabel (SVN)
Fourth Official: Yekaterina Kozyreva (RUS)

Kazakhstan – England
Referee: Hristiana Guteva (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Marinova (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Mirela Ivanova (BUL)
Fourth Official: Elena Alistratova (KAZ)

Poland – Switzerland
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Mária Súkeníková (SVK)
Fourth Official: Katarzyna Wójs (POL)

Albania – Scotland
Referee: Barbara Poxhofer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Cindy Zeferino (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Sara Telek (AUT)
Fourth Official: Emanuela Rusta (ALB)

Norway – Netherlands
Referee: Riem Hussein (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Kylie Cockburn (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Țepușă (ROU)
Fourth Official: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)

Denmark – Sweden
Referee: Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Kurochkina (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Sabina Valieva (RUS)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)

Ukraine – Hungary
Referee: Graziella Pirriatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Veronica Martinelli (ITA)
Fourth Official: Oleksandra Vdovina (UKR)

Iceland – Czech Republic
Referee: Ivana Projkovska (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Biljana Milanova (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Vjolca Izeiri (MKD)
Fourth Official: Rebecca Welch (ENG)

Faroe Islands – Germany
Referee: Lizzy van der Helm (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Fijke Hoogendijk (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Bianca Scheffers (NED)
Fourth Official: Shona Shukrula (NED)

Belgium – Italy
Referee: Florence Guillemin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Élodie Coppola (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Fourth Official: Ella De Vries (BEL)

Austria – Finland
Referee: Sandra Braz Bastos (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Olga Almeida (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandra dos Santos (POR)
Fourth Official: Elisabeth Walcher (AUT)

Portugal – Romania
Referee: Gyöngyi Gaál (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Judit Kulcsár (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Brigitta Petz (HUN)
Fourth Official: Ana Afonso (POR)

Northern Ireland – Slovakia
Referee: Alina Peșu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Patricia Șamșudean (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandra Apostu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Louise Thompson (NIR)

Spain – Serbia
Referee: Vesna Budimir (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Gordana Katušić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Andrada Aloman (ESP)

FIFA referee Madley forced to quit after “mocking” disabled man

Premier League referee Bobby Madley was fired for discrimination against the disabled, SunSport can reveal. Madley, 32, posted an offensive and inappropriate message on his Snapchat account that was sent on to league chiefs. The official shared a picture of a disabled man with an insensitive remark about the probability of being able to beat him in a school sports day race. One of his followers then took a screen grab of the comment and took it to his bosses. They fired Madley, who was on a six-figure salary plus bonuses with the Premier League, and placed a gagging order on him as part of his exit package. That silence has led to intense speculation about why he left the game — but SunSport can reveal the real reason behind his shock departure.

Madley has recently split with his wife and is now living in Norway as he attempts to rebuild his shattered life. Despite a dodgy season last year, he was still regarded as one of the best referees in English football and was a regular on the UEFA circuit. He was given the Community Shield in 2017 in recognition of his progress and officiated 19 top-flight games last season. A Premier League spokesman, responding to questions from SunSport over his dismissal relating to the Snapchat message, said: “Bobby Madley is no longer employed by PGMOL. We understand he has decided to relocate due to a change in his personal circumstances”.

Source: The Sun

FA Cup Final: Audio Oliver - VAR

Fascinating audio reveals what referee Michael Oliver’s conversations with his assistants and the players in the build-up to awarding Chelsea penalty during FA Cup final win over Manchester United. What referees hear and say on the football pitch as they make a VAR decision has been revealed for the first time. And it shows how the man in the middle deals with the players, and his vast array of assistants as Eden Hazard is brought down by Phil Jones inside the box. As the Belgian bears down on goal, an assistant can be heard shouting 'DOGSO' (Denial of Goal Scoring Opportunity). 'Not now, not now,' replies Oliver, before Jones finally fouls Hazard inside the box, prompting Oliver to blow the whistle and point to the spot, in footage shared by NBCSN. The VAR immediately indicates that they will take a closer look at the incident, before both sets of players surround Oliver. Oliver can be heard telling the United players 'he's not got the ball', and also informing the Chelsea players that it was a 'genuine attempt to play the ball', prompting the award of a yellow card for the foul.

Audio transcript

Michael Oliver: Miss me Paul.

[Chelsea and United players tussle for ball, appeals for handball]

No, no, no, no. I don't know whose hand it hit.

[Ball played up field, Hazard runs clear as Jones chases]

Assistant: DOGSO, DOGSO.

Oliver: Not now, not now.

[Jones brings down Hazard in the box, penalty awarded]

Assistant: DOGSO, DOGSO Michael.

VAR: Just going to have a look at it.

[Players from both sides surround the referee]

Oliver: He's not got the ball.

[Referee addresses Chelsea players]

Listen, listen, listen. It's in the area, it's a genuine attempt to play the ball.

I'll talk to you, I'll talk to you. Listen, listen. Let's talk to Gary. Let me talk, let me talk to Gary.

[Cesc Fabregas wanders over to chat to the assistant referee]

Assistant: It's a genuine attempt for the ball. It's a genuine attempt for the ball inside the area.

Oliver: It's a genuine attempt for the ball. It's a yellow card.

He's come in from the side, Hazard's run is between, he doesn't touch the ball.

[United players query the use of VAR]

VAR looks at it already. VAR looks at it anyway.

[Referee talks to VAR]

Just to confirm Neil, check complete?

VAR: Check complete.

Oliver: Penalty check, fine. Penalty is correct.

Phil Jones, No 4, yellow card, genuine attempt to play the ball, didn't win it.

[Talks to penalty taker and goalkeeper]

Eden, whistle. David, whistle. He's in.

[Tells players not to encroach]

Phil, stay out. Paul, stay out. Jesse, stay out.

Oliver then asks to talk to Chelsea skipper Gary Cahill to further explain the situation. Cesc Fabregas is seen wandering over to the assistant on the touchline, who confirms it was a 'genuine attempt.' A United player enquires about VAR, before Oliver swiftly replies that it is already in use. The VAR later confirms that the penalty stands, with Oliver relaying this to the players. As he instructs Hazard to take his attempt when the whistle sounds, he reminds players not to encroach inside the box when the penalty is being taken.

Source: DailyMail

UEFA Europa League – Play-offs (Second Leg)

30 August 2018

Burnley – Olympiakos
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: György Ring (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Tóth (HUN)
Fourth Official: Sándor Andó-Szabó (HUN)
Referee Observer: Vladimír Medved (SVK)

Ufa – Rangers
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Pickel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Patrick Ittrich (GER)
Referee Observer: Goran Mihaljević (MNE)

Astana – Apoel
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Henrik Larsen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sørensen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Michael Tykgaard (DEN)
Referee Observer: Asim Xudiyev (AZE)

AEK Larnaca – AS Trenčín
Referee: Sergey Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksey Lunev (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergey Ivanov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

København – Atalanta
Referee: Anastásios Sidirópoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Polychrónis Kostarás (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Lázaros Dimitriádis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Anastásios Papapétrou (GRE)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

RB Leipzig – Zorya Luhansk
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Kevin Blom (NED)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Maccabi Tel Aviv – Sarpsborg FF
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Tiago Martins (POR)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Apollon Limassol – FC Basel
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Julien Pacelli (FRA)
Fourth Official: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Referee Observer: Eyjólfur Ólafsson (ISL)

Molde – Zenit
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Abrahám Álvarez Cantón (ESP)
Fourth Official: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

CFR Cluj – F91 Dudelange
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)

Qarabağ FK – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Marjan Kirovski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dimitar Mečkarovski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Johan Verbist (BEL)

PFC Ludogorets – Torpedo Kutaisi
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

FC Midtjylland – Malmö FF
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Davie Goossens (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Referee Observer: Kýros Vasáras (GRE)

Beşiktaş – Partizan
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Șovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Colțescu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Ivanov (RUS)

Shkëndija – Rosenborg
Referee: Aleksei Kuĺbakoŭ (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitryj Žuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Alieh Maslianka (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dzianis Ščarbakoŭ (BLR)
Referee Observer: Gevorg Hovhannisyan (ARM)

FCSB – Rapid Wien
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Referee Observer: Zbigniew Przesmycki (POL)

Brøndby IF – KRC Genk
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytautas Šimkus (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Donatas Šimėnas (LTU)
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn (GER)

Spartak Trnava – Olimpija Ljubljana
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

Girondins de Bordeaux – KAA Gent
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Ángel Nevado Rodríguez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Javier Martínez Nicolás (ESP)
Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís (CYP)

Celtic – Sūduva
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Stanislav Todorov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos (CRO)

Sevilla FC – Sigma Olomouc
Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marius Avram (ROU)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

28-30 August 2018

Santos – Independiente
Referee: Julio Bascuñan (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Atlético Nacional – Atletico Tucumán
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Piero Maza (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Torres (PAR)

Gremio – Estudiantes
Referee: Eber Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zorrilla (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Fourth Official: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Francisco Mondria (CHI)

River Plate – Racing
Referee: Mario Diaz de Vívar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Herrera (ECU)

Cruzeiro – Flamengo
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Fourth Official: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
Referee Assessor: Claudio Puga (CHI)

Corinthians – Colo Colo
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Espinoza (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)

Libertad – Boca Juniors
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian de la Cruz (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Fourth Official: Andres Rojas (COL)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Jaimes (PER)

Palmeiras – Cerro Porteño
Referee: German Delfino (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Fourth Official: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Silvera (URU)

UEFA Champions League – Play-offs (Second Leg)

28-29 August 2018

GNK Dinamo – Young Boys
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Charles Schaap (NED)
Additional AR 1: Dennis Higler (NED)
Additional AR 2: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega (ESP)

AEK Athens – MOL Vidi
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Paweł Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Radosław Siejka (POL)
Additional AR 1: Paweł Raczkowski (POL)
Additional AR 2: Tomasz Musiał (POL)
Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel (GER)

Dynamo Kyiv – AFC Ajax
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Fourth Official: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Matej Jug (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Slavko Vinčič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Emil Božinovski (MKD)

Red Bull Salzburg – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Ceyhun Sesigüzel (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Halis Özkahya (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Barış Şimşek (TUR)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

PSV Eindhoven – Bate Borisov
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Paul Tierney (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

PAOK – Benfica
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Markus Häcker (GER)
Additional AR 1: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Additional AR 2: Marco Fritz (GER)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

Growing pay gap between male and female referees in France

The Executive Committee of the French Football Federation has published the referee fees for the 2018-2019 season. The gap between men's and women's football is growing day-by-day. Despite the campaigns for the promotion of women's refereeing, the FFF is showing little consideration and respect for female referees.

A male referee in Ligue 1 earns 2290 € per match, while a female referee in the women’s Division 1, which counts the best women’s team in Europe, Olympique Lyonnais, only gets paid 210 €. A difference of 2080 €! This is just enough to cover the costs of logistics (train, plane, hotel, gas) for female referees. It is a scandal at a time when the Federation is constantly promoting women's football, but continues to ignore its female referees. Stephanie Frappart, the flagship of the women's refereeing and who works Ligue 2 matches, represented France at the Women’s Euro 2017 where she was appointed to the semi-final Netherlands - England. She also recently refereed the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final between Spain and Japan.

Assistant referees are also considered as a by-product of refereeing in France. For example, Assistant Referees F1 receive 1173 € less than their referee colleagues. Worse still, the referees belonging to the categories F3 and F4 are paid 532 € and 282 € respectively per match. An Assistant Referee F3 receives an allowance of 234 €, which is more than the referee of a female D1 match. A total aberration. The FFF has also communicated the fees that will be received by the referees F1, F2 and the 10 specialized video assistant referees appointed as VARs for the current season. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will receive an allowance of 615 €, while the Assistant Video Assistant Referee (AVAR) will be paid up to 270 €. 

Source: Arbitrage57

UEFA Women’s Futsal Euro 2019 Qualifiers – Preliminary Round

21-26 August 2018

Group A - Newry (NIR)
1. Daniel Deca (ROU)
2. Arttu Kyynaeraeinen (FIN)
3. Patrik Porkert (AUT, photo)
4. Adrian Tschopp (SUI)

Group B - Prienai (LTU)
1. Veljko Bošković (MNE)
2. Ugur Cakmak (TUR)
3. Yevhen Hordiienko (UKR)

Group C - Ciurescu (MDA)
1. Kreshnik Hakrama (ALB)
2. Yusif Nurullayev (AZE)
3. Jacob Pawlowski (GER)

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Final 2018: Frappart (FRA)

While the host nation will not be taking part in the upcoming final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018, there will be one French representative present on the pitch on Friday: Stephanie Frappart, who has been selected to referee the tournament’s showpiece match between Japan and Spain in Vannes. With just two days to go until the global decider, the 34-year-old shared her feelings of pride and joy with FIFA.com.

- Stephanie, how did it feel to be picked to referee the U-20 Women’s World Cup final?

- It’s a great honour to be selected for the match and I’m very proud to represent France. You never expect it, because there’s an entire group of referees that you work with, and all of them are in with a shout. Secondly, my chances depended on how France got on in the tournament, as I’m obviously not allowed to referee my own country. Just like all my colleagues, I try to do my work as well as I can, hoping that I’ll one day be able to referee a final. And when that day actually comes, it’s a really great feeling, and it’s even more special that the match will take place in France.

- Do you prepare for a final in the same way as any other match?

- You obviously know that there'll be more of a spotlight on the game, and you’ll feel a bit of pressure due to the high stakes involved. But it’s still a football match, and it’s part of a competition that I’ve spent a long time preparing for. You don’t leave anything to chance – you constantly work on technical and tactical aspects so that you’re ready for this type of encounter.

- Have you enjoyed refereeing during this U-20 Women’s World Cup?

- Yes, because it was the first time I’d officiated at this event, although I had already taken part in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2016 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. It’s been particularly memorable for me because of it being held in France. It’s been a great experience; the standard of play has been very high.

- Is refereeing a U-20 match different from refereeing a senior game?

- The only distinguishing factor is speed. In terms of skills and tactics, however, the U-20s have made a huge amount of progress. The game is slower, sure, but it’s not easier. At the end of the day, they’re football matches in which you deal with the same issues.

- Are some teams easier or tougher to referee?

- No. Each team has a style of play, their own tactics, and players with different attributes – that’s what makes a World Cup like this one so great. You prepare for that; that’s what you expect. Prior to the semi-finals, two coaches came to us to explain how the teams were set up and how they played. The goal of this was to enable us to adapt to them better and to be in the right place at the right time, so that we can make the best possible decision when we referee a match involving such-and-such a team.

- Does refereeing a U-20 Women’s World Cup final assure you of a spot on the list of officials for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019?

- No, not at all – that list has not been set yet. After this competition, there’s the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay, which will feature other potential candidates. We’re all on the list of possible referees, but the objective is to remain there, or to try to remain there. In order to do that, you have to keep working hard on the technical side of the game, as well as on tactics and fitness. And so I’m going to knuckle down and do just that! (Source: FIFA)

24 August 2018

Final

Spain – Japan

Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)

Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)

Assistant Referee 2: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)

Fourth Official: Edina Alves (BRA)

Reserve AR: Kim Kyoung Min (KOR) 

Match for Third Place

France – England

Referee: Gladys Lengwe (ZAM)

Assistant Referee 1: Lidwine Rakotozafinoro (MAD)

Assistant Referee 2: Bernadettar Kwimbira (MWI)

Fourth Official: Ri Hyang Ok (PRK)

Reserve AR: Hong Kum Nyo (PRK)

Youth Olympic Games 2018 – Futsal Tournament

Buenos Aires, 6-18 October 2018

AFC
1. Hussain Al Bahhar (BHR, 1980)
2. Hiroyuki Kobayashi (JPN, 1980, photo)
3. Po Fu Lee (TPE, 1988)
4. Qingyun Liang (CHN, 1985)
5. Gelareh Nazemi (IRN, 1984)

CAF
1. Mohamed Hassan (EGY, 1977)
2. Khalid Hnich (MAR, 1981)

CONCACAF
1. Jose Barrera (SLV, 1989)
2. Diego Molina (CRC, 1986)
3. Roberto Sanchez (CUB, 1979)
4. Lance VanHaitsma (USA, 1982)

CONMEBOL
1. Ricardo Amaral (BRA, 1983)
2. Tayana Moreno (VEN, 1992)
3. Valeria Palma (CHI, 1990)
4. Andres Pena (ARG, 1984)
5. Rafael Villalba (PAR, 1992)

OFC
1. Anthony Riley (NZL, 1985)

UEFA
1. Victor Berg Audic (FRA, 1985)
2. Ovidiu Curta (ROU, 1976)
3. Nikola Jelic (CRO, 1982)
4. Miguel Oliveira (POR, 1981)
5. Chiara Perona (ITA, 1987)
6. David Urdanoz (ESP, 1979)
7. Irina Velikanova (RUS, 1980)

Support Referee - CONMEBOL
1. Leandro Lorenzo (ARG, 1975)

Referee Instructors/Assessors
1. Pedro Galan (ESP)
2. Massimo Cumbo (ITA)
3. Perry Gautier (BEL)
4. Cesar Figueredo (URU)

UEFA Europa League – Play-Offs (First Leg)

23 August 2018

Partizan – Beşiktaş
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomáš Somoláni (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Fourth Official: Filip Glova (SVK)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Zenit – Molde
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
Referee Observer: Sabri Çelik (TUR)

Torpedo Kutaisi – PFC Ludogorets
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kemal Yılmaz (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Fourth Official: Koray Gençerler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Petteri Kari (FIN)

Sigma Olomouc – Sevilla FC
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Potter (SCO)
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

AS Trenčín – AEK Larnaca
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Javier Aguilar Rodríguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

Apoel – Astana
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Lasse Koslowski (GER)
Fourth Official: Frank Willenborg (GER)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Suduva – Celtic
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Mario Zebec (CRO)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

Sheriff Tiraspol – Qarabağ
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

Sarpsborg FF – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Valeriy Danchenko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Aleksey Yes'kov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Andrejs Sipailo (LVA)

Malmö FF – Midtjylland
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Michális Koukoulákis (GRE)

FC Basel – Apollon Limassol
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazovič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

Atalanta – København
Referee: Pavel Královec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Nádvorník (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Kamil Hájek (CZE)
Fourth Official: Petr Ardeleánu (CZE)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

Olympiakós – Burnley
Referee: Slavko Vinčič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)

Olimpija Ljubljana – Spartak Trnava
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Child (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
Fourth Official: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
Referee Observer: Luciano Luci (ITA)

F91 Dudelange – CFR Cluj
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)

Rapid Wien – FCSB
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Walsh (SCO)
Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)

KRC Genk – Brøndby IF
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP)

Zorya Luhansk – RB Leipzig
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Haquette (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Fourth Official: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

KAA Gent – Girondins de Bordeaux
Referee: Aliyar Ağayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Rza Mammadov (AZE)
Fourth Official: Orxan Mammadov (AZE)
Referee Observer: Michael Ross (NIR)

Rangers – Ufa
Referee: Daniel Stefański (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dawid Golis (POL)
Fourth Official: Zbigniew Dobrynin (POL)
Referee Observer: Michel Piraux (BEL)

Rosenborg – Shkëndija
Referee: Orel Grinfeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dvir Shimon (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Fourth Official: Alon Yefet (ISR)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

UEFA Champions League – Play-Offs (First Leg)

21-22 August 2018

Benfica – PAOK
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjević (SRB)
Fourth Official: Nemanja Petrović (SRB)
Additional AR 1: Nenad Djokić (SRB)
Additional AR 2: Danilo Grujić (SRB)
Referee Observer: László Vágner (HUN)

Bate Borisov – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Fourth Official: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Additional AR 1: Tobias Welz (GER)
Additional AR 2: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev (BUL)

Crvena Zvezda – Red Bull Salzburg
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Fourth Official: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Marco Guida (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Patrick Kelly (IRL)

Young Boys – Dinamo Zagreb
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Additional AR 2: José Sánchez Martínez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Kaj Østergaard (DEN)

MOL Vidi – AEK Athens
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Luca Banti (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

AFC Ajax – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana – Round of 16 (Matchday 1)

21-22 August 2018

San Lorenzo – Nacional
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wagner Magalhaes (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Defensa y Justicia – Banfield
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Murillo (VEN)
Fourth Official: Marlon Escalante (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Pablo Silva (ARG)

LDU Quito – Deportivo Cali
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Referee Assessor: Candelario Andarcia (VEN)

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2018 – Semi-finals

20 August 2018

France – Spain
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Yudilia Briones (MEX)
Fourth Official: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL) 
Reserve AR: Maria Salamasina (SAM)

England – Japan
Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Luciana Mascarana (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU)
Fourth Official: Lidya Abebe (ETH)
Reserve AR: Uvena Fernandes (IND)

Cakir: from striker to referee

He was born in Kuzguncuk, an old Istanbul neighborhood where the popular soap opera “Perihan Abla” was shot. When he was 10, he started playing football for Kartalspor. He was the striker. They were Istanbul champion in the junior league. They beat Fenerbahçe actually; he scored the goal. One day he fell and broke his arm. When he recovered and rejoined the team, his manager gave him a defense position. He was demoralized; he took off his jersey. He put on a referee shirt, like his father. He was 17, not even full age.

He was in a youth project: his family supported him. His father was his coach, he had a good score in the university entrance examination; he registered at Kocaeli University, finishing his undergraduate studies in business management. His mother, Vildan, attended a seminar for wives of referees in the 1990s in Kuşadası. Every week there is a match, all the talk is on football. How did she manage? She was like a statue of sacrifice; she was trained for all of this. For years, she packed her husband and her son’s suitcases. She always smiled even if she did not feel like it. Since her life was football, she is in command of all the rules of the game like a professional. His wife, Gamze, is from Bandırma. They have been married for nine years. They are childhood sweethearts. She is the first person he calls right after a game. When he comes home, they watch together the recorded game he has officiated. She never goes to a match he is refereeing. Unfortunately, in this country, it has been forgotten than referees are human... As a matter of fact, we owe it to Gamze the peak he has reached today. In training, games, away games, overseas games, he spends 156 days of the year away from home, public holidays, vacations. They do not have any kids now. He owns an insurance company. He split from his partner two years ago and formed his own agency with his wife but it is his wife who takes care of the business. He does not have time. He never accepts any clients who have any association with any football club – as a principle. He tells them to seek another agency. When you are a real man, this is what happens. He has a recording device at home and at work. He records all the games in Europe. Every day he watches at least two games. He picks up sample decisions, makes his team watch. He has the widest archive of all. He speaks English. He is fit; he is keen on his diet. He exercises two hours every day. He goes to bed at 11 p.m. He does not drink alcohol; he does not smoke. He likes going to the movies, plays with his wife and friends. He is respectable, modest, decent and normal. He listens to rock music. Many think he looks like Tolga Çevik. Fans take his picture thinking he is Tolga. He reads a few hours every evening. 

He is Cüneyt Çakır. His father is Serdar Çakır, both of whom are prides of Turkey. He was given an honorary doctorate from Mehmet Akif Ersoy University. President Professor Mustafa Saatçı said this at the ceremony: “He is a master in his job. He has carried our country’s name to international platforms. Cüneyt Çakır has written his own story. We are meant to share, support and be proud of his achievements.”

Source: Hurriyet

FIFA referee Madley has quit EPL and moves to Norway

The Premier League referee Bobby Madley, one of the rising stars among the league’s officials, who took charge of last year’s Community Shield, has abruptly quit and ended his career in English football. The 32-year-old was on the FIFA list and one of those whom the Premier League had hoped would become one of Europe’s leading referees and the circumstances around his departure are still unclear. It is understood that it could be linked to a video on social media although that could not be confirmed. 

Madley, from West Yorkshire, had been a FIFA list referee since January of last year making him eligible to take charge of international fixtures and also European games. He was well-regarded at the Premier League, for which he had been taking charge of games for more than three years and was one of the youngest senior referees. His older brother, Andrew, 34, is a Football League referee in the select group 2 and took charge of his first Premier League game last season. Bobby Madley was trusted with some high-profile fixtures in recent seasons including Manchester United’s home games against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea and Liverpool - Arsenal. He had refereed the Community Shield game between Arsenal and Chelsea in August last year. His departure, revealed by Telegraph Sport online, had not been disclosed to Madley’s fellow select group referees by their organisation Professional Game Match Officials. He had been left off the matchlist for the first rounds of Premier League and Football League fixtures which is unusual but not unprecedented in an organisation in which referees can come in and out of favour. In a statement PGMOL said: “Bobby Madley is no longer employed by PGMOL. We understand that he has decided to relocate due to a change in his personal circumstances.” The 32-year-old is set to quit the UK and emigrate to the Scandinavian country with his Norwegian partner later this year. Madley could now officiate in Norway and there has already been contact with the refereeing governing body in the country. The Head of the Norwegian Refereeing, Terje Hauge, told TV 2 that Madley was open to officiating games for the Eliteserien, Norway's professional football league. He said: “We have received an inquiry confirming that he is going to Norway. We have talked to him once and we agree to stay in touch. He moves during the fall. When visiting, we will have good conversations with him. If he is motivated to become part of our environment, he is welcome.” Mystery still surrounds the exact reasons why Madley will no longer be officiating in the English top flight. He was not present at the mandatory pre-season meeting of all select group officials at St George’s Park where they are briefed and prepared. His sudden departure leaves the select group of 18 referees down to 17. The other referee not yet appointed to a game so far is Roger East, who failed the fitness test. Mike Riley, the managing director of PGMOL, who is a key figure in preparing for the Premier League’s adoption of video assistant referees next season, is expected to address his referees on the details of Madley’s departure this week. The select group will gather at St George’s Park for the first of this season’s regular meetings in which they review performances and discuss decisions. PGMOL are under pressure to develop a new generation of referees and especially from next year, with the introduction of VAR, given the increased number of officials that will require for every game. Riley and his PGMOL deputy Adam Gale-Watts, a former assistant referee, are in charge of assigning referees and assistants to games. They are also the most influential figures in developing their careers and competence of their top referees and the loss of Madley will come as a blow to the organisation. The select group lost Mark Clattenburg, who quit in the 2016-2017 season to become the head of refereeing for the Saudi Arabian football federation. Martin Atkinson stepped down from refereeing international competitions last season. PGMOL have 18 select group referees from whom they make their appointments. Referees can fall off the list if they get injured or if they fail the annual fitness tests. 

Source: The Telegraph

Collina: "No more football without VAR. Leaving UEFA? My personal decision"

The World Cup final in Moscow was exactly a month ago, when Argentine Nestor Pitana refereed the match between France and Croatia. A month passed, but not without some rumours because, after the refereeing success of the Russian tournament and, above all, the introduction of VAR, Pierluigi Collina decided to leave UEFA, remaining only at the command of the FIFA Referees Committee. Not an easy choice and who knows whether it was linked to the UEFA decision not to use VAR or even to the Real Madrid – Juventus match in the Champions League, when Andrea Agnelli asked for his resignation on live TV. After the UEFA press release from Nyon, in which "personal reasons" were invoked, Collina also received several messages from those who feared there was something else behind this decision: "I am fine, it was simply my choice because the time for change has arrived".

- It cannot be denied that the refereeing at the 2018 World Cup, including VAR, was a success. Did you, Busacca and Boban anticipate that?

- It is nice to hear that from neutral observers and football fans. After Euro 2016 it was said that the moral winner had been the refereeing team, the same happened after Russia 2018. Not a random result, because nothing at this level is just a coincidence. The process started four years ago, immediately after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with the first selection of candidates and then with a long series of seminars, where each detail was treated with the utmost care.

- Could you give us some examples?

- For example, we organized a friendly tournament at the beginning of June in Moscow, so referees do not lose the form between the end of their championships and the start of the World Cup. This had never been done before. When I was still an active referee, I asked for officiating games in Serie B to keep my form. Then I want also to mention the confirmation of the importance of our match-analysts, experts who have studied teams and players to offer technical and tactical input to referees.

- How do you identify the best referees from all the continents?

- Knowing that nowadays there are digital platforms that allow you to see and study everything, when Infantino wanted me to join FIFA, I suggested, first of all, that it should not be political members in the referees committee but only technicians, former referees and in particular refereeing heads of the six confederations. In a short time we will start again the road to Qatar 2022, when many of the 2018 World Cup referees will be out from selection due to age reasons.

- Where could you find good referees for the future? 

- Not only in Europe or South America. Other continents are developing as well. For example, Iranian Faghani has made a World Cup at very high level and also the Senegalese Diedhiou was among the best referees.

- Can we say that you worked as a "group" in Russia, along with Busacca, Rosetti and Boban?

- Boban did not have a direct involvement, but as FIFA Deputy Secretary, we wanted him to stay with us, deciding from the first day to stay in our hotel. This pleased me because the refereeing team is one of the best "national teams" for FIFA. He stayed with us, without interfering in our choices, but at the same time never lacking support, helping us when we asked for something for referees.

- You, Busacca and Rosetti are colleagues.

- We shared our daily work with Massimo, starting from 10 km of running in the morning to stay in shape and then the management and the assignments, always in agreement. Together we worked very well. I chose Rosetti as VAR expert for this World Cup. If UEFA would have not appointed him when I resigned as Chief Refereeing Officer, I would have assigned Roberto a very important and central role for refereeing in FIFA; this had already been planned in any case.

- Is there anything at this moment that can be studied to improve refereeing?

- In the last 10 years many things had been done; today's referees are really prepared, as it was never before, their knowledge of the game is at a very high level and physically they are real athletes, so that today we need to work more on injury prevention. For sure, there is always room for improvement. I would like to see referees being more reactive to the changes in football, so that they could adapt their style faster.

- Is the non-use of VAR in Champions League be the reason of your departure from UEFA?

- Everything has been said, even that I would have promoted the VAR development with FIFA and the slowdown with UEFA; obviously this is not the case. FIFA immediately believed in it and started the preparation much sooner, but there are some differences: so far, VAR has been used in championships and tournaments played within only one country. Trying to use VAR in the Champions League, where matches are being played in many countries and with many broadcasters, is surely more complicated. But I am sure that UEFA will make the decision to implement it and referees will find themselves ready for the use of technology.

- Has anyone asked for your resignation?

- No, when I informed UEFA, they asked me to change my decision.

- What about your relationships with Infantino and Ceferin?

- With Infantino we shared the idea and the project to change the refereeing in Europe. I still remember the very long phone calls at the beginning of 2010 when we discussed what was necessary to do to improve the performance of the referees. Then, once he became FIFA president, he wanted me to join his team. The evening of the World Cup final he came to our hotel to celebrate the success with all referees. I am grateful to Ceferin because he gave me his full trust, by confirming my role, when he was elected as new UEFA president.

- Is there any risk that top referees, being used to VAR, could have trouble to return to "human referees"?

- VAR gives you more peace of mind; it does not make you change the way you referee. On the pitch, the referee will decide in the same manner, and then, in case of a clear mistake, VAR will save him. So, a referee should not change his mind only because he is going to officiate a match with VAR help. It is very important, and I asked for that since the first IFAB meeting in which this topic was discussed (November 2014), that the referee must have the final decision, If there is a fact, for example an offside, no problem, but otherwise it is only the referee who must review the images before deciding. In any case, some officials have been forced to change their usual style.

- Who?

- Assistant referees, who have been told to delay the flag on some occasions, because it is better to score the goal and then evaluate the situation on video, rather than wrongly stopping an action that afterwards turns out to be correct. In Russia, we almost never talked about offside issues. This was an excellent success.

- In short, there is no future in football without VAR?

- I do not think so, partly because people would not understand since we live in an age where everything we do is based on the use of technology. We tried years ago to reduce errors with the human eye, with the additional assistant referees, but then the technology did not allow today's precision. Nowadays, it is even improving: before the World Cup we went from a 2D to a 3D evaluation for offside that is necessary to evaluate more accurately the position of a foot compared to a head.

- Would you have liked to use VAR when you were still a referee? 

- Nobody is happy when making mistakes and then being criticized for that. Of course, for those who used to decide by themselves it is not easy, but you have to be open to change, in the end what matters is the final result.

Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2018 – Quarter-finals

16-17 August 2018

Spain – Nigeria
Referee: Qin Liang (CHN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Cui Yongmei (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Fang Yan (CHN)
Fourth Official: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Reserve AR: Uvena Fernandes (IND)

France – Korea DPR
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Melissa Borjas (HON) 
Reserve AR: Katrin Rafalski (GER)

England – Netherlands
Referee: Ri Hyang Ok (PRK)
Assistant Referee 1: Hong Kum Nyo (PRK)
Assistant Referee 2: Kim Kyoung Min (KOR)
Fourth Official: Jana Adamkova (CZE)
Reserve AR: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)

Germany – Japan
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Tatiane Sacilotti (BRA)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Reserve AR: Luciana Mascarana (URU)

Marciniak counts down the days to the Super Cup

Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup referee Szymon Marciniak admits that he wasn't the official's best friend when he was a player – and the Pole says a red card he received one day actually put him on the path to his current career. As a combative midfielder for Polish top-flight outfit Wisła Płock, Szymon Marciniak did not have the greatest respect for referees by his own admission – but a red card dealt out to him one day was to change his life and set him off on the route to the European and world refereeing elite.

"I wasn't the easiest player by any means," says the 37-year-old Polish match official, who is preparing for his latest major assignment – the UEFA Super Cup encounter between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid in Tallinn. "I was ambitious, I wanted to win, and I used to make referees' lives very difficult. I complained all the time. But then in one match, the referee sent me off. I didn't agree with his decision, of course, and I let him know exactly what I thought. After the game, I told him that he was one of the worst referees that I had ever seen. He replied: 'If you think it's so easy, you try and do it.' So I did." He enrolled on a refereeing course – and the rest is history. Marciniak and the referee went on to become great friends and colleagues. "We used to joke about how I was as a player, and when I became an international referee, he accompanied me as a fourth official at an Under-21 qualifying match. And I always told him that he had taken the right decision when he sent me off! It's a lovely story." Since then, Marciniak has gone on to referee at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2016, as well as in major European club matches. Last season, he was named as the fourth official for the UEFA Europa League final in Lyon, in which Atlético defeated Marseille. He was also the fourth official for the 2016 UEFA Super Cup in Trondheim, where Real Madrid overcame Sevilla. In 2015, he officiated at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final between Sweden and Portugal. Marciniak believes his experience as a player help him to manage players on the pitch. "Man-management is one of the most vital aspects of refereeing," he says. "It's important that you're able to establish a relationship with players. So if you've played, then you have an understanding of how players react to situations." Marciniak is grateful to UEFA for the training he received in graduating from the UEFA Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) programme in 2011 – the same year that he became an international referee. "I met some great people, and they taught me so much," he says of his time being primed for his future career. "I gained considerable knowledge that I've been able to put into practice along the way."

Five compatriots from Poland will join Marciniak for the Super Cup outing in Tallinn - assistant referees Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz, additional assistant referees Paweł Raczkowski and Tomasz Musiał, and reserve official Radosław Siejka. Romania's Ovidiu Haţegan will serve as the fourth official. Marciniak says that the pre-match rituals will be no different to any other game. "We'll have some music in the dressing-room – it especially helps to keep me calm – and we'll be ready, focused and concentrated. We'll also prepare for the match by studying the teams' tactics, as well as the players and their characteristics – it's become so important to know has much as you can about teams before you go out on the field." Marciniak is determined to keep his feet on the ground and savour every moment of his career. "I try and stay the same person – you have to be yourself," he reflects. "To be given the chance to take charge of matches like the Super Cup is a reward for the hard work and sacrifices that you make to reach this level. I'm very proud." And what of the future? "I take things one at a time," he explains. "You can't look too far ahead. I'm at a good refereeing age and I've now got a lot of experience which I hope will stand me in good stead in the years to come. As someone once told me: 'When you've reached a high level, the difficult part comes in staying there.' Now I'm counting down the days to the Super Cup – and after that, you then start thinking about the next match."

Source: UEFA

UEFA Europa League – Third Qualifying Round (Second Leg)

16 August 2018

Dinamo Brest – Apollon Limassol
Referee: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Nilsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Patrik Eriksson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Petteri Kari (FIN)

Basel – Vitesse
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Lasse Koslowski (GER)
Fourth Official: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Kairat Almaty – Sigma Olomouc
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sladan Josipovic (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Fedayi San (SUI)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

AEK Larnaca – Sturm Graz
Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Goran Mihajlević (MNE)

HJK Helsinki – Olimpija Ljubljana
Referee: Yevheniy Aranovskyy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Serhiy Bekker (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleh Pluzhnyk (UKR)
Fourth Official: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
Referee Observer: Ingi Jónsson (ISL)

FC København – CSKA Sofia
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekrem Kan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: İbrahim Uyarcan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

U Craiova – RB Leipzig
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ondřej Pelikán (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Paták (CZE)
Fourth Official: Emanuel Marek (CZE)
Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

FC Zenit – Dinamo Minsk
Referee: Sébastien Delferière (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jo De Weirdt (BEL)
Fourth Official: Wim Smet (BEL)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Molde – Hibernian
Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)
Fourth Official: Martin van den Kerkhof (NED)
Referee Observer: Nicolae Grigorescu (ROU)

Žalgiris Vilnius – Sevilla FC
Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ridiger Çokaj (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Rejdi Avdo (ALB)
Fourth Official: Andi Koçi (ALB)
Referee Observer: Michális Argyroú (CYP)

Progrès Niederkorn – FC Ufa
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Dieter Muckenhammer (AUT)
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi (SMR)

CFR Cluj – Alashkert FC
Referee: Vilhjálmur Thórarinsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Gylfi Sigurdsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Ívar Kristjánsson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vázquez (ESP)

FK Sūduva – Spartaks Jūrmala
Referee: Ola Hobber Nilsen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tom Harald Grønevik (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Geir Oskar Isaksen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Kai Erik Steen (NOR)
Referee Observer: Pavel Saliy (KAZ)

FC Midtjylland – The New Saints
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Amer Macić (BIH)
Fourth Official: Admir Šehović (BIH)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

Apoel – Hapoel Beer Sheva
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović (SRB)

FK Kukësi – Torpedo Kutaisi
Referee: Alain Bieri (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Alain Heiniger (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthias Sbrissa (SUI)
Fourth Official: Pascal Erlachner (SUI)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

Maccabi Tel Aviv – FC Pyunik
Referee: Ville Nevalainen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ville Koskiniemi (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mika Lamppu (FIN)
Fourth Official: Petri Viljanen (FIN)
Referee Observer: Michális Koukoulákis (GRE)

Luzern – Olympiakós
Referee: Kirill Levnikov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksey Vorontsov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Aram Petrosyan (RUS)
Fourth Official: Roman Galimov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Jørn West Larsen (DEN)

LASK Linz – Beşiktaş JK
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Jovica Tatar (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandar Đikanović (MNE)
Fourth Official: Vojin Vojinović (MNE)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Atalanta BC – Hapoel Haifa
Referee: Frank Schneider (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertrand Jouannaud (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Djemel Zitouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Johan Hamel (FRA)
Referee Observer: Erol Ersoy (TUR)

Brøndby IF – Spartak Subotica
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kemal Yılmaz (TUR)
Fourth Official: Ümit Öztürk (TUR)
Referee Observer: Paulius Malžinskas (LTU)

HŠK Zrinjski – PFC Ludogorets
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rob van de Ven (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries (NED)
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout (NED)
Referee Observer: Gerard Perry (IRL)

F91 Dudelange – Legia Warszawa
Referee: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Venev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Fourth Official: Volen Chinkov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Lassin Isaksen (FRO)

Lech Poznań – KRC Genk
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Vivenzi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Piero Giacomelli (ITA)
Referee Observer: Muharrem Aksoy (TUR)

NK Maribor – Rangers FC
Referee: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Godelaine (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Florian Lemaire (BEL)
Fourth Official: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

Partizan – Nordsjaelland
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Silver Kõiv (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Aron Härsing (EST)
Fourth Official: Juri Frischer (EST)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

FCSB – Hajduk Split
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: César Noval Font (ESP)
Fourth Official: Mario Melero López (ESP)
Referee Observer: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)

Rapid Wien – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Vuoto (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Referee Observer: Draženko Kovačić (CRO)

Feyenoord – Trenčín
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Henrik Larsen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sørensen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jens Grabski Maae (DEN)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

KAA Gent – Jagiellonia Białystok
Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Pickel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: René Rohde (GER)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Cortus (GER)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

HNK Rijeka – Sarpsborg FF
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radiuš (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytis Snarskis (LTU)
Fourth Official: Robertas Valikonis (LTU)
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytiä (FIN)

Burnley FC – İstanbul Başakşehir
Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marius Avram (ROU)
Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

Girondins de Bordeaux – FC Mariupol
Referee: Andrew Dallas (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Stokoe (SCO)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Walsh (SCO)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Rosenborg – Cork City
Referee: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Fourth Official: Michael Tykgaard (DEN)
Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís (CYP)

Valur Reykjavík – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Marco Fritz (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen (GER)
Referee Observer: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

SC Braga – Zorya Luhansk
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Goce Petreski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dejan Jakimovski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Thór Orrason (ISL)

UEFA Champions League – Third Qualifying Round (Second Leg)

14-15 August 2018

Fenerbahçe – Benfica
Referee: Slavko Vinčič (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Roberto Ponis (SVN)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Dynamo Kyiv – Slavia Praha
Referee: Daniel Stefański (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dawid Golis (POL)
Fourth Official: Zbigniew Dobrynin (POL)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Bate Borisov – Qarabağ
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Spartak Moskva – PAOK
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Julien Pacelli (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jérôme Miguelgorry (FRA)
Referee Observer: Oğuz Sarvan (TUR)

AEK Athens – Celtic
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Valeri Danchenko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergey Ivanov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)

GNK Dinamo – FC Astana
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytautas Šimkus (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Jurij Paškovskij (LTU)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

MOL Vidi – Malmö FF
Referee: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Javier Aguilar Rodríguez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magán (ESP)
Fourth Official: Javier Alberola Rojas (ESP)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

KF Shkëndija – Red Bull Salzburg
Referee: Tamás Bognár (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balázs Buzás (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Theodoros Georgiou (HUN)
Fourth Official: Péter Solymosi (HUN)
Referee Observer: Alan Freeland (SCO)

Spartak Trnava – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Davie Goossens (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

AFC Ajax – Standard de Liège
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomáš Somoláni (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Fourth Official: Filip Glova (SVK)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2018 – Group Stage (Matches 17-24)

12 August 2018
Brazil – Korea DPR
Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Fourth Official: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)

England – Mexico
Referee: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Uvena Fernandes (IND)
Assistant Referee 2: Hong Kum Nyo (PRK)
Fourth Official: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)

Ghana – New Zealand
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Tatiane Sacilotti (BRA)
Fourth Official: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)

Netherlands – France
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Belinda Pierre (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Kung (SUI)
Fourth Official: Gladys Lengwe (ZAM)

13 August 2018
Spain – USA
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Lata Kaumatule (TGA)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Salamasina (SAM)
Fourth Official: Jana Adamkova (CZE)

Japan – Paraguay
Referee: Gladys Lengwe (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Lidwine Rakotozafinoro (MAD)
Assistant Referee 2: Bernadettar Kwimbira (MWI)
Fourth Official: Qin Liang (CHN)

China – Nigeria
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)
Fourth Official: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)

Germany – Haiti
Referee: Lidya Abebe (ETH)
Assistant Referee 1: Mary Njoroge (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Queency Victoire (MRI)
Fourth Official: Ri Hyang Ok (PRK)

Swedish AR Klyver hit in the head by object thrown from stands

Sturm Graz have hit out at the fan that left an assistant referee needing stitches after he was hit with a missile thrown from the stands. The Austrian outfit had been playing Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the Europa League when the match was stopped with Swedish assistant referee Fredrik Klyver on the ground.

In a statement on their website, Sturm Graz said: "This behaviour of a fan in today's UEFA Europa League game is by no means acceptable. This damages the reputation of football and us as a club. "We always try to see football as a positive celebration and to tackle these things. Fair play is our top priority. We are sorry that today we have disappointed many football fans."

Fredrik Klyver received treatment at the side of the pitch for a nasty gash before being helped from the field of play with a bandage around his head. After a delay of about 24 minutes, he was replaced by fourth official Magnus Lindgren and the match was resumed. Larnaca went on to win 2-0.

Stefan Johannesson, head of the Swedish FA, revealed to the Swedish press that Klyver was taken to hospital and needed stitches. He told Aftonbladet that he found it "very strange" the match was not abandoned and continued to the final whistle. Johannesson said: "It is UEFA who decides, but personally, I do not understand why they make such a decision. Had this happened in Sweden, we would have abandoned the match."

Source: The Sun