FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 4)

1-2 September 2021

Portugal – Ireland
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazović (SVN)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Referee Assessor: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)

France – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Alain Bieri (SUI)
VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)
AVAR: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Referee Assessor: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

Kazakhstan – Ukraine
Referee: Donatas Rumsas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radius (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Dovydas Sužiedėlis (LTU)
Fourth Official: Robertas Smitas (LTU)
VAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR: Clay Ruperti (NED)
Referee Assessor: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

Luxembourg – Azerbaijan
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrisimbegović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Admir Sehović (BIH)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR: Markus Sinn (GER)
Referee Assessor: Lassin Isaksen (FRO)

Faroe Islands – Israel
Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rogier Honig (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Rens Bluemink (NED)
Fourth Official: Martin Perez (NED)
VAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
AVAR: Sander van der Eijk (NED)
Referee Assessor: Uno Tutk (EST)

Moldova – Austria
Referee: Paul Tierney (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Cook (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
Fourth Official: Darren England (ENG)
VAR: Jarred Gillett (ENG)
AVAR: Lee Betts (ENG)
Referee Assessor: Vlado Svilokos (CRO)

Denmark – Scotland
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Andrei Chivulete (ROU)
VAR: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
AVAR: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Referee Assessor: Zoran Petrović (SRB)

Latvia – Gibraltar
Referee: Pavel Orel (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Nadvornik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Kamil Hajek (CZE)
Fourth Official: Ondrej Berka (CZE)
VAR: Karel Hrubes (CZE)
AVAR: Ondrej Pechanec (CZE)
Referee Assessor: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

Norway – Netherlands
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Musial (POL)
VAR: Pawel Gil (POL)
AVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Referee Assessor: Peter Sippel (GER)

Turkey – Montenegro
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelien Berthomieu (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jeremie Pignard (FRA)
VAR: Benoît Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Referee Assessor: Vladimir Medved (SVK)

Malta – Cyprus
Referee: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Luca Pairetto (ITA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Referee Assessor: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Slovenia – Slovakia
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Horatiu Fesnic (ROU)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Mark Borsch (GER)
Referee Assessor: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Russia – Croatia
Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR)
VAR: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
AVAR: David Fuxman (ISR)
Referee Assessor: Juan Fernandez Marin (ESP)

Georgia – Kosovo
Referee: Mykola Balakin (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Zhukov (UKR)
Fourth Official: Vitaliy Romanov (UKR)
VAR: Yevhenii Aranovskyi (UKR)
AVAR: Andrii Skrypka (UKR)
Referee Assessor: Draženko Kovačić (CRO)

Sweden – Spain
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: Craig Pawson (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR: Andrew Madley (ENG)
Referee Assessor: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

Lithuania – Northern Ireland
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikael Berchebru (FRA)
Fourth Official: Johan Hamel (FRA)
VAR: François Letexier (FRA)
AVAR: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Referee Assessor: Kenneth Clark (SCO)

Italy – Bulgaria
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout (NED)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
Referee Assessor: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

Estonia – Belgium
Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Referee Assessor: Drago Kos (SVN)

Czech Republic – Belarus
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Mike Pickel (GER)
Referee Assessor: Michael Ross (NIR)

Andorra – San Marino
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sorensen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jens Maae (DEN)
VAR: Daniel Siebert (GER)
AVAR: Robert Wessel (GER)
Referee Assessor: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

Hungary – England
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Alper Ulusoy (TUR)
VAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
AVAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Referee Assessor: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Poland – Albania
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Fourth Official: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
VAR: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
AVAR: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Referee Assessor: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Liechtenstein – Germany
Referee: Fabio Verissimo (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Martins (POR)
Fourth Official: Andre Narciso (POR)
VAR: Luis Godinho (POR)
AVAR: Antonio Nobre (POR)
Referee Assessor: Marian Ružbarsky (SVK)

North Macedonia – Armenia
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Vitor Ferreira (POR)
VAR: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
AVAR: Luis Campos (POR)
Referee Assessor: William Young (SCO)

Iceland – Romania
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dzimitry Zhuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleh Maslianka (BLR)
Fourth Official: Viktar Shymusik (BLR)
VAR: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)
AVAR: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Referee Assessor: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL (Matchday 9)

2 September 2021

Peru – Uruguay
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Lamolina (ARG)
VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)
AVAR: German Delfino (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Angel Sanchez (ARG)
VAR Supervisor: Rodolfo Otero (ARG)

Venezuela – Argentina
Referee: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
VAR: Cristian Garay (CHI)
AVAR: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Referee Assessor: Oscar Ruiz (COL)
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)

Bolivia – Colombia
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Fourth Official: Angel Arteaga (VEN)
VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
AVAR: Angelo Hermosilla (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Luis Sanchez (VEN)
VAR Supervisor: Patricio Polic (CHI)

Chile – Brazil
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Sanchez (PER)
Fourth Official: Augusto Menendez (PER)
VAR: Victor Carrillo (PER)
AVAR: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Juan Cardellino (URU)
VAR Supervisor: Martin Vazquez (URU)

Ecuador – Paraguay
Referee: Andres Matonte (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Nievas (URU)
Fourth Official: Jose Argote (VEN)
VAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
AVAR: Braulio Machado (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)
VAR Supervisor: Ednilson Corona (BRA)

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – Concacaf (Round 3, Matchday 1)

2 September 2021

Panama – Costa Rica 

Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Zachari Zeegelaar (SUR)
Fourth Official: Jaime Herrera (SLV)

El Salvador – USA
Referee: Juan Calderon (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Fernandez (CRC)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)

Mexico – Jamaica
Referee: Selvin Brown (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Fourth Official: Said Martinez (HON)

Canada – Honduras
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Espinosa (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Karen Diaz (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jorge Perez (MEX)

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – CAF (Round 2, Matchday 1)

1-4 September 2021

Morocco – Sudan
Referee: Maguette N’Diaye (SEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: El Hadji Samba (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Djibril Camara (SEN)
Fourth Official: Issa Sy (SEN)

Libya – Gabon
Referee: Bamlak Tessema (ETH)
Assistant Referee 1: Temesgin Samuel (ETH)
Assistant Referee 2: Tigle Belachew (ETH)
Fourth Official: Salima Mitiku (ETH)

Niger – Burkina Faso
Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (RWA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ambroise Hakizimana (RWA)
Assistant Referee 2: Dieudonne Mutuyimana (RWA)
Fourth Official: Louis Hkizimana(RWA)

Algeria – Djibouti
Referee: Blaise Ngwa (CMR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigue Mpele (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sanda Oumarou (CMR)
Fourth Official: Franck Bito (CMR)

Mauritania – Zambia
Referee: Ibrahim El-Said (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Samir Mohamed (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Hany Mahmoud (EGY)
Fourth Official: Ahmed El Ghandour (EGY)

Tunisia – Equatorial Guinea
Referee: Daniel Laryea (GHA)
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Ayamr (BEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Kwasi Brobbey (GHA)

Central African Republic – Cape Verde
Referee: Peter Waweru (KEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Njoroge (KEN)
Fourth Official: Anthony Ogwayo (KEN)

Nigeria – Liberia
Referee: Kouassi Attiogbe (TOG)
Assistant Referee 1: Komlan Adiwotso (TOG)
Assistant Referee 2: Limna Kabassima (TOG)
Fourth Official: Yelebodom Bodjona (TOG)

Mozambique – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (BDI)
Assistant Referee 1: Emery Niyongabo (BDI)
Assistant Referee 2: Pascal Ndimunzigo (BDI)
Fourth Official: Georges Gatogato (BDI)

Cameroon – Malawi
Referee: Jean Ndala (COD)
Assistant Referee 1: Olivier Safari (COD)
Assistant Referee 2: Soulaimane Amaldine (COM)
Fourth Official: Mohamed Youssouf (COM)

Mali – Rwanda
Referee: Beida Dahane (MTN)
Assistant Referee 1: Diba Hamedine (MTN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed Mahmoud Youssouf (MTN)
Fourth Official: Mohamed Abdelaziz Bouh (MTN)

Kenya – Uganda
Referee: Mahmood Ismail (SDN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammed Ibrahim (SDN)
Assistant Referee 2: Najem Abdullah (SDN)
Fourth Official: Sabri Fadul (SDN)

Egypt – Angola
Referee: Boubou Traore (MLI)
Assistant Referee 1: Modibo Samake (MLI)
Assistant Referee 2: Baba Yomboliba (MLI)
Fourth Official: Mahamadou Keita (MLI)

Zimbabwe – South Africa
Referee: Mahmoud Al-Banna (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud El-Regal (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Taha (EGY)
Fourth Official: Amin Omar (EGY)

Ghana – Ethiopia
Referee: Redouane Jiyed (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Lahsen Azgaou (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mostafa Akarkad (MAR)

Senegal – Togo
Referee: Sadok Selmi (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalil Hassani (TUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Aymen Ismail (TUN)
Fourth Official: Youssef Essrayri (TUN)

Namibia – Congo
Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (MAD)
Assistant Referee 1: Lionel Andrianantenaina (MAD)
Assistant Referee 2: Dimbiniaina Andriatianarivelo (MAD)
Fourth Official: Abdoul Kanoso (MAD)

Guinea Bissau – Guinea
Referee: Mutaz Ibrahim (LBY)
Assistant Referee 1: Attia Amsaaed (LBY)
Assistant Referee 2: Majdi Kamil (LBY)
Fourth Official: Abdulwahid Huraywidah (LBY)

DR Congo – Tanzania
Referee: Ibrahim Traore (CIV)
Assistant Referee 1: Ashumu Aguie (CIV)
Assistant Referee 2: Adou N’Goh (CIV)
Fourth Official: Kouassi Biro (CIV)

Madagascar – Benin
Referee: Brighton Chimene (ZIM)
Assistant Referee 1: Brighton Nyika (ZIM)
Assistant Referee 2: Thomas Kusosa (ZIM)
Fourth Official: Prince Mathumo (ZIM)

International Friendly Matches – September 2021

1-8 September 2021

Finland – Wales
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Silver Koiv (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Sten Klaasen (EST)
Fourth Official: Joonas Jaanovits (EST)

Qatar – Serbia
Referee: Filip Glova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Bednar (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaš Vorel (SVK)
Fourth Official: Michal Očenaš (SVK)

Switzerland – Greece
Referee: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Luca Piccolo (SUI)

Qatar – Portugal
Referee: Gergő Bogar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balazs Szert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Balazs Szalai (HUN)
Fourth Official: Ferenc Karako (HUN)

Sweden – Uzbekistan
Referee: Kai Erik Steen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tom Gronevik (NOR)
Fourth Official: Tore Hansen (NOR)

Estonia – Northern Ireland
Referee: Nikolas Neokleous (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Marios Dimitriadis (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Petros Petrou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Aron Härsing (EST)

Luxembourg – Qatar
Referee: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Florian Lemaire (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Vito Di Vincenzo (BEL)
Fourth Official: Jasmin Sabotic (LUX)

Bulgaria – Georgia
Referee: Igor Stojčevski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Vasilevski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Slagan Markoski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)

Czech Republic – Ukraine
Referee: Filip Glova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Bednar (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Erik Weiss (SVK)
Fourth Official: Ondřej Berka (CZE)

Skomina has retired due to long injury

The most successful Slovenian football referee, Damir Skomina, has announced that his refereeing career is over. Skomina started in 1992 with the Primorska League match between Rakek and Korta. In April 2000, he made his debut in the Slovenian first division with the match between Beltinci and Primorje.

In October 2008, after six years on the FIFA List and in his 17th refereeing season, he refereed his first UEFA Champions League match. In the same year, he also became the first Slovenian at the Olympic Games, while being fourth official at Euro 2008. Skomina took a new step forward in 2012, when he became the first Slovenian referee at the European Championship and the first Slovenian referee to receive the honour of officiating in the UEFA Super Cup. This was followed by the Euro 2016 in France, where he was one of three referees with four matches. In addition, he regularly refereed European club competitions, where he was increasingly entrusted with the most prestigious matches. In 2017, as the first Slovenian referee in the UEFA Europa League final in Stockholm, he led the match between Manchester United and Ajax. In 2018, he made his debut at the World Cup, which was a new historical milestone for Slovenian refereeing in general. And then came the crown of his career, the UEFA Champions League final 2019 between Liverpool and Tottenham.

Damir Skomina refereed 354 matches in the Slovenian first division and ended his career last November, in a match between home Club Brugge and Borussia Dortmund, where he was forced into retirement by an injury. It was also his only match in his long career that he ended prematurely. "I wanted to referee at the last European Championship and say good-bye there, but unfortunately a knee injury made this impossible. My journey on the football fields is over", said Skomina, who recently turned 45, on his Instagram account.

Source: NZS

UEFA U-21 Euro 2023 Qualifiers (Matchday 2)

2-3 September 2021

Hungary – Israel

Referee: Vladimir Moskalev (RUS, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Dmitriy Safyan (RUS)

Assistant Referee 2: Valentin Murashov (RUS)

Fourth Official: Igor Panin (RUS)

Referee Observer: Sabri Çelik (TUR)

Belarus – Iceland
Referee: Juxhin Xhaja (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ilir Tartaraj (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Erind Burgu (ALB)
Fourth Official: Kreshnik Bajramaj (ALB)
Referee Observer: Georgi Yordanov (BUL)

Armenia – Faroe Islands
Referee: Dzmitryj Dzmitryjeu (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dzianis Jemialjančykau (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Siarhiej Firynovič (BLR)
Fourth Official: Anton Lašuk (BLR)
Referee Observer: Gerard Perry (IRL)

Czech Republic – Slovenia
Referee: Gal Leibovitz (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tom Adi (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Omer Barbiro (ISR)
Fourth Official: Shalom Avraham (ISR)
Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)

France – North Macedonia
Referee: Juri Frischer (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander Saga (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Neeme Neemlaid (EST)
Fourth Official: Kristo Külljastinen (EST)
Referee Observer: Luc Wouters (BEL)

Croatia – Azerbaijan
Referee: Denys Shurman (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Korniyko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Viktor Nyzhnyk (UKR)
Fourth Official: Viktor Kopiyevskyy (UKR)
Referee Observer: Attila Abraham (HUN)

San Marino – Germany
Referee: Ivar Kristjansson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Thorvaldur Arnason (ISL)
Referee Observer: Ladislav Gadoši (SVK)

Latvia – Poland
Referee: Ian McNabb (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Gareth Eakin (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paul Robinson (NIR)
Fourth Official: Shane Andrews (NIR)
Referee Observer: Albano Janku (ALB)

Malta – Northern Ireland
Referee: Milovan Milačić (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandar Djikanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Dragan Vujović (MNE)
Fourth Official: Predrag Radovanović (MNE)
Referee Observer: Erol Ersoy (TUR)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Ireland
Referee: Kristoffer Hagenes (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Anders Dale (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Christer Jorgensen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Mohammad Aslam (NOR)
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI)

Slovakia – Lithuania
Referee: Kaspar Sjöberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Klyver (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Allheim (SWE)
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck (SWE)
Referee Observer: Sergey Zuev (RUS)

Italy – Luxembourg
Referee: Peter Kralovič (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Milan Štrbo (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Erik Weiss (SVK)
Fourth Official: Peter Ziemba (SVK)
Referee Observer: Christos Nikolaidis (CYP)

Norway – Austria
Referee: Matthew De Gabriele (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Jurgen Spiteri (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Francalanza (MLT)
Fourth Official: Etienne Mangion (MLT)
Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)

Estonia – Finland
Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: Davit Gabisonia (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgi Elikashvili (GEO)
Fourth Official: Aleko Aptsiauri (GEO)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Liechtenstein – Cyprus
Referee: Laurent Kopriwa (LUX)
Assistant Referee 1: Joaquim Da Silva (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Da Costa (LUX)
Fourth Official: Jeremy Muller (LUX)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

Serbia – Ukraine
Referee: Balazs Berke (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Theodoros Georgiou (HUN)
Fourth Official: Bence Csonka (HUN)
Referee Observer: Orhan Erdemir (TUR)

Switzerland – Gibraltar
Referee: Rauf Cabarov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Namiq Hüseynov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Cavanşir Yusifov (AZE)
Fourth Official: Raşad Ahmedov (AZE)
Referee Observer: Kjell Alseth (NOR)

Moldova – Bulgaria
Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Dojando Myftari (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Renato Malaj (ALB)
Fourth Official: Florian Lata (ALB)
Referee Observer: Aleksandr Gvardis (RUS)

Turkey – Belgium
Referee: Adam Farkas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balazs Szert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Balazs Szalai (HUN)
Fourth Official: Mihaly Kapraly (HUN)
Referee Observer: Rusmir Mrković (BIH)

Montenegro – Sweden
Referee: Urs Schnyder (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher (SUI)
Fourth Official: Stefan Horisberger (SUI)
Referee Observer: Viktor Shvetsov (UKR)

Spain – Russia
Referee: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Hillaert (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ruben Wyns (BEL)
Fourth Official: Jan Boterberg (BEL)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2021/2022 – Round 2 (First Leg)

31 August - 1 September 2021

Arsenal WFC – Slavia Praha

Referee: Maria Marotta (ITA, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)

Assistant Referee 2: Tiziana Trasciatti (ITA)

Fourth Official: Silvia Gasperotti (ITA)

Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska (POL)

Apollon Ladies – Zhytlobud Kharkiv
Referee: Catarina Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreia Sousa (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paula Pereira (POR)
Fourth Official: Teresa Oliveira (POR)
Referee Observer: Regina Konink-Belksma (NED)

FC Rosengard – TSG Hoffenheim
Referee: Marta Frías Acedo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Rocio Puente Pino (ESP)
Fourth Official: Marta Huerta de Aza (ESP)
Referee Observer: Bente Skogvang (NOR)

FC Twente – SL Benfica
Referee: Eleni Antoníou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Detsi (GRE)
Fourth Official: Anastasia Mylopoulou (GRE)
Referee Observer: Carolina De Boeck (BEL)

Real Madrid – Manchester City WFC
Referee: Sandra Braz Bastos (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Olga Almeida (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandrine Santos (POR)
Fourth Official: Ana Afonso (POR)
Referee Observer: Snježana Fočić (CRO)

Sparta Praha – HB Koge
Referee: Katalin Sipos (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Judit Gavalla-Kulcsar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Noemi Hegedűs-Barath (HUN)
Fourth Official: Reka Bognar (HUN)
Referee Observer: Paloma Quintero Siles (ESP)

ŽNK Osijek – Breidablik
Referee: Frida Nielsen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Fie Bruun (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Sidsel Dall (DEN)
Fourth Official: Nanna Andersen (DEN)
Referee Observer: Esther Azzopardi Farrugia (MLT)

VfL Wolfsburg – Girondins de Bordeaux
Referee: Lorraine Watson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Vikki Allan (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Vikki Robertson (SCO)
Fourth Official: Abbie Hendry (SCO)
Referee Observer: Natalia Avdonchenko (RUS)

Vllaznia – Juventus
Referee: Sabina Bolić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivona Pejić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Gordana Katušić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Jelena Pejković (CRO)
Referee Observer: Nelly Viennot (FRA)

Valerenga FB – Häcken FF
Referee: Galia Echeva (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yordanka Korcheva (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Pavleta Rashkova (BUL)
Fourth Official: Kristina Georgieva (BUL)
Referee Observer: Elke Günthner (GER)

Servette Chenois – Glasgow City
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Țepusa (ROU)
Fourth Official: Cristina Trandafir (ROU)
Referee Observer: Ingrid Jonsson (SWE)

Levante UD – Olympique Lyonnais
Referee: Jelena Medjedović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivana Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandra Stojanac (SRB)
Fourth Official: Jelena Cvetković (SRB)
Referee Observer: Lilach Asulin (ISR)

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final 2021: Mat Hassan (MAS) & Benchabane (FRA)

29 August 2021

Final
Russia – Japan
Referee 1: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS, photo)
Referee 2: Sofien Benchabane (FRA)
Third Official: Gionni Matticoli (ITA)
Timekeeper: Hany Farouk (EGY)

Match for Third Place
Switzerland – Senegal
Referee 1: Micke Palomino (PER)
Referee 2: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Third Official: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Timekeeper: Mariano Romo (ARG)

AIA – 110 years

The celebrations for the 110th anniversary of the Italian Referees Association (AIA) took place from August 26 to 28 in Milan. According to official data, the AIA was founded on 27 August 1911 in the Lombard capital, inside a room of the restaurant "L'Orologio", where the first statute was drawn up. The anniversary was celebrated with three days of meetings and initiatives with international executives and referees, and 110 young referees from all over Italy.

A very important moment was on Friday, 27 August, when the new logo of the Italian Association of Referees was presented (photo above). The technical training, reserved for the 110 young referees, started with speeches by the FIFA referee Daniele Orsato, the Head of CAN Gianluca Rocchi and the Head of the Technical Sector Matteo Trefoloni, followed by a session led by Roberto Rosetti, UEFA Head of Refereeing. The training classes, which also included some moments on the field of play, ended on 28 August with Francesco Bianchi, UEFA Supervisor of the Mentor & Talent Convention and the Technical Sector of Referees.

Source: AIA

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2021 – Semi-finals

28 August 2021

Russia – Switzerland
Referee 1: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE, photo)
Referee 2: Sergio Soares (POR)
Third Official: Said Hachim (MAD)
Timekeeper: Gustavo Dominguez (PAR)

Japan – Senegal
Referee 1: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Referee 2: Vitali Gomolko (LTU)
Third Official: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Timekeeper: Turki Al Salehi (OMA)

Santos twin brothers & FIFA referees

An international futsal referee since 2019, Cristiano Santos was "proud" for his twin brother, Ruben, who now also has the FIFA badge. Refereeing together in a FIFA or UEFA competition "would be a dream". Cristiano and Ruben Santos, twin brothers, are the mirror of happiness. Both referees from Porto rose to first category in 2016 and Cristiano, who works at a Communication and Marketing company, was promoted to FIFA in 2019, while Ruben, a graduate in Sports Management who works in gyms, received his FIFA badge a year later. With the increase from four to five internationals on Portugal’s FIFA futsal list, Ruben joined Cristiano, Eduardo Coelho, Miguel Castilho and Filipe Duarte.

Cristiano and Ruben were born on 1 November 1989, in Porto, and started to referee in 2007 under the influence of their older brother - who changed a few years ago from football to futsal, where he is active at the district level - and in futsal under the influence of Ricardinho when they studied at Escola Secundaria de Gondomar. "Our brother, Valter, was already a referee and when we took the referee course the places for football were filled. At the time, Jorge Sequeira, manager of AF Porto, recommended the futsal course to us and it was very beneficial for us because maybe we wouldn't be at the level where we are now. And, on the other hand, futsal has the advantage of having two referees and that helped us", recalls Cristiano who has already refereed 10 international games, having participated, for example, at the U-19 Euro Futsal Championship in Latvia and a World Cup qualifier. Being international is, he stresses, "a pride, a moment of personal satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment", but Cristiano was "happy" to know that his brother "can also enjoy the happiness" of refereeing in international competitions. "The happiness of our family members is something we are always looking for and, being my twin brother, I'm proud of it," says Cristiano, who hears Ruben say that he "didn't expect" the promotion. "They increased the number of international referees and I was privileged to occupy this vacancy. When I heard the news on 15 December, it was an early Christmas gift! I called Cristiano and we went out to dinner with my older brother and our mother, Emilia Santos," he says, admitting that receiving the badge is the achievement of a goal. "It's a dream that we worked for, but it's very difficult to happen. The stars all have to line up and being both internationals is the highest moment of our career and one day, when we referee a game in a major European competition, it would be another dream. The probability of it happening is so small that it would be fantastic", completes Ruben, smiling.

Among many episodes, Ruben recalls one of the many funny situations for being twin brothers. "Two years ago, there was a coach who, shortly after the rankings came out, congratulated me for coming in first, and I said, "Mister I came in second, my brother won. And he, Nuno Dias, from Sporting, cordially congratulated me anyway," says Ruben. Another curious situation that happens frequently, adds Cristiano, is when either of the two is not in a game. "The managers, the players and the coaches ask, 'Mister referee, are you upset with your brother?'", Cristiano recovers, between laughs. "When we were just starting out, people thought it was funny, because it's not common to find two referees and even twins. Managers, players, coaches thought it was funny and asked 'Am I watching double?'", continues Cristiano, listening to Ruben’s final message. "We have the advantage that, as we are brothers, our way of acting is very similar, which brings consistency to the teams because we decide accordingly. The teams react very well to our performances."

Source: O Jogo

German referee aged 86 celebrated 65 years of active refereeing

German referee Herbert Küppers, aged 86, was recently honored by his colleagues for his 65th anniversary as referee when he refereed a veterans’ match, especially organised for him, between SV St. Tönis and Teutonia St. Tönis. Some of his fellow referees joined the celebration and lined-up with both teams as the referee team arrived.

In 1956, referees were urgently needed at his club, SV St. Tönis, in the district of Viersen, so Herbert attended his first referee course at the age of 21 and passed his referee exam that same year. It quickly became his beloved and passionate hobby, which he has been practicing for 65 years. Herbert was able to meet many interesting people and clubs in his 65 years as an active referee and recalls many memories with pleasure. To this day, he regularly attends monthly referee sessions and enjoys additional training. Despite his 86 years, he also shows a great running disposition and good physical shape in his matches.

Source: Kempen-Krefeld

Danish referee’s hilarious reaction after whistle blunder

Usually, players fall to their knees to either celebrate or agonise over results. Seldom though does an official drop to their knees, especially during the middle of a game. But that’s 2021 for you. Nils Heer however proved what sports fans across the world already know - referees are human.

Officiating a second division in Denmark, Heer pulled up FC Fredericia when they were on the counter after attacking midfielder Kristian Kirkegaard was fouled by Vendsyssel FF on the edge of the box and failed to give them the advantage. It denied them the opportunity to strike back after the early goal. Heer pulled up suddenly like a car breaking at the last second, fell to his knees and moved his hands from his head to the ground as he realised his mistake. It was not long until the referee was back to his feet, as he awarded FC Fredericia the free kick.

Both teams recognised the blunder, with players from both side giving him a comforting tap on the back. FC Fredericia eventually did strike back, with the score finishing 1-1. The hilarious moment has gone viral across social media.

Source: Fox Sports

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2021 – Quarter-finals

26 August 2021

Senegal – Brazil
Referee 1: Gionni Matticoli (ITA, photo)
Referee 2: Sofien Benchabane (FRA)
Third Official: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS)
Timekeeper: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)

Switzerland – Uruguay
Referee 1: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Referee 2: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Third Official: Hamdi Bchir (TUN)
Timekeeper: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)

Tahiti – Japan
Referee 1: Sergio Soares (POR)
Referee 2: Micke Palomino (PER)
Third Official: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Timekeeper: Said Hachim (MAD)

Russia – Spain
Referee 1: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Referee 2: Turki Al Salehi (OMA)
Third Official: Hany Farouk (EGY)
Timekeeper: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)

UEFA Europa Conference League 2021/2022 – Play-offs (Second Leg)

26 August 2021

Kairat Almaty – Fola Esch
Referee: Fran Jović (CRO, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hrvoje Radić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Luka Pušić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Mario Zebec (CRO)
Referee Observer: Yuri Baskakov (RUS)

MŠK Žilina – FK Jablonec
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Silver Koiv (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Sten Klaasen (EST)
Fourth Official: Joonas Jaanovits (EST)
Referee Observer: Asim Khudiyev (AZE)

Lincoln Red Imps – Riga FC
Referee: Peter Kjaersgaard-Andersen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesper Dahl (DEN)
Fourth Official: Morten Krogh (DEN)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

Bodo Glimt – Žalgiris Vilnius
Referee: John Beaton (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel McFarlane (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Potter (SCO)
Fourth Official: David Munro (SCO)
Referee Observer: John Ward (IRL)

Anorthosis Famagusta – Hapoel Beer Sheva
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytis Snarskis (LTU)
Fourth Official: Manfredas Lukjančukas (LTU)
Referee Observer: Jørn West Larsen (DEN)

AS Roma – Trabzonspor
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Peter Sippel (GER)

FC Kobenhavn – Sivasspor
Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

IF Elfsborg – Feyenoord
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Georgi Davidov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Ivanov (RUS)

Vitesse – Anderlecht
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Winkler (POL)
Fourth Official: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Rosenborg BK – Stade Rennais
Referee: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

CSKA Sofia – Viktoria Plzeň
Referee: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ceyhun Sesigüzel (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Serkan Olguncan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernandez Marin (ESP)

Hammarby Fotboll – FC Basel
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David Roome (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)

Maccabi Haifa – Neftci PFK
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Goce Petreski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dejan Jakimovski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Rusmir Mrković (BIH)

Maccabi Tel Aviv – Shakhter Karagandy
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Milutin Djukić (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Vladan Todorović (MNE)
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković (MNE)
Referee Observer: Robert Malek (POL)

KAA Gent – Rakow Czestochowa
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Akif Amirali (AZE)
Fourth Official: Elchin Masiyev (AZE)
Referee Observer: Ferenc Szekely (HUN)

HNK Rijeka – PAOK FC
Referee: Sergii Boiko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Volodymyr Vysotskyi (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmytro Zaporozhenko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Denys Shurman (UKR)
Referee Observer: Goran Mihaljević (MNE)

St. Johnstone – LASK
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager (GER)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

Union Berlin – KuPS Kuopio
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Cevdet Komurcuoglu (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Tottenham Hotspur – Pacos Ferreira
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frederic Haquette (FRA)
Fourth Official: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Referee Observer: Marian Ružbarsky (SVK)

Aberdeen – Qarabag
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Referee Observer: Andrejs Sipailo (LVA)

Shamrock Rovers – Flora Tallinn
Referee: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balazs Buzas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Kobor (HUN)
Fourth Official: Balazs Berke (HUN)
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira (POR)

Partizan – Santa Clara
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Neil Davies (ENG)
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley (ENG)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

UEFA Europa League 2021/2022 – Play-offs (Second Leg)

26 August 2021

Alashkert – Rangers
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

HJK Helsinki – Fenerbahce SK
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor (SVK)
Fourth Official: Peter Kralovic (SVK)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Zorya Luhansk – Rapid Wien
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Lucian Rusandu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Edward Foley (IRL)

Galatasaray – Randers
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dzmitry Zhuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleh Maslianka (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dzmitry Dzmitryieu (BLR)
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytia (FIN)

AZ Alkmaar – Celtic FC
Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Rui Teixeira (POR)
Fourth Official: Andre Narciso (POR)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

CFR Cluj – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Darren England (ENG)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

Slovan Bratislava – Olympiacos FC
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Dietz (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen (GER)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

Legia Warszawa – Slavia Praha
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Miguel Moreira (POR)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

Royal Antwerp – Omonia FC
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonnikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

Sturm Graz – NS Mura
Referee: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
Referee Observer: Emil Bozhinovski (MKD)

UEFA Champions League 2021/2022 – Play-offs (Second Leg)

24-25 August 2021

PSV Eindhoven – SL Benfica
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

PFC Ludogorets – Malmö FF
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jeremie Pignard (FRA)
Video Assistant Referee: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

Ferencvarosi TC – BSC Young Boys
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Moskalev (RUS)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev (BUL)

Shakhtar Donetsk – AS Monaco
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: David Coote (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR: Paul Tierney (ENG)
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista (POR)

GNK Dinamo – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

Brondby IF – FC Salzburg
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

Mexican top female referee Venegas ended her career

Following the recent Olympic Football Tournament, Mexican FIFA referee Lucila Venegas (40) has announced her retirement from active refereeing after 20 years of career and having won the National Sports Award in 2019. With a degree in Physical Culture and Sports, Venegas has been refereeing since 1999. She made her debut into the professional sector in 2005 and continued her way through the Premier League, LIGA MX U-15, U-17 and U-20, Copa MX, ASCENSO MX and LIGA MX Femenil. She has been wearing the FIFA badge since 2008, keeping it for 12 consecutive years. Her greatest international achievements were two Women's World Cups, Canada 2015 and France 2019, and two Olympics, Rio 2016 and Tokio 2020. In addition, she was appointed to two U-17 Women's World Cups, Costa Rica 2014 and Uruguay 2018 and the U-20 Women's World Cup Japan 2012.

“19 years after having set foot on a football field for the first time in my referee uniform and without knowing what exactly I had to do, my last match was at the Olympic Games; time flew by. I am taking a step forward at this beautiful stage of my life to continue with new challenges. I am very grateful to the refereeing for everything I received and the wonderful people I met, for having had the privilege of representing my country, traveling and getting to know so many different cultures. I did much more than I imagined one day, but it was thanks to all the people who sincerely believed in me, my family, my friends. The feeling that fills my heart at this moment is indescribable, but I am totally satisfied and grateful with my career”, said Lucila Venegas on Twitter.

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 17-24)

23 August 2021

Tahiti – Mozambique
Referee 1: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE, photo)
Referee 2: Ebrahim Akbarpour (IRN)
Third Official: Gustavo Dominguez (PAR)
Timekeeper: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)

Spain – UAE
Referee 1: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Referee 2: Lucas Estevao (BRA)
Third Official: Said Hachim (MAD)
Timekeeper: Roman Borisov (RUS)

USA – Paraguay
Referee 1: Vitali Gomolko (LTU)
Referee 2: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Third Official: Turki Al Salehi (OMA)
Timekeeper: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)

Japan – Russia
Referee 1: Micke Palomino (PER)
Referee 2: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Third Official: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Timekeeper: Hamdi Bchir (TUN)

24 August 2021
Oman – Senegal
Referee 1: Roman Borisov (RUS)
Referee 2: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)
Third Official: Gionni Matticoli (ITA)
Timekeeper: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)

El Salvador – Switzerland
Referee 1: Gustavo Dominguez (PAR)
Referee 2: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS)
Third Official: Hany Farouk (EGY)
Timekeeper: Mariano Romo (ARG)

Uruguay – Portugal
Referee 1: Said Hachim (MAD)
Referee 2: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Third Official: Sofien Benchabane (FRA)
Timekeeper: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)

Brazil – Belarus
Referee 1: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Referee 2: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Third Official: Ebrahim Akbarpou (IRN)
Timekeeper: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)

Dean went from killing 135,000 chickens a week to EPL referee

Mike Dean is one of the most recognisable referees in the Premier League - but back in the early 1990s, it was a different type of fowl he was dealing with. Before becoming the famous whistler that he is today, Dean worked in a chicken factory, helping to slaughter 135,000 chickens a day. The 53-year-old, whose on-pitch persona has made him a firm favourite among supporters, began refereeing in the 1980s as a way to lose weight. Working his way through the ranks of the Northern Premier League and the Football League, Dean combined his time as an official with his job at the chicken factory. He worked in the poultry business for 16 years before quitting to become a full-time referee, making his debut in the Premier League in 2000.

Speaking to Soccer AM star Tubes on his Golf Life YouTube channel, Dean revealed gory details of life before the whistle, including the method used to kill the chickens. "I used to work in a poultry factory about five miles from here," Dean said. "I started there in about 1991 or 1992 I think. I used to work in the factory to start with, packing up all the chicken fillets and stuff like that. Then I moved to the other end where, let's just say, we welcomed them in alive and they didn't leave alive. By about the second or third week [in the job], I started hanging them. Asked about the method used to kill chickens, and whether it involved wringing the bird's neck, he replied: "No, no, you hang them upside down, it's all done by machines and stuff like that. You're killing 135,000 chickens a day so you haven't got time to do all that. I still speak to some of the lads that work there now and they're killing nearly a million chickens a week. It's a proper foul job," Dean joked.

In an interview on the Peter Crouch podcast in 2020, Dean explained how he used to balance life at the chicken factory with his burgeoning career in refereeing. He said: "I was doing refereeing anyway like local stuff and I would do both jobs. I would start in the factory at 6am do my shift until 2pm, go home get my bag and drive to wherever to referee, go back home and get up again at 3am and straight back into work at 5am."

Source: Daily Star

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 9-16)

21 August 2021

Mozambique – UAE
Referee 1: Roman Borisov (RUS)
Referee 2: Juan Angeles (DOM, photo)
Third Official: Micke Palomino (PER)
Timekeeper: Sergio Soares (POR)

Japan – USA
Referee 1: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Referee 2: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Third Official: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Timekeeper: Sofien Benchabane (FRA)

Tahiti – Spain
Referee 1: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Referee 2: Lucas Estevao (BRA)
Third Official: Hamdi Bchir (TUN)
Timekeeper: Turki Al Salehi (OMA)

Russia – Paraguay
Referee 1: Hany Farouk (EGY)
Referee 2: Ebrahim Akbarpour (IRN)
Third Official: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Timekeeper: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS)

22 August 2021
Uruguay – Oman
Referee 1: Hamdi Bchir (TUN)
Referee 2: Said Hachim (MAD)
Third Official: Lucas Estevao (BRA)
Timekeeper: Vitali Gomolko (LTU)

Belarus – Switzerland
Referee 1: Gionni Matticoli (ITA)
Referee 2: Sergio Soares (POR)
Third Official: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Timekeeper: Hany Farouk (EGY)

Brazil – El Salvador
Referee 1: Sofien Benchabane (FRA)
Referee 2: Turki Al Salehi (OMA)
Third Official: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Timekeeper: Aecio Fernandez (URU)

Portugal – Senegal
Referee 1: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Referee 2: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS)
Third Official: Micke Palomino (PER)
Timekeeper: Mariano Romo (ARG)

UEFA Futsal Champions League 2021/2022 – Preliminary Round

21-25 August 2021

Group A, Gevgelija (MKD)
1. Alem Bajrovic (BIH)
2. Telmen Undrakh (NOR)
3. Damian Grabowski (POL)
4. Filipe Duarte (POR, photo)
5. Marjan Mladenovski (MKD)

Group B, Berne (SUI)
1. Ingo Heemsoth (GER)
2. Giulio Colombin (ITA)
3. George Jansizian (SWE)
4. Denys Kutsyi (UKR)
5. Darko Boskovic (SUI)

Group C, Tirana (ALB)
1. Hikmat Qafarli (AZE)
2. Raafat Al Hamola (ISR)
3. Stephen Vella (MLT)
4. Gordon McCabe (SCO)
5. Kreshnik Hakrama (ALB)

Group D, Haabneeme (EST)
1. Michael Christofides (CYP)
2. Joern Te Kloeze (NED)
3. Ruben Santos (POR)
4. Bogdan Hanceariuc (ROU)
5. Grigori Ošomkov (EST)

Group E, Podgorica (MNE)
1. Yiangos Yiangou (CYP)
2. Paavo Komppa (FIN)
3. Done Ristovski (MKD)
4. Jernej Petek (SVN)
5. Vukic Femic (MNE)

Group F, Salaspils (LVA)
1. Panagiotis Ntalas (GRE)
2. Dario Pezzuto (ITA)
3. Drazen Vukcevic (MNE)
4. Daniele D'Adamo (SMR)
5. Kiazo Leladze (LVA)

Group G, Athens (GRE)
1. Filip Nesnera (CZE)
2. Javier Moreno Reina (ESP)
3. Jagnar Jakobson (EST)
4. Nebojsa Panic (SRB)
5. Nikolaos Pachakis (GRE)

Group H, Sindelfingen (GER)
1. Kaloyan Kirilov (BUL)
2. Pablo Delgado Sastre (ESP)
3. Michael Lima (LUX)
4. Marco Rothenfluh (SUI)
5. Maximilian Alkofer (GER)

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2021/2022 – First Round (Finals)

20-21 August 2021

Valerenga – PAOK

Referee: Aleksandra Česen (SVN, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Staša Špur (SVN)

Assistant Referee 2: Rita Cabanero Mompo (ESP)

Fourth Official: Ainara Acevedo Dudley (ESP)

Zürich – Valur
Referee: Abigail Marriott (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Emily Carney (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Georgia Komisopoulou (GRE)
Fourth Official: Andromachi Tsiofliki (GRE)

Vllaznia – Ferencvaros
Referee: Eleni Antoniou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Liga Didriķe (LVA)
Fourth Official: Jelena Jermolajeva (LVA)

Hoffenheim – Milan
Referee: Rasa Imanalijeva (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Irina Pozdejeva (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Iryna Petrova (UKR)
Fourth Official: Kateryna Usova (UKR)

Gintra – Breidablik
Referee: Henrikke Nervik (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Line Nymoen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Tepusa (ROU)
Fourth Official: Cristina Trandafir (ROU)

Kharkiv – Pomurje
Referee: Ewa Augustyn (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martyna Koziel (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kristine Grigoryan (ARM)
Fourth Official: Araksya Saribekyan (ARM)

Benfica – Racing Union
Referee: Michelle Schmölzer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Linda Schmid (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sladjana Jovičić (SVN)
Fourth Official: Tanja Subotič (SVN)

Levante – Rosenborg
Referee: Eszter Urban (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Anita Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Iulia Petrova (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vera Opeykina (RUS)

Arsenal – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Petra Pavlikova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Lenka Pavlackova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Liana Grigoryan (ARM)
Fourth Official: Sofik Torosyan (ARM)

Servette – Aland
Referee: Jelena Pejković (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Gordana Katušić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Despina Demosthenous (CYP)
Fourth Official: Ioanna Allayiotou (CYP)

Twente – Subotica
Referee: Lucie Šulcová (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikol Šafrankova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Betül Yilmaz (TUR)
Fourth Official: Cansu Tryak (TUR)

Bordeaux – Kristianstads
Referee: Jelena Cvetković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivana Jovanovic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Joline Delcrois (BEL)
Fourth Official: Viki De Cremer (BEL)

BIIK Shymkent – Glasgow City
Referee: Sabina Bolic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivona Pejic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Noemi Hegedus-Barath (HUN)
Fourth Official: Katalin Sipos (HUN)

Anderlecht – Osijek
Referee: Michalina Diakow (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Paulina Baranowska (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivana Leskova (SVK)
Fourth Official: Miriama Matulova (SVK)

St. Polten – Juventus
Referee: Maria Martinez Madrona (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Rocio Puente Pino (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Sidsel Rasmussen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Frederikke Søkjær (DEN)

Apollon – CSKA Moscow
Referee: Maria Marotta (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Giulia Tempestilli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aida Jusufović (BIH)
Fourth Official: Tanja Racic (BIH)

KI – Flora
Referee: Galiya Echeva (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yordanka Korcheva (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Erinda Kume (ALB)
Fourth Official: Emanuela Rusta (ALB)

NSA – RFS
Referee: Angelika Soeder (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Ines Appelmann (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Victoria Finlay (NIR)
Fourth Official: Louise Thompson (NIR)

Sarajevo – Qiryat Gat
Referee: Neslihan Muratdagi (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Sedef Aktan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ugne Šmitaite (LTU)
Fourth Official: Jurgita Mačikunytė (LTU)

Peamount – FC Nike
Referee: Maria Sole Caputi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Veronica Martinelli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniela Constantinescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Ana Terteleac (ROU)

Minsk – Celtic
Referee: Veronika Kovarova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Zuzana Špindlerová (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Zoi Papadopoulou (GRE)
Fourth Official: Alexandra Deligianni (GRE)

Okzhetpes – Lokomotiv Moskva
Referee: Justina Lavrenovaite (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerda Eidinzonaite (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Katarzyna Wojs (POL)
Fourth Official: Katarzyna Lisiecka-sek (POL)

Olimpia Cluj – Glentoran
Referee: Emilie Dokset (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Elisabeth Thoresen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Matilde Esteves-Garcia (ESP)
Fourth Official: Zulema Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)

Brondby – Slovacko
Referee: Irena Velevačkoska (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Vjolca Izeiri (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Merima Homarac (BIH)
Fourth Official: Merima Čelik (BIH)

Breznica – Hayasa
Referee: Alina Pesu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Karolin Kaivoja (EST)
Fourth Official: Ivana Martincic (CRO)

Beşiktas – Kamenica Sasa
Referee: Jelena Medjedovic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandra Milojevic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Ekaterina Pavlenko (RUS)
Fourth Official: Deborah Bianchi (ITA)

Slovan Bratislava – Birkirkara
Referee: Valentina Finzi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alisa Levalampi (FIN)
Fourth Official: Ifeoma Kulmala (FIN)

Dinamo – Swansea
Referee: Marina Živković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandra Stojanac (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Lena Hirtl (AUT)
Fourth Official: Olivia Tschon (AUT)

Mitrovica – Anenii Noi
Referee: Kirsty Dowle (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Melissa Burgin (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Emilie Aubry (SUI)
Fourth Official: Simona Ghisletta (SUI)

Referee Ostojich: from chess teacher to Copa America final

Esteban Ostojich, the referee who directed the final of the Copa America 2021 between Argentina and Brazil at the Maracana. Became referee in 2004. Since then, it took him nine years to make his debut in professional soccer, which happened in September 2013. His growth from there was continuous and he managed to establish himself as one of the best South American referees, considered by Conmebol and FIFA, which gave him the international badge in 2016. His first international match was when Argentina beat Mexico 2-0, in Cordoba, in November 2018.

Today, Ostojich dedicates himself completely to his refereeing commitments, including training, which forced him to leave the job he carried out for 13 years as a chess teacher at the University of Uruguay, a non-formal institution for adults located in Montevideo, where he also had administrative functions. Several years ago, when he was still more of a chess teacher than an outstanding referee, he recounted his work: “I receive a lot of people at the venue, I tell them where their classes are and their schedules. They are aware of my career and they were very happy with the classic”, he mentioned within hours of his first Nacional-Penarol. “At work they support me a lot. They give me a good hand when I have to travel, both my superiors and my co-workers put up with it because any trip requires three days", he added at the time.

At 39, his most important achievement is, however, off the pitch. Father of four children, and a recognized inhabitant in San Jose, where they value him as a figure but do not besiege him. "He walks around here like anyone else," a referee's neighbour tells TN Deportivo. But the tranquility of San Jose is transformed into pride and emotion when Esteban appears on the big screen as the protagonist of great football events, some of global significance, for which some of the town's citizens have requested to the authorities that Ostojich be recognized as illustrious citizen and be given the Keys of the City.

Esteban Ostojich can boast in his CV of having delivered justice in Uruguayan classics, in matches of Sudamericana and Libertadores, including the last final in which Palmeiras beat Santos, but many will remember momentous events, such as being VAR in the 2018 Libertadores final that River and Boca played in Madrid or when he was the main referee in the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup final when Bayern Munich beat Tigres from Mexico. The Ostojich thing with the refereeing is not new. His father, nicknamed Cono, was a prominent member of the Uruguayan Interior Soccer Organization (OFI), and his grandfather also led football tournaments in San Jose. When he is not refereeing, Esteban spends time with his long-time friends in the central plaza of San Jose.

Source: TN

Former FIFA AR died from Covid-19

The Guatemalan refereeing is in mourning. Former FIFA assistant referee Flor de Maria Escobar died at only 37 years of age from Covid-19. For more than 12 years, Flor de Maria was part of the national referee program. She was one of the pioneers in Guatemalan female refereeing and represented her country in various international tournaments, including Algarve Cup (2008) and FIFA U-20 World Cups in Chile (2008) and Germany (2010).

In 2016, she retired from active refereeing to dedicate to her family; however, the passion and love she had for this profession, made her take on a new challenge, working on the fitness preparation of the referees from Quetzaltenango. To say their last good-bye, several referees and friends blew their whistles and raised AR flags as the vehicle carrying Flor de Maria's body approached the entrance to the Quetzaltenango cemetery.

Source: Chapines

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 1-8)

19 August 2021

UAE – Tahiti
Referee 1: Sergio Soares (POR, photo)
Referee 2: Gionni Matticoli (ITA)
Third Official: Vitali Gomolko (LTU)
Timekeeper: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)

Paraguay – Japan
Referee 1: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)
Referee 2: Sofien Benchabane (FRA)
Third Official: Hany Farouk (EGY)
Timekeeper: Said Hachim (MAD)

Mozambique – Spain
Referee 1: Turki Al Salehi (OMA)
Referee 2: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Third Official: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Timekeeper: Ebrahim Akbarpour (IRN)

Russia – USA
Referee 1: Lucas Estevao (BRA)
Referee 2: Hamdi Bchir (TUN)
Third Official: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Timekeeper: Micke Palomino (PER)

20 August 2021
Senegal – Uruguay
Referee 1: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Referee 2: Vitali Gomolko (LTU)
Third Official: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)
Timekeeper: Juan Angeles (DOM)

Belarus – El Salvador
Referee 1: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS)
Referee 2: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Third Official: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Timekeeper : Lucas Estevao (BRA)

Portugal – Oman
Referee 1: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Referee 2: Micke Palomino (PER)
Third Official: Gionni Matticoli (ITA)
Timekeeper: Gustavo Dominguez (PAR)

Switzerland – Brazil
Referee 1: Said Hachim (MAD)
Referee 2: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Third Official: Roman Borisov (RUS)
Timekeeper: Aurelien Planchas-Godefroy (TAH)

UEFA Europa Conference League 2021/2022 – Play-offs (First Leg)

19 August 2021

Shahter Qaragandy – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Igor Satkii (MDA)

KuPS Kuopio – Union Berlin

Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)

Assistant Referee 1: Goran Pataki (CRO)

Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Zobenica (CRO)

Fourth Official: Igor Pajač (CRO)

Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović (SRB)

Rakow Czestochowa – KAA Gent
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Naranjo Preez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magna (ESP)
Fourth Official: Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
Referee Observer: Gevorg Hovhannisyan (ARM)

Qarabag – Aberdeen
Referee: Rade Obrenović (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandar Kasapović (SVN)
Fourth Official: Asmir Sagrković (SVN)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Flora Tallinn – Shamrock Rovers
Referee: Yevhenii Aranovskyi (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Zhukov (UKR)
Fourth Official: Vitalii Romanov (UKR)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

Hapoel Beer Sheva – Anorthosis Famagusta
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Damir Lazić (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Goran Dujak (BIH)
Fourth Official: Admir Šehović (BIH)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

LASK – St. Johnstone
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

Viktoria Plzeň – CSKA Sofia
Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Rui Teixeira (POR)
Fourth Official: Miguel Moreira (POR)
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)

Riga FC – Lincoln Red Imps
Referee: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Costa (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Jesus (POR)
Fourth Official: Vitor Ferreira (POR)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Neftci PFK – Maccabi Haifa
Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Christophe Finjean (FRA)
Fourth Official: Thoms Leonard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Aleksandr Gvardis (RUS)

Žalgiris Vilnius – Bodo Glimt
Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: David Bitton (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sagy Metzamber (ISR)
Fourth Official: Snir Levy (ISR)
Referee Observer: Jens Larsen (DEN)

Trabzonspor – AS Roma
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazović (SVN)
Referee Observer: Georgi Yordanov (BUL)

FC Basel – Hammarby Fotboll
Referee: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Usachev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Valeri Danchenko (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Drago Kos (SVN)

Fola Esch – Kairat Almaty
Referee: Fabio Verissimo (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Pedro Mota (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Martins (POR)
Fourth Official: Antonio Nobre (POR)
Referee Observer: Thoroddur Hjaltalin (ISL)

FK Jablonec – MŠK Žilina
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sorensen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Sandi Putros (DEN)
Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)

Sivasspor – FC Kobenhavn
Referee: Mykola Balakin (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Volodymyr Volodin (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Valentyn Kutsev (UKR)
Fourth Official: Oleksandr Derdo (UKR)
Referee Observer: Marco Borg (MLT)

Feyenoord – Elfsborg
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Neil Davies (ENG)
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley (ENG)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

PAOK FC – HNK Rijeka
Referee: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Fourth Official: Florent Batta (FRA)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

RSC Anderlecht – Vitesse
Referee: Duje Strukan (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Perica (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alen Jakšić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Marin Vidulin (CRO)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

Stade Rennais – Rosenborg BK
Referee: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mircea Grigoriu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Marica (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marcel Birsan (ROU)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

Pacos Ferreira – Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Fourth Official: Marco Piccinini (ITA)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Medved (SVK)

Santa Clara – Partizan
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)
Fourth Official: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)