FIFA will have automatised offside

FIFA president Gianni Infantino described referees as "heroes" and urged Premier League officials to start using pitch-side monitors before making key decisions involving VAR. Infantino told Sky Sports News he was unaware that Premier League referees have not been making the final call on VAR decisions.

The FIFA chief lauded the "difficult" work of referees on the pitch but encouraged them to "accept the help" of pitch-side monitors to enable them to play a more active role in the VAR process. Infantino told SSN chief reporter Bryan Swanson: "The job of the referee is so difficult, these guys are heroes, we are all criticising them so let's help them and they have to accept the help. They have a safety net when they are not sure or when somebody who sees the images telling them to go and check. They should go and check." Despite VAR's controversial start in the Premier League, Infantino says the system is helping football and as the technology improves, so too will the game. "VAR is making [football] more just and clean and if we have to wait one minute or two minutes, we have a game-changing decision which is taken correctly instead of wrongly. Of course, VAR will improve, will develop, and will have automatised offside because that's what technology will give us today or tomorrow. Offside and handball are these two situations which we need to constantly analyse and see how we can and if we can, these are difficult topics." 

Source: SkySports

Kochkarov: “It was not easy to stop!”

AFC recently honoured World Cup assistant referee Bakhadyr Kochkarov with the Referees Memento Awards 2020. Kochkarov ended his career at 49, after 23 years on the FIFA List. “Such a decision was not easy, but my career had to come to an end. I must get back to my normal life. I will see what the future will offer”, said Kochkarov. 

He began his international career in 1997, at the FIFA World Youth Championship, while his last international match was on 10 November 2019. Bakhadyr Kochkarov participated as an assistant referee in 9 World Cup matches, as part of Irmatov’s team, in 2010 and 2014. 

Source: TMG

FIFA Club World Cup Final 2019: Al Jassim (QAT)

21 December 2019

Final
Liverpool – Flamengo
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG)
Reserve AR: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR 1: Kyle Atkins (USA)
AVAR 2: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
AVAR 3: Bakary Gassama (GAM)

Match for Third Place
CF Monterrey – Al Hilal
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Şovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)
Reserve AR: Claudio Rios (CHI)
VAR: Benoît Millot (FRA)
AVAR 1: Mahmoud Ahmed (EGY)
AVAR 2: Fu Ming (CHN)
AVAR 3: Alan Kelly (USA)

Referees' tales of El Clasico

“El Clasico” between Barcelona and Real Madrid attracts the eyes of the whole world including the referees. It is not easy refereeing a match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The tension of either fighting for the title or even just wanting to beat your biggest rival is always present. Sometimes, off the field issues occurs. 

Some of the referees in charge talked to 'Marca'. Urizar Azpitarte still recalls the game Stoichkov stepped on him. That is when a nice friendship began. "He invited to me to Sofia and he apologised to me in front of many people. He even gave me the boots he stamped on me with as a present!," he recalled. Azpitarte took charge of 12 Clasicos and he even had to slap one of his assistants in one of them. "He later thanked me for that slap," the ex-referee confessed, who also sent off Schuster the day he returned to the Camp Nou after signing for Real Madrid.

Diaz Vega was in charge on the night that Raul Gonzalez scored at Barcelona and put his finger to his lips. "Of course I remember it," he added. "I would leave it go again without a booking, it's not a yellow card!" But another of his Clasico chapters involved strong words about Johan Cruyff. In his press conference, he expressed his opinion that the Dutchman always "pisses his pants" at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. "Afterwards we saw each other and fixed everything. We even went to Istanbul together where his son Jordi played, and we were together without any problems. I don't miss anything about that life."

But without doubt, one of the most famous games was when two people chained themselves to the post. Alfonso Perez Burrull spoke to 'AS' about that encounter in 2002. There were anti-globalisation protests in Barcelona and it was also complex. Suddenly, Puyol came up to me to let me know that two people had chained themselves to the goal and I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what he was telling me, but when I turned, I had to stop the game because it was true, two guys had chained themselves to the upright," he recalled.

Source: BeSoccer

Former South American top referees recognized by CONMEBOL

Juan Carlos Loustau, Jose Roberto Wright, Gaston Castro, Jose Torres Cadena, Ubaldo Aquino, Alberto Tejada, Ernesto Filippi and Silvia Regina de Oliveira were recognized by CONMEBOL for the work, delivery and contribution to South American and world football in all the years of refereeing matches in high-level CONMEBOL and FIFA competitions. Wilson Seneme, president of the Referees Committee, said that "In CONMEBOL we are doing many things for the first time and this also has no record. It is a night of happiness for refereeing. The South American referees were always among the world's leading referees and we have today are a sample of what we had in the past. Being a South American referee is a pride and it is a great responsibility for current referees to see the past of such good referees”, he said.

- Juan Carlos Loustau is an Argentine former referee. He participated in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, 1987 FIFA U-20 World Cup and also the 1989 and 1991 Copa Americas.

- Jose Roberto Wright, also known as Jose Roberto Wright or Jose Ramiz Wright, is a former Brazilian referee. He was a referee in four matches of the 1990 FIFA World Cup that took place in Italy.

- Gaston Castro is a former Chilean referee who directed matches of all tournaments organized by CONMEBOL and some games at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. 

- Jose Torres Cadena, also known as J.J. Torres, is a former Colombian referee. Torres Cadena was a FIFA referee in several international tournaments, including 4 matches at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 1992 Olympic football tournament.

- Ubaldo Aquino is a former Paraguayan referee. Throughout his career he directed numerous matches, both in South America and international, including two matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

- Alberto Tejada is a doctor and professional referee of Peru. He debuted as a first division referee in 1983, became a FIFA referee in 1986 and is standing out for being the only South American appointed consecutively to referee in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States and then in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

- Ernesto Filippi Cavani is a former Uruguayan referee known for supervising a match during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

- Silvia Regina de Oliveira is a former referee from Brazil. In 2001, she joined the FIFA international referees level. In 2003, she was the first woman referee to whistle the Brazilian Serie A Championship, a fact that has never happened in professional men's football worldwide and until today she is the only woman who refereed in the CONMEBOL South American Cup. 

Source: CONMEBOL

FIFA Club World Cup 2019 – Semi-finals

17-18 December 2019

Flamengo – Al Hilal
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Corey Parker (USA)
Fourth Official: Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG)
Reserve AR: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
VAR: Alan Kelly (USA)
AVAR 1: Saoud Al-Maqaleh (QAT)
AVAR 2: Bakary Gassama (GAM)

Monterrey – Liverpool
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
Reserve AR: Saoud Al-Maqaleh (QAT)
VAR: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
AVAR 1: Taleb Al-Marri (QAT)
AVAR 2: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)

FIFA Club World Cup 2019 – Match for Fifth Place

17 December 2019

Al Sadd SC – ES Tunis
Referee: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Şovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (R)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
Reserve AR: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
VAR: Benoît Millot (FRA)
AVAR 1: Mahmoud Ahmed (EGY)
AVAR 2: Fu Míng (CHN)

UEFA Referee Categories – second half of the season 2019/2020

Men 

Elite 

Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR), Pavel Kralovec (CZE), Michael Oliver (ENG), Anthony Taylor (ENG), Orel Grinfeeld (ISR), Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP), Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP), Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP), Benoit Bastien (FRA), Clement Turpin (FRA), Deniz Aytekin (GER), Felix Brych (GER), Felix Zwayer (GER), Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE), Daniele Orsato (ITA), Björn Kuipers (NED), Danny Makkelie (NED), Szymon Marciniak (POL), Artur Soares Dias (POR), Ovidiu Hategan (ROU), Istvan Kovacs (ROU), Sergei Karasev (RUS), William Collum (SCO), Ivan Kruzliak (SVK), Damir Skomina (SVN), Slavko Vincic (SVN), Cüneyt Cakir (TUR).

First Category 

Harald Lechner (AUT), Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT), Aliyar Aghayev (AZE), Irfan Peljto (BIH), Georgi Kabakov (BUL), Ivan Bebek (CRO), Petr Ardeleanu (CZE), Jakob Kehlet (DEN), Craig Pawson (ENG), Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP), Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP), Kristo Tohver (EST), Mattias Gestranius (FIN), Ruddy Buquet (FRA), Francois Letexier (FRA), Daniel Siebert (GER), Tobias Stieler (GER), Tamas Bognar (HUN), Istvan Vad (HUN), Marco Guida (ITA), Davide Massa (ITA), Gediminas Mazeika (LTU), Andris Treimanis (LVA), Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD), Nikola Dabanovic (MNE), Serdar Gözübüyük (NED), Bas Nijhuis (NED), Pawel Gil (POL), Pawel Raczkowski (POL), Daniel Stefanski (POL), Tiago Martins (POR), Radu Petrescu (ROU), Aleksei Eskov (RUS), Sergei Ivanov (RUS), John Beaton (SCO), Robert Madden (SCO), Srdjan Jovanovic (SRB), Sandro Schärer (SUI), Matej Jug (SVN), Andreas Ekberg (SWE), Halis Özkahya (TUR), Ali Palabiyik (TUR), Ievgenii Aranovskyi (UKR), Sergii Boiko (UKR).

Second Category 

Enea Jorgji (ALB), Alexandre Boucaut (BEL), Jonathan Lardot (BEL), Lawrence Visser (BEL), Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL), Fran Jovic (CRO), Duje Strukan (CRO), Pavel Orel (CZE), Miroslav Zelinka (CZE), Jörgen Burchardt (DEN), Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN), Jens Maae (DEN), Michael Tykgaard (DEN), Stuart Attwell (ENG), David Coote (ENG), Christopher Kavanagh (ENG), Andrew Madley (ENG), Paul Tierney (ENG), Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP), Ricardo De Burgos Bengoechea (ESP), Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP), Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP), Jose Munuera Montero (ESP), Juri Frischer (EST), Antti Munukka (FIN), Karim Abed (FRA), Jerome Brisard (FRA), Willy Delajod (FRA), Amaury Delerue (FRA), Benoît Millot (FRA), Frank Schneider (FRA), Giorgi Kruashvili (GEO), Bastian Dankert (GER), Christian Dingert (GER), Marco Fritz (GER), Harm Osmers (GER), Sascha Stegemann (GER), Georgios Kominis (GRE), Anastasios Papapetrou (GRE), Adam Farkas (HUN), Neil Doyle (IRL), Robert Harvey (IRL), Robert Hennessy (IRL), Thorvaldur Arnason (ISL), Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson (ISL), Roi Reinshreiber (ISR), Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR), Marco Di Bello (ITA), Daniele Doveri (ITA), Michael Fabbri (ITA), Massimiliano Irrati (ITA), Fabio Maresca (ITA), Maurizio Mariani (ITA), Paolo Valeri (ITA), Artyom Kuchin (KAZ), Donatas Rumsas (LTU), Alain Durieux (LUX), Dumitru Muntean (MDA), Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD), Trustin Farrugia Cann (MLT), Alan Sant (MLT), Dennis Higler (NED), Espen Eskas (NOR), Tore Hansen (NOR), Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR), Bartosz Frankowski (POL), Krzysztof Jakubik (POL), Fabio Costa Verissimo (POR), Manuel Sousa (POR), Joao Pinheiro (POR), Marius Avram (ROU), Horatiu Fesnic (ROU), Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS), Sergei Lapochkin (RUS), Kirill Levnikov (RUS), Vitaly Meshkov (RUS), Kevin Clancy (SCO), Donald Robertson (SCO), Alain Bieri (SUI), Adrien Jaccottet (SUI), Filip Glova (SVK), Peter Kralovic (SVK), Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE), Glenn Nyberg (SWE), Bojan Pandzic (SWE), Martin Strömbergsson (SWE), Hüseyin Göcek (TUR), Mete Kalkavan (TUR), Halil Meler (TUR), Mykola Balakin (UKR), Iwan Griffith (WAL).

Third Category 

Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB), Juxhin Xhaja (ALB), Luis Teixeira (AND), Suren Baliyan (ARM), Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM), Walter Altmann (AUT), Christian Ciochirca (AUT), Sebastian Gishamer (AUT), Christopher Jäger (AUT), Julian Weinberger (AUT), Rahim Hasanov (AZE), Rauf Jabarov (AZE), Nicolas Laforge (BEL), Erik Lambrechts (BEL), Bram Van Driessche (BEL), Nathan Verboomen (BEL), Dragan Petrovic (BIH), Admir Sehovic (BIH), Dzmitry Dzmitryieu (BLR), Amine Kourgheli (BLR), Viktar Shymusik (BLR), Stefan Apostolov (BUL), Volen Chinkov (BUL), Dragomir Draganov (BUL), Nikola Popov (BUL), Igor Pajac (CRO), Tihomir Pejin (CRO), Mario Zebec (CRO), Timotheos Christofí (CYP), Vasilis Dimitriou (CYP), Nikolas Neokleous (CYP), Loukas Sotiriou (CYP), Ondrej Pechanec (CZE), Pavel Rejzek (CZE), Morten Hansen (DEN), Peter Kjaersgaard (DEN), Roomer Tarajev (EST), Kaarlo Hämäläinen (FIN), Ville Nevalainen (FIN), Petri Viljanen (FIN), Kari a Hovdanum (FRO), Alex Troleis (FRO), Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO), George Vadachkoria (GEO), Jason Barcelo (GIB), Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (GRE), Ioannis Papadopoulos (GRE), Emmanouil Skoulas (GRE), Athanasios Tzilos (GRE), Balazs Berke (HUN), Ferenc Karako (HUN), Paul McLaughlin (IRL), Helgi Jonasson (ISL), Ivar Kristjansson (ISL), Yigal Frid (ISR), David Fuxman (ISR), Gal Leibovitz (ISR), Furkat Atazhanov (KAZ), Arman Ismuratov (KAZ), Daniyar Sakhi (KAZ), Visar Kastrati (KVX), Besfort Kasumi (KVX), Genc Nuza (KVX), Manfredas Lukjancukas (LTU), Laurent Kopriwa (LUX), Jasmin Sabotic (LUX), Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA), Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA), Veaceslav Banari (MDA), Alexandru Tean (MDA), Dejan Jakimovski (MKD), Matthew De Gabriele (MLT), Fyodor Zammit (MLT), Jovan Kaludjerovic (MNE), Milovan Milacic (MNE), Jochem Kamphuis (NED), Allard Lindhout (NED), Keith Kennedy (NIR), Tim Marshall (NIR), Ian McNabb (NIR), Jamie Robinson (NIR), Kristoffer Hagenes (NOR), Sigurd Kringstad (NOR), Rohit Saggi (NOR), Kai Steen (NOR), Tomasz Musial (POL), Luis Branco Godinho (POR), Antonio Carvalho Nobre (POR), Vitor Ferreira (POR), Hugo Miguel (POR), Marcel Bîrsan (ROU), Sebastian Coltescu (ROU), Aleksei Matiunin (RUS), Vladimir Moskalev (RUS), David Munro (SCO), Nick Walsh (SCO), Luca Barbeno (SMR), Milos Djordjic (SRB), Danilo Grujic (SRB), Lazar Lukic (SRB), Novak Simovic (SRB), Lukas Fähndrich (SUI), Fedayi San (SUI), Urs Schnyder (SUI), Lionel Tschudi (SUI), Boris Marhefka (SVK), Michal Ocenas (SVK), Nejc Kajtazovic (SVN), Rade Obrenovic (SVN), Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE), Kaspar Sjöberg (SWE), Arda Kardesler (TUR), Viktor Kopiievskyi (UKR), Yaroslav Kozyk (UKR), Vitaly Romanov (UKR), Denys Shurman (UKR), Robert Jenkins (WAL), Bryn Markham-Jones (WAL).

Women 

Elite 

Ivana Martincic (CRO), Jana Adamkova (CZE), Olga Zadinova (CZE), Lina Lehtovaara (FIN), Stephanie Frappart (FRA), Florence Guillemin (FRA), Riem Hussein (GER), Bibiana Steinhaus (GER), Katalin Kulcsar (HUN), Sandra Braz Bastos (POR), Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS), Lorraine Watson (SCO), Esther Staubli (SUI), Pernilla Larsson (SWE), Sara Persson (SWE), Kateryna Monzul (UKR).

First Category 

Rebecca Welch (ENG), Marta Frias Acedo (ESP), Marta Huerta De Aza (ESP), Eleni Antoniou (GRE), Eszter Urban (HUN), Elvira Nurmustafina (KAZ), Ivana Projkovska (MKD), Ewa Augustyn (POL), Monika Mularczyk (POL), Silvia Rosa Domingos (POR), Desiree Grundbacher (SUI), Petra Pavlikova (SVK), Tess Olofsson (SWE), Melis Ozcigdem (TUR), Cheryl Foster (WAL).

Second Category 

Barbara Poxhofer (AUT), Lois Otte (BEL), Volha Tsiareshka (BLR), Galiya Echeva (BUL), Hristiana Guteva (BUL), Sabina Bolic (CRO), Vesna Budimir (CRO), Lucie Sulcova (CZE), Frida Klarlund Nielsen (DEN), Maria Martinez Madrona (ESP), Reelika Turi (EST), Angelika Soeder (GER), Paula Brady (IRL), Maria Marotta (ITA), Graziella Pirriatore (ITA), Justina Lavrenovaite (LTU), Viola Raudzina (LVA), Vivian Peeters (NED), Shona Shukrula (NED), Henrikke Nervik (NOR), Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU), Vera Opeikina (RUS), Simona Ghisletta (SUI), Zuzana Valentova (SVK), Aleksandra Cesen (SVN), Tanja Subotic (SVN).

Third Category 

Emanuela Rusta (ALB), Araksya Saribekyan (ARM), Sofik Torosyan (ARM), Marina Aufschnaiter (AUS), Olivia Tschon (AUT), Yuliya Gurbanova (AZE), Viki De Cremer (BEL), Merima Celik (BIH), Tanja Racic (BIH), Aliaksandra Yakushevich (BLR), Dimitrina Milkova (BUL), Jelena Pejkovic (CRO), Ioanna Allaylotou (CYP), Chryso Georgiou (CYP), Veronika Kovarova (CZE), Abigail Byrne (ENG), Kirsty Dowle (ENG), Stacey Pearson (ENG), Ainara Acevedo Dudley (ESP), Zulema Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP), Triinu Vaher (EST), Ifeoma Kulmala (FIN), Victoria Beyer (FRA), Maika Vanderstichel (FRA), Karoline Wacker (GER), Andromachi Tsiofliki (GRE), Katalin Sipos (HUN), Briet Bragadottir (ISL), Meitar Shemesh (ISR), Maria Ferrieri Caputi (ITA), Valentina Finzi (ITA), Tatiana Sorokopudova (KAZ), Rasa Imanalijeva (LTU), Jurgita Macikunyte (LTU), Jeļena Jermolajeva (LVA), Natalia Clipca (MDA), Oxana Cruc (MDA), Irena Velevackoska (MKD), Lizzy van der Helm (NED), Louise Thompson (NIR), Emilie Dokset (NOR), Sarah Zangeneh (NOR), Michalina Diakow (POL), Katarzyna Lisiecka-Sek (POL), Catarina Ferreira Campos (POR), Teresa Pimenta Oliveira (POR), Alina Pesu (ROU), Ana Terteleac (ROU), Cristina Trandafir (ROU), Marina Krupskaya (RUS), Alexandra Ponomareva (RUS), Jelena Cvetkovic (SRB), Jelena Medjedovic (SRB), Marina Visnjic (SRB), Michele Schmolzer (SUI), Sandra Strub (SUI), Miriama Matulova (SVK), Laura Rapp (SWE), Neslihan Muratdagi (TUR), Cansu Tiryaki (TUR), Anastasiya Romanyuk (UKR), Liudmyla Telbukh (UKR), Kateryna Usova (UKR).

Futsal 

Elite 

Borislav Kolev (BUL), Nikola Jelic (CRO), Sasa Tomic (CRO), Ondrej Cerni (CZE), Marc Birkett (ENG), Juan Cordero Gallardo (ESP), Alejandro Martinez Flores (ESP), Cedric Pelissier (FRA), Gabor Kovacs (HUN), Angelo Galante (ITA), Alessandro Malfer (ITA), Eduardo Fernandes Coelho (POR), Vladimir Kadykov (RUS), Ivan Shabanov (RUS), Admir Zahovic (SVN), Kamil Cetin (TUR).

First Category 

Stefan Vrijens (BEL), Trayan Enchev (BUL), David Urdanoz Apezteguia (ESP), Kirill Naishouler (FIN), Victor Berg Audic (FRA), Vasileios Christodoulis (GRE), Balazs Farkas (HUN), Moshe Bohbot (ISR), Nicola Manzione (ITA), Josip Barton (MKD), Tomasz Frak (POL), Miguel Oliveira (POR), Grigori Zelentsov (RUS), Petar Radojcic (SRB), Daniel Matkovic (SUI), Lukas Pesko (SVK), Simon Todorovic (SVN), Ozan Soykan (TUR).

Second Category 

Juan Boelen (BEL), Vitali Rakutski (BLR), Vedran Babic (CRO), Michalis Christofides (CYP), Jan Kresta (CZE), David Nissen (DEN), Peter Nurse (ENG), Raquel Gonzalez Ruano (ESP), Javier Moreno Reina (ESP), Grigori Osomkov (EST), Julien Lang (FRA), Arsen Nonikashvili (GEO), Chiara Perona (ITA), Dario Pezzuto (ITA), Ingus Purins (LVA), Viktor Bugenko (MDA), Marjan Mladenovski (MKD), Veljko Boskovic (MNE), Ibrahim El Jilali (NED), Omar Rafiq (NOR), Slawomir Steczko (POL), Cristiano Cardoso (POR), Ruben Cardoso (POR), Filipe Santos (POR), Vlad Ciobanu (ROU), Iuri Neverov (RUS), Irina Velikanova (RUS), David Schaerli (SUI), Adrian Tschopp (SUI), Ales Mocnik (SVN), Yaroslav Vovchok (UKR).

Third Category 

Arman Alaberkyan (ARM), Daniel Stauber (AUT), Manuel Wolf (AUT), Hikmat Qafarli (AZE), Yasin Alageyik (BEL), Jiri Bergs (BEL), Alem Bajrovic (BIH), Farik Keco (BIH), Igor Puzovic (BIH), Maksim Dzeikala (BLR), Volha Pauliuts (BLR), Kaloyan Kirilov (BUL), Ivo Tsenov (BUL), Josip Dujmic (CRO), Georgios Kozakos (CYP), Nicolas Nicolaou (CYP), Yiangos Yiangou (CYP), Radim Cep (CZE), Filip Nesnera (CZE), Martin Koster (DEN), Jagnar Jakobson (EST), Paavo Kompaa (FIN), Arttu Kyynaeraeinen (FIN), Aurelien Uzan (FRA), Shota Khukhilava (GEO), Franziska Bruckner (GER), Christian Gundler (GER), Ingo Heemsoth (GER), Jacob Pawlowski (GER), Antonios Adamopoulos (GRE), Panagiotis Ntalas (GRE), Norbert Szilagyi (HUN), Annamaria Tolnay (HUN), David Berry (IRL), Raafat Al Hamola (ISR), Idan Berenshtein (ISR), Aslan Galayev (KAZ), Talgat Kosmukhambetov (KAZ), Turekhan Tursumbayev (KAZ), Besar Beqiri (KVX), Ekrem Franca (KVX), Besart Ismajli (KVX), Mantas Pomeckis (LTU), Sarunas Tamulynas (LTU), Michael Lima (LUX), Eduards Fatkulins (LVA), Done Ristovski (MKD), David Balzan (MLT), Clinton Cassar (MLT), Sylvester Rodrigues (NED), Jacob Van Dijke (NED), Lars Van Leeuwen (NED), Telmen Undrakh (NOR), Dominik Cipinski (POL), Damian Grabowski (POL), Katarzyna Netkowska (POL), Liviu Chita (ROU), Daniel Deca (ROU), Bogdan Hanceariuc (ROU), Tatiana Boltneva (RUS), Gordon McCabe (SCO), Daniele D’Adamo (SMR), Nebojsa Panic (SRB), Djordje Petrovic (SRB), Nikola Rabrenovic (SRB), Marco Rothenfluh (SUI), Rastislav Behancin (SVK), Peter Budac (SVK), Martin Matula (SVK), Dejan Veselic (SVN), Ademir Avdic (SWE), Haris Curovac (SWE), David Glavonjic (SWE), George Jansizian (SWE), Ugur Cakmak (TUR), Murat Colak (TUR), Fatma Tursun (TUR), Yevhen Hordiienko (UKR), Sviatoslav Kliuchnyk (UKR), Denys Kutsyi (UKR), Vasilica Ciuplea (WAL), Carl Hughes (WAL).

UEFA: Referees Grinfeeld, Kovacs and Vincic promoted to Elite

The UEFA Referees Committee approved the referee categories for the second half of the season 2019/2020. The changes will take effect on 1 January 2020.

Men

Retired from Elite: Viktor Kassai (HUN), Gianluca Rocchi (ITA).

Promoted from First Category to Elite: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR), Istvan Kovacs (ROU), Slavko Vincic (SVN, photo).

Retired from First Category: Kevin Blom (NED).

Retired/removed from Second Category: Alexander Harkam (AUT), Robert Schorgenhofer (AUT), Siarhei Tsynkevich (BLR), Tobias Welz (GER), Pol van Boekel (NED), Arnold Hunter (NIR), Ola Hobber Nilsen (NOR), Stephan Klossner (SUI).

New FIFA referees entered into Second Category: David Coote (ENG), Andrew Madley (ENG), Willy Delajod (FRA), Harm Osmers (GER), Fabio Maresca (ITA), Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP).

Retired/removed from Third Category: Dzianis Shcharbakou (BLR), Stanislav Todorov (BUL), Zbynek Proske (CZE), Nicolas Rainville (FRA), Irakli Kvirikashvili (GEO), Erez Papir (ISR), Christophe Pires (LUX), Joao Capela (POR), Umit Ozturk (TUR), Mykola Kryvonosov (UKR).

New FIFA referees entered into Third Category: Walter Altmann (AUT), Christian Ciochirca (AUT), Dzmitry Dzmitryieu (BLR), Amine Kourgheli (BLR), Viktar Shymusik (BLR), Dragomir Draganov (BUL), Pavel Rejzek (CZE), Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO), David Fuxman (ISR), Visar Kastrati (KVX), Jasmin Sabotic (LUX), Jochem Kamphuis (NED), Allard Lindhout (NED), Jamie Robinson (NIR), Sigurd Kringstad (NOR), Vitor Ferreira (POR), David Munro (SCO), Lazar Lukic (SRB), Lukas Fähndrich (SUI), Arda Kardesler (TUR), Viktor Kopiievskyi (UKR).

Women

Retired/removed from First Category: Amy Fearn (ENG), Zuzana Kovacova (SVK).

Retired/removed from Second Category: Tinna Christensen (DEN), Sarah Garratt (ENG).

Retired/removed from Third Category: Ruzanna Petrosyan (ARM), Hannelore Onsea (BEL), Irina Turovskaya (BLR), Minna Maenpaa (FIN), Vera Onica (MDA), Tamara Petric (SRB).

New FIFA referees entered into Third Category: Sofik Torosyan (ARM), Olivia Tschon (AUT), Aliaksandra Yakushevich (BLR), Kirsty Dowle (ENG), Stacey Pearson (ENG), Maika Vanderstichel (FRA), Alexandra Deligianni (GRE), Natalia Clipca (MDA), Oxana Cruc (MDA), Louise Thompson (NIR), Teresa Oliveira (POR), Ana Terteleac (ROU), Jelena Medjedovic (SRB), Miriama Matulova (SVK).

Futsal 

Retired/removed from First Category: Gerd Bylois (BEL), Costas Nicolaou (CYP).

Retired/removed from Second Category: Gerald Bauernfeind (AUT), Patrik Porkert (AUT), Yusif Nurullayev (AZE), Damian Jaruchiewicz (POL), Vladan Radulovic (SRB), Fredric Nilholt (SWE), Hennadiy Hora (UKR).

New FIFA referees entered into Second Category: Ruben Cardoso (POR).

Retired/removed from Third Category: Kreshnik Hakrama (ALB), Gerard Roure (AND), Mihran Kudoyan (ARM), Ramil Namazov (AZE), Christos Christou (CYP), Olli Niemela (FIN), Danijel Darandik (GER), Ovidiu Curta (ROU), Mario Belavy (SVK), Mario Bohun (SVK).

New FIFA referees entered into Third Category: Arman Alaberkyan (ARM), Daniel Stauber (AUT), Manuel Wolf (AUT), Jiri Bergs (BEL), Georgios Kozakos (CYP), Nicolas Nicolaou (CYP), Paavo Komppa (FIN), Franziska Bruckner (GER), Michael Lima (LUX), Telmen Undrakh (NOR), Dominik Cipinski (POL), Liviu Chita (ROU), Nikola Rabrenovic (SRB), Peter Budac (SVK), Martin Matula (SVK), George Jansizian (SWE), Sviatoslav Kliuchnyk (UKR).

FIFA Club World Cup 2019 – Second Round

14 December 2019

Al Hilal – ES Tunis
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Reserve AR: Kyle Atkins (USA)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR 1: Corey Parker (USA)
AVAR 2: Esteban Ostojich (URU)

CF Monterrey – Al Sadd SC
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Sovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)
Reserve AR: Corey Parker (USA)
VAR: Alan Kelly (USA)

AVAR 1: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
AVAR 2: Fu Ming (CHN)

FIFA List 2020 Changes

Albania
Assistant Referees
In: Koleta Prenga (F, photo)

Algeria
Futsal
In: Ammar Ballahouane (M), Adel Chenaoua (M)

Beach Soccer
In: Badreddine Seffoud (M), Fethallah Senhadji (M)

Andorra
Assistant Referees
In: Bruno Parente (M)

Argentina
Referees
In: Roberta Echeverria (F), Nicolas Lamolina (M), Andres Merlos (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Facundo Rodriguez (M), Gisela Trucco (F)

Armenia
Referees
Out: Ruzanna Petrosyan (F)
In: Sofik Torosyan (F, 1994)

Assistant Referees
In: Liana Yagmurian (F)

Futsal
Out: Mihran Kudoyan (M)
In: Arman Alaberkyan (M)

Australia
Referees
Out: Jarred Gillett (M, 1986)
In: Alexander King (M)

Austria
Referees
Out: Alexander Harkam (M, 1981), Robert Schörgenhofer (M, 1973)
In: Walter Altmann (M, 1984), Christian Ciochirca (M, 1989), Olivia Tschon (F, 1994)

Assistant Referees
In: Michael Nemetz (M), Amina Raschid (F), Santino Schreiner (M)

Futsal
Out: Gerald Bauernfeind (M), Patrik Porkert (M)
In: Daniel Stauber (M), Manuel Wolf (M)

Azerbaijan
Assistant Referees
In: Elshad Abdullayev (M), Parvin Talibov (M)

Futsal
Out: Ramil Namazov (M), Yusif Nurullayev (M)

Beach Soccer
In: Nail Naghiyev (M)

Bangladesh
Referees
In: Bituraj Barua (M), Jaya Chakma (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Sharifujjaman Khan (M)

Belarus
Referees
Out: Dzianis Shcharbakou (M, 1978), Siarhei Tsynkevich (M, 1976), Irina Turovskaya (F)
In: Dzmitry Dzmitryieu (M, 1988), Amine Kourgheli (M, 1991), Viktar Shymusik (M, 1985), Aliaksandra Yakushevich (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Anton Gusev (M), Anton Ihnatsiuk (M), Siarhei Kasavets (M), Dzianis Yemelyanchykau (M)

Belgium
Assistant Referees
In: Matthias Hillaert (M), Ruben Wyns (M)

Futsal
Out: Gerd Bylois (M)
In: Jiri Bergs (M)

Beach Soccer
In: Mehdi Sayoud (M)

Benin
Referees
In: Dedjinnanchi Ahomlanto (M), Daniel Kassa (M), Issa Mouhamed (M)

Bolivia
Referees
In: Christian Aleman (M), Telma Castro (F), Janet Portugal (F), Dilio Rodriguez (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Elizabeth Blanco (F), Ruben Flores (M), Carlos Tapia (M), Maricela Urapuca (F)

Futsal
In: Martha Quispe (F)

Beach Soccer
In: Noe Parra (M)

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Assistant Referees
In: Jovanka Višekruna (F)

Botswana
Referees
In: Itumeleng Methikga (F), Tirelo Mositwane (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Lucky Kegakologetswe (M), Ookeditse Keitseope (M)

Brazil
Referees
In: Bruno Arleu (M), Flavio Rodrigues (M), Charly Straud (F), Rafael Traci (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Fabrini Bevilaqua (F), Barbara Da Costa (F), Rafael Da Silva (M), Fernanda Gomes (F)

Bulgaria
Referees
Out: Stanislav Todorov (M, 1976)
In: Dragomir Draganov (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Miroslav Maksimov (M), Petar Mitrev (M)

Burkina Faso
Referees
In: Vincent Kabore (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Ami Kouma (F), Dofinte Lamien (M)

Burundi
Referees
In: Djaffari Nduwimana (M)

Cambodia
Assistant Referees
In: Sopheak Sean (M)

Futsal
In: Vizel Sorn (M)

Cameroon
Assistant Referees
In: Neant Ahmadou (M), Ronalde Bigoh (M), Patrick Emah (M),

Canada
Assistant Referees
Out: Erina Cho (F), Richard Gamache (M)

Cape Verde Islands
Referees
In: Ana Fernandes (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Marisa Goncalves (F)

Cayman Islands
Referees
In: Benjamin Whitty (M)

Central African Republic
Referees
In: Paterne Ouaboe (M)

Chad
Referees
In: Bit Aicha (M), Abdelkerim Ousmane (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Ndingadal Homadje (F)

Chile
Referees
In: Angelo Hermosilla (M), Madelaine Rojas (F)

Futsal
In: Felipe Conolef (M)

China
Referees
In: Li Haixin (M), Wang Jing (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Guo Jingtao (M), Wu Qiaoli (F), Yang Yang (M)

Futsal
In: Zhu Xin (F)

Chinese Taipei
Referees
In: Kuo Chia Hao (M)

Colombia
Referees
Out: Gustavo Murillo (M, 1983)

Assistant Referees
In: Nataly Arteaga (F), Jenny Torres (F)

Futsal
In: Daniel Manrique (M), Nilson Norena (M)

Beach Soccer
In: Ferley Fuentes (M), Erney Ramos (M)

Comoros
Assistant Referees
In: Koudeidi Abdourazak (M)

Congo
Assistant Referees
In: Chany Malondi (M), Vital Mapangolou (M)

Congo DR
Referees
In: Vanessa Sifa (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Rambo Makombo (M)

Costa Rica
Assistant Referees
In: Victor Ramirez (M)

Futsal
In: Josue Molina (M)

Cote d’Ivoire
Referees
In: Clement Kpan (M), Patrick Vlei (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Nouho Ouattara (M)

Cyprus
Assistant Referees
In: Nicos Egglezou (M), Omiros Tziortzis (M)

Futsal
Out: Christos Christou (M), Costas Nicolaou (M)
In: Georgios Kozakos (M), Nicolas Nicolaou (M)

Czech Republic
Referees
Out: Zbynek Proske (M, 1981)
In: Pavel Rejzek (M, 1990)

Assistant Referees
In: Adam Horak (M), Zuzana Spindlerova (F), Jana Stychova (F)

Denmark
Referees
Out: Tinna Christensen (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Ole Kronlykke (M), Jakob Mastrup (M)

Djibouti
Referees
In: Nasser Houssein (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Charmake Mohamed (M)

Dominican Republic
Futsal
In: Ramon Rosario (M)

Ecuador
Referees
In: Augusto Aragon (M), Marlon Vera (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Juan Aguiar (M), Dennys Guerrero (M), Joselyn Romero (F), Andres Tola (M)

Futsal
In: Daniel Villacis (M), Pedro Zuniga (M)

Beach Soccer
In: Javier Marcillo (M)

England
Referees
Out: Amy Fearn (F), Sarah Garratt (F)
In: David Coote (M, 1982), Kirsty Dowle (F), Andrew Madley (M, 1983), Stacey Pearson (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Melissa Burgin (F)

Equatorial Guinea
Referees
In: Beata Angue (F), Martin Ngomo (M), Jacinto Ondo (M)

Eritrea
Referees
In: Suzana Semere (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Warsay Melake (F)

Eswatini
Referees
In: Thokozani Dlamini (M), Celumusa Siphepho (M)

Ethiopia
Referees
In: Medab Biftu (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Yebekal Alemayhu (M), Birtukan Mamo (F), Fasika Yehualashet (M)

Finland
Referees
Out: Minna Maenpaa (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Veli-Matti Leppanen (M)

Futsal
Out: Olli Niemela (M)
In: Paavo Komppa (M)

France
Referees
Out: Nicholas Rainville (M, 1982)
In: Willy Delajod (M, 1992), Maika Vanderstichel (F, 1994)

Assistant Referees
Out: Bertrand Jouannaud (M)
In: Aurelien Drouet (M)

Beach Soccer
Out: Benoit Wolff (M)
In: Mathieu Dor (M)

Gabon
Assistant Referees
In: Davy Mboussou (M)

Georgia
Referees
Out: Irakli Kvirikashvili (M, 1984)
In: Goga Kikacheishvili (M, 1991)

Assistant Referees
In: Davit Akhvlediani (M), David Gabisonia (M)

Germany
Referees
Out: Tobias Welz (M, 1977)
In: Harm Osmers (M, 1985)

Assistant Referees
Out: Markus Hacker (M, 1974)
In: Dominik Schaal (M, 1985)

Futsal
Out: Danijel Darandik (M)
In: Franziska Bruckner (F)

Beach Soccer
In: Annett Unterbeck (F)

Gibraltar
Assistant Referees
In: Daniel Gomez (M)

Greece
Referees
In: Alexandra Deligianni (F)

Beach Soccer
In: Georgios Fitsas (M), Vasileios Fitsas (M)

Guatemala
Assistant Referees
In: Iris Vail (F)

Futsal
In: Israel Davila (M)

Guinea
Referees
In: Aissatou Kante (F), Abdoulaye Manet (F)

Honduras
Referees
In: Selvin Brown (M)

Hungary
Referees
Out: Viktor Kassai (M, 1975)

Assistant Referees
Out: Gyorgy Ring (M, 1981)

Beach Soccer
In: Renata Foris (F)

Iceland
Assistant Referees
In: Arnar Arnason (M), Egill Gudlaugsson (M)

India
Referees
In: Kanika Barman (F)

Indonesia
Referees
In: Aprisman Aranda (M), Fariq Hitaba (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Fajar Furqon (M), Azizul Hanafiah (M), Dinan Lazuardi (M)

Futsal
In: Windy Putra (M)

Iran
Referees
In: Amir Arabbaraghi (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Farhad Moraveji (M)

Futsal
In: Zahra Rahmi (F)

Ireland
Assistant Referees
In: Olivia Sneyd (F)

Israel
Referees
Out: Erez Papir (M, 1980)
In: David Fuxman (M, 1990)

Italy
Referees
Out: Gianluca Rocchi (M, 1973)
In: Fabio Maresca (M, 1981)

Japan
Referees
In: Hiroki Kasahara (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Yosuke Takebe (M)

Korea DPR
Referees
Out: Ri Hyang Ok (F)
In: Jong Yu Ri (F), Kim Gyong Wi (F), Ryo Yu Song (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Han Bok Sun (M), Jang Chol Jin (M), Ri Un Im (M)

Futsal
In: Ryu Hyok Chol (M)

Korea Republic
Referees
In: Choi Hyun Jai (M)

Kosovo
Referees
In: Visar Kastrati (M, 1986)

Assistant Referees
In: Imran Kabashi (M), Besnik Morina (M)

Kuwait
Assistant Referees
In: Ahmad Abbas (M)

Futsal
In: Abdulaziz Alsarraf (M)

Kyrgyzstan
Referees
In: Denis Shalaev (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Kanat Myrsabekov (M)

Latvia
Assistant Referees
In: Deniss Sevcenko (M), Martins Svipsts (M)

Lebanon
Referees
In: Shiekh Alaeddin (M)

Futsal
In: Elias Al-Hakim (M)

Lesotho
Assistant Referees
In: Siza Dlangamandla (M)

Liberia
Referees
In: Moses Forkpah (M)

Libya
Referees
In: Shuhoub Abdulbasit (M), Abdulrazg Ahmed (M), Agha Mohamed (M), Elmabrouk Muhammad (M)

Futsal
In: Gshaira Abdulhamid (M)

Beach Soccer
In: Sulayman Husayn (M)

Lithuania
Assistant Referees
In: Ugn Smitait (F)

Luxembourg
Referees
Out: Christophe Pires (M, 1989)
In: Jasmin Sabotic (M, 1994)

Futsal
In: Michael Lima (M)

North Macedonia
Assistant Referees
In: Slagjan Markoski (M)

Malawi
Referees
In: Eness Gumbo (F), Mercy Kayira (F), Easter Zimba (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Eliza Sichinga (F)

Malaysia
Referees
In: Mohd Hanafiah (M)

Futsal
In: Mohd Norhayalan (M)

Maldives
Referees
In: Hussain Sinan (M)

Mali
Referees
In: Ousmane Diakate (M), Rokiatou Fofana (F), Sory Keita (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Modibo Samake (M)

Mauritania
Referees
In: Moussa Diou (M)

Mauritius
Assistant Referees
In: Aswet Teeluck (M)

Futsal
In: Mohammad Bachun (M), Suraj Sobhee (M)

Mexico
Referees
Out: Quetzalli Alvarado (F), Roberto Garcia (M)

Moldova
Referees
Out: Vera Onica (F)
In: Natalia Clipca (F), Oxana Cruc (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Maria Cerbulenco (F)

Beach Soccer
In: Piotr Stoianov (M)

Mongolia
Assistant Referees
In: Enkhjargal Galbadrakh (M)

Montenegro
Assistant Referees
In: Vladan Todorovic (M)

Morocco
Referees
In: Sabah Sadir (F)

Mozambique
Referees
In: Artur Alfinar (M)

Futsal
In: Lucio Julio (M)

Myanmar
Assistant Referees
In: San Htet (M), Wint Tun (M)

Namibia
Referees
In: Eveline Augistinus (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Festus Shaningwa (M), Johannes Shinuna (M)

Netherlands
Referees
Out: Kevin Blom (M, 1974), Pol van Boekel (M, 1975)
In: Jochem Kamphuis (M, 1986), Allard Lindhout (M, 1987)

Assistant Referees
In: Rogier Honig (M)

Beach Soccer
In: Stef Van Vliet (F)

New Caledonia
Assistant Referees
In: Marc Sinyeue (M)

Nicaragua
Assistant Referees
In: Berman Bermudez (M), Carmen Munoz (F)

Futsal
In: Joel Chavarria (M)

Niger
Referees
In: Ali Mahaman (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Ali Seydou (M)

Nigeria
Referees
In: Grema Mohammed (M), Alaba Olufunmilayo (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Igho Hope (M), Akpan Mfon (M)

Futsal
In: Alhassan Bello (M)

Northern Ireland
Referees
Out: Arnold Hunter (M, 1979)
In: Jamie Robinson (M, 1995), Louise Thompson (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Victoria Finlay (F), Ryan Kelsey (M), Andrew Nethery (M)

Norway
Referees
Out: Ola Hobber Nilsen (M, 1986)
In: Sigurd Kringstad (M, 1987)

Futsal
In: Telmen Undrakh (M)

Oman
Futsal
In: Maryam Al Hadhrami (F)

Pakistan
Assistant Referees
In: Adeel Anwer (M), Hidayat Ullah (M)

Palestine
Referees
In: Muath Owfi (M), Mohammed Alkhatib (M)

Panama
Referees
In: Victor Rios (M)

Assistant Referees
Out: Gabriel Victoria (M)

Futsal
In: Ricardo Lay (M)

Paraguay
Referees
In: Carmen Gomez (F), Juan Lopez (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Jose Cuevas (M)

Futsal
In: Maria Caceres (F), Astrid Mendoza (F), Samuel Morales (M)

Peru
Referees
In: Edwin Ordonez (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Mariana Aquino (F)

Futsal
In: Alejandro Villanueva (M)

Beach Soccer
In: Jose Tipian (M)

Poland
Assistant Referees
Out: Marcin Borkowski (M), Krzysztof Myrmus (M), Kinga Seniuk (F)
In: Adam Kupsik (M), Jakub Winkler (M), Karolina Zygmond (F)

Futsal
Out: Damian Jaruchiewicz (M)
In: Dominik Cipiski (M)

Portugal
Referees
Out: Joao Capela (M, 1974)
In: Vitor Ferreira (M, 1988), Teresa Oliveira (F, 1987)

Assistant Referees
Out: Antonio Albino (M), Alvaro Mesquita (M), Nelson Moniz (M), Nuno Dos Santos (M)
In: Bruno Alves (M), Paulo Duarte (M), Pedro Ferreira (M), Tiago Pereira (M)

Futsal
In: Ruben Cardoso (M)

Qatar
Assistant Referees
In: Faisal Al-Shammari (M), Khaled Khalaf (M)

Romania
Referees
In: Ana Terteleac (F, 1994)

Futsal
Out: Ovidiu Curta (M)
In: Liviu Chita (M)

Russia
Assistant Referees
In: Ekaterina Chernova (F, 1994), Ekaterina Kozyreva (F, 1993)

San Marino
Assistant Referees
Out: Salvatore Tuttifrutti (M)
In: Gianmarco Ercolani (M)

Scotland
Referees
Out: Andrew Dallas (M, 1983)
In: David Munro (M, 1990)

Assistant Referees
Out: Jordan Stokoe (M)
In: Calum Spence (M)

Serbia
Referees
Out: Milorad Mazic (M, 1973), Tamara Petric (F)
In: Lazar Lukic (M, 1981), Jelena Medjedovic (F, 1992)

Assistant Referees
Out: Milan Minic (M), Dejan Petrovic (M), Jelena Jovanovic (F)
In: Nikola Djorovic (M), Jovan Grujic (M), Ivana Jovanovic (F)

Futsal
Out: Vladan Radulovic (M)
In: Nikola Rabrenovic (M)

Seychelles
Referees
In: Darrio Landry (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Stephen Dugasse (M), Steve Marie (M)

Sierra Leone
Referees
In: Bangura Swahib (M)

Singapore
Assistant Referees
In: Ashokraj Jeevaraja (M), Andy Mint (M)

Slovakia
Referees
Out: Zuzana Kovacova (F)
In: Miriama Matulova (F, 1994)

Assistant Referees
Out: Miroslav Benko (M)
In: Peter Bednar (M)

Futsal
Out: Mario Belavy (M), Mario Bohun (M)
In: Peter Budac (M), Martin Matula (M)

Slovenia
Assistant Referees
Out: Petra Bombek (F)
In: Sladjana Jovicic (F)

Somalia
Referees
In: Ahmed Hussein (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Adam Eid (M)

South Africa
Referees
In: Luxolo Badi (M), Tshidiso Maruping (M), Euzen Mokoena (F), Abongile Tom (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Shaun Olive (M)

Spain
Referees
Out: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (M, 1973)
In: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (M, 1984)

Assistant Referees
Out: Javier Aguilar Rodriguez (M)
In: Jose Naranjo Perez (M)

Sri Lanka
Referees
In: Loshini Kadangoda (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Ma Hathlahawatta (F)

Sudan
Referees
In: Samoal Elfatih (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Muaaz Eltoum (M)

Sweden
Assistant Referees
Out: Peter Magnusson (M), Sandra Osterberg (F), Daniel Wärnmark (M)
In: Peter Allheim (M), Robin Wilde (M), Almira Spahic (F)

Futsal
Out: Fredric Nilholt (M)
In: George Jansizian (M)

Switzerland
Referees
Out: Stephan Klossner (M, 1981)
In: Lukas Fähndrich (M, 1984)

Assistant Referees
Out: Raffael Zeder (M), Remigius Zgraggen (M)
In: Jonas Erni (M), Matthias Sbrissa (M)

Syria
Referees
In: Mohammed Kanah (M)
Assistant Referees
In: Oqubah Alali (M), Kinan Hatoum (M)

Tahiti
Assistant Referees
In: Vaihina Teura (M)

Tajikistan
Referees
In: Nodira Mirzoeva (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Farkhod Kutalov (M), Ismoil Nuraliev (M), Dilshoda Rahmonova (F)

Timor-Leste
Referees
In: Pedro Maia (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Romario Dos Santos (M)

Togo
Assistant Referees
In: Koffi Ahonto (M)

Tunisia
Referees
In: Asma Chouchane (M), Naim Hosni (M)

Assistant Referees
In: Amine Barkallah (M)

Turkey
Referees
Out: Umit Ozturk (M, 1983)
In: Arda Kardeler (M, 1988)

Beach Soccer
In: Goekhan Barcin (M)

Turkmenistan
Referees
In: Resul Mammedov (M)

Uganda
Referees
Out: Brian Miiro (M)
In: Ronald Madanda (M)

Assistant Referees
Out: Musa Balikoova (M), Catherine Nagaddya (F), Mark Ssonko (M)
In: Docus Atuhaire (F), Hakim Mulindwa (M), Emmanuel Okudra (M)

Futsal
In: Brian Nsubuga (M), Isaac Sengendo (M)

Ukraine
Referees
Out: Mykola Kryvonosov (M, 1983)
In: Viktor Kopiievskyi (M, 1990)

Assistant Referees
Out: Sergii Bekker (M)
In: Viktor Nyzhnyk (M)

Futsal
Out: Hennadiy Hora (M)
In: Sviatoslav Kliuchnyk (M)

UAE
Referees
Out: Hamad Al-Ali (M), Sultam Al-Marzooqi (M)
In: Ali Al-Mulla (M), Ahmed Darwish (M)

Assistant Referees
Out: Oshba Al-Mansoori (F)
In: Amal Badhafari (F)

Futsal
Out: Khalifa Al-Hammadi (M)

Uruguay
Referees
In: Anahi Fernandez (F)

Assistant Referees
Out: Miguel Nievas (M), Gabriel Popovits (M)
In: Agustin Berisso (M), Santiago Fernandez (M)

Futsal
Out: Luis Altez (M), Diego Nisivoccia (M)
In: Matthias De Armas (M), Diego Etcheverry (M)

USA
Referees
Out: Mark Geiger (M, 1974), Christina Unkel (F)
In: Danielle Chesky (F), Nima Saghafi (M, 1990), Rubiel Vazquez (M)

Assistant Referees
Out: Adam Wienckowski (M, 1975)
In: Logan Brown (M), Nick Uranga (M)

Futsal
Out: Lance VanHaitsma (M, 1982)

Uzbekistan
Referees
Out: Ravshan Irmatov (M, 1977)
In: Rustam Latfullim (M)

Futsal
Out: Ibrokhim Juraev (M)
In: Askarbay Arzibekov (M)

Yemen
Assistant Referees
In: Bassam Al-Mqdashi (M)

Zambia
Referees
In: Gloria Sambumba (F)

Assistant Referees
In: Gertrude Nyirenda (F)

Zimbabwe
Referees
In: Prince Mathumbo (M)

UEFA Europa League 2019/2020 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

12 December 2019

Getafe CF – FC Krasnodar
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Häcker (GER)
Fourth Official: Sören Storks (GER)
Referee Observer: Domenico Messina (ITA)

FC Kobenhavn – Malmö FF
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Referee Observer: Lutz-Michael Fröhlich (GER)

Apoel FC – Sevilla FC
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Djukić (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Vladan Todorović (MNE)
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković (MNE)
Referee Observer: Ray Ellingham (WAL)

Qarabag FK – F91 Dudelange
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Silver Koiv (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Sten Klaasen (EST)
Fourth Official: Juri Frischer (EST)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Ivanov (RUS)

Dynamo Kyiv – FC Lugano
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Akif Amirali (AZE)
Fourth Official: Orkhan Mammadov (AZE)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

FC Basel – Trabzonspor
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Marjan Kirovski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dejan Jakimovski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

PSV Eindhoven – Rosenborg BK
Referee: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averianov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksei Lunev (RUS)
Fourth Official: Mikhail Vilkov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)

LASK – Sporting Clube de Portugal
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: David McGeachie (SCO)
Fourth Official: Nicholas Walsh (SCO)
Referee Observer: Petteri Kari (FIN)

Stade Rennais – Lazio
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

CFR Cluj – Celtic FC
Referee: Halis Özkahya (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ceyhun Sesigüzel (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ekrem Kan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Alper Ulusoy (TUR)
Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

Eintracht Frankfurt – Vitória SC
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytautas Šimkus (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Donatas Rumšas (LTU)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

Standard de Liège – Arsenal FC
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

FC Porto – Feyenoord
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Sven Jablonski (GER)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

Rangers FC – BSC Young Boys
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen (GER)
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi (SMR)

PFC Ludogorets – Ferencvárosi TC
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazović (SVN)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

RCD Espanyol – CSKA Moskva
Referee: Kevin Blom (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Johan Balder (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Davie Goossens (NED)
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout (NED)
Referee Observer: Niklas à Lidarenda (FRO)

KAA Gent – FC Olexandriya
Referee: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Grigoriu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marcel Birsan (ROU)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

VfL Wolfsburg – AS Saint Étienne
Referee: Paul Tierney (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Edward Smart (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
Fourth Official: David Coote (ENG)
Referee Observer: Antonio Damato (ITA)

AS Roma – Wolfsberger AC
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Betts (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley (ENG)
Referee Observer: Marian Ružbarský (SVK)

Borussia Mönchengladbach – İstanbul Başakşehir
Referee: José Sánchez Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Iñigo Prieto López (ESP)
Fourth Official: José Munuera Montero (ESP)
Referee Observer: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)

Slovan Bratislava – SC Braga
Referee: Pawel Gil (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Konrad Sapela (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Piotr Lasyk (POL)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Wolverhampton Wanderers – Beşiktaş JK
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonnikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Michael Argyrou (CYP)

FK Partizan – FC Astana
Referee: Filip Glova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: František Ferenc (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Miroslav Benko (SVK)
Fourth Official: Michal Ocenáš (SVK)
Referee Observer: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)

Manchester United – AZ Alkmaar
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Fedayi San (SUI)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

FIFA Club World Cup 2019 – First Round

11 December 2019

Al Sadd SC – Hienghene Sport
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud Ahmed (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Reserve AR: Corey Parker (USA)
VAR: Benoît Millot (FRA)
AVAR 1: Bakary Gassama (GAM)
AVAR 2: Kyle Atkins (USA)

UEFA Champions League 2019/2020 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

10-11 December 2019

SSC Napoli – KRC Genk
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
VAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
AVAR: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

Red Bull Salzburg – Liverpool FC
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Kevin Blom (NED)
VAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
AVAR: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Referee Observer: Emil Bozhinovski (MKD)

Borussia Dortmund – Slavia Praha
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergei Lapochkin (RUS)
VAR: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)
AVAR: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

Internazionale Milano – FC Barcelona
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Olympique Lyonnais – RB Leipzig
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: Craig Pwson (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR: Paul Tierney (ENG)
Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP)

SL Benfica – FC Zenit
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devis.(ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP)
VAR: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
AVAR: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)
Referee Observer: Darko Ceferin (SVN)

Chelsea FC – LOSC Lille
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ioannis Papadopoulos (GRE)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Mark Borsch (GER)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

AFC Ajax – Valencia CF
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Frank Schneider (FRA)
VAR: François Letexier (FRA)
AVAR: Jérôme Brisard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

GNK Dinamo – Manchester City
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández (ESP)
VAR: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
AVAR: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP)

Shakhtar Donetsk – Atalanta BC
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Fourth Official: Robert Schröder (GER)
VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
AVAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)

Club Brugge – Real Madrid
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Pickel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Tobias Christ (GER)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

Paris Saint Germain – Galatasaray
Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marius Avram (ROU)
VAR: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
AVAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Olympiacos FC – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Bayern München – Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

Atlético de Madrid – Lokomotiv Moskva
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: György Ring (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Fourth Official: Tamás Bognár (HUN)
VAR: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
AVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Lucílio Batista (POR)

Bayer Leverkusen – Juventus
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frédéric Haquette (FRA)
Fourth Official: Karim Abed (FRA)
VAR: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
AVAR: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

UEFA Youth League 2019/2020 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

10-11 December 2019

Salzburg – Liverpool
Referee: Fran Jovic (CRO, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hrvoje Radić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Luka Pušic (CRO)
Fourth Official: Stefan Ebner (AUT)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

SSC Napoli – Genk
Referee: Zbynek Proske (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Radek Kotik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Radim Dresler (CZE)
Fourth Official: Francesco Fourneau (ITA)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Inter Milano – FC Barcelona
Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Denis Rexha (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dojando Myftari (ALB)
Fourth Official: Eugenio Abbattista (ITA)
Referee Observer: Domenico Messina (ITA)

Borussia Dortmund – Slavia Praha
Referee: Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Gylfi Sigurdsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Thorben Siewer (GER)
Referee Observer: Claus Bo Larsen (DEN)

Benfica – Zenit
Referee: Matthew De Gabriele (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Edward Spiteri (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Duncan Spencer (MLT)
Fourth Official: Joao Pinto (POR)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

Lyon – Leipzig
Referee: Luis Teixeira (AND)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Parente (AND)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Machado (AND)
Fourth Official: Jérémie Pignard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez (ESP)

AFC Ajax – Valencia CF
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: David Chigogidze (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Levan Todria (GEO)
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Referee Observer: Hans Reijgwart (NED)

Chelsea – LOSC Lille
Referee: Robert Harvey (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wayne McDonnell (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Gavin (IRL)
Fourth Official: John Busby (ENG)
Referee Observer: Brian Lawlor (WAL)

Club Brugge – Real Madrid
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Söderqvist (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Robin Wilde (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kevin Debeuckelaere (BEL)
Referee Observer: Karel Vidlak (CZE)

Paris St. Germain – Galatasaray
Referee: Helgi Jónasson (ISL)
Assistant referee 1: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thórdur Árnason (ISL)
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Freddy Fautrel (FRA)

Olympiacos – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Arkadiusz Wójcik (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Bartosz Heinig (POL)
Fourth Official: Petros Tsagkarakis (GRE)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

Bayern Munchen – Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jo de Weirdt (BEL)
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner (GER)
Referee Observer: Peter Sippel (GER)

Shakhtar Donetsk – Atalanta BC
Referee: Rade Obrenović (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Pospeh (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: David Gabrovec (SVN)
Fourth Official: Dmytro Kryvushkin (UKR)
Referee Observer: Viktor Shvetsov (UKR)

Dinamo Zagreb – Manchester City
Referee: Georgios Kominis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Reinhart Buxbaoum (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Meintanas (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ivan Vučković (CRO)
Referee Observer: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

Atlético de Madrid – Lokomotiv Moskva
Referee: Loukas Sotiriou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Marios Kalogirou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Marios Dimitriadis (CYP)
Fourth Official: Manuel Pérez Hernández (ESP)
Referee Observer: Chato Cipres (AND)

Bayer Leverkusen – Juventus
Referee: Admir Sehovic (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Amer Macić (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Goran Dujak (BIH)
Fourth Official: Sven Waschitzki (GER)
Referee Observer: Luc Wouters (BEL)

VAR use expanded by UEFA

The UEFA Executive Committee agreed to use VAR in the upcoming European Qualifiers play-offs in March 2020, and in the European Qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, subject to approval from FIFA for the latter.

European Qualifiers for 2022 World Cup

The qualification system to determine the 13 European teams that qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was approved as follows, pending validation from FIFA:

• the ten group winners from the European Qualifiers will qualify directly for the final tournament;

• plus, the three winners from a play-off round involving

•the ten group runners-up from the European Qualifiers;

•and the two best group winners of the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League overall ranking that have neither qualified directly for the final tournament as European Qualifiers group winners, nor entered the play-offs already as European Qualifiers group runners-up. Three play-off paths will be formed with two semi-final pairings each. The semi-finals will be played in single-leg knockout matches. The winner of each semi-final will advance to their respective play-off final, whereby a draw will be conducted in advance to determine the team playing at home. The winners of the three play-off finals qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

UEFA Women's Champions League

UEFA will transform the format of its Women's Champions League in 2021/22 – a move designed to boost competitiveness and increase exposure of women's club football through its elite competition. The changes, announced by the UEFA Executive Committee, represent a fundamental shift from the current format. As of the 2021/22 season clubs in rounds 1 and 2 will be split into champions (for domestic league winners) and league paths as they try to reach the new 16-team group stage. This new round will see four groups of four teams playing each other home and away, with the top two in each group progressing to quarter-final matches. "Today's decision is a game-changer for women's football," said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. "The world's best women's club competition will get both the platform and visibility it deserves."

UEFA Futsal Champions League Finals 2020

Minsk was appointed to host the 2020 UEFA Futsal Champions League finals. It will be the first time ever that the finals are staged at a neutral venue. The teams of Barça (ESP), KPRF (RUS), Murcia FS (ESP) and Tyumen (RUS) will compete for the title from 23 to 26 April 2020.

UEFA Women's EURO 2021 match schedule

The UEFA Executive Committee also confirmed the match schedule for UEFA Women's EURO 2021. The tournament will take place from 7 July to 1 August 2021, with the final being played at Wembley Stadium in London. The venue for the opening match will be confirmed in due course.

UEFA Women's Futsal EURO 2020/21

The regulations of the 2020/21 UEFA European Women's Futsal Championship – which will be the second edition of the tournament – were approved.

Source: UEFA

CONMEBOL Qlympic Qualifiers 2020

The CONMEBOL Referees Committee selected 12 referees and 20 assistant referees for the 2020 Qlympic Qualifying tournament. The referees will arrive in Colombia on 12 January for training and then will referee matches in Armenia, Pereira and Bucaramanga, from 18 January to 9 February 2020.

Argentina

Referee 1: Facundo Tello (photo)

Referee 2: Dario Herrera

Assistant Referee 1: Julio Fernandez

Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Navarro

Bolivia

Referee: Ivo Mendez

Assistant Referee 1: Juan Montano

Assistant Referee 2: Ariel Guizada

Brazil

Referee: Rodolpho Toski

Assistant Referee 1: Kleber Gil

Assistant Referee 2: Patricio Vilarinho

Chile

Referee: Piero Maza

Assistant Referee 1: Alejandro Molina

Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Urrutia

Colombia

Referee: Nicolas Gallo

Assistant Referee 1: Dionisio Ruiz

Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Vela

Ecuador

Referee: Franklin Congo

Assistant Referee 1: Juan Macias

Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Baren

Paraguay

Referee: Eber Aquino

Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zorrilla

Assistant Referee 2: Dario Gaona

Peru

Referee: Kevin Ortega

Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio

Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Sanchez

Uruguay

Referee 1: Esteban Ostojich

Referee 2: Andres Matonte

Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro

Assistant Referee 2: Horacio Ferreiro

Venezuela

Referee: Angel Arteaga

Assistant Referee 1: Lubin Torrealba

Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno

Ceferin explains UEFA's new offside proposal as he hits out at VAR

It is the top-level backing that fans against VAR will appreciate. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, coming down on the side of the football fans, players and pundits against Video Assistant Referees. As the controversies continue to pile up, the animosity building towards the system is continuing to build.

Ceferin summed up the frustrations of supporters who would rather see the back of it. “If you have a long nose, you are in an offside position these days,” he said. “Also the lines are drawn by the VARS. So it’s a bit subjective drawing of objective criteria. So our proposal will be - we will discuss this with our referees division - that it is a tolerance of 10-20 centimetres. Second thing, we had at UEFA the top coaches two weeks ago, in Nyon. There was Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Max Allegri, Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane. All the top coaches of European teams, and our referee officer, Roberto Rossetti shows a handball. He says: ‘Handball or not?’ Half the room said yes. Half said no. So tell me how clear the rule is. We don’t know anything! For example, let me think about the Liverpool game against Manchester City. Was that handball or not?” Referee Michael Oliver controversially denied Manchester City a penalty in their title clash against Liverpool last month when Bernardo Silva’s cross struck Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Jurgen Klopp’s side benefited and went on to win. “Some referees in England, they don’t even check,” said Ceferin, “In Italy they check for half an hour. You know, it’s a mess. I was never a big fan of this. Now these days you see that linesmen don’t even bother to lift the flag anymore. They wait, wait, wait. The players? They don’t celebrate. Now they wait first for the VAR. And as I said, handball - no one can explain what is handball and what is not. What is intentional? The referee is not a psychiatrist to know if you did it on purpose or not!” Ceferin went on: “Referees make mistakes. I’ve followed football since I was a kid. The first game I remember is 1978 when I watched the World Cup in Argentina. Kempes - 3-1 in the final against Holland. Referees mistakes are like players’ mistakes. We were discussing about referees mistakes for a week. It was interesting. Round tables this, that. Now it’s some kind of technology. Nobody knows who is deciding. It’s okay if you don’t rule someone offside if it’s one centimetre. Because the meaning of offside is that I have to have some kind of advantage. I’m not a big fan, but unfortunately, if we say we don’t use it anymore, we are killed.”

While VAR will be used at next summer’s European Championship it was not in operation during the qualifiers as Ceferin’s home nation, Slovenia, had their hopes ended by Poland. “Look, we simply have to [have it at the Euros] because the teams will all complain when there’s a mistake against them. They will say: ‘We want VAR.’ For example, my national team Slovenia was put out. There’s a clear handball and I was at the stadium. I was so mad! It was a clear handball! I was so mad!! But the referee didn’t see it. We would have qualified for the Euros.” Ceferin joked: “People were looking at me like: ‘Who the hell are you if you don’t have any influence?’ Somebody started to shout: ‘Shame on UEFA!’ It’s okay. I’m used to that. But it’s not so simple. At the end of the day, I said, every bad thing has something good - and the good thing is that now everybody knows I don’t interfere.”

Source: Mirror

VAR tweaks being considered by IFAB

Football lawmakers are considering whether to make changes to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the game. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) will hold a key meeting in Belfast and receive feedback from its advisory panel. Football's most powerful administrators will discuss updates on the use of VARs around the world, including the Premier League. "It's still relatively new technology for the game of football," Patrick Nelson, Irish Football Association chief executive and IFAB's chairman on Tuesday, told Sky Sports News. "Cricket and rugby have had it for a long time. We need to look at the data that we've got, from the many experiments around the world, and see if there are any tweaks to the protocol that we need to make, to make it better for everyone in the game." Premier League referees' chief Mike Riley is expected to hold talks on VAR standards with former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Wenger, FIFA's new Chief of Global Football Development, is also a member of IFAB's football and technical advisory panels and he is expected to attend the discussion in Northern Ireland. But Nelson stressed that IFAB will only focus on VAR's impact on the global game, where technology is currently used in 25 countries. "IFAB is about the parks game, as well as the World Cup final," he explains. "A lot of the media interest, and supporter interest, tends to be around the top-end games in the professional part of football. The laws of the game, they're there for everyone. We have to take that into account all the time."

Lawmakers will also continue to debate concussion assessment and management of players during matches, after initial talks in October. Headway, the brain injury association, expressed its disappointment over the "unnecessary delay" in introducing concussion substitutes. "Concussion will be one of the main issues," says Nelson. "It's a brand-new issue for IFAB. We will take this very seriously. We will look at how we can work within the laws of the game to try to minimise the effects of concussion. It's very, very, early stages so don't expect anything too dramatic just yet. It will be one of the key items that we discuss." Sky Sports News has been told that temporary substitutions for footballers suspected of concussion are 'likely' to become compulsory for next summer's Euro 2020, but Nelson gave a cautious response over whether any law changes will be made at IFAB's AGM next February. "I think it's very early stages for that," adds Nelson "The European Championships are coming up very close to us now. It could be too early for that. I think, from an IFAB perspective, we need to study all the data and try and make the best decisions we can for the future of the game." IFAB is comprised of the four British associations and world football's governing body, FIFA. 

Source: SkySports