Concacaf Gold Cup Final 2021: Martinez (HON)

1 August 2021

USA – Mexico
Referee: Said Martinez (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Henri Pupiro (NCA)
Fourth Official: Mario Escobar (GUA)

Reserve AR: Christian Ramirez (HON)  
VAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)

AVAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)

Olympic Games 2020 (Men) – Quarter-finals

31 July 2021

Spain – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lubin Torrealba (VEN)
Fourth Official: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)

Japan – New Zealand
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Fourth Official: Victor Gomes (RSA)
VAR: Chris Penso (USA)
AVAR: Tiago Martins (POR)

Brazil – Egypt
Referee: Christopher Beath (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: George Lakrindis (AUS)
Fourth Official: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Guillermo Cuadra (ESP)

Korea – Mexico
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Srdjan Jovanovic (SRB)
VAR: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
AVAR: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)

Olympic Games 2020 (Women) – Quarter-finals

30 July 2021

Canada – Brazil
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)
VAR: Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb (GER)
AVAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)

Great Britain – Australia
Referee: Salima Mukansanga (RWA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bernadettar Kwimbira (MWI)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Njoroge (KEN)
Fourth Official: Edina Alves (BRA)
VAR: Benoit Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Fu Ming (CHN)

Sweden – Japan
Referee: Lucila Venegas (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Mayte Chavez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Melissa Borjas (HON)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Andres Cunha (URU)

Netherlands – USA
Referee: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Kyoung Min (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Lee Seul Gi (KOR)
Fourth Official: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN)
VAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)

Kuipers retires: “It doesn't get any better than this”

After an impressive career in which he led no fewer than nine international finals, Björn Kuipers stops refereeing. The 48-year-old referee has come to realize during his holiday that after the European Championship final at the beginning of this month he has experienced everything he has ever dreamed of. There is, therefore, no better time to put an end to it. The match for the Johan Cruyff Super Cup on Saturday, 7 August, between Ajax and PSV will be his very last match. Kuipers already had it in his head before the European Championship. If he would have refereed the final, it would have meant the end of his career - stopping at your peak, as it is so beautifully called. However, that decision turned out not to be as easy as he first thought. "After the European Championship final, I received so many positive reactions and appreciation from all over the world that I started to have doubts. Moreover, I am still fit and enjoy it a lot. I, therefore, decided to think about it during my vacation. There I came to realize that I have been everywhere and experienced everything. It doesn't get any more beautiful than this. There is no better time to stop."

Kuipers cannot stop talking when he is asked about his highlights. In addition to the recent European Championship final, he also refereed the final of the Champions League in 2014 between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, twice the final of the Europa League (2013 and 2018) and the final of the Confederations Cup in 2013. Still, the UEFA Cup match between Napoli and Benfica in 2008 is the first game that comes to mind. "This was the turning point in my career. The chairman of the referees committee sat in the stands as UEFA observer and I refereed a very good game. I was then awarded the European U-21 Championship final and was promoted to the Elite List. From that moment on, I realized I could reach the absolute top." And it worked. Team Kuipers became a household name all over the world. With the emphasis on the team, because the referee knows better than anyone that he also owes his success to his regular assistants Sander van Roekel and Erwin Zeinstra. "We have worked together very intensively for over 10 years. We had a lot of fun, but we were also excellently able to keep each other on our toes. At the beginning of our collaboration, I always had a chat before we went out on the field, but that was no longer necessary in recent years. Everyone knew exactly what was required of him. We trusted each other blindly, but also dared to tell each other the truth. That has been the basis of our success."

Digging into his memory also comes to mind when UEFA referee boss Pierluigi Collina called him to preside over the 2018 Europa League final between Olympique Marseille and Atletico Madrid. "Are you ready for another match?" he asked while I was already preparing for the World Cup during my holiday. I was amazed that he asked me, because I had already refereed the Europa League final five years earlier. "Basically, you don't get a match like that twice. They wanted a pair of safe hands for this game. And that's why they came to me. The fact that they made an exception was a huge compliment." He also received nice words from FIFA boss Gianni Infantino this month after the European Championship final: "Number one referee, you've changed football, he said to me. He was referring to the decision three years ago to do the VAR trial match between Italy and France completely online, i.e. with direct communication between the video assistant and the referee. That was not FIFA's plan in the first place. But because I said that we, as KNVB, were ready for it, they changed it." After returning from the European Championship final in London, Kuipers and his team received a hero's welcome at Schiphol. Federal chairman Just Spee distinguished the three as national knight. "That was a nice surprise that I'm proud of."

However, the match itself in particular causes goosebumps on Kuipers' arms. "The most beautiful moment was the national anthems. I looked around and saw a full stadium singing along with full blast. And I knew that my family, including my children, was also in the stands", said Kuipers. The European Championship final will be etched in his memory forever. "Of course, it was a fantastic atmosphere and a unique duel, but I am also very happy that we did well. It was a worthy international farewell to me as a referee." Kuipers also remembers a less pleasant experience. "We had to go home from the 2014 World Cup, because the Netherlands came in the last four. In the end, both the Orange and us were not on the field during the final. That was a huge disappointment."

Despite all the international successes, Kuipers also had to whistle his matches in the Netherlands every week. And so, it could happen that a few days after a Champions League match, he refereed in significantly smaller stadiums. "Of course, the experience in the run-up to such a duel is different. But once we went on the field, we were just as sharp. Because of our reputation, everyone expected a good performance from us. The urge to always be on top and not to give up was precisely one of my motivations as a referee." During his early years, however, Kuipers sometimes had doubts. "I really struggled in my first three matches in the Erste Divisie. Even after that I had sometimes not so good matches. But, luckily, people around me have always kicked me in the butt on time. They made me realize that I referee a lot of good matches in a year and that I should not be guided by those few times that things go a little less than expected. I owe the KNVB and especially my coach Jaap Uilenberg a lot of thanks for always having faith in me. I'm actually grateful to a lot of people who have supported me." A strange period is now beginning for Kuipers. "The refereeing has had a significant impact on my life and certainly also on my family. I have had to constantly consider the matches and the training schedule. It will take some time getting used to the fact that this is no longer necessary. However, I do not expect my agenda to be empty any time soon, since I am an entrepreneur and have, among other things, two supermarkets. In addition, I want to be involved in refereeing. It would be a shame if I did not do anything with it. I would like to remain involved. For the time being, however, I am still reminiscing because they were wonderful years."

Source: KNVB

Concacaf Gold Cup 2021 – Semi-finals

29 July 2021

USA – Qatar
Referee: Juan Calderon (CRC, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mora (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Djibril Camara (SEN)
Fourth Official: Selvin Brown (HON)
VAR: Bakary Gassama (GAM)
AVAR: Arturo Cruz (MEX)

Mexico – Canada
Referee: Daneon Parchment (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jassett Kerr (JAM)
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation (JAM)
VAR: Allen Chapman (USA)
AVAR: Armando Villarreal (USA)

UEFA Champions League 2021/2022 – Second Qualifying Round (Second Leg)

27-28 July 2021

Omonia FC – GNK Dinamo
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist (SWE)
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck (SWE)
Referee Observer: Vítor Melo Pereira (POR)

Flora Tallinn – Legia Warszawa
Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Trýfon Petrópoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Iordánis Aptósoglou (GRE)
Fourth Official: Evángelos Manoúchos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)

HJK Helsinki – Malmö FF
Referee: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Harry Lennard (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Nick Hopton (ENG)
Fourth Official: Robert Jones (ENG)
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)

Žalgiris Vilnius – Ferencvarosi TC
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jo De Weirdt (BEL)
Fourth Official: Wim Smet (BEL)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

Sheriff Tiraspol – Alashkert FC
Referee: Bojan Pandzic (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Allheim (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Max Wilde (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kaspar Sjöberg (SWE)
Referee Observer: Yuri Baskakov (RUS)

Neftçi PFK – Olympiakós FC
Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jon Núñez Fernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: Adrián Cordero Vega (ESP)
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

CFR Cluj – Lincoln Red Imps
Referee: Yigal Frid (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Nati Dotan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Omer Barbiro (ISR)
Fourth Official: Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

FC Midtjylland – Celtic FC
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Winkler (POL)
Fourth Official: Damian Sylwestrzak (POL)
Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís (CYP)

PFC Ludogorets – NŠ Mura
Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Vivenzi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Galatasaray – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Fourth Official: Luca Pairetto (ITA)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

BSC Young Boys – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Admir Šehović (BIH)
Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vázquez (ESP)

Crvena Zvezda - Qaırat Almaty
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

Sparta Praha – Rapid Wien
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: David Roome (SCO)
Fourth Official: Craig Napier (SCO)
Referee Observer: Haim Yaakov (ISR)

UEFA Europa Conference League 2021/2022 – Second Qualifying Round (Second Leg)

27-29 July 2021

Hibernians – Folgore

Referee: Arda Kardeşler (TUR, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Kerem Ersoy (TUR)

Assistant Referee 2: Ali Ögel (TUR)

Fourth Official: Ali Şansalan (TUR)

Referee Observer: Luc Wouters (BEL)

Inter d'Escaldes – KF Teuta
Referee: Viktor Kopiyevskyy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Viktor Nyzhnyk (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmytro Zaporozhenko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Oleksandr Derdo (UKR)
Referee Observer: Michal Beneš (CZE)

Budućnost Podgorica – HB Tórshavn
Referee: Andrew Davey (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrew Nethery (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Jeffrey (NIR)
Fourth Official: Lee Tavinder (NIR)

Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)  

Shahter Qaragandy – FCSB
Referee: Dragomir Draganov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Petar Dzhuganski (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Dimitrov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Stanislav Todorov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Gevorg Hovhannisyan (ARM)

FK Liepaja – CSKA Sofia
Referee: Marcel Bîrsan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mircea Grigoriu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Marica (ROU)
Fourth Official: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

Tobyl Qostanai – Hajduk Split
Referee: Vladimir Moskalev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitriy Mosyakin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Roman Usachev (RUS)
Fourth Official: Yevgeniy Kukulyak (RUS)
Referee Observer: Alieh Čykun (BLR)

Bodø Glimt – Valur
Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giovanni Baccini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Francesco Fourneau (ITA)
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev (BUL)

Vorskla Poltava – KuPS Kuopio
Referee: Pavel Orel (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Jakub Hrabovský (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Radek Kotík (CZE)
Fourth Official: Jan Machálek (CZE)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Sumqayıt – Čukarički
Referee: Jørgen Daugbjerg Burchardt (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Niels Høg (DEN)
Fourth Official: Sandi Putros (DEN)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Ivanov (RUS)

Keşla – Sochi
Referee: Viktar Šymusik (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Husieŭ (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Siarhiej Kasaviec (BLR)
Fourth Official: Vitaĺ Sievascjanik (BLR)
Referee Observer: Plarent Kotherja (ALB)

Dynama Brest – Viktoria Plzeň
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Klyver (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikael Hallin (SWE)
Fourth Official: Granit Maqedonci (SWE)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Honka Espoo – NK Domžale
Referee: Peter Královič (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Milan Štrbo (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Erik Weiss (SVK)
Fourth Official: Pavel Ochotnický (SVK)
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović (SRB)

Birkirkara FC – Olimpija Ljubljana
Referee: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny (BEL)
Fourth Official: Kevin Van Damme (BEL)
Referee Observer: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

FC Vaduz – Újpest FC
Referee: Christian Ciochirca (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Obritzberger (AUT)
Fourth Official: René Eisner (AUT)
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn (GER)

Levadia Tallinn – Dundalk FC
Referee: Thorvaldur Árnason (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Andri Vigfússon (ISL)
Fourth Official: Vilhjálmur Thórarinsson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Domagoj Vučkov (CRO)

Santa Coloma – Hibernian FC
Referee: Alex Troleis (FRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Hermansen (FRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Jørleif Djurhuus (FRO)
Fourth Official: Dagfinn Forná (FRO)
Referee Observer: Thóroddur Hjaltalín (ISL)

Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe – Spartak Trnava
Referee: Besfort Kasumi (KOS)
Assistant Referee 1: Edmond Zeqiri (KOS)
Assistant Referee 2: Fatmir Sekiraqa (KOS)
Fourth Official: Shpëtim Murtezi (KOS)
Referee Observer: Erol Ersoy (TUR)

BK Häcken – Aberdeen FC
Referee: Ádám Farkas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balázs Szert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Balázs Szalai (HUN)
Fourth Official: Sándor Andó-Szabó (HUN)
Referee Observer: Jørn West Larsen (DEN)

MŠK Žilina – Apóllon Limassol
Referee: Alexandre Boucaut (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Florian Lemaire (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Vito Di Vincenzo (BEL)
Fourth Official: Bert Put (BEL)
Referee Observer: Vencel Tóth (HUN)

Maccabi Haifa – Dinamo Tbilisi
Referee: Amine Kourgheli (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jury Chomčanka (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Viktar Hiecikaŭ (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dzianis Ščarbakoŭ (BLR)
Referee Observer: Michális Koukoulákis (GRE)

Hapoel Beer Sheva – Arda Kardzhali
Referee: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Valerio Colarossi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Alessandro Prontera (ITA)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

Sivasspor – Petrocub Hîncești
Referee: Kirill Levnikov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Bolkhovitin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrei Vereteshkin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi (SMR)

Milsami Orhei – IF Elfsborg
Referee: Peter Bankes (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring (ENG)
Fourth Official: Darren England (ENG)
Referee Observer: Yuri Baskakov (RUS)

Bate Barysaŭ – Dinamo Batumi
Referee: Urs Schnyder (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Köbeli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher (SUI)
Fourth Official: Luca Cibelli (SUI)
Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin (ROU)

AGF Aarhus – Larne FC
Referee: Volen Chinkov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Deniz Sokolov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dimitar Dimitrov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Georgi Dimitrov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

Valerenga FC – KAA Gent
Referee: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Ross McLeod (SCO)
Fourth Official: Euan Anderson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Jens Larsen (DEN)

FC Ashdod – Qarabağ FK
Referee: Novak Simović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikola Djorović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Miloš Simović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Aleksandar Živković (SRB)
Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP)

FC Slovácko – Lokomotiv Plovdiv
Referee: Andrew Madley (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Robathan (ENG)
Fourth Official: David Coote (ENG)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Raków Częstochowa – FK Suduva
Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Portelli (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Duncan Sultana (MLT)
Fourth Official: Stephen Pace (MLT)
Referee Observer: Igor Șațchii (MDA)

Rosenborg – Hafnarfjördur
Referee: Ferenc Karakó (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Péter Kóbor (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Norbert Bornemissza (HUN)
Fourth Official: Csaba Pintér (HUN)
Referee Observer: Niklas á Lídarenda (FRO)

Tarpieda Žodzina – FC København
Referee: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Jevgeņijs Morozovs (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Romans Platonovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Edgars Maļcevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Asim Xudiyev (AZE)

The New Saints – Kauno Žalgiris
Referee: Emmanouíl Skoulás (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Konstadínos Nikolaidis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andréas Meidanás (GRE)
Fourth Official: Athanásios Tzílos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Neale Barry (ENG)

Fola Esch – Šachcior Salihorsk
Referee: Yaroslav Kozyk (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Andriy Skrypka (UKR)
Fourth Official: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Maccabi Tel Aviv – FK Sutjeska
Referee: Peter Kjaersgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesper Dahl (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jakob Sundberg (DEN)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

KF Shkëndija – Riga FC
Referee: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Salvatore Longo (ITA)
Fourth Official: Giovanni Ayroldi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos (CRO)

Borac Banja Luka – Linfield FC
Referee: Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 1: Mesrop Ghazaryan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 2: Sargis Hovhannisyan (ARM)
Fourth Official: Henrik Nalbandyan (ARM)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

Connah's Quay Nomads – FC Prishtina
Referee: Petri Viljanen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mika Lamppu (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Riku Vihreävuori (FIN)
Fourth Official: Dennis Antamo (FIN)
Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)

Puskás Akadémia – RFS
Referee: Walter Altmann (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Santino Schreiner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Gutschi (AUT)
Fourth Official: Dieter Muckenhammer (AUT)
Referee Observer: Albano Janku (ALB)

HNK Rijeka – Gżira United
Referee: Veaceslav Banari (MDA)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrei Bodean (MDA)
Assistant Referee 2: Denis Borisov (MDA)
Fourth Official: Andrei Breguța (MDA)
Referee Observer: Edward Foley (IRL)

AEK Athens – FK Velež
Referee: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Sean Carr (SCO)
Fourth Official: Steven McLean (SCO)
Referee Observer: Vadims Direktorenko (LVA)

Śląsk Wrocław – Ararat Yerevan
Referee: Iwan Griffith (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Beckett (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Bird (WAL)
Fourth Official: Thomas Owen (WAL)
Referee Observer: John Ferry (NIR)

Feyenoord – Drita
Referee: Espen Eskas (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Øystein Ytterland (NOR)
Fourth Official: Rohit Saggi (NOR)
Referee Observer: Ferenc Székely (HUN)

FK Partizani – FC Basel
Referee: Aristotélis Diamandópoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Reinhard Buxbaum (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Konstandínos Psárris (GRE)
Fourth Official: Geórgios Tzováras (GRE)
Referee Observer: Gerard Perry (IRL)

FK Vojvodina – FK Panevėžys
Referee: Juri Frischer (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Veiko Motsnik (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Neeme Neemlaid (EST)
Fourth Official: Martti Pukk (EST)
Referee Observer: Kostadin Gerginov (BUL)

Aris Thessaloniki – FC Astana
Referee: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Davide Imperiale (ITA)
Fourth Official: Juan Luca Sacchi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Michális Argyroú (CYP)

Universitatea Craiova – KF Laçi
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Veli-Matti Leppänen (FIN)
Fourth Official: Joni Hyytiä (FIN)
Referee Observer: Jan Carlsen (DEN)

Servette FC – Molde FK
Referee: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Charles Schaap (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erik Kleinjan (NED)
Fourth Official: Richard Martens (NED)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Dunajská Streda – FK Partizan
Referee: Alain Bieri (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Guillaume Maire (SUI)
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger (SUI)
Referee Observer: Chrístos Nikolaidis (CYP)

Bohemian FC – F91 Diddeleng
Referee: Gergő Bogár (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Vencel Tóth (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Péter Garai (HUN)
Fourth Official: Bence Csonka (HUN)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

NK Maribor – Hammarby IF
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Fourth Official: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

KF Vllaznia – AEL Limassol
Referee: Robert Harvey (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wayne McDonnell (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Darragh Keegan (IRL)
Fourth Official: Raymond Matthews (IRL)
Referee Observer: Mark Whitby (WAL)

NK Osijek – Pogoń Szczecin
Referee: Luís Godínho (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Teixeira (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Luís Campos (POR)
Fourth Official: André Narciso (POR)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Breidablik – Austria Wien
Referee: Paul McLaughlin (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Clarke (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dermot Broughton (IRL)
Fourth Official: Damien McGraith (IRL)
Referee Observer: Georgi Yordanov (BUL)

Santa Clara – FC Shkupi
Referee: Robert Hennessy (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Allen Lynch (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Emmett Dynan (IRL)
Fourth Official: John McLoughlin (IRL)
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

Olympic Games 2020 (Men) – Group Stage (Matches 17-24)

28 July 2021

Germany – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Leodan Gonzalez (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Fourth Official: Christopher Beath (AUS)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)

Saudi Arabia – Brazil
Referee: Bamlak Tessema (ETH)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammed Ibrahim (SDN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)
Fourth Official: Srdjan Jovanovic (SRB)
VAR: Benoit Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Tiago Martins (POR)

Romania – New Zealand
Referee: Kevin Ortega (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Orue (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Sanchez (PER)
Fourth Official: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)
VAR: Andres Cunha (URU)
AVAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)

Korea – Honduras
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Victor Gomes (RSA)
VAR: Adil Zourak (MAR)
AVAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)

Spain – Argentina
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Fourth Official: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR)
VAR: Chris Penso (USA)
AVAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)

Australia – Egypt
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
VAR: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
AVAR: Fu Ming (CHN)

South Africa – Mexico
Referee: Matthew Conger (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Rule (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tevita Makasini (TGA)
Fourth Official: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)

France – Japan
Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Zachari Zeegelaar (SUR)
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida (MTN)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR: Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb (GER)

Olympic Games 2020 (Women) – Group Stage (Matches 13-18)

27 July 2021

USA – Australia
Referee: Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Kurochkina (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Sanja Rodak (CRO)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)
VAR: Adil Zourak (MAR)
AVAR: Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb (GER)

New Zealand – Sweden
Referee: Laura Fortunato (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mariana de Almeida (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Lucila Venegas (MEX)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)

Canada – Great Britain
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Fourth Official: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
VAR: Mahmoud Ashour (EGY)
AVAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)

Chile – Japan
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Blanco (COL)
Fourth Official: Ndidi Madu (NGR)
VAR: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
AVAR: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)

Netherlands – China
Referee: Salima Mukansanga (RWA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bernadettar Kwimbira (MWI)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Njoroge (KEN)
Fourth Official: Maria Rivet (MRI)
VAR: Benoit Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)

Brazil – Zambia
Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Makoto Bozono (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Naomi Teshirogi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)

Copa Libertadores record for Roldan

Colombian Wilmar Roldan (41) recently became the referee with the most matches in the history of the Copa Libertadores. Defensa y Justicia - Palmeiras was his 89th match in South America's top international club competition, surpassing Carlos Amarilla (Paraguay), who retired with 88 games.

Roldan referee spoke with Antena 2's ‘The Ball Owners’ and stated that he was very proud of such an important achievement. “Becoming the referee with the most matches refereed historically is very important to me. I thank all the people who have believed in me, my family and God. I will continue to improve day-by-day to raise the reputation of Colombian and CONMEBOL refereeing. I will continue to prepare for whatever comes my way". Professional referee since 2003, Roldan received his FIFA badge in January 2008, when he was only 28, and has been considered by CONMEBOL as one of their top referees, being named the best South American referee in 2013. Roldan refereed three Libertadores finals in 2012, 2013 and 2014. 

Source: Antena 2

Concacaf Gold Cup 2021 – Quarter-finals (Matches 27-28)

25 July 2021

Costa Rica – Canada 

Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank Anderson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Fourth Official: Armando Villarreal (USA)
VAR: Bakary Gassama (GAM)
AVAR: Timothy Ford (USA)

USA – Jamaica
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Hernandez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Selvin Brown (HON)
VAR: Angel Monroy (MEX)
AVAR: Leon Barajas (MEX)

Concacaf Gold Cup 2021 – Quarter-finals (Matches 25-26)

24 July 2021

Qatar – El Salvador
Referee: Fernando Hernandez (MEX, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Michel Morales (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Henri Pupiro (NCA)
Fourth Official: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
VAR: Arturo Cruz (MEX)
AVAR: Juan Rangel (MEX)

Mexico – Honduras
Referee: Mario Escobar (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Logan Brown (USA)
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation (JAM)
VAR: Allen Chapman (USA)
AVAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)

Olympic Games 2020 (Men) – Group Stage (Matches 9-16)

25 July 2021

Egypt – Argentina
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)
VAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Chris Penso (USA)

France – South Africa
Referee: Kevin Ortega (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Orue (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Sanchez (PER)
Fourth Official: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
VAR: Andres Cunha (URU)
AVAR: Marco Guida (ITA)

New Zealand – Honduras
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Christopher Beath (AUS)
VAR: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
AVAR: Benoit Millot (FRA)

Brazil – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Fourth Official: Srdjan Jovanovic (SRB)
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)
AVAR: Mahmoud Ashour (EGY)

Australia – Spain
Referee: Bamlak Tessema (ETH)
Assistant Referee 1: Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammed Ibrahim (SDN)
Fourth Official: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)
VAR: Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb (GER)
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)

Japan – Mexico
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida (MTN)
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Adil Zourak (MAR)

Romania – Korea
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lubin Torrealba (VEN)
Fourth Official: Ivan Barton (SLV)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)

Saudi Arabia – Germany
Referee: Victor Gomes (RSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Arsenio Marengula (MOZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Souru Phatsoane (LES)
Fourth Official: Matthew Conger (NZL)
VAR: Fu Ming (CHN)
AVAR: Tiago Martins (POR)

Haitian refereeing boss sanctioned by FIFA with lifetime ban

The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has found Mr. Rosnick Grant, the former national head coordinator of referees of the Haitian Football Association (FHF), guilty of having abused his position, as well as of having committed acts of sexual harassment and abuse, including coercion and threats, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

The aforementioned ethics proceedings are part of an extensive investigation into the FHF, in which several officials were identified as having allegedly been involved in acts of systematic sexual abuse against female football players and coaches (participating either as principals, accomplices or instigators) in the period between 2011 and 2020. Several FHF officials have already been sanctioned in this respect. In the case of Mr Grant, his conduct occurred between 2011 and 2021, and was related to sexual harassment and abuse, as well as threats and coercion (to prevent the reporting of such sexual abuse) towards female referees, and taking advantage of his position of authority in Haitian football refereeing in exchange for sexual favours. In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr. Grant had breached art. 23 (Protection of physical and mental integrity) and art. 25 (Abuse of position) of the FIFA Code of Ethics and sanctioned him with a lifetime ban from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level. In addition, a fine in the amount of CHF 100,000 has been imposed on Mr Grant. The decision was taken on 22 July 2021 and the terms of the decision were notified to Mr. Grant today, the date on which the ban comes into force. In accordance with art. 78 par. 2 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, the full motivated decision will be notified to Mr. Grant in the next 60 days, and will subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com.

Source: FIFA

Olympic Games 2020 (Women) – Group Stage (Matches 7-12)

24 July 2021

Chile – Canada 

Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Kung (SUI)
Fourth Official: Maria Rivet (MRI)
VAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
AVAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)

China – Zambia
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Lucila Venegas (MEX)
VAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
AVAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)

Sweden – Australia
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU)
Fourth Official: Salima Mukansanga (RWA)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Mahmoud Ashour (EGY)

Japan – Great Britain
Referee: Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Kurochkina (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Sanja Rodak (CRO)
Fourth Official: Ndidi Madu (NGR)
VAR: Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb (GER)
AVAR: Chris Penso (USA)

Netherlands – Brazil
Referee: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Kyoung Min (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Lee Seul Gi (KOR)
Fourth Official: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN)
VAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)

New Zealand – USA
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)
Fourth Official: Laura Fortunato (ARG)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Adil Zourak (MAR)

Top Italian referee Massa also involved in expenses scandal

There are reports that another two Serie A referees – specifically Davide Massa and Piero Giacomelli – will be suspended in the growing false expenses scandal. The controversy erupted when certain irregularities were spotted in the accounts, suggesting some officials had artificially inflated the costs of their expenses, hoping to get remuneration from the AIA (Italian Referees Association). This resulted in Fabrizio Pasqua and Federico La Penna receiving suspensions for 16 and 13 months, respectively. However, Il Fatto Quotidiano reports that the investigation is not over, so Massa and Giacomelli could also be suspended for a similar length of time. There is believed to be another referee whose position is still being analysed.

Sky Sport Italia insist that Massa and Giacomelli’s infractions are not as serious, so they could get away with a fine, but have been suspended as a precautionary measure while the case is evaluated. It adds to the growing problems, because this week Giampaolo Calvarese announced his resignation as a Serie A and B referee due to a conflict of interest. This is because his family has launched a business selling natural vitamin integrators and wanted football players and clubs to purchase their products. It means the match officials will have their pre-season meeting with only 46 referees available rather than 51.

Source: Football Italia

CONMEBOL scandal: Boca players detained after Libertadores brawl

The CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores is known for wild and crazy nights and the recent round of 16 clash between Atletico Mineiro of Brazil and Boca Juniors of Argentina was a night to remember for all the wrong reasons. A dubious VAR call and on field fights that ended with an entire team in a local police precinct is just another black eye for the continent's premier club competition.

The game itself was a hard fought 0-0 match where it appeared that Boca Juniors had taken a second half lead until the referee disallowed the go-ahead goal after VAR review. Atletico Mineiro would eventually go on to the quarter-finals after winning 3-1 on penalty kicks. The Boca Juniors players felt cheated since in the first leg a goal was also called back after a long VAR review.

When the final whistle blew, that was when all hell broke loose, Boca players began to clash with the Atletico Mineiro players, the altercations continued to the dressing area where it is apparent that Boca Juniors players tried to get into the home side's locker room to continue the fighting. The Brazilian police was forced to use pepper spray as a result of the brawls within the tunnels of the Mineirão stadium. Boca players were trying to get into the Atletico Mineiro locker room, as to which players from Atletico Mineiro began to throw water bottles and fight back, while the police tried to establish order. Following the incident, which lasted several hours, the entire Boca Juniors delegation spent the night at a local precinct testifying to the events that happened. The players and executives were forced to sleep on the team’s rented bus for eight hours. The exact time Boca Juniors will be allowed to leave the country is still up in the air.

The video evidence of the incidents is very damaging for both sides, who will surely receive sanctions from CONMEBOL, but various Boca Juniors players were seen throwing metal bars, former Argentine national team player Marcos Rojo grabbed hold of a fire extinguisher and tried to use it on police. Carlos Pavon of Los Angeles Galaxy can also be seen throwing objects at police and Atletico Mineiro staff.

It marks another incident in a long line of incidents involving Argentine teams in Brazil, in 2012 Tigre of Argentina, a small club playing in an international final against Sao Paulo also had issues with police, and as a result did not return to the field to play the second half of their cup final match. The match was forfeited and Sao Paulo was declared winner.

Source: Bola

Olympic Games 2020 (Men) – Group Stage (Matches 1-8)

22 July 2021

Mexico – France
Referee: Christopher Beath (AUS, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: George Lakrindis (AUS)
Fourth Official: Bamlak Tessema (ETH)
VAR: Fu Ming (CHN)
AVAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)

Egypt – Spain
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmad Al-Roalle (JOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammad Al-Kalaf (JOR)
Fourth Official: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)
VAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)

New Zealand – Korea
Referee: Victor Gomes (RSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Arsenio Marengula (MOZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Souru Phatsoane (LES)
Fourth Official: Artur Dias (POR)
VAR: Benoit Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)

Cote d’Ivoire – Saudi Arabia
Referee: Matthew Conger (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Rule (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tevita Makasini (TGA)
Fourth Official: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
VAR: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
AVAR: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)

Argentina – Australia
Referee: Srdjan Jovanovic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uros Stojkovic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlovic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)

Honduras – Romania
Referee: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath (USA)
VAR: Andres Cunha (URU)
AVAR: Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb (GER)

Japan – South Africa
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lubin Torrealba (VEN)
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega (PER)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)

Brazil – Germany
Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Zachari Zeegelaar (SUR)
Fourth Official: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)

Calvarese quits as Serie A referee due to conflicting business

Gianpaolo Calvarese has resigned from his role as a Serie A and B referee for the 2021-22 season, reportedly due to a conflict of interest. The 45-year-old was in the final year of his tenure anyway, as he was reaching the age limit for officials in the Italian league. According to Sky Sport Italia, Calvarese tended his resignation, citing work commitments that would make it very difficult to continue his refereeing career. That’s because his family launched a company selling natural vitamin integrators, and among their clients are also Serie A and B clubs. This creates a conflict of interest that cannot be resolved.

Calvarese officiated the 2019-20 Italian Supercup clash between Lazio and Juventus, won 3-1 by the Biancocelesti. He had been bitterly criticised in the media after overseeing Juve’s 3-2 win over Torino in May 2021, which will now go down as his final match. The first of 157 Serie A matches that Calvarese officiated was in 2012. This is another blow for Italian referees, as Federico La Penna and Fabrizio Pasqua were suspended last week for falsifying their expense forms. Their bans are for 13 and 16 months respectively, pending an appeal.

Source: Football Italia

Olympic Games 2020 (Women) – Group Stage (Matches 1-6)

21 July 2021

China – Brazil
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Lucie Ratajova (CZE)
Fourth Official: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Benoit Millot (FRA)

Great Britain – Chile
Referee: Salima Mukansanga (RWA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bernadettar Kwimbira (MWI)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Njoroge (KEN)
Fourth Official: Ndidi Madu (NGA)
VAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)

Sweden – USA
Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Naomi Teshirogi (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Makoto Bozono (JPN)
Fourth Official: Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS)
VAR: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
AVAR: Fu Ming (CHN)

Japan – Canada
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU)
Fourth Official: Maria Rivet (MRI)
VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)
AVAR: Tiago Martins (POR)

Zambia – Netherlands
Referee: Laura Fortunato (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mariana de Almeida (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Blanco (COL)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)

Australia – New Zealand
Referee: Lucila Venegas (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Mayte Chavez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Melissa Borjas (HON)
VAR: Andres Cunha (URU)
AVAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)

Concacaf Gold Cup 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 21-24)

20 July 2021

Costa Rica – Jamaica
Referee: Mario Escobar (GUA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Hernandez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Diego Montano (MEX)
VAR: Arturo Cruz (MEX)
AVAR: Armando Villarreal (USA)

Suriname – Guadeloupe
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Micheal Barwegen (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: William Arrieta (CRC)
Fourth Official: Jose Torres (PUR)
VAR: David Gantar (CAN)
AVAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)

Honduras – Qatar
Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank Anderson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Fourth Official: Nima Saghafi (USA)
VAR: Timothy Ford (USA)
AVAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)

Panama – Grenada
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Jassett Kerr (JAM)
Fourth Official: Drew Fischer (CAN)
VAR: Angel Monroy (MEX)
AVAR: Leon Barajas (MEX)

UEFA Champions League 2021/2022 – Second Qualifying Round (First Leg)

20-21 July 2021

Alashkert FC – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Rade Obrenovič (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Grega Kordež (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandar Kasapovič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Dejan Balažič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Stávros Tritsónis (GRE)

Lincoln Red Imps – CFR Cluj
Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwan Finjean (FRA)
Fourth Official: Thomas Léonard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Jørn West Larsen (DEN)

GNK Dinamo – Omonia FC
Referee: Daniel Stefanski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Dawid Golis (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL)
Fourth Official: Damian Sylwestrzak (POL)
Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)

Ferencvárosi TC – Žalgiris Vilnius
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: Levan Varamishvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Davit Akhvlediani (GEO)
Fourth Official: Irakli Kvirikashvili (GEO)
Referee Observer: Goran Mihaljević (MNE)

Rapid Wien – Sparta Praha
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Johan Balder (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Rens Bluemink (NED)
Fourth Official: Sander van der Eijk (NED)
Referee Observer: Vladimír Medved (SVK)

Celtic FC – Midtjylland
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane De Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Luca Piccolo (SUI)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

Qairat Almaty – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Cevdet Kömürcüoğlu (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Asim Xudiyev (AZE)

Malmö FF – HJK Helsinki
Referee: Mykola Balakin (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Valentyn Kutsev (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Serhiy Prystupa (UKR)
Fourth Official: Andriy Kovalenko (UKR)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

NŠ Mura – PFC Ludogorets
Referee: Harm Osmers (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Kempter (GER)
Fourth Official: Thorben Siewer (GER)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

Slovan Bratislava – BSC Young Boys
Referee: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Cook (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Robathan (ENG)
Fourth Official: Darren England (ENG)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

Legia Warszawa – Flora Tallinn
Referee: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksey Lunev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitriy Safyan (RUS)
Fourth Official: Igor Panin (RUS)
Referee Observer: Emil Božinovski (MKD)

Olympiakós FC – Neftçi PFK
Referee: João Pinheiro (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Costa (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Correia (POR)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

PSV Eindhoven – Galatasaray
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: José Naranjo Pérez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo (ESP)
Fourth Official: César Soto Grado (ESP)
Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)

UEFA Europa Conference League 2021/2022 – Second Qualifying Round (First Leg)

20-22 July 2021

NK Domžale – Honka Espoo
Referee: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Söderkvist (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Yng (SWE)
Fourth Official: Granit Maqedonci (SWE)
Referee Observer: Karel Vidlák (CZE)

FC Prishtina – Connah's Quay Nomads
Referee: Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Nertil Bregasi (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Orgest Grabova (ALB)
Fourth Official: Kreshnik Cjapi (ALB)
Referee Observer: Marián Ružbarský (SVK)

Kauno Žalgiris – The New Saints
Referee: Adrien Jaccottet (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Vital Jobin (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Köbeli (SUI)
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger (SUI)
Referee Observer: Ferenc Székely (HUN)

Folgore – Hibernians
Referee: Timótheos Christofí (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Michális Sotiríou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Mários Kalogírou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Nikólas Neokléous (CYP)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

Čukarički – Sumqayit
Referee: Fedayi San (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonas Erni (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher (SUI)
Fourth Official: Stefan Horisberger (SUI)
Referee Observer: Orhan Erdemir (TUR)

FC Astana – Áris Thessaloníki
Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: René Rohde (GER)
Fourth Official: Tobias Reichel (GER)
Referee Observer: Viktor Shvetsov (UKR)

Ararat Yerevan – Śląsk Wrocław
Referee: Nikola Popov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Venev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandar Atanasov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Valkov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

AEL Limassol – FC Vllaznia
Referee: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Rasmussen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Ole Kronlykke (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jørgen Burchardt (DEN)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

FK Panevėžys – FK Vojvodina
Referee: Alain Durieux (LUX)
Assistant Referee 1: Gilles Becker (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: Joaquim Gomes (LUX)
Fourth Official: Laurent Wilmes (LUX)

Referee Observer: Aleksandr Gvardis (RUS)

KuPS Kuopio – Vorskla Poltava
Referee: Dzmitry Dzmitryjeŭ (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dzianis Jemiaĺjančykaŭ (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Anton Ihnatsiuk (BLR)
Fourth Official: Siarhiej Sciacuryn (BLR)
Referee Observer: Albano Janku (ALB)

FC Sochi – Keşla FK
Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ridiger Çokaj (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Rejdi Avdo (ALB)
Fourth Official: Kridens Meta (ALB)
Referee Observer: Zoran Petrović (SRB)

RFS – Puskás Akadémia
Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: Davit Gabisonia (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgi Elikashvili (GEO)
Fourth Official: Irakli Kherkhadze (GEO)
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi (SMR)

Qarabağ – Ashdod
Referee: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Arkadiusz Wójcik (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Niemirowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Piotr Lasyk (POL)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernández Marín (ESP)

Austria Wien – Breidablik
Referee: Kári Høvdanum (FRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrew Christiansen (FRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Dan Højgaard (FRO)
Fourth Official: Alex (FRO)
Referee Observer: Marco Borg (MLT)

Olimpija Ljubljana – Birkirkara FC
Referee: David Fuxman (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Sagi Metzamber (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Omer Barbiro (ISR)
Fourth Official: Nael Odeh (ISR)
Referee Observer: Michális Koukoulákis (GRE)

Molde FK – Servette FC
Referee: Duje Strukan (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Perica (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alen Jakšić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Marin Vidulin (CRO)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Dinamo Tbilisi – Maccabi Haifa
Referee: Lukas Fähndrich (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sladan Josipovic (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Pascal Hirzel (SUI)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Gishamer (AUS)
Referee Observer: Sergey Zuyev (RUS)

F91 Diddeleng – Bohemian FC
Referee: Nejc Kajtazovič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Fourth Official: Alen Borošak (SVN)
Referee Observer: Kjell Alseth (NOR)

IF Elfsborg – Milsami Orhei
Referee: Aleksei Matyunin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitri Mosyakin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrei Vereteshkin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vasili Kazartsev (RUS)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Hammarby Fotboll – NK Maribor
Referee: Nicolas Walsh (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Calum Spence (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Drew Kirkland (SCO)
Fourth Official: Greg Aitken (SCO)

Referee Observer: Lassin Isaksen (FRO)

KF Teuta – Inter d'Escaldes
Referee: Rauf Cabarov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Namiq Hüseynov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Cavanşir Yusifov (AZE)
Fourth Official: Rəşad Ahmedov (AZE)
Referee Observer: Geórgios Bíkas (GRE)

Riga FC – KF Shkëndija
Referee: Ondřej Pechanec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomáš Mokrusch (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Kamil Hájek (CZE)
Fourth Official: Radek Dubravský (CZE)
Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)

Apóllon Limassol – MŠK Žilina
Referee: Luca Barbeno (SMR)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesco Lunardon (SMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianmarco Ercolani (SMR)
Fourth Official: Raffaele Delvecchio (SMR)
Referee Observer: Niklas Lídarenda (FRO)

Petrocub Hîncești – Sivasspor
Referee: Jérémie Pignard (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Aurélien Drouet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frédéric Haquette (FRA)
Fourth Official: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Dinamo Batum - Bate Barysau
Referee: Artem Kuchin (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Sergeı Vasıýtın (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Ýrıı Tıhonıýk (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Grıgorıı Moskochenko (KAZ)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

Gżira United – HNK Rijeka
Referee: Neil Doyle (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wayne McDonnell (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Darragh Keegan (IRL)
Fourth Official: Graham Kelly (IRL)
Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

Viktoria Plzeň – Dynama Brest
Referee: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Laurent Conotte (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Vito Di Vincenzo (BEL)
Fourth Official: Jasper Vergoote (BEL)
Referee Observer: Ladislav Gádoši (SVK)

CSKA Sofia – FK Liepaja
Referee: Peter Bankes (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Neil Davies (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainaring (ENG)
Fourth Official: Robert Jones (ENG)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Lokomotiv Plovdiv – FC Slovácko
Referee: Karim Abed (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gwenaël Pasqualotti (FRA)
Fourth Official: Éric Wattellier (FRA)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

KF Laçi – Universitatea Craiova
Referee: Rohit Saggi (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Geir Isaksen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Morten Jensen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Mohammad Aslam (NOR)
Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís (CYP)

FK Suduva – Raków Częstochowa
Referee: Ioánnis Papadópoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasílios Nikolakákis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Dimítrios Natsiópoulos (GRE)
Fourth Official: Efstáthios Gortsílas (GRE)
Referee Observer: Martin Hansson (SWE)

FC København – Tarpieda Žodzina
Referee: Dumitru Muntean (MDA)
Assistant Referee 1: Vladislav Lifciu (MDA)
Assistant Referee 2: Anatolie Basiul (MDA)
Fourth Official: Stanislav Leu (MDA)
Referee Observer: Michális Argyroú (CYP)

HB Tórshavn – Budućnost Podgorica
Referee: David Munro (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: David Doig (SCO)
Fourth Official: Colin Steven (SCO)
Referee Observer: Robert Małek (POL)

Arda Kardzhali – Hapoel Beer Sheva
Referee: Visar Kastrati (KOS)
Assistant Referee 1: Besnik Morina (KOS)
Assistant Referee 2: Imran Kabashi (KOS)
Fourth Official: Alban Shala (KOS)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

FC Shkupi – Santa Clara
Referee: Kai Steen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tom Grønevik (NOR)
Fourth Official: Tore Hansen (NOR)
Referee Observer: Sabri Çelik (TUR)

FC Basel – FK Partizani
Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Charles Schaap (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Roy de Nas (NED)
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij (NED)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

FC FCSB – Shahter Qaraǵandy
Referee: Vasílis Dimitríou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Níkos Englézou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Pávlos Georgíou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Geórgios Nikoláou (CYP)
Referee Observer: Attila Ábrahám (HUN)

FK Sutjeska – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Staudinger (AUT)
Fourth Official: Josef Spurny (AUT)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

Larne FC – AGF Aarhus
Referee: Gal Leibovitz (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: David Biton (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tom Adi (ISR)
Fourth Official: Liran Liani (ISR)
Referee Observer: Kenneth William Clark (SCO)

KAA Gent – Vålerenga Fotball
Referee: Mario Zebec (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Vedran Djurak (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Hrvoje Radić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Fran Jović (CRO)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

FK Velež – AEK Athens
Referee: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Hillaert (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ruben Wyns (BEL)
Fourth Official: Jan Boterberg (BEL)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

Linfield FC – Borac Banja Luka
Referee: Kaarlo Hämäläinen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Veli-Matti Leppänen (FIN)
Fourth Official: Jari Järvinen (FIN)
Referee Observer: Salustià Ciprés (AND)

Hibernian FC – Santa Coloma
Referee: Vilhjálmur Thórarinsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Gylfi Sigurdsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Oddur Gudmundsson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Ívar Kristjánsson (ISL)
Referee Observer: John Ward (IRL)

Spartak Trnava – Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe
Referee: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Miroslav Maksimov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Georgi Ivanov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Andrejs Sipailo (LVA)

Aberdeen – Häcken
Referee: José Munuera Montero (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: José Martínez Serrato (ESP)
Fourth Official: Mario Melero López (ESP)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

Valur – Bodo Glimt
Referee: Vítor Ferreira (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Rodrigues (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Brás (POR)
Fourth Official: António Nobre (POR)
Referee Observer: David Malcolm (NIR)

FK Partizan – Dunajská Streda
Referee: Jens Maae (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Nørgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakob Mastrup (DEN)
Fourth Official: Mikkel Redder (DEN)
Referee Observer: Kostadin Gerginov (BUL)

Dundalk FC – Levadia Tallinn
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Paták (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Petr Antoníček (CZE)
Fourth Official: Tomáš Batík (CZE)
Referee Observer: Michael Ross (NIR)

FC Drita – Feyenoord
Referee: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jukka Honkanen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Turkka Valjakka (FIN)
Fourth Official: Dennis Antamo (FIN)
Referee Observer: Nicolae Grigorescu (ROU)

Pogoń Szczecin – NK Osijek
Referee: Horațiu Feșnic (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Cerei (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marian Barbu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Orrason (ISL)

Újpest – Vaduz
Referee: Denys Shurman (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Zhukov (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Berkut (UKR)
Fourth Official: Vitali Romanov (UKR)
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer (GER)

FH Hafnarfjördur - Rosenborg BK
Referee: Filip Glova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Bednár (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Poláček (SVK)
Fourth Official: Martin Dohál (SVK)
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytiä (FIN)

Hajduk Split – Tobyl Qostanaı
Referee: Christian Dingert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Seidel (GER)
Fourth Official: Frank Willenborg (GER)
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann (GER)

Šachcior Salihorsk – Fola Esch
Referee: Lazar Lukić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Dragan Bogićević (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Banović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Jovan Šegrt (SRB)
Referee Observer: Pavel Salıı (KAZ)

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2021 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

20-22 July 2021

Atletico Mineiro – Boca Juniors
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)
Fourth Official: Angelo Hermosilla (CHI)
VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
AVAR: Raul Orellana (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Hilton Moutinho (BRA)
VAR Observer: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)

Fluminense – Cerro Porteno
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Sebastian Vela (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dionisio Ruiz (COL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Ortega (COL)
VAR: John Ospina (COL)
AVAR: David Rodriguez (COL)
Referee Assessor: Sergio Cristiano (BRA)
VAR Observer: Jorge Jaimes (PER)

Racing – Sao Paulo
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
VAR: Eber Aquino (PAR)
AVAR: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Referee Assessor: Ricardo Casas (ARG)
VAR Observer: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Barcelona – Velez Sarsfield
Referee: Piero Maza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Bismasks Santiago (COL)
VAR: Juan Lara (CHI)
AVAR: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Referee Assessor: Wilson Avila (ECU)
VAR Observer: Luis Sanchez (VEN)

Palmeiras – Universidad Catolica
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Fourth Official: Orlando Bracamonte (VEN)
VAR: John Ospina (COL)
AVAR: David Rodriguez (COL)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)
VAR Observer: Jose Buitrago (COL)

Argentinos Juniors – River Plate
Referee: Eber Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Gery Vargas (BOL)
VAR: Diego Haro (PER)
AVAR: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Referee Assessor: Ricardo Casas (ARG)
VAR Observer: Freddy Arellanos (PER)

Flamengo – Defensa y Justicia
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Alejandro Molina (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Vela (COL)
Fourth Official: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
VAR: Cristian Garay (CHI)
AVAR: Nicolas Gamboa (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Nilson Moncao (BRA)
VAR Observer: Jose Carpio (ECU)

Internacional – Olimpia
Referee: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Pablo Llarena (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Ponte (VEN)
Fourth Official: Jose Argote (VEN)
VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
AVAR: Cristian Garay (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Paolo Conceicao (BRA)
VAR Observer: Roberto Silvera (URU)

CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2021 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

20-22 July 2021

Gremio – LDU Quito
Referee: Jose Argote (VEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Ponte (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Pablo Llarena (URU)
Fourth Official: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
VAR: Carlos Benitez (PAR)
AVAR: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Paulo Conceicao (BRA)
VAR Observer: Juan Lugones (BOL)

Athletico Paranaense – America de Cali
Referee: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Echenique (ARG)
VAR: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
AVAR: German Delfino (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Silvia Regina (BRA)
VAR Observer: Juan Cardellino (URU)

Arsenal – Sporting Cristal
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kleber Gil (BRA)
Fourth Official: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
VAR: Rafael Traci (BRA)
AVAR: Bruno Arleu (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Sabrina Lois (ARG)
VAR Observer: Carlos Pastorino (URU)

Red Bull Bragantino – Independiente Del Valle
Referee: Carlos Betancur (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: John Leon (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)
Fourth Official: Angelo Hermosilla (CHI)
VAR: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
AVAR: Raul Orellana (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Regildenia Moura (BRA)
VAR Observer: Oscar Maldonado (BOL)

Libertad – Junior
Referee: Andres Matonte (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Horacio Ferreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Nievas (URU)
Fourth Official: Diego Riveiro (URU)
VAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
AVAR: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Amelio Andino (PAR)
VAR Observer: Francisco Mondria (CHI)

Independiente – Santos
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Edwar Saavedra (BOL)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
VAR: Victor Carrillo (PER)
AVAR: Gery Vargas (BOL)
Referee Assessor: Angel Sanchez (ARG)
VAR Observer: Cesar Mongrut (PER)

Penarol – Nacional
Referee: Anderson Daronco (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves (BRA)
Fourth Official: Luiz Oliveira (BRA)
VAR: Rodolpho Toski (BRA)
AVAR: Braulio Machado (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Martin Vazquez (URU)
VAR Observer: Hector Baldassi (ARG)

Rosario Central – Deportivo Tachira
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Antelo (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Fourth Official: Rafael Traci (BRA)
VAR: Eber Aquino (PAR)
AVAR: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)
VAR Observer: Luzmila Gonzalez (COL)

FIFA testing five new rules

Various tests are being carried out at a youth tournament named the Future of Football Cup. PSV, AZ Alkmaar, RB Leipzig and Club Brugge are taking part in the competition, which has become an experiment for FIFA to test five new rules that could later be implemented in professional football.

Two 30-minute halves

The first change would see halves reduced to 30 minutes each, with a stopwatch used whenever there is any interruption in the match.

Unlimited substitutions

As a result of the pandemic, the number of substitutions has increased from three to five. However, the possibility of unlimited changes is now being studied during the tournament.

Yellow card sin bins

Yellow cards would carry a greater punishment than they do at present. Players who receive one would have to leave the field for five minutes, meaning the team would be momentarily outnumbered.

Kick-ins instead of throw-ins

Throw-ins would be able to be taken with the foot, instead of the ball having to be thrown back in after going out over the sideline.

Dribbling from corners and kick-ins

Players would be able to take the aforementioned kick-ins and corners without having to combine with another teammate first. Instead, they would be able to drive the ball into play themselves.

Source: Marca