FIFA Lists 2022: Changes in Italy and Germany

The Italian Referees Association has sent to FIGC the list of referees, assistant referees and video match officials proposed for inclusion into the FIFA List 2022. "I would like to thank Daniele Doveri and Paolo Valeri for the excellent work they have done in recent years, keeping the prestige of the Italian refereeing on a high level. Their expertise will not be lost, but will be exploited internationally in another important role, that of Video Match Officials, where, I am sure, they will be equally precious. I also thank assistants Alessandro Costanzo and Matteo Passeri, who were always up to the role. I have chosen to nominate two young referees of great talent and great prospects, Daniele Chiffi and Luca Pairetto, as well as assistants Giovanni Baccini and Marco Bresmes. My objective, as well as the AIA, is to carry out a rejuvenation in the name of quality, seriousness and competence. I am also proud of the proposed inclusion on the FIFA lists of three new female referees, Martina Molinaro, Silvia Gasperotti and Deborah Bianchi. I am convinced that our nominations, for all the roles, are in line with the value and consideration that has always accompanied our association", said the AIA President Alfredo Trentalange. (Source: AIA)

In Germany, referees Felix Brych and Marco Fritz will be retiring from their international careers at the end of 2021 and will be replaced on the FIFA List by Sven Jablonski and Daniel Schlager. The 31-year-old Jablonski has been on the Bundesliga list since 2017 and has since refereed 49 games. Schlager is also 31-year-old and has been on the pitch 32 times in the Bundesliga since 2018. IIn addition, Robert Kempter will be the new German FIFA AR, replacing Thorsten Schiffner, who turned 46 this year and will end his career. The 33-year-old AR has been appointed to 168 Bundesliga games since 2008, initially with Knut Kircher's team for a long time, then with Robert Kampka and recently with Harm Osmers. Among the international video match officials, Riem Hussein and Daniel Schlager will replace Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb and Tobias Welz. (Source: Bundesligaschiedsrichter)

UEFA statement on biennial World Cup

In May 2021, the FIFA Congress mandated the FIFA administration to conduct a study into the feasibility of a Men’s and Women’s World Cup every two years. UEFA assumes that the word ‘feasibility’ encompasses all effects and consequences and includes all issues relating to:

- the calendar, formats and access of the final and preliminary competitions;

- the impact on existing club and national team competitions, their sporting and commercial opportunities;

- the impact on players’ physical and mental health;

- the impact on fans, their desire to see more frequent tournaments of this standing, the sustainability for them of more frequent travelling;

- the impact on the broad football eco-system, by which we mean assessing the balance of opportunities that national teams from all 211 FIFA member associations would have to develop in such a radically changed scenario;

- the impact of more frequent World Cup final tournaments on the value and appeal of the event and its brand;

- the impact on other vital parts of football, such as women’s competitions that are in a phase of rapid expansion which requires enhanced visibility and exclusivity spaces;

- the impact on youth tournaments, which have minimal commercial implications but have everything to do with the development of young talents;

- the impact on the global sports system and respect that football, as the most followed sport worldwide, must show to consolidated spaces of exposure and exploitation used by other sports.

While waiting to learn the detailed results of the study commissioned by the FIFA Congress that will cover all the mentioned areas, UEFA acknowledges that FIFA has presented a proposal entailing a doubling of World Cup final tournaments as of 2028 as well as Confederations’ final tournaments as of 2025, combined with massive restructuring of the dates reserved by the International Match Calendar for the matches regularly played by all 211 FIFA member associations. We are grateful for the attention reserved to the UEFA European Championship, with the proposed double frequency of its final event, but we prefer to address such a sensitive matter with a comprehensive rather than speculative approach. UEFA is disappointed with the methodology adopted, which has so far led to radical reform projects being communicated and openly promoted before having been given, together with other stakeholders, the chance to participate in any consultation meeting. There are real dangers associated with this plan:

- the dilution of the value of the No.1 world football event, whose quadrennial occurrence gives it a mystique that generations of fans have grown up with;

- the erosion of sporting opportunities for the weaker national teams by replacing regular matches with final tournaments;

- the risk to sustainability for players, forced to engage in summer high intensity competitions every year instead of longer recuperation breaks in alternate years;

- the risk for the future of women’s tournaments, deprived of exclusive slots and overshadowed by the proximity of top men’s events.

These are just some of the serious concerns that the FIFA proposal provokes at first glance and they cannot be dispelled simply with unsubstantiated promotional slogans on the supposed benefits of a thicker calendar for final tournaments. UEFA is of the opinion that the future of the international calendar should be the subject of genuine consultation and exchange between FIFA, the confederations and key stakeholders of competitions, kicking off with an open discussion on perceived problems and considering a range of solutions that will be identified in the course of the debate, taking into account the interest of the game and the legitimate point of view of the different parties. In this phase, the respect for a consultation process with the stakeholders – which should be unbiased – would suggest abstaining from promotional campaigns of unilaterally pre-determined concepts that nobody has been given the possibility to see in detail and which have wide-ranging, often unexpected, effects. On 14 September, UEFA and its 55 member associations asked FIFA to organise a special meeting with them to be able to voice their concerns on the impact of such plans. UEFA and its 55 member associations have to-date not yet received a reply from FIFA on this request.

Source: UEFA

UEFA Europa Conference League 2021/22 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

30 September 2021

Alashkert FC – HJK Helsinki
Referee: Horatiu Fesnic (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Cerei (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marian Barbu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)

LASK – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Mykola Balakin (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Volodymyr Volodin (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sergii Prystupa (UKR)
Fourth Official: OLeksandr Derdo (UKR)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

Partizan – Flora Tallinn
Referee: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Staudinger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Obritzberger (AUT)
Fourth Official: Alexander Harkam (AUT)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

KAA Gent – Anorthosis Famagusta
Referee: Filip Glova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Bednar (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Polacek (SVK)
Fourth Official: Michal Ocenas (SVK)
Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

CSKA Sofia – Bodo Glimt
Referee: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Jevgenijs Morozovs (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Romans Platonovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Edgars Malcevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Michalis Koukoulakis (GRE)

Zorya Luhansk – AS Roma
Referee: Luis Godinho (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Teixeira (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Mota (POR)
Fourth Official: Andre Narciso (POR)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

CFR Cluj – Randers FC
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Fourth Official: Davide Ghersini (ITA)
Referee Observer: Asim Khudiyev (AZE)

AZ Alkmaar – FK Jablonec
Referee: Rade Obrenović (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež (SVN)
Fourth Official: Alen Borošak (SVN)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Union Berlin – Maccabi Haifa
Referee: Nicolas Walsh (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Sean Carr (SCO)
Fourth Official: Greg Aitken (SCO)
Referee Observer: Luc Wouters (BEL)

Feyenoord – Slavia Praha
Referee: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mircea Grigoriu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Marica (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marcel Birsan (ROU)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

PAOK FC – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Costa (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Jesus (POR)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Correia (POR)
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

FC Copenhagen – Lincoln Red Imps
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Svitlana Grushko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Yaroslav Kozyk (UKR)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

Vitesse – Stade Rennais
Referee: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Francis Connor (SCO)
Fourth Official: Gavin Duncan (SCO)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

Tottenham Hotspur – NS Mura
Referee: Ygal Frid (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Matityahu Yakobov (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Omer Barbiro (ISR)
Fourth Official: Daniel Natan (ISR)
Referee Observer: Michael Ross (NIR)

Omonia FC – Qarabag Agdam
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David Roome (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Fourth Official: Craig Napier (SCO)
Referee Observer: Marco Borg (MLT)

FC Basel – Kairat Almaty
Referee: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Cook (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Harry Lennard (ENG)
Fourth Official: David Coote (ENG)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Ivanov (RUS)

UEFA Europa League 2021/2022 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

30 September 2021

Celtic FC – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Gianluca Manganiello (ITA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)

Sparta Praha – Rangers FC
Referee: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ceyhun Sesigüzel (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Serkan Olguncan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
VAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
AVAR: Halis Ozkahya (TUR)
Referee Observer: Georgi Yordanov (BUL)

Olympique Lyonnais – Brondby IF
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Markus Hameter (AUT)
VAR: Harm Osmers (GER)
AVAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Referee Observer: Michalis Argyrou (CYP)

Sturm Graz – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Yevhenii Aranovskyi (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrii Skrypka (UKR)
Fourth Official: Vitaliy Romanov (UKR)
VAR: Denys Shurman (UKR)
AVAR: Viktor Matyash (UKR)
Referee Observer: Erol Ersoy (TUR)

Real Sociedad – AS Monaco
Referee: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Usachev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Valeriy Danchenko (RUS)
Fourth Official: Kirill Levnikov (RUS)
VAR: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)
AVAR: Alexei Lunev (RUS)
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović (SRB)

Legia Warszawa – Leicester City
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Pataki (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Zobenica (CRO)
Fourth Official: Duje Strukan (CRO)
VAR: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
AVAR: Fran Jović (CRO)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

SSC Napoli – Spartak Moskva
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor (SVK)
Fourth Official: Peter Kralovic (SVK)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

Fenerbahce SK – Olympiacos FC
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Naranjo Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magan (ESP)
Fourth Official: Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
VAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)
AVAR: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

Royal Antwerp – Eintracht Frankfurt
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sorensen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jens Maae (DEN)
VAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
AVAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
Referee Observer: Ferenc Szekely (HUN)

Olympique de Marseille – Galatasaray
Referee: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik (POL)
Fourth Official: Piotr Lasyk (POL)
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
AVAR: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

Lazio – Lokomotiv Moskva
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Betts (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Fourth Official: Peter Bankes (ENG)
VAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

SC Braga – FC Midtjylland
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mikael Berchebru (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Fourth Official: Johan Hamel (FRA)
VAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
AVAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez (ESP)

PFC Ludogorets – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Fourth Official: Mikael Lesage (FRA)
VAR: Benoît Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Eric Wattellier (FRA)
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos (CRO)

Ferencvarosi TC – Real Betis
Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: David Bitton (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sagy Metzamber (ISR)
Fourth Official: Erez Papir (ISR)
VAR: David Fuxman (ISR)
AVAR: Ziv Adler (ISR)
Referee Observer: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

KRC Genk – GNK Dinamo
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Petri Viljanen (FIN)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI)

West Ham United – Rapid Wien
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner (GER)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 – Semi-finals

29 September 2021

Brazil – Argentina 

Referee 1: Juan Cordero (ESP, photo)
Referee 2: Alejandro Martinez (ESP, photo)
Third Official: Tomohiro Kozaki (JPN)
Timekeeper: Chiara Perona (ITA)
Reserve AR: Ryan Shepheard (AUS)

30 September 2021
Portugal – Kazakhstan
Referee 1: Nikola Jelic (CRO)
Referee 2: Daniel Rodriguez (URU)
Third Official: Diego Molina (CRC)
Timekeeper: Ebrahim Mehrabi (IRN)
Reserve AR: Jorge Flores (SLV)

Concacaf League 2021 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

28-30 September 2021

Independiente – Forge FC
Referee: Keylor Herrera (CRC, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Fernandez (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: William Chow (CRC)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)

Alajuelense – Guastatoya
Referee: Adonai Escobedo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Michel Morales (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Karen Diaz (MEX)
Fourth Official: German Martinez (SLV)

Alianza – Comunicaciones
Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Chris Wattam (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa (CAN)
Fourth Official: Kevin Morrison (JAM)

Real Esteli – CD Marathon
Referee: Oscar Macias (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Espinoza (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Hernandez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jaime Herrera (SLV)

Plaza Amador – Santos de Guapiles
Referee: Oscar Reyna (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Ventura (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rene Ochoa (GUA)
Fourth Official: Bryan Lopez (GUA)

Deportivo Saprissa – Santa Lucia
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Logan Brown (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Felisha Mariscal (USA)
Fourth Official: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)

Motagua – Universitario
Referee: Oscar Mejia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Martinez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Marco Ortiz (MEX)

UEFA Champions League 2021/2022 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

28 September 2021

AFC Ajax – Beşiktaş JK
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelien Berthomieu (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jeremie Pignard (FRA)
VAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
AVAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

Shakhtar Donetsk – Inter Milano
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Andrei Chivulete (ROU)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
Referee Observer: Jorn West Larsen (DEN)

Paris St. Germain – Manchester City
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

RB Leipzig – Club Brugge
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazović (SVN)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

FC Porto – Liverpool
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Moskalev (RUS)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)

AC Milan – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
VAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
AVAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

Borussia Dortmund – Sporting Clube de Portugal
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
Referee Observer: Domenico Messina (ITA)

Real Madrid – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
VAR: Clement Turpin (FRA)
AVAR: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

29 September 2021
Atalanta BC – BSC Young Boys
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager (GER)
VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
AVAR: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Referee Observer: Sergey Zuev (RUS)

FC Zenit – Malmö FF
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ioannis Papadopoulos (GRE)
VAR: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
AVAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Marian Ružbarsky (SVK)

Bayern München – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
VAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
AVAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernandez Marin

SL Benfica – FC Barcelona
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Fourth Official: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Manchester United – Villarreal CF
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Fourth Official: Sven Jablonski (GER)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

VfL Wolfsburg – Sevilla FC
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)
VAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

FC Salzburg – LOSC Lille
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Cevdet Komurcuoglu (TUR)
Fourth Official: Alper Ulusoy (TUR)
VAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
AVAR: Harm Osmers (GER)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Šajn (SVN)

Juventus – Chelsea
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2021 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

29-30 September 2021

Libertad – Red Bull Bragantino
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Navarro (ARG)
Fourth Official: Luis Quirroz (ECU)
VAR: John Ospina (COL)
AVAR 1: Victor Carrillo (PER)
AVAR 2: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Manuel Bernal (PAR)
VAR Observer: Fredy Arellanos (PER)

Athletico Paranaense – Penarol
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lubin Torrealba (VEN)
Fourth Official: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR 1: German Delfino (ARG)
AVAR 2: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Emerson de Carvalho (BRA)
VAR Observer: Jose Buitrago (COL)

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2021 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

28-29 September 2021

Atletico Mineiro – Palmeiras
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
VAR: Andres Cunha (URU)
AVAR 1: Juan Soto (VEN)
AVAR 2: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Referee Assessor: Sergio Cristiano (BRA)
VAR Observer: Dario Ubriaco (URU)

Barcelona – Flamengo
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Gamboa (CHI)
VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
AVAR 1: Juan Lara (CHI)
AVAR 2: Raul Orellana (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Omar Ponce (ECU)
VAR Observer: Angel Sanchez (ARG)

UEFA Youth League 2021/2022 – Domestic Champions Path, Round 1 (First Leg)

28-30 September 2021

MTK Budapest – Sparta Praha
Referee: Nicolas Laforge (BEL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Laurent Conotte (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Romain Devillers (BEL)
Fourth Official: Mihaly Kapraly (HUN)
Referee Observer: Vencel Toth (HUN)

Žalgiris Vilnius – Maccabi Haifa
Referee: Luis Teixeira (AND)
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Gomes (AND)
Assistant Referee 2: Mario Novo (AND)
Fourth Official: Kęstutis Bartuškevičius (LTU)
Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)

Rangers FC – Hammarby Fotboll
Referee: Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Reinhard Buxbaum (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Konstantinos Psarris (GRE)
Fourth Official: Alan Muir (SCO)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

BFC Daugavpils – FC Minsk
Referee: Ondřej Pechanec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Matěj Vlček (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Dan Vodrážka (CZE)
Fourth Official: Kristaps Ratnieks (LVA)
Referee Observer: Vadims Direktorenko (LVA)

Apoel FC – Qairat Almaty
Referee: Dejan Jakimovski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Dejan Nedelkoski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Sladjan Markoski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dimitris Solomou (CYP)
Referee Observer: Christos Nikolaidis (CYP)

Zvijezda – Trabzonspor
Referee: Jasmin Sabotic (LUX)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Da Costa (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: Dani Balsa (LUX)
Fourth Official: Dražen Marić (BIH)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Qabala IK – AZ Alkmaar
Referee: Viktor Kopiyevskyy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Vitaliy Skoblya (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Volodymyr Korotin (UKR)
Fourth Official: Farid Haciyev (AZE)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

Septemvri Sofia – Akademia e Futbollit
Referee: Ferenc Karako (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Garai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Norbert Bornemissza (HUN)
Fourth Official: Stanimir Trenchev (BUL)
Referee Observer: Kostadin Gerginov (BUL)

Csíkszereda – Angers
Referee: Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Rejdi Zaimi (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Arber Zalla (ALB)
Fourth Official: Lucian Rusandu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Nicolae Grigorescu (ROU)

Pogon Szczecin – Deportivo de La Coruna
Referee: Christopher Jäger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Santino Schreiner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Jasmin Sabanovic (AUT)
Fourth Official: Karol Arys (POL)
Referee Observer: Zbigniew Przesmycki (POL)

PAOK FC – MŠK Žilina
Referee: Fedayi San (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonas Erni (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Guillaume Maire (SUI)
Fourth Official: Efstathios Gortsílas (GRE)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

FC Köln – KRC Genk
Referee: Mario Zebec (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Hrvoje Radić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Mihalj (CRO)
Fourth Official: Robin Braun (GER)
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer (GER)

NK Domžale – Empoli FC
Referee: Miloš Milanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Jovan Grujić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Šutulović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Asmir Sagrkovič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

Saint Patrick's Athletic – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Ivar Kristjansson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Oddur Gudmundsson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Oliver Moran (IRL)
Referee Observer: Gerard Perry (IRL)

KF Shkëndija – Hajduk Split
Referee: Nikola Popov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Petar Mitrev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Miroslav Maksimov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Igor Stojčevski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Dimitar Mečkarovski (MKD)

Rosenborg – Midtjylland
Referee: Thomas Owen (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Roberts (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Christopher (WAL)
Fourth Official: Mathias Stofringshaug (NOR)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

UEFA Youth League 2021/2022 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

28-29 September 2021

AC Milan – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Patak (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Hrabovsky (CZE)
Fourth Official: Marco Piccinini (ITA)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Shakhtar Donetsk – Inter Milano
Referee: Juri Frischer (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Neeme Neemlaid (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Riivo Stolts (EST)
Fourth Official: Oleksiy Derevinskyy (UKR)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

RB Leipzig – Club Brugge
Referee: Volen Chinkov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Venev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Deniz Sokolov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Christof Günsch (GER)
Referee Observer: Karel Vidlak (CZE)

AFC Ajax – Beşiktaş JK
Referee: Peter Kjaersgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesper Dahl (DEN)
Fourth Official: Erwin Blank (NED)
Referee Observer: Rien Koopman (NED)

FC Porto – Liverpool FC
Referee: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Florian Lemaire (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Vito Di Vincenzo (BEL)
Fourth Official: Fabio de Oliveira (POR)
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista (POR)

Borussia Dortmund – Sporting CP
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mangirdas Mirauskas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Dainius Raudys (LTU)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Winter (GER)
Referee Observer: Robert Małek (POL)

Paris St. Germain – Manchester City
Referee: Ádám Farkas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Theodoros Georgiou (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gergő Vígh-Tarsonyi (HUN)
Fourth Official: Romain Lissorgue (FRA)
Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian (FRA)

Real Madrid – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Kari a Høvdanum (FRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorleif Djurhuus (FRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Arni Rasmussen (FRO)
Fourth Official: Alvaro Rodríguez Recio (ESP)
Referee Observer: Salustia Chato (AND)

FC Zenit – Malmö FF
Referee: Artem Kuchin (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Evgenıı Belskıı (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Samat Tergeysizov (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Ivan Sidenkov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Atalanta BC – BSC Young Boys
Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Nertil Bregasi (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Emigers Gançi (ALB)
Fourth Official: Giovanni Ayroldi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Manchester United – Villarreal CF
Referee: Thorvaldur Arnason (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Andri Vigfusson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Anthony Backhouse (ENG)
Referee Observer: John Ferry (NIR)

FC Salzburg – LOSC Lille
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Max Wilde (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Niklas Nyberg (SWE)
Fourth Official: Stefan Ebner (AUT)
Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

SL Benfica – FC Barcelona
Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Tryfon Petropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Iordanis Aptosoglou (GRE)
Fourth Official: Miguel Nogueira (POR)
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira (POR)

Bayern München – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Portelli (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Francalanza (MLT)
Fourth Official: Timo Gerach (GER)
Referee Observer: Attila Abraham (HUN)

VfL Wolfsburg – Sevilla FC
Referee: Urs Schnyder (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher (SUI)
Fourth Official: Sven Waschitzki (GER)
Referee Observer: Albano Janku (ALB)

Juventus – Chelsea
Referee: Antonio Nobre (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Luciano Maia (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Nelson Pereira (POR)
Fourth Official: Lorenzo Maggioni (ITA)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 – Quarter-finals

26 September 2021

Morocco – Brazil 

Referee 1: Juan Cordero (ESP, photo)
Referee 2: Alejandro Martinez (ESP, photo)
Third Official: Nikola Jelic (CRO)
Timekeeper: Irina Velikanova (RUS)
Reserve AR: Chiara Perona (ITA)

Russia – Argentina
Referee 1: Antony Riley (NZL)
Referee 2: Christopher Sinclair (NZL)
Third Official: Josh Wilkens (USA)
Timekeeper: Ebrahim Mehrabi (IRN)
Reserve AR: Gelareh Nazemi (IRN)

26 September 2021
Spain – Portugal
Referee 1: Mohamed Hassan (EGY)
Referee 2: Khalid Hnich (MAR)
Third Official: Ondrej Cerny (CZE)
Timekeeper: Tomohiro Kozaki (JPN)
Reserve AR: Jorge Flores (SLV)

Iran – Kazakhstan
Referee 1: Ryan Shepheard (AUS)
Referee 2: Cedric Pelissier (FRA)
Third Official: Dario Santamaria (ARG)
Timekeeper: Diego Molina (CRC)
Reserve AR: Gean Telles (BRA)

Clattenburg tears apart top Premier League referees

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has torn apart almost every referee in the English top-flight in his new autobiography, which is wonderfully-titled Whistle Blower: My Autobiography.

Clattenburg was generally viewed as one of the more controversial referees during his time officiating in the Premier League, and his autobiography has reverted to type. "Clatts" goes two-footed on some of the Premier League's biggest personalities in his book, but he has little kind to say about his fellow Premier League whistleblowers. He reveals he has little time for Mike Riley, head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL). Riley was referred to as “snide” and “a boring f***er”. Meanwhile, David Elleray, the technical director of International Football Association Board, is called a “slippery, a sly toff”. Fellow Premier League referee Martin Atkinson was called, incredibly, a capable referee but “a square”, “boring company” and “bitter”. As for Mike Dean, Clattenburg saw him as one of the 'good guys' in the Premier League. Dean, however, is among a group that include; “a bunch of weirdos half the time” who work in “a world of former public schoolboys, geeks and back-stabbing bullies”. Clattenburg also reveals how he fell out with Howard Webb during Euro 2016 after Webb failed to invite his assistant to a BBC drinks party. “For all the good decisions he made during his career, I thought he made a poor one that night. It perhaps betrayed the type of person he really was.”

Clattenburg was a character in his own right, and he believes that he was a well-respected one too. Although, he did admit that got the impression he was less liked by his own bosses. “I believe I was well accepted on the field but not by the bosses. It’s not easy when people don’t want you to succeed so there’s great satisfaction that I achieved things, including all the finals, not needing the help and support of David Elleray and Mike Riley. Maybe because I was different. I didn’t always look like a referee.” Ultimately, Clattenburg sees himself as too much of a maverick for the milquetoast company of English referees. “Many people get it done [tattoos] but in refereeing people frown at anyone doing anything different. Your tie has to be the right length, your shoes have to be right, an old-school mentality. [Pierluigi] Collina, the best referee in the world, had tattoos. But there seems to be an English thing dictating how you should be. I was called vain, a disgrace. Why shouldn’t a referee have a nose piercing if they want? You are in the public eye and people assume they can criticise you.” Whistle Blower will be on sale this September in all good book stores.

Source: Balls.ie

Baldassi will advise National Referees Committee in Ecuador

The Ecuadorian Football Federation announced that the former Argentine international referee Hector Baldassi has been appointed as an advisor to the National Referees Committee “with the aim of enhancing the technical level of refereeing in our country and continuing to provide increasingly higher quality and competitive sporting events”.

Baldassi, now 55, refereed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, 2008 Olympics, Copa America, U-20 World Cup, Libertadores and Sudamericana finals, as well as 18 Argentine “SuperClasicos” between Boca Juniors and River Plate. He will have to advise the preparation and training of the first category referees, evaluate their physical, technical and on-field performances, in coordination with the Technical Department of the National Referees Committee, and establish guidelines to improve the quality and capacity of referee assessors. Other responsibilities will include raising the technical level of Ecuadorian referees, so that they are considered for international competitions and to carry out practical work sessions with the referees in different areas of the country, along with international instructors.

Source: FEF

Bosnian fans set referee’s car on fire

Several fans of Bosnian top-flight side Velez Mostar set on fire the car of a referee after being angered by decisions he made during their team's match, police said Wednesday. The match played in Mostar, in southern Bosnia, was interrupted a few minutes before the end on Tuesday after dozens of angry Velez supporters invaded the pitch.

Referee Sabrija Topalovic and his two assistants left for Sarajevo but their car was intercepted in a tunnel by another vehicle with four people on board, a police officer told AFP. "After damaging the car they threw a burning torch in it." One person was injured and hospitalised in nearby Jablanica, he said, and added the search for the assailants was still ongoing. Local media published a photo of the burned-out car.

Velez Mostar fans stormed the pitch in the 82nd minute of the match, after reigning Bosnian champions Borac Banja Luka scored to take a 2-0 lead. During the game Velez supporters protested several decisions made by referee. Such incidents are rather rare in Bosnian football, although referees are sometimes accused of corruption. In late 2020, two referees and an official of Bosnia's second division referees' commission were charged for fixing matches for 1,500 to 3,500 euros ($1,760 to $4,100) per game. (Source: AFP)

After the events in Mostar and the suspension of the game, Velež was deducted 3 points and their stadium was suspended for 6 games. Mostar received a fine of 10,000 KM and club president Semsudin Hasic was suspended from football for 2 years. (Source: SportSport.ba)

Leagues Cup Final 2021: Barton (SLV)

22 September 2021

Seattle Sounders – Club Leon
Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Fourth Official: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Juan Calderon (CRC)

Champions Cup 2021

Columbus Crew – Cruz Azul

Referee: Oshane Nation (JAM)

Assistant Referee 1: Ojaj Duhaney (JAM)

Assistant Referee 2: Iroots Appleton (ATG)

Fourth Official: Reon Radix (GRN)

VAR: Danoen Parchment (JAM)

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 – Round of 16

22 September 2021

Russia – Vietnam
Referee 1: Roberto Lopez (PAN, photo)
Referee 2: Henry Gutierrez (BOL)
Third Official: Carlos Martinez (PAR)
Timekeeper: Carlos Gonzalez (GUA)
Reserve AR: Cristian Espindola (CHI)

Venezuela – Morocco
Referee 1: Hussain Al Bahhar (BHR)
Referee 2: Josh Wilkens (USA)
Third Official: An Ran (CHN)
Timekeeper: Ronny Castro (CRC)
Reserve AR: Fahad Al-Hosani (UAE)

23 September 2021
Kazakhstan – Thailand
Referee 1: Mohamed Hassan (EGY)
Referee 2: Khalid Hnich (MAR)
Third Referee: Aymen Kammoun (TUN)
Timekeeper: Antony Riley (NZL)
Reserve AR: Tarek El-Khataby (EGY)

Argentina – Paraguay
Referee 1: Nurdin Bukuev (KGZ)
Referee 2: Nikola Jelic (CRO)
Third Referee: Daniel Matkovic (SUI)
Timekeeper: Alejandro Martinez (ESP)
Reserve AR: Juan Cordero (ESP)

Brazil – Japan
Referee 1: Irina Velikanova (RUS)
Referee 2: Cedric Pelissier (FRA)
Third Referee: Jorge Flores (SLV)
Timekeeper: Borislav Kolev (BUL)
Reserve AR: Chiara Perona (ITA)

24 September 2021
Uzbekistan – Iran
Referee 1: Diego Molina (CRC)
Referee 2: Ondrej Cerny (CZE)
Third Referee: Eduardo Coelho (POR)
Timekeeper: Gean Telles (BRA)
Reserve AR: Gabor Kovacs (HUN)

Portugal – Serbia
Referee 1: Daniel Rodriguez (URU)
Referee 2: Dario Santamaria (ARG)
Third Referee: Valeria Palma (CHI)
Timekeeper: Henry Gutierrez (BOL)
Reserve AR: Maria Pinto (ARG)

Spain – Czech Republic
Referee 1: Tomohiro Kozaki (JPN)
Referee 2: Ryan Shepheard (AUS)
Third Referee: Ebrahim Mehrabi (IRN)
Timekeeper: Christopher Sinclair (NZL)
Reserve AR: Gelareh Nazemi (IRN)

Concacaf League 2021 – Round of 16 (First Leg)

21-23 September 2021

Forge FC – Independiente

Referee: Diego Montano (MEX, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Hernandez (MEX)

Assistant Referee 2: Christian Espinosa (MEX)

Fourth Official: Adonai Escobedo (MEX)

Inter Moengo – Olimpia
Referee: Oliver Vergara (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ronald Bruna (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Geovany Garcia (SLV)
Fourth Official: Jaime Herrera (SLV)

Guastatoya – Alajuelense
Referee: Nima Saghafi (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicholas Uranga (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cameron Blanchard (USA)
Fourth Official: Joe Dickerson (USA)

Comunicaciones – Alianza
Referee: Jefferson Escobar (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Gerson Orellana (HON)
Fourth Official: Selvin Brown (HON)

Marathon – Real Esteli
Referee: Tristley Bassue (SKN)
Assistant Referee 1: Kevon Clarke (BRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Iroots Appleton (ATG)
Fourth Official: Trevester Richards (SKN)

Universitario – Motagua
Referee: Julio Luna (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Julian Mendez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Tipaz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Oscar Reyna (GUA)

Santos de Guapiles – Plaza Amador
Referee: Tori Penso (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Rockwell (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Anderson (USA)
Fourth Official: Ted Unkel (USA)

Santa Lucia – Deportivo Saprissa
Referee: Randy Encarnacion (DOM)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Cid (DOM)
Assistant Referee 2: Raymundo Feliz (DOM)
Fourth Official: Ricangel De Leca (ARU)

Clattenburg vs Mourinho: “I picked up my boot and launched it at him!”

I am often asked if there was one match that persuaded me to quit the Premier League. What follows is as close as I can remember to a moment when I thought: ‘You know what, I don’t give a f*** any more.’ It was Stoke versus Manchester United on January 21, 2017. Wayne Rooney had broken Sir Bobby Charlton’s Manchester United scoring record with a late free-kick for a 1-1 draw. It was not long after full-time when there was a knock at my dressing room door and United manager Jose Mourinho came in. I was just taking my boots off.

‘You must be happy this time,’ I said. ‘You can’t blame me for that draw, can you?’ ‘I can,’ he said. He started going on about a handball in the penalty area by Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross. ‘What you on about?’ I said. ‘I got that right, I know I did.’ ‘No. I’ve seen the video. You were wrong.’ He was going on and on. Shut up man, will you? I picked up my boot and launched it against the wall next to him. ‘F***ing get out of my dressing room. Get out!’ Mourinho froze. I lost it with him. I did not give a s*** any more. He did not know what to say. I was so fed up with all of the ridiculous mind games. I drove home while going over and over the Shawcross incident. I watched it on Match of the Day and I was right, the ball hit him flush on the chest. So why was Mourinho playing funny buggers with me? I went to bed that night and I knew I’d had enough. ‘You know what,’ I thought, ‘I can’t be bothered with idiots like that any more.’

Source: Daily Mail

CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2021 – Semi-finals (First Leg)

22-23 September 2021

Red Bull Bragantino – Libertad
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximiliano Del Yesso (ARG)
Fourth Official: Piero Maza (CHI)
VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
AVAR 1: Juan Lara (CHI)
AVAR 2: Raul Orellana (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)
VAR Observer: Jose Carpio (ECU)

Penarol – Athletico Paranaense
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Orue (PER)
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega (PER)
VAR: Victor Carrillo (PER)
AVAR 1: John Ospina (COL)
AVAR 2: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
VAR Observer: Hernan Maidana (ARG)

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2021 – Semi-finals (First Leg)

21-22 September 2021

Palmeiras – Atletico Mineiro
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Fourth Official: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR 1: German Delfino (ARG)
AVAR 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Regildenia Moura (BRA)
VAR Observer: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Flamengo – Barcelona
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)
Fourth Official: Andres Matonte (URU)
VAR: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
AVAR 1: Juan Soto (VEN)
AVAR 2: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Referee Assessor: Nilson Moncao (BRA)
VAR Observer: Luis Sanchez (VEN)

Gillett to become first overseas Premier League referee

Jarred Gillett will become the first overseas official to referee a Premier League game when he takes charge of Watford v Newcastle on Saturday. The 34-year-old Australian was promoted to Select Group 1 by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) before the start of the season.

After spending nine years in the A-League in his home country, 34-year-old Gillett moved to England in the 2019-20 season to referee in the EFL. He has been on Premier League VAR duty this season and has officiated in League One, League Two and the Championship over the last two seasons, including the second leg of the 2020/21 Championship play-off final between Brentford and Bournemouth. The Premier League said he would become "the first overseas official" to referee a Premier League match. Although former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher was born in Ireland, he moved to England aged 16 and was considered an English FA representative - and was even able to officiate in a Republic of Ireland game against Russia in 2002.

Source: BBC

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 2)

19-21 September 2021

Israel – Portugal
Referee: Maria Marotta (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Veronica Martinelli (ITA)
Fourth Official: Silvia Gasperotti (ITA)
Referee Assessor: Michalis Argyrou (CYP)

Russia – Montenegro
Referee: Ewa Augustyn (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Paulina Baranowska (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Katarzyna Wojs (POL)
Fourth Official: Aleksandra Ponomareva (RUS)
Referee Assessor: Orhan Erdemir (TUR)

Germany – Serbia
Referee: Kirsty Dowle (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Lisa Rashid (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Helen Edwards (ENG)
Fourth Official: Helen Conley (ENG)
Referee Assessor: Hilda McDermott (IRL)

Finland – Slovakia
Referee: Marta Frias Acedo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Rocio Puente Pino (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Carmela Capistros Bitrian (ESP)
Fourth Official: Zulema Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)
Referee Assessor: Elke Günthner (GER)

Czech Republic – Cyprus
Referee: Henrikke Nervik (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Monica Lokkeberg (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Silje Thoresen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Ingvild Aarland (NOR)
Referee Assessor: Carolina De Boeck (BEL)

Armenia – Poland
Referee: Catarina Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreia de Sousa (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ana da Silva (POR)
Fourth Official: Teresa de Oliveira (POR)
Referee Assessor: Marina Mamayeva (RUS)

Croatia – Italy
Referee: Marta Huerta de Aza (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Eliana Fernandez Gonzalez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Xiomara Diaz Garcia (ESP)
Referee Assessor: Jenny Palmqvist (SWE)

North Macedonia – Austria
Referee: Sara Persson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Julia Magnusson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Almira Spahic (SWE)
Fourth Official: Sara Wiinikka (SWE)
Referee Assessor: Claudine Brohet (BEL)

Azerbaijan – Denmark
Referee: Zuzana Valentova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Maria Sukeníkova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Miroslava Obertova (SVK)
Fourth Official: Maria Krčova (SVK)
Referee Assessor: Aleh Čykun (BLR)

Sweden – Georgia
Referee: Lucie Šulcova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Vera Soukupova (CZE)
Fourth Official: Jana Adamkova (CZE)
Referee Assessor: Sofía Karagiorgi (CYP)

Malta – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Heini Hyvönen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tonja Weckström (FIN)
Fourth Official: Ifeoma Kulmala (FIN)
Referee Assessor: Silvia Tea Spinelli (ITA)

Kosovo – Norway
Referee: Reelika Turi (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Anni Rahula (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Anni Koppel (EST)
Fourth Official: Triinu Vaher (EST)
Referee Assessor: Regina Konink-Belksma (NED)

Moldova – Switzerland
Referee: Anastasia Romaniuk (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandra Vdovina (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Irina Petrova (UKR)
Fourth Official: Katerina Usova (UKR)
Referee Assessor: Marta Atzori (ITA)

Estonia – Wales
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Svitlana Hrushko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Lyudmyla Telbukh (UKR)
Referee Assessor: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Greece – Kazakhstan
Referee: Eszter Urban (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Katalin Török (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Judit Gavalla-Kulcsar (HUN)
Fourth Official: Katalin Sipos (HUN)
Referee Assessor: Plarent Kotherja (ALB)

Romania – Lithuania
Referee: Sandra Braz Bastos (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Olga de Almeida (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandrine dos Santos (POR)
Fourth Official: Filipa da Cunha (POR)
Referee Assessor: Christine Frai (GER)

Hungary – Spain
Referee: Sabina Bolić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Maja Petravić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivona Pejić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Referee Assessor: Kirsi Heikkinen (FIN)

Northern Ireland – Latvia
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Susanne Küng (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Emilie Aubry (SUI)
Fourth Official: Michele Schmölzer (SUI)
Referee Assessor: Gerard Perry (IRL)

Luxembourg – England
Referee: Aleksandra Česen (SVN, 2Cat)
Assistant Referee 1: Staša Špur (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Sladjana Jovičić (SVN)
Fourth Official: Tanja Subotič (SVN)
Referee Assessor: Teodora Albon (ROU)

Belgium – Albania
Referee: Desiree Grundbacher (SUI, 1Cat)
Assistant Referee 1: Sabrina Keinersdorfer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Nadine Reichmuth (SUI)
Fourth Official: Laura Mauricio (SUI)
Referee Assessor: Dilan Işcan (TUR)

Scotland – Faroe Islands
Referee: Jelena Cvetković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivana Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandra Stojanac (SRB)
Fourth Official: Marina Živković (SRB)
Referee Assessor: Paloma Quintero Siles (ESP)

Iceland – Netherlands
Referee: Rebecca Welch (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Natalie Aspinall (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Emily Carney (ENG)
Fourth Official: Emily Heaslip (ENG)
Referee Assessor: Bente Skogvang (NOR)

Slovenia – France
Referee: Riem Hussein (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Sina Diekmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Angelika Söder (GER)
Referee Assessor: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 33-36)

20 September 2021

Spain – Angola
Referee 1: Josh Wilkens (USA, photo)
Referee 2: Nurdin Bukuev (KGZ)
Third Official: Henry Gutierrez (BOL)
Timekeeper: Fahad Al-Hosani (UAE)
Reserve AR: Antony Riley (NZL)

Japan – Paraguay
Referee 1: Roberto Lopez (PAN)
Referee 2: Eduardo Coelho (POR)
Third Official: Carlos Gonzalez (GUA)
Timekeeper: Aymen Kammoun (TUN)
Reserve AR: Cedric Pelissier (FRA)

USA – Serbia
Referee 1: Christopher Sinclair (NZL)
Referee 2: An Ran (CHN)
Third Official: Ryan Shepheard (AUS)
Timekeeper: Hussain Al Bahhar (BHR)
Reserve AR: Tomohiro Kozaki (JPN)

Iran – Argentina
Referee 1: Alejandro Martinez (ESP)
Referee 2: Juan Cordero (ESP)
Third Official: Diego Molina (CRC)
Timekeeper: Ronny Castro (CRC)
Reserve AR: Mohamed Hassan (EGY)

Clattenburg believes mental health is a serious issue among officials and said the huge pressure is why he left English football

Clattenburg refereed at England's highest level for 13 years and was widely considered one of the best European referees in that time. As well as his 297 Premier League matches, Clattenburg also took charge of a number of high-profile matches across the globe, including the 2016 Champions League final and Euro 2016 final. However, he admits the pressure of refereeing at the highest level is why he left the league for a role in the Saudi Arabian Football Federation back in February 2017.

"The stress levels of refereeing in the Premier League [were a factor]," Clattenburg said. "Most referees last 8-10 years and then finish because of the stress, the training every day, and the pressure on your body. To do 13 years was a very difficult ask." But with more conversations around mental health in football today, Clattenburg feels more referees might get the support they need moving forward. "I think in the past, it was [seen as] a sign of weakness but now more and more people are speaking out. Therefore, football is supporting not just the players, but the referees," Clattenburg added. "When I was coming through the system, I had to use people - friendships. They used to help me deal with issues that I used to have - dealing with abuse, issues in your private life. It's always difficult because you're in the public eye and you have a responsibility, but, either way, it's important that people go out and get the help they need."

Clattenburg's career in the limelight coincided with the growth of social media, with the referee calling on social media companies to do more in the fight against online abuse. "I'm still getting abuse now on social media and it's really sad to see the abuse that referees take," Clattenburg added. "I got death threats and the social media companies wouldn't do anything about it. What does it take, somebody to get hurt? Or like what we are seeing now, players getting racially abused? It's not correct, it shouldn't be around in today's society." Clattenburg also feels that if referees were able to speak after games and explain their decisions, they may be understood a little more by fans, players, coaches and analysts. "I'm all for referees being transparent, I'm all for referees being open," he said. "Why not? It's an open world. Referees need to communicate their decisions. I think if it's done in a controlled environment it would benefit the game because people can understand why a referee made a decision - right or wrong."

Clattenburg also opened up on the period of his career when he fell out of love with the game after being accused of using racial language towards Chelsea's John Obi Mikel in October 2012. The club made a formal complaint to the FA against Clattenburg about his alleged use of "inappropriate language" towards the player during a match against Manchester United with a police investigation also launched. And although the FA cleared Clattenburg of wrongdoing and the police investigation was also subsequently dropped, Clattenburg felt he was treated unfairly throughout the ordeal. "To be accused of something that you haven't done is really difficult to deal with," Clattenburg said. "To be found guilty of something before you'd even had the chance to speak is really difficult to deal with because I've always believed that you should be innocent until proven guilty. However, that wasn't the case and I didn't want to come back and referee at that point because unfortunately I fell out of love with the game. But I had a mortgage to pay, a family to look after, and therefore I had to go back to refereeing. I was lucky that over the years I fell back in love with football and it made me achieve what I actually did."

Source: SkySports

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 – Group Stage (Matches 25-32)

18 September 2021

Egypt – Uzbekistan

Referee 1: Dario Santamaria (ARG, photo)

Referee 2: Daniel Rodriguez (URU)

Third Official: Alejandro Martinez (ESP)

Timekeeper: Diego Molina (CRC)

Reserve AR: Juan Cordero (ESP)

Guatemala – Russia
Referee 1: Henry Gutierrez (BOL)
Referee 2: Carlos Martinez (PAR)
Third Official: Cristian Espindola (CHI)
Timekeeper: Maria Pinto (ARG)
Reserve AR: Nurdin Bukuev (KGZ)

Venezuela – Kazakhstan
Referee 1: Aymen Kammoun (TUN)
Referee 2: Mohamed Hassan (EGY)
Third Official: Khalid Hnich (MAR)
Timekeeper: An Ran (CHN)
Reserve AR: Jorge Flores (SLV)

Costa Rica – Lithuania
Referee 1: Ebrahim Mehrabi (IRN)
Referee 2: Gelareh Nazemi (IRN)
Third Official: Christopher Sinclair (NZL)
Timekeeper: Hussain Al Bahhar (BHR)
Reserve AR: Fahad Al-Hosani (UAE)

19 September 2021
Brazil – Panama
Referee 1: Daniel Matkovic (SUI)
Referee 2: Gabor Kovacs (HUN)
Third Official: Tomohiro Kozaki (JPN)
Timekeeper: Nikola Jelic (CRO)
Reserve AR: Borislav Kolev (BUL)

Czech Republic – Vietnam
Referee 1: Maria Pinto (ARG)
Referee 2: Valeria Palma (CHI)
Third Official: Ronny Castro (CRC)
Timekeeper: Henry Gutierrez (BOL)
Reserve AR: Cristian Espindola (CHI)

Solomon Islands – Thailand
Referee 1: Cedric Pelissier (FRA)
Referee 2: Tarek El-Khataby (EGY)
Third Official: Jorge Flores (SLV)
Timekeeper: Gean Telles (BRA)
Reserve AR: Khalid Hnich (MAR)

Portugal – Morocco
Referee 1: Antony Riley (NZL)
Referee 2: Ryan Shepheard (AUS)
Third Official: Josh Wilkens (USA)
Timekeeper: Chiara Perona (ITA)
Reserve AR: Irina Velikanova (RUS)

Pinto and Palma ready to break new ground in futsal

“We had a hug and shed a tear together. It’s where we always wanted to be,” said Chilean referee Valeria Palma, recounting how she and her Argentinian colleague Maria Estefania Pinto reacted to the news that they would be taking charge of Friday’s Group E match between Spain and Japan at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021. “We both know we have to do a good job,” they said. Appearing at their first World Cup as referees, the two are rightly proud to be making history. FIFA.com spoke to Pinto and Palma ahead of Friday’s game, when they will become the first pair of women to take charge of a FIFA Futsal World Cup match.

- How did you get into refereeing?

- Maria Estefania Pinto: I’ve always been a huge football fan and I wanted to get involved in the game in some way. I tried to be a director of football but I was young and didn’t have any experience as a player either. So I started football refereeing, which I still do, and then I followed up with futsal.

- Valeria Palma: I’ve always been involved in football and then futsal came along. I gave it up when I was 16 and got a job. I was offered the chance to referee, and here I am getting paid for doing something I love. Futsal is the most wonderful thing there is. I’ve fallen in love with the job and I don’t see myself doing anything else.

- What was your inspiration?

- Pinto: There weren’t many female referees around. We were lineswomen or assistant referees. I was really keen on refereeing, and if you get into futsal that’s what you do. I made the Argentinian Football Association’s (AFA) pool of futsal match officials, started refereeing, and along came this opportunity. I’m so thrilled.

- Palma: The most important thing for me was being in love with the sport. That was what motivated me to do what I’m doing now. I’ve been at this for many years and to come this far is a dream come true and an objective fulfilled.

- Have you stopped to think about it? What have you told your friends and family? And how does it feel?

- Pinto: They’re all very happy. We’ve worked really hard to get here. It’s been a couple of years in the making and we have to thank everyone who believed in us and opened doors for us. We’re going to make the most of this dream come true.

- Palma: It’s impossible not to be excited about it because it’s been many years of struggle. Every time I stop and think on the court I remember the hard work and the effort, training in the heat and the cold, being away from my family, and missing out on special occasions. It’s a dream and a very exciting one at that. My family are very proud of me. I do everything I can for them and for the people who’ve supported me.

- Do you feel that you are role models for younger women starting out in refereeing and aiming to go far?

- Pinto: It’s a huge responsibility in that respect. The image we give in the match also depends on the image we give to other women. I feel the responsibility on me to get everything right and make the way head easier for them. This is only the start. More doors are going to open.

- Palma: It’s a motivation for girls. We’re opening the way so that they can be considered for other tournaments. I’m keeping my feet on the ground but if there are other girls who want to follow us and are watching us, then it’s a huge motivation. It pushes me to do things well. If you work hard, you’ll get your reward and that’s what you’ll come away with.

- Is it a dream come true to take charge of a FIFA Futsal World Cup match?

- Pinto: To get this far is what every referee aspires to. I’m happy, though you always want more. I wasn’t expecting this appointment. It’s taken me by surprise and we’re going to try and make the most of it. Refereeing this match is another dream fulfilled.

- Palma: Yes, it is, and it’s a blessing and a dream to be with my colleague, compatriot, and friend. I never imagined I’d be making my debut with Estefania and I’m delighted to be sharing this moment with her. We were also the first female match officials to go to a CONMEBOL qualifier.

- What’s the next step in your refereeing careers?

- Pinto: Once you’ve come this far, you want more. They do a cut on 26 September and some referees will be going home. If you get this far, you want to stay on for the final. I’m not thinking about it, though. I want to focus on tomorrow and make sure everything goes well.

- Palma: Getting this far is hard, but the toughest and most important thing is staying. My main objective is to do just that so I can keep taking part in big competitions. Like Estefania, I want to be in finals and to take the next step, but I know there are other colleagues with more experience and who are better prepared than us. It’s only our first World Cup after all.

Source: FIFA

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 1)

16-18 September 2021

Denmark – Malta
Referee: Karoline Wacker (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christina Biehl (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Joos (GER)
Fourth Official: Franziska Wildfeuer (GER)
Referee Assessor: Antonia Kokotou (GRE)

Norway – Armenia
Referee: Rasa Grigone (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Ugne Šmitaite (TU)
Assistant Referee 2: Irina Pozdejeva (LTU)
Fourth Official: Jurgita Mačikunyte (LTU)
Referee Assessor: Mika Peltola (FIN)

Turkey – Portugal
Referee: Maïka Vanderstichel (FRA, 3Cat)
Assistant Referee 1: Élodie Coppola (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Solenne Bartnik (FRA)
Fourth Official: Savina Elbour (FRA)
Referee Assessor: Asim Xudiyev (AZE)

Faroe Islands – Spain
Referee: Paula Brady (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Olivia Sneyd (IRL)
Fourth Official: Claire Purcell (IRL)
Referee Assessor: Maria Persson (SWE)

Albania – Kosovo
Referee: Elvira Nurmustafina (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Nargis Magay (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Dinara Idirisova (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Tatiana Sorokopydova (KAZ)
Referee Assessor: Miroslava Migalova (SVK)

Latvia – Austria
Referee: Triinu Vaher (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Karolin Kaivoja (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Anni Rahula (EST)
Fourth Official: Reelika Turi (EST)
Referee Assessor: Attila Abraham (HUN)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro
Referee: Justina Lavrenovaite-Perez (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Ieva Ramanauskiene (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Gerda Eidinzonaite (LTU)
Fourth Official: Lina Skladaityte (LTU)
Referee Assessor: Emilia Wnuk (POL)

Belarus – Cyprus
Referee: Marina Krupskaya (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Sabina Valieva (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Ekaterina Chernova (RUS)
Fourth Official: Aleksandra Ponomareva (RUS)
Referee Assessor: Ivana Vlaić (BIH)

Greece – France
Referee: Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Kurochkina (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Yulia Petrova (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vera Opeikina (RUS)
Referee Assessor: Irina Mîrț (ROU)

Slovakia – Sweden
Referee: Shona Shukrula (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Ella De Vries (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Joline Delcroix (BEL)
Fourth Official: Julia van Es (NED)
Referee Assessor: Karel Vidlak (CZE)

Italy – Moldova
Referee: Lorraine Watson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Victoria Allan (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Victoria Robertson (SCO)
Fourth Official: Abigail Hendry (SCO)
Referee Assessor: Snježana Fočić (CRO)

Russia – Azerbaijan
Referee: Viola Raudziņa (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Liga Didriķe (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Diana Vanaga-Araja (LVA)
Fourth Official: Jeļena Jermolajeva (LVA)
Referee Assessor: Igor Șațchii (MDA)

Estonia – Slovenia
Referee: Hristiana Guteva (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Marinova (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Pavleta Rashkova (BUL)
Fourth Official: Kristina Georgieva (BUL)
Referee Assessor: Gyöngyi Gaal (HUN)

Poland – Belgium
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Tepusa (ROU)
Fourth Official: Cristina Trandafir (ROU)
Referee Assessor: Vencel Toth (HUN)

Switzerland – Lithuania
Referee: Victoria Beyer (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephanie Di Benedetto (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Jennifer Maubacq (FRA)
Fourth Official: Alexandra Collin (FRA)
Referee Assessor: Lilach Asulin (ISR)

Romania – Croatia
Referee: Lizzy van der Helm (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolet Bakker (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Ashley de Haan (NED)
Fourth Official: Sterre Bijlsma (NED)
Referee Assessor: Nadezhda Ulianovskaia (RUS)

Hungary – Scotland
Referee: Frida Klarlund Nielsen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Sidsel Dall (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Fie Bruun (DEN)
Fourth Official: Frederikke Sokjaer (DEN)
Referee Assessor: Blaženka Logarušić (CRO)

England – North Macedonia
Referee: Maria Martinez Madrona (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Silvia Fernandez Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Rita Cabanero Mompo (ESP)
Fourth Official: Olatz Rivera Olmedo (ESP)
Referee Assessor: Ingrid Jonsson (SWE)

Northern Ireland – Luxembourg
Referee: Eleni Antoniou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Detsi (GRE)
Fourth Official: Andromachi Tsiofliki (GRE)
Referee Assessor: Anja Kunick (GER)

Wales – Kazakhstan
Referee: Monika Mularczyk (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Anna Dabrowska (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Martyna Koziel (POL)
Fourth Official: Michalina Diakow (POL)
Referee Assessor: John Ferry (NIR)

Netherlands – Czech Republic
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Jelena Kumer (CRO)
Referee Assessor: Gitte Holm (DEN)

Germany – Bulgaria
Referee: Ivana Projkovska (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Vjolca Izeiri (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Elena Soklevska-Ilievski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Irena Velevačkoska (MKD)
Referee Assessor: Mark Whitby (WAL)