CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 – Quarter-finals (Matches 21-24)

2 July 2021

Peru – Paraguay
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro (URU)

Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)

Fourth Official: Gery Vargas (BOL)

VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG) 

AVAR 1: Facundo Tello (ARG) 

AVAR 2: Alexander Guzman (COL)

Referee Assessor: Omar Ponce (ECU)

Brazil – Chile

Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG)

Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)

Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)

Fourth Official: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)

VAR: Andres Cunha (URU)

AVAR 1: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)

AVAR 2: Christian Lescano (ECU)

Referee Assessor: Amelio Andino (PAR)

3 July 2021

Uruguay – Colombia

Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)

Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)

Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)

Fourth Official: Eber Aquino (PAR)

VAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)

AVAR 1: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)

AVAR 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)

Referee Assessor: Enrique Caceres (PAR)

Argentina – Ecuador

Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)

Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis (BRA)

Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)

Fourth Official: Victor Carrillo (PER)

VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)

AVAR 1: Rafael Traci (BRA)

AVAR 2: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)

Referee Assessor: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Quarter-finals (Matches 45-46)

2 July 2021

Switzerland – Spain
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
Reserve AR: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)

VAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)

AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)

AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)

AVAR 3: Stuart Attwell (ENG)

Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Belgium – Italy
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Reserve AR: Juan Belatti (ARG)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR 1: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
AVAR 3: Pawel Gil (POL)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021

Lithuania, 12 September - 3 October 2021

Referees  

AFC
1. Ryan Shepheard (AUS, 1977)

2. Hussain Al Bahhar (BHR, 1980)
3. An Ran (CHN, 1980)
4. Ebrahim Mehrabi (IRN, 1982)
5. Gelareh Nazemi (IRN, 1984, photo)
6. Tomohiro Kozaki (JPN, 1978)
7. Nurdin Bukuev (KGZ, 1980)
8. Fahad Al-Hosani (UAE, 1979)

CAF
1. Tarek El-Khataby (EGY, 1977)
2. Mohamed Hassan (EGY, 1977)
3. Khalid Hnich (MAR, 1981)
4. Aymen Kammoun (TUN, 1984)

CONCACAF
1. Ronny Castro (CRC, 1978)
2. Diego Molina (CRC, 1986)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (GUA, 1982)
4. Roberto Lopez (PAN, 1989)
5. Jorge Flores (SLV, 1981)
6. Josh Wilkens (USA, 1982)

CONMEBOL
1. Maria Pinto (ARG, 1986)
2. Dario Santamaria (ARG, 1979)
3. Henry Gutierrez (BOL, 1981)
4. Gean Telles (BRA, 1975)
5. Cristian Espindola (CHI, 1979)
6. Valeria Palma (CHI, 1990)
7. Carlos Martinez (PAR, 1980)
8. Daniel Rodriguez (URU, 1979)

OFC
1. Antony Riley (NZL, 1985)
2. Chris Sinclair (NZL, 1986)

UEFA
1. Nikola Jelic (CRO, 1982)
2. Ondrej Cerny (CZE, 1979)
3. Cedric Pelissier (FRA, 1976)
4. Gabor Kovacs (HUN, 1978)
5. Chiara Perona (ITA, 1987)
6. Eduardo Coelho (POR, 1979)
7. Irina Velikanova (RUS, 1980)
8. Juan Cordero Gallardo (ESP, 1978)
9. Alejandro Martinez Flores (ESP, 1977)
10. Daniel Matkovic (SUI, 1989)

Support Referee (UEFA)
Borislav Kolev (BUL, 1979)

Referee Coordinator
Pedro Galan (ESP)

Referee Assessors
1. Perry Gautier (BEL)
2. Yasuhiro Matsuzaki (JPN)
3. Shane Butler (USA)

Serie A: Rocchi to replace Rizzoli?

A few more hours and then the changeover at the top of the Italian referees should become reality. For some time, the name of Gianluca Rocchi had been circulating as a possible successor to Nicola Rizzoli, a friend and colleague on the field for many years. In recent weeks, the hypothesis had become more concrete in light of the increasingly colder relations between the new president of the AIA, Trentalange, and the referee of the 2014 World Cup final, whose career as designator in all likelihood will stop after 4 years.

The names of the former designator Braschi and especially Messina, who could still be involved as Rocchi's deputy, were also mentioned. A solution found after the AIA had to recently discard the idea of a sort of “triad”, with a supervisor and two designators, one for the referees and one for the VAR. A formula that had immediately aroused the perplexity of the federal president Gravina. At that point, having to converge on a single name - obviously with trusted deputy commissioners to support it - the option of Rocchi became clear. Last year, precisely at the recommendation of Gravina, he played the much appreciated role of consultant for relations between FIGC and AIA and, above all, between AIA and the clubs. His relations with the Serie A and B teams were unanimously recognized as fruitful and high-profile, without forgetting that Rocchi himself is taking care of the VAR development, its expansion to Serie B and the activation of the centralized video control unit in Brianza (after the end of the Coverciano option). Rocchi would gladly have continued to carry out this double assignment, and in the event of a move to a more technical role, he would have started without problems from Serie C, to help raise younger referees and gain experience before exposing himself to the icy winds of Serie A. In the end, however, he could give in to the "call to arms" of Trentalange (and indirectly of Gravina himself, who would look favorably on his name), even though he is aware that controversy and a few sleepless nights await him.

Source: Sky Sport

UEFA Euro 2020: Champions League final and Europa League final referees out from KO stage

As confirmed by Sport and L'Equipe, at the end of the group stage, UEFA decided to retain only 14 referees and 17 video match officials for the knock-out stage of Euro 2020. Among those who were sent home are the referees of the most recent Champions League final (Mateu Lahoz) and Europa League final (Turpin). The support officials will leave Euro 2020 after the Round of 16.

Referees sent home after group stage

1. Clement Turpin (FRA)

2. Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)

3. Artur Soares Dias (POR)

4. Istvan Kovacs (ROU)

5. Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP, photo)

Video Match Officials sent home after group stage

1. VAR François Letexier (FRA)

2. AVAR Jerôme Brisard (FRA)

3. AVAR Benjamin Pages (FRA)

4. VAR Joao Pinheiro (POR)

5. AVAR Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)

Referees retained after group stage

1. Fernando Rapallini (ARG)

2. Michael Oliver (ENG)

3. Anthony Taylor (ENG)

4. Felix Brych (GER)

5. Daniel Siebert (GER)

6. Daniele Orsato (ITA)

7. Bjorn Kuipers (NED)

8. Danny Makkelie (NED)

9. Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU)

10. Sergei Karasev (RUS)

11. Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)

12. Slavko Vinčić (SVN)

13. Andreas Ekberg (SWE)

14. Cüneyt Çakir (TUR)

Video Match Officials retained after group stage

1. VAR Stuart Attwell (ENG)

2. VAR Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)

3. AVAR Lee Betts (ENG)

4. VAR Bastian Dankert (GER)

5. VAR Marco Fritz (GER)

6. AVAR Christian Dingert (GER)

7. AVAR Christian Gittelmann (GER)

8. VAR Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)

9. AVAR Marco Di Bello (ITA)

10. AVAR Paolo Valeri (ITA)

11. AVAR Filippo Meli (ITA)

12. VAR Pol Van Boekel (NED)

13. AVAR Kevin Blom (NED)

14. AVAR Pawel Gil (POL)

15. VAR Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)

16. VAR Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)

17. AVAR Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)

Copa America 2021: Pitana’s wife received threats from Colombians

As reported by Blu Radio, Romina Ortega, wife of referee Nestor Pitana denounced threats after the Copa America match between Brazil and Colombia. The Argentine authorities had to go to the couple's residence in the Province of Misiones, to offer support and security.

Some intimidating messages and posts made reference to weapons, stating that they were going to be used against her and her family. In addition, she claimed that there were anonymous calls threatening and insulting her.

Source: Blu Radio

UEFA Euro 2020 – Round of 16 (Matches 43-44)

29 June 2021

England – Germany
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries (NED)
Fourth Official: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Reserve AR: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR 1: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
AVAR 3: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

Sweden – Ukraine
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Davide Massa (ITA)
Reserve AR: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR 1: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
AVAR 3: Paolo Valeri (ITA) 

Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

AFC Champions League – Group Stage (East Region, Matchday 2)

26-28 June 2021

Ratchaburi FC – Johor Darul Tazim
Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammadreza Mansouri (IRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammadreza Abolfazli (IRN)
Fourth Official: Ma Ning (CHN)

Nagoya Grampus – Pohang Steelers
Referee: Turki Al Khudayr (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammed Al Abakry (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Khalaf Al Shammari (KSA)
Fourth Official: Omar Al Yaqoubi (OMA)

Port FC – Guangzhou FC 

Referee: Bijan Heidari (IRN)

Assistant Referee 1: Alireza Ildorom (IRN)

Assistant Referee 2: Park Sang-Jun (KOR)

Fourth Official: Kim Dae-Yong (KOR)

 

Cerezo Osaka – Kitchee SC

Referee: Khamis Al Marri (QAT)

Assistant Referee 1: Ramzan Al Naemi (QAT)

Assistant Referee 2: Hayder Ali (IRQ)

Fourth Official: Ali Al Qaysi (IRQ)

Chiangrai United – Tampines Rovers

Referee: Omar Al Ali (UAE)

Assistant Referee 1: Abduxamidullo Rasulov (UZB)

Assistant Referee 2: Zhang Cheng (CHN)

Fourth Official: Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA)

Gamba Osaka – Jeonbuk Motors

Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (KSA)

Assistant Referee 1: Badr Al Shamrani (KSA)

Assistant Referee 2: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)

Fourth Official: Moud Bonyadifard (IRN)

Ulsan Hyundai – Pathum United

Referee: Saoud Al Adba (QAT)

Assistant Referee 1: Khalaf Al Shammari (KSA)

Assistant Referee 2: Ali Ahmad (SYR)

Fourth Official: Hanna Hattab (SYR)

 

Daegu FC – United City

Referee: Ammar Mahfoodh (BHR)

Assistant Referee 1: Ahmed Al Hammadi (UAE)

Assistant Referee 2: Hasan Suqatari (UAE)

Fourth Official: Mufreh Al Hassan (KSA)

 

Kaya Iloilo – Viettel FC

Referee: Amirul Yaacob (MAS)

Assistant Referee 1: Yusri Mohamad (MAS)

Assistant Referee 2: Thanet Chuchuen (THA)

Fourth Official: Nivon Robesh (SRI)

 

Beijing – Kawasaki Frontale

Referee: Masoud Tufaylieh (SYR)

Assistant Referee 1: Andrey Sapenko (UZB)

Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin (UZB)

Fourth Official: Hasan Akrami (IRN)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Round of 16 (Matches 41-42)

28 June 2021

Croatia – Spain
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Reserve AR: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
AVAR 3: Pawel Gil (POL)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

France – Switzerland
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Fourth Official: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Reserve AR: Marcin Boniek (POL)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR 1: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
AVAR 3: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 17-20)

27 June 2021

Brazil – Ecuador
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Andres Cunha (URU)
VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
AVAR: Cristian Garay (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Amelio Andino (PAR)

Venezuela – Peru
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Fourth Official: Eber Aquino (PAR)
VAR: Derlis Lopez (PAR)
AVAR: Juan Benitez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Enrique Caceres (PAR)

28 June 2021
Uruguay – Paraguay
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)
VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)
AVAR: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)

Bolivia – Argentina
Referee: Andres Rojas (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: John Leon (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Fourth Official: Diego Haro (PER)
VAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
AVAR: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Round of 16 (Matches 39-40)

27 June 2021

Netherlands – Czech Republic

Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Reserve AR: Mikael Berchebru (FRA)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR 1: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
AVAR 3: Pawel Gil (POL)
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

Belgium – Portugal
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Bosch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Reserve AR: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
AVAR 3: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

UEFA praises VAR for rise in penalty kicks given at Euro 2020

The spike in penalty kicks at the current European Championship won approval from UEFA’s head of refereeing in a mid-tournament review of match officials. The record-setting numbers at Euro 2020 are trending the same way as during the 2018 World Cup, where video assistant referees were first used at football’s biggest event.

“One of the key points for this increase of penalties, of course, is related also to the implementation of VAR,” UEFA chief refereeing officer Robert Rosetti said in an online briefing. The 14 penalties awarded so far at Euro 2020 in 36 games compares to only 13 given in the group stage at the past three tournaments combined, a total of 84 games. The running total at Euro 2020 includes five penalties that were not initially whistled by the referee. The decisions were made after checks with the help of video monitoring at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. It was a similar story at the last World Cup, where FIFA launched VAR. The 24 penalties given in the group stage in Russia almost doubled the 13 at the entire tournament in Brazil four years earlier. The big change is not in how the game is being is played but because of increased accuracy using video replays to spot fouls that once escaped match officials, Rosetti said. “Before the VAR project there were many, many fouls in the penalty area missed by the referees,” Rosetti said. “Now it is impossible to miss these fouls.” A montage of “step on foot” fouls was included in the Italian official’s video clips of incidents. The Netherlands and Spain both were eventually given penalties after video review of, respectively, Austria defender David Alaba and Poland midfielder Jakub Moder treading on an opponent’s boot. “With VAR it’s very, very easy to assess,” said Rosetti, whose refereeing career pre-video review peaked with handling the Euro 2008 final. Rosetti would even have liked to have seen one more penalty awarded. He said Italy should have been awarded a penalty for handball against Turkey in the opening game. However, he defended the decision not to award France a late spot kick for a tackle from behind on Kingsley Coman in a 2-2 draw with Portugal. It would have been the fourth penalty of the game after Cristiano Ronaldo converted two and Karim Benzema one. “We don’t like soft penalties. We want clear penalties,” Rosetti said when pressed twice on the incident. “The penalty is something important in football... a serious moment in football.” A further statistical curiosity is the spike in penalties despite a big drop in the number of fouls overall. Rosetti said there were 806 fouls called so far, compared to 911 at Euro 2016 in the same 36-game group format. The average number of 22.4 fouls per game compares favorably to the 37.7 average at Euro 2004. “For sure,” Rosetti said, “a better attitude of the players in the field of play.”

Video reviews have been faster at Euro 2020 than in the Champions League this season. The average time for interventions after video review has been less than 100 seconds, compared to about two minutes in the Champions League. “We are doing better,” said Rosetti, noting checks on offside decisions have taken a little over one minute. The 21 “tight or difficult” offside rulings - where the decision was made in a margin of “plus or minus 10 to 12 centimeters” between players - were all correctly judged, Rosetti said. (Source: AP)

In all these matches, the only relevant error Rosetti points out is Celik's handball in the opening match between Turkey and Italy, in an action that Makkelie would have needed a VAR call by Kevin Blom for an on-field review. In that same match, Rosetti confirmed another mistake by one of Makkelie’s assistants who signaled an offside on a corner kick that he should not have flagged. "We know very well the strength and also the limits of the project. We know that the VAR is not an easy project and we know what happened in some countries for not using this technology well. It is still a young project that needs expert pilots. We need to find a balance in the intervention line because our objective is to keep football as it is now. We do not want to have to study all the minimal or marginal contacts in the penalty area. Minimal interference for maximum benefit. It is used only for clear and obvious errors", added Rosetti regarding the use of VAR in all European competitions.

Finally, and after congratulating the refereeing teams of the tournament, Rosetti dedicated a few words to the Englishman Anthony Taylor for his management of the moments in which Christian Eriksen collapsed in Denmark-Finland, and his quick performance. "We insist with the officials that safety is the most important thing, they have to be ready to handle these situations and Anthony Taylor was fantastic", concluded Rosetti. (Source: Sport)

Velasco Carballo is responsible for VAR at Euro 2020

The Sport newspaper has learned that the responsible for the proper functioning of the VAR at Euro 2020 is Carlos Velasco Carballo, the president of the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees. He has been coordinating all the VAR work they are doing both before the tournament and in all the matches that have been played so far in the top continental competition since June 7.

This work is not new for Velasco Carballo since he already did it in the previous big event of national teams, the 2018 World Cup in Russia, were he also coordinated VAR, same as he did before in the U-20 World Cup, the first tournament of national teams where this technology was used for the first time, as well as in the Confederations Cup of Russia, a year before the World Cup. Velasco is the VAR coordinator at both UEFA and FIFA. In fact, Velasco Carballo was also the instructor chosen by UEFA in February 2019 for the training of VAR referees before the launch of this technology in the Champions League. In addition, the former Spanish referee is a member of the International FA Board. And now he is responsible for the use of the VAR in the European Championship where he is performing at an extraordinary level.

Source: Sport

AFC Champions League – Group Stage (East Region, Matchday 1)

22-25 June 2021

Guangzhou Evergrande – Cerezo Osaka

Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Salman (BHR)

Assistant Referee 2: Abdulla Al Rowaimi (BHR)

Fourth Official: Ali Shaban (KUW)

Pohang Steelers – Ratchaburi FC
Referee: Ma Ning (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Cao Yi (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Zhou Fei (CHN)
Fourth Official: Hussein Yehia (LBN)

Johor Darul Tazim – Nagoya Grampus
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Al Hammadi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Hasan Suqatari (UAE)
Fourth Official: Omar Al Yaqoubi (OMA)

Kitchee – Port FC
Referee: Kim Dae-Yong (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Yoon Jae-Yeol (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Park Sang-Jun (KOR)
Fourth Official: Ko Hyung-Jin (KOR)

Tampines Rovers – Gamba Osaka
Referee: Nivon Robesh (SRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Yusri Mohamad (MAS)
Assistant Referee 2: Ayman Obeidat (JOR)
Fourth Official: Amirul Yaacob (MAS)

Jeonbuk Motors – Chiangrai United
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Saoud Al Maqaleh (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Badr Al Shamrani (KSA)
Fourth Official: Yu Ming-Hsun (TPE)

Pathum United – Kaya Iloilo

Referee: Ryuji Sato (JPN)

Assistant Referee 1: Hiroshi Yamauchi (JPN)

Assistant Referee 2: Jun Mihara (JPN)

Fourth Official: Shaun Evans (AUS)

 

Viettel FC – Ulsan Hyundai

Referee: Mohanad Sarray (IRQ)

Assistant Referee 1: Watheq Al Swaiedi (IRQ)

Assistant Referee 2: Yousef Al Shamari (QAT)

Fourth Official: Saoud Al Maqaleh (QAT)

United City – Beijing Sinobo

Referee: Moud Bonyadifard (IRN)

Assistant Referee 1: Ali Mirzabeigi (IRN)

Assistant Referee 2: Saeid Ghasemi (IRN)

Fourth Official: Hasan Akrami (IRN)

 

Kawasaki Frontale – Daegu FC

Referee: Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA)

Assistant Referee 1: Abu Al Amri (OMA)

Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Al Ghaithi (OMA)

Fourth Official: Omar Al Ali (UAE)

Copa America controversy: goal scored after ball bounced off referee Pitana

The Colombian Football Federation (FCF) has asked Copa America organizers to suspend the referee from their 2-1 defeat by Brazil, saying he prejudiced the result by not halting play when the ball hit him in the lead up to a goal.

Nestor Pitana, the Argentine who refereed the 2018 World Cup final, waved play on when the ball bounced off him outside Colombia's box and Brazil continued passing for Roberto Firmino to head in an equalizer. Rubbing salt into the wound, long protests by Colombian players led to an added 10 minutes of stoppage time, with the home side netting a winner in the 100th minute. Colombia had lead after 10 minutes through Luis Diaz.

"Even the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) indicated to the referee that the pass from the Brazilian player that rebounded off the referee was going to a Colombian player", the Colombian federation complained. It urged the South American Football Confederation to suspend the match officials. CONMEBOL took the unusual step of publicizing the conversations between Pitana and the VAR officials. The organization said that the incident "did not lead to a promising attack" and so play should not have been stopped. Even though they lost, Colombia still qualified for the last eight of the tournament, along with Brazil. The Copa America features 10 South American teams and ends on July 10 with the final in Rio de Janeiro.

Source: Reuters

CAF Confederation Cup 2020/2021 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

27 June 2021

Raja Casablanca – Pyramids
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Dos Santos (ANG)
Assistant Referee 2: Arsenio Marengula (MOZ)
Fourth Official: Joshua Bondo (BOT)

JS Kabylie – Coton Sport
Referee: Sadok Selmi (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Attia Amsaad (LBY)
Assistant Referee 2: Aymen Ismail (TUN)
Fourth Official: Beida Damane (MTN)

Abolition of the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions

Following the recommendation of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee and the UEFA Women’s Football Committee, the UEFA Executive Committee has approved a proposal to remove the so-called away goals rule from all UEFA club competitions (men, women and youth) as of the qualifying phases of the 2021/22 competitions.

The away goals rule was applied to determine the winner of a two-legged knockout tie in cases where the two teams had scored the same number of goals on aggregate over the two matches. In such cases, the team which had scored the higher number of goals away from home was considered the winner of the tie and qualified for the next round of the competition. If the two teams had scored the same number of goals at home and away at the end of normal playing time in the second leg, extra time was played, followed by kicks from the penalty mark if no goal was scored. With the decision to remove this rule, ties in which the two teams score the same number of goals over the two legs would be not decided on the number of goals scored away, but two 15-minute periods of extra time are played at the end of the second leg and in case the teams score the same number of goals or no goals during this extra time, kicks from the penalty mark would determine the team which qualifies to the next stage of the competition. Since away goals would no longer be given additional weight to decide a tie, they would also be removed from the criteria used to determine the rankings when two or more teams are equal on points in the group stage i.e. the criteria applied to matches played by the teams in question. They would not be removed from the additional criteria applied to all group matches if the teams remain equal (higher number of away goals scored in all group matches), in order to retain a maximum number of sporting criteria.

Statistics from the mid-1970s until now show a clear trend of continuous reduction in the gap between the number of home/away wins (from 61%/19% to 47%/30%) and the average number of goals per match scored at home/away (from 2.02/0.95 to 1.58/1.15) in men’s competitions, whereas since 2009/10, the average goals per game have remained very steady in the UEFA Women’s Champions League with the overall average of 1.92 for home teams and 1.6 for away teams. Many different factors may be considered as having an impact on this decline in home advantage. Better pitch quality and standardised pitch sizes, improved stadium infrastructure, higher security conditions, enhanced care of refereeing (and more recently the introduction of technological support such as GLT and VAR), wider and more sophisticated TV coverage of matches, more comfortable travel conditions, a compressed calendar dictating squad turnover, and changes in competition formats are all elements which have affected the way football is played and blurred the lines between playing at home and away.

Source: UEFA

UEFA Euro 2020 – Round of 16 (Matches 37-38)

26 June 2021

Wales – Denmark
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
Reserve AR: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
AVAR 3: Marco Fritz (GER)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Italy – Austria
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Reserve AR: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR 1: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
AVAR 3: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

CAF Champions League 2020/2021 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

26 June 2021

Al Ahly – Esperance Tunis
Referee: Alioum Alioum (CMR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Elvis Noupue (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Carine Atezambong (CMR)
Fourth Official: Eric Otogo-Castane (GAB)

Kaizer Chiefs – Wydad AC
Referee: Jean Ndala (COD)
Assistant Referee 1: Olivier Safari (COD)
Assistant Referee 2: James Emile (SEY)
Fourth Official: Bernard Camille (SEY)

VAR: Bamlak Tessema (ETH)

Argentine referee takes the knee before Scotland - Croatia, but no players follow his lead

Fernando Rapallini, the first non-European official in the Euros, dropped down on one leg ahead of kick off. But he was left in the lurch as footballers from both national sides remained standing at Hampden Park. Meanwhile the England team continued their anti-racism gesture before the match against the Czech Republic. But their opponents remained on their feet during the brief move ahead of kick off at Wembley.

Rapallini blew his whistle before taking the knee during the final Group D clash in Glasgow. Players from Scotland and Croatia remained standing and the 43-year-old quickly got back to his feet. The referee is the first non-European to take part in the European Championships and is from Argentina. He was born in La Plata, the capital city of Buenos Aires province, which has just under 1million people. Rapallini has been a FIFA referee since 2014 and took charge of his first international match when Chile played El Salvador in June 2015. He has been behind the whistle for some of the biggest finals in Argentina and is seen as one of the best in South America. He refereed the 2013 and 2018 Argentina Super Cups, the 2017 Argentina Cup final, as well as the 2019 Argentina Super League Champions Trophy. His role in Euro 2020 is down to an exchange program between UEFA and CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation. Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano went to South America to referee Copa America games during the summer. Before this match in Glasgow, Rapallini refereed Ukraine versus North Macedonia, which saw both sides win penalties and miss them.

Meanwhile, England players all took the knee as expected before their match against Czech Republic. Stars including Harry Kane, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka dropped down on one leg ahead of kick off. But their Czech Republic opponents tonight remained standing during the brief move.

Source: Daily Mail

CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 13-16)

23 June 2021

Ecuador – Peru

Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
VAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
AVAR: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
Referee Assessor: Amelio Andino (PAR)

Brazil – Colombia
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Antelo (BOL)
Fourth Official: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Facundo Tello (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

24 June 2021
Bolivia – Uruguay
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Fourth Official: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)
AVAR: Juan Soto (VEN)

Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)  

Chile – Paraguay
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Andres Rojas (COL)
VAR: Rafael Traci (BRA)
AVAR: John Ospina (COL)

Referee Assessor: Omar Ponce (ECU)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 33-36)

23 June 2021

Slovakia – Spain

Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Reserve AR: Mikael Berchebru (FRA)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR 1: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (NED)
AVAR 3: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Sweden – Poland
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Reserve AR: Gary Beswick (ENG)
VAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
AVAR 3: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Germany – Hungary
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Reserve AR: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR 1: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
AVAR 3: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

Portugal – France
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
Reserve AR: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR 1: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
AVAR 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
AVAR 3: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

“Fighting Sleep” with A-League referee King

They are the fastest people football fans often criticize, but behind every referee are those who have to make sometimes controversial decisions to live. Alex King has been in the A-League since late 2017 and has emerged as one of the best players in the tournament. King, a good communicator on the pitch, often sees phone calls to players, but everyone seems to make occasional mistakes. He made two decisions this season between the Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar, but was eventually rejected by VAR.

That encounter and King’s referee’s journey was a recent subject of the A-League Behind the Game, an official series that admits that he often suffers from sleep after a match because he provided some unusual insights into one of the most difficult tasks of football. “I keep the decision in mind. When players get emotional, coaches, spectators-it’s just about learning to deal with it,” King said. “My main focus is to promote interesting contests. That’s my main mantra. Technically, I’m probably not the best referee, but my male management is in the field of football. It overcomes many challenges. For me, it’s the relationship I build through football with my coach and players. That’s what I like. I can take the best seats on the ground and watch some really cool football. We are just as responsible as anyone else doing sports work. We make some big decisions that are potentially incorrect. We miss our promises. Usually after a match, I’m struggling to sleep just because your mind thinks ”Did you do this better or should you do it?“ Football is an emotional sport that makes players emotional, like coaches, spectators, and everything else. In my personality, I like it and try not to make mistakes…”

Source: Sidney News Today

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 31-32)

22 June 2021

Croatia – Scotland
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Fourth Official: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Reserve AR: Marcin Boniek (POL)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR 1: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
AVAR 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
AVAR 3: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

Czech Republic – England
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Reserve AR: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
VAR: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
AVAR 1: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
AVAR 3: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

World Cup referee Ramos paid more for an amateur match than in Liga MX

Despite not having the best season in Mexican football, Cesar Ramos found it easy to go to the United States to referee an amateur game in exchange for a good amount of dollars. He participated in a tournament called Copa Mariachi, held in Atlanta (USA), where he received 80,000 pesos for an amateur match, an amount much higher than what he gets for a professional Liga MX match.

A professional Mexican referee has a fixed salary of 27,400 pesos, while a FIFA referee, like Cesar Ramos, receives 33,000 pesos. In addition to their annual salary, they get paid 38,000 pesos for each match refereed throughout the championship.

Source: El Universal

Clattenburg not allowed to referee at Everton for 6 years

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has explained how a feisty Merseyside derby in 2007 led to him being unable to referee Everton at Goodison Park for six years. Clattenburg gave Liverpool two penalties and sent off Everton pair Tony Hibbert and Phil Neville in a Goodison clash in October 2007. However, there were more controversial decisions in the match as Reds forward Dirk Kuyt - who scored both penalties in Liverpool's 2-1 win - escaped a red card for a high lunge on Neville. Then in stoppage-time, after Kuyt's second penalty, Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher appeared to wrestle Joleon Lescott in the box, only for Clattenburg to fail to give the home side a spot kick.

Speaking on Carragher's podcast 'The Greatest Game', the former official says it was that final decision which proved to be the definitive one. "I was out of my depth," said Clattenburg. "I don't know why I was refereeing it. I'd just done the Manchester derby and the London derby, so it was my third derby in three or four weeks. I had underestimated it - the working-class derby. The other two were different derbies, this one was brutal. Some derbies are different in certain stadiums. Sunderland-Newcastle is more intense at Sunderland and Everton-Liverpool is more intense at Goodison. There was always more intensity. I remember the first half I did okay, but in the second half I had an absolute nightmare. I listened to my assistant referee for the Dirk Kuyt challenge, which when you look back was a stonewall red." Clattenburg then reflected on his failure to punish Carragher for the tussle with Lescott. "Look at what you did with Lescott - you killed us! I wasn't allowed to referee Everton for seven years because of you!" he said. "When I was a young referee in the Premier League, I didn't understand balance. If I'd seen it - and I still don't know why I didn't see it to this day - the easiest decision was to blow for a penalty. Why? I would have come out the game with a little bit less criticism. Yes, Everton had two players red-carded and I awarded Liverpool two penalties, but had I given Everton a penalty and the chance to make it 2-2, no Liverpool fan could have criticised me. But everything went against Everton. You don't sometimes see it when you are in the game. I could have given the penalty and come out with less criticism and then refereed Everton over the next seven years, which I failed to do."

Source: Mirror

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 27-30)

21 June 2021

Ukraine – Austria
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Reserve AR: Jan Seidel (GER)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR 1: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
AVAR 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
AVAR 3: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

North Macedonia – Netherlands
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Reserve AR: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
VAR: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
AVAR 1: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
AVAR 3: Pawel Gil (POL)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Russia – Denmark
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Reserve AR: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
VAR: François Letexier (FRA)
AVAR 1: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
AVAR 2: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
AVAR 3: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Finland – Belgium
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Davide Massa (ITA)
Reserve AR: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
AVAR 3: Kevin Blom (NED)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 9-12)

20 June 2021

Venezuela – Ecuador
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
AVAR: Cristian Garay (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Colombia – Peru
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Soppi (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Edwar Saavedra (BOL)
Fourth Official: Gery Vargas (BOL)
VAR: Andres Cunha (URU)
AVAR: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Referee Assessor: Amelio Andino (PAR)

21 June 2021
Uruguay – Chile
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)
VAR: Rafael Traci (BRA)
AVAR: Victor Carrillo (PER)

Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)

Argentina – Paraguay

Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)

Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)

Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Urrego (VEN)

Fourth Official: Alexis Herrera (VEN)

VAR: John Ospina (COL)

AVAR: Alexander Guzman (COL)

Referee Assessor: Omar Ponce (ECU)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 25-26)

20 June 2021

Italy – Wales
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Reserve AR: Roy Hassan (ISR)
VAR: Pawel Gil (POL)
AVAR 1: François Letexier (FRA)
AVAR 2: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
AVAR 3: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

Switzerland – Turkey
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Reserve AR: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
AVAR 3: Marco Fritz (GER)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

CAF Confederation Cup 2020/2021 – Semi-finals (First Leg)

20 June 2021

Coton Sport – JS Kabylie
Referee: Amin Omar (EGY, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmed Taha (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Youssef El-Bosaty (EGY)

Fourth Official: Mohamed El-Said (EGY)

VAR: Mahmoud Ashour (EGY)

Pyramids – Raja Casablanca

Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (BDI)

Assistant Referee 1: Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)

Assistant Referee 2: Dick Okello (UGA)

Fourth Official: Peter Waweru (KEN)

VAR: Mehdi Abid Charef (ALG)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 22-24)

19 June 2021

Hungary – France
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Reserve AR: Marcin Boniek (POL)
VAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR 1: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
AVAR 3: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Portugal – Germany
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Reserve AR: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR 1: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
AVAR 3: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Šajn (SVN)

Spain – Poland
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Reserve AR: Mikael Berchebru (FRA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR 1: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
AVAR 3: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

CAF Champions League 2020/2021 – Semi-finals (First Leg)

19 June 2021

Esperance Tunis – Al Ahly
Referee: Victor Gomes (RSA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Zakhele Siwela (RSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Souru Phatsoane (LES)
Fourth Official: Helder Martins (ANG)

VAR: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)

Wydad AC – Kaizer Chiefs

Referee: Maguette N’Diaye (SEN)

Assistant Referee 1: El Hadji Samba (SEN)

Assistant Referee 2: Nouha Bangoura (SEN)

Fourth Official: Issa Sy (SEN)

VAR: Bakary Gassama (GAM)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 19-21)

18 June 2021

Sweden – Slovakia
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Reserve AR: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
AVAR 3: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Croatia – Czech Republic
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Carlos Jimenez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Reserve AR: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR 1: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
AVAR 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
AVAR 3: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

England – Scotland
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR)
Reserve AR: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR 1: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
AVAR 3: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Lutz-​Michael Fröhlich (GER)

UEFA Champions League 2021/2022 – Preliminary Round

Semi-Finals (22 June 2021)

Folgore – Prishtina

Referee: Joni Hyytiä (FIN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mika Lamppu (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Veli Leppänen (FIN)
Fourth Official: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

Torshavn – Inter d'Escaldes
Referee: Joonas Jaanovits (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Aron Härsing (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Riivo Stolts (EST)
Fourth Official: Karl Koppel (EST)
Referee Observer: Albano Janku (ALB)

Final (25 June 2021)

Folgore/Prishtina – Torshavn/Inter d'Escaldes
Referee: Adam Ladebäck (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Niklas Nyberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Yng (SWE)
Fourth Official: Fredrik Klytte (SWE)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 16-18)

17 June 2021

Ukraine – North Macedonia
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Fourth Official: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Reserve AR: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR 1: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
AVAR 3: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

Denmark – Belgium
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Reserve AR: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR 1: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR 2: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
AVAR 3: François Letexier (FRA)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Netherlands – Austria
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Davide Massa (ITA)
Reserve AR: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
VAR: Pawel Gil (POL)
AVAR 1: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
AVAR 3: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 5-8)

17 June 2021

Colombia – Venezuela
Referee: Eber Aquino (PAR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
VAR: Derlis Lopez (PAR)
AVAR: Juan Benitez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Amelio Andino (PAR)

Brazil – Peru
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Fourth Official: Facundo Tello (ARG)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Cristian Garay (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

18 June 2021
Chile – Bolivia
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Andres Rojas (COL)
VAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
AVAR: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)

Argentina – Uruguay
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Juan Soto (VEN)
VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)
AVAR: Rafael Traci (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Omar Ponce (ECU)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 13-15)

16 June 2021

Finland – Russia
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries (NED)
Fourth Official: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Reserve AR: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR 1: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR 2: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
AVAR 3: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian (FRA)

Turkey – Wales
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Reserve AR: Marcin Boniek (POL)
VAR: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
AVAR 1: François Letexier (FRA)
AVAR 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
AVAR 3: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Italy – Switzerland
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Reserve AR: Stuart Burt (ENG)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR 1: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
AVAR 3: Pawel Gil (POL)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – AFC (Round 2, Matchday 11)

15 June 2021

Chinese Taipei – Kuwait
Referee: Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Al Amri (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Al Ghaithi (OMA)
Fourth Official: Saoud Al Adba (QAT)

Japan – Kyrgyzstan
Referee: Omar Al Yaqoubi (OMA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nasser Ambusaidi (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Fourth Official: Abdelrahman Al Jassim (QAT)

Tajikistan – Myanmar
Referee: Omar Al Ali (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Sabet Al Ali (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al Maqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Yu Ming-Hsun (TPE)

India – Afghanistan
Referee: Ali Reda (LIB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ruslan Serazitdinov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Saeid Ghasemi (IRN)
Fourth Official: Mooud Bonyadifard (IRN)

Philippines – Maldives
Referee: Kim Hee-Gon (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jang Jong-Pil (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Zairul Tan (MAS)
Fourth Official: Kim Dae-Yong (KOR)

Australia – Jordan
Referee: Kim Woo-Sung (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Osamu Nomura (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Yosuke Takebe (JPN)
Fourth Official: Jumpei Iida (JPN)

Iran – Iraq
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrey Sapenko (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Kang Dong-Ho (KOR)
Fourth Official: Kim Jong-Hyeok (KOR)

Bahrain – Hong Kong
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baqi (OMA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hamed Al Ghafri (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammad Al Kalaf (JOR)
Fourth Official: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR)

UAE – Vietnam
Referee: Ali Qaysi (IRQ)
Assistant Referee 1: Hayder Ali (IRQ)
Assistant Referee 2: Ameer Hussein (IRQ)
Fourth Official: Ammar Mahfoodh (BHR)

Thailand – Malaysia
Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdulrahman Al Shammari (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Yasser Al Sultan (KSA)
Fourth Official: Ahmad Al Ali (KUW)

Bangladesh – Oman
Referee: Ali Shaban (KUW)
Assistant Referee 1: Abbas Gholoum (KUW)
Assistant Referee 2: Akram Jabbar (IRK)
Fourth Official: Zaid Mohammed (IRK)

China – Syria
Referee: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ronnie Koh (SIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdul Hannan (SIN)
Fourth Official: Kim Dae-Yong (KOR)

Saudi Arabia – Uzbekistan
Referee: Ko Hyung-Jin (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Yoon Jae-Yeol (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Park Sang-Jun (KOR)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Abdulla (UAE)

Palestine – Yemen
Referee: Masoud Tufaylieh (SYR)
Assistant Referee 1: Fadi Mahmoud (SYR)
Assistant Referee 2: Watheq Al Swaiedi (IRQ)
Fourth Official: Mohanad Sarray (IRQ)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 11-12)

15 June 2021

Hungary – Portugal
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Reserve AR: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR 1: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
AVAR 3: Pawel Gil (POL)
Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

France – Germany
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Srdjan Jovanovic (SRB)
Reserve AR: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR 1: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
AVAR 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
AVAR 3: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – Concacaf (Round 2, Second Leg)

15 June 2021

Curacao – Panama
Referee: Marco Ortiz (MEX, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Martinez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Karen Diaz (MEX)
Fourth Official: Luis Santander (MEX)
Referee Assessor: Dave Meikle (JAM)

El Salvador – St. Kitts and Nevis

Referee: Keylor Herrera (CRC)

Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Fernandez (CRC)

Assistant Referee 2: Luis Ventura (GUA)

Fourth Official: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)

Canada – Haiti

Referee: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)

Assistant Referee 1: Corey Rockwell (USA)

Assistant Referee 2: Cameron Blanchard (USA)

Fourth Official: Tori Penso (USA)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 8-10)

14 June 2021

Scotland – Czech Republic
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Reserve AR: Martin Margaritov (BUL)

VAR: Marco Fritz (GER) 

AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)

AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)

AVAR 3: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)

Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Poland – Slovakia
Referee: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Reserve AR: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)

VAR: Marco Di Bello (ITA)

AVAR 1: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)

AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)

AVAR 3: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)

Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian (FRA)

Spain – Sweden
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)

Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Davide Massa (ITA)
Reserve AR: Stefano Alassio (ITA)

VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)

AVAR 1: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)

AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)

AVAR 3: Kevin Blom (NED)

Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 1-4)

13 June 2021

Brazil – Venezuela
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)
Fourth Official: Gery Vargas (BOL)
VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
AVAR: Cristian Garay (CHI)

Referee Assessor: Enrique Caceres (PAR)  

Colombia – Ecuador
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Fourth Official: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Facundo Tello (ARG)

Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

14 June 2021
Argentina – Chile
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
VAR: John Ospina (COL)
AVAR: Christian Lescano (ECU)

Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)  

Paraguay – Bolivia
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Raul Lopez (PER)
Fourth Official: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)
VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)
AVAR: Victor Carrillo (PER)

Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – AFC (Round 2, Matchday 10)

11 June 2021

Malaysia – Vietnam
Referee: Ryuji Sato (JPN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hiroshi Yamauchi (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jun Mihara (JPN)
Fourth Official: Kim Dae-Yong (KOR)

Hong Kong – Iraq
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Takumi Takagi (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Isao Nishihashi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Yaqoob Baqi (OMA)

Yemen – Uzbekistan
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Al Hammadi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Hasan Suqatari (UAE)
Fourth Official: Ali Al Samaheeji (BHR)

Singapore – Saudi Arabia
Referee: Mohanad Sarray (IRK)
Assistant Referee 1: Watheq Al Swaiedi (IRK)
Assistant Referee 2: Fadi Mahmoud (SYR)
Fourth Official: Masoud Tufaylieh (SYR)

Kuwait – Jordan
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Salman (BHR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdulla Al Rowaimi (BHR)
Fourth Official: Kim Woo-Sung (KOR)

Myanmar – Kyrgyzstan
Referee: Hussein Yehia (LBN)
Assistant Referee 1: Samer Badr (LBN)
Assistant Referee 2: Sabet Al Ali (UAE)
Fourth Official: Omar Al Ali (UAE)

Philippines – Guam
Referee: Ammar Al Jneibi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmed Al Rashdi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdul Hannan (SIN)
Fourth Official: Mohammad Bin Jahari (SIN)

Cambodia – Iran
Referee: Kim Jong-Hyeok (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kang Dong-Ho (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Al Roalle (JOR)
Fourth Official: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR)

Nepal – Australia
Referee: Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA)
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Al Amri (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Al Ghaithi (OMA)
Fourth Official: Saoud Al Adba (QAT)

Indonesia – UAE
Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (KAS)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdulrahim Al Shammari (KAS)
Assistant Referee 2: Yasser Al Sultan (KAS)
Fourth Official: Ammar Mahfoodh (BHR)

China – Maldives
Referee: Ahmed Al Ali (JOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud Thaher (JOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Rawut Nakrit (KAS)
Fourth Official: Sivakorn Pu-Udom (THA)

Afghanistan – Oman
Referee: Ma Ning (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Cao Yi (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Zhou Fei (CHN)
Fourth Official: Zaid Mohammed (IRQ)

Korea – Lebanon

Referee: Khamis Al Marri (QAT)

Assistant Referee 1: Ramzan Al Naemi (QAT)

Assistant Referee 2: Khalaf Al Shammari (KSA)

Fourth Official: Turki Al Khudayr (KSA)

UEFA Euro 2020 – Group Stage (Matches 5-7)

13 June 2021

England – Croatia 

Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Reserve AR: Sander van Roekel (NED)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR 1: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
AVAR 3: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Austria – North Macedonia
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
Fourth Official: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Reserve AR: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR 1: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR 2: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
AVAR 3: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

Netherlands – Ukraine
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Reserve AR: Marcin Boniek (POL)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
AVAR 3: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)