UEFA Youth League Final 2023: Delajod (FRA)

24 April 2023

Winner Semi-final 1 – Winner Semi-final 2
Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwan Finjean (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard (FRA)

Referee Observer: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)

Semi-finals (21 April 2023)

Sporting CP – AZ Alkmaar
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mangirdas Mirauskas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Luca Cibelli (SUI)

Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

Hajduk Split – AC Milan
Referee: Rohit Saggi (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Morten Jensen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Anders Dale (NOR)
Fourth Official: Alessandro Dudic (SUI)

Referee Observer: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)

IFFHS World’s Best Woman Referee 2012-2022: Steinhaus (GER)

The IFFHS has devised an equitable method for determining the ranking of the world’s best woman referee in the last 10 years (2012-2022) by taking into consideration the Top 20 of each yearly ranking of the category concerned and allocating points to each place” the first placed received 20 points, the second placed 19 points, the third placed 18 points… 1 point for the 20th place. Bibiana Steinhaus (4 IFFHS Awards) is the leader of the ranking, just 2 points before Switzerland’s Esther Staubli, who has never won the annual Award, but was ranked in the World’s Top 10 each year since 2012. Kateryna Monzul (one Award) is third before the newcomer Stephanie Frappart, who has already won 4 IFFHS Awards, from 2019 to 2022. (Source: IFFHS)

IFFHS World’s Best Women Referees (2012-2022)

1. Bibiana Steinhaus (GER, photo) - 171p

2. Esther Staubli (SUI) - 169p

3. Kateryna Monzul (UKR) - 160p

4. Stephanie Frappart (FER) - 128p

5. Katalin Kulcsar (HUN) - 78p

6. Claudia Umpierrez (URU) - 71p

7. Carol Anne Chenard (CAN) - 69p

8. Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS) - 51p

9. Pernilla Larsson (SWE) - 48p

10. Riem Hussein (GER) - 43p

11. Kate Jacewicz (AUS) - 42p

12. Teodora Albon (ROU) - 39p

13. Jenny Palmqvist (SWE) - 39p

14. Jana Adamkova (CZE) - 28p

15. Carina Vitulano (ITA) - 28p

Women’s Finalissima (UEFA-CONMEBOL) 2023: Frappart (FRA)

Stephanie Frappart will referee next week's Women's Finalissima between England and Brazil at Wembley Stadium in London – another landmark appointment for the French official. The 39-year-old became the first woman to referee in the UEFA Super Cup (2019), Champions League (2020) and FIFA World Cup (2022) and will now officiate the inaugural Women's Finalissima as the European champions meet their South American counterparts at Wembley.

"The game has been sold out for a long time, so it means the fans are waiting for this moment, just like the Women's EURO, and there is a lot of expectation, not just in Europe but also in South America for this competition," Frappart said. "It's two different styles of play, but we have that experience with the Women's World Cup, that when they play together it makes for a very interesting tactical game, but the women's games are often very open, more perhaps than the men, so it will be a great contest." Among the excitement at two of the world's top teams going head-to-head, Frappart sees her own role as a facilitator for the players to shine. "If at the end, no one is speaking about the referees, it means that we did the job and gave the possibility to the players to show their qualities," she explained. "It is a big spectacle for everybody and as a refereeing team, we have to prepare to expect the unexpected things and make sure that if something happens, we are ready to manage it." Next Thursday's Wembley date will be Frappart's third assignment at the iconic venue, following on from a 2019 friendly between England and Germany and her role as fourth official at last summer's UEFA Women's EURO 2022 final. "In that first game, there was a big crowd of 77,000, and at Women's EURO it was sold out," she recalls. "The atmosphere was great and this is one of my best memories. At Women's EURO, everything was well organised. Most of the stadiums were full and we can see that women's football is much more attractive than before." Women's football is one of the key focus points of the recently expanded cooperation between UEFA and CONMEBOL, which not only creates mouthwatering events like the men's and women's Finalissima, but also closer ties in the areas of futsal and youth football, technical training schemes and, of course, refereeing. At both EURO 2020 and Women's EURO 2022, South American representatives joined UEFA's line-up of officials, and vice versa for CONMEBOL's Copa América equivalents. "We have some exchanges, not only in competitions, but also in seminars, and it's good that some referees from Europe and South America are swapping positions," Frappart said. "It's good to share our experiences, to have these conversations and improve the level of refereeing. This is a great cooperation between UEFA and CONMEBOL." The future is bright for the blossoming relationship between European and South American football. Now, it's all eyes on another spectacular occasion under the Wembley floodlights. (Source: UEFA)

6 April 2023 (London)
England – Brazil
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elodie Coppola (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)
VAR: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
AVAR: Maika Vanderstichel (FRA)
Referee Observer: Dagmar Damkova (CZE)

Laws of the Game Changes 2023/24

Law 3 – The Players

• Clarification that the referee should take action against an extra person on the field of play when a goal is scored only if the person affected the play, e.g., the Law does not expect the referee to penalise encroachment onto the field of play if it does not impact the play

Law 6 – The Other Match Officials

• Reserve assistant referee (RAR) is now permitted to assist the referee in the same way as the other ‘on-field’ match officials

Law 7 – The Duration of the Match

• Goal celebrations will be listed separately to emphasise that theyoften result in a significant amount of time being lost, for which the referee makes allowance.

Law 10 – Determining the Outcome of a Match

• The term ‘kicks from the penalty mark’ is outdated and will be replaced by ‘penalties (penalty shoot-out)’

• Clarification that warnings and cautions for team officials, as well as for players, are not carried forward into penalties (penalty shoot-out)

Law 11 – Offside

• The additional wording clarifies the guidelines for distinguishing between ‘deliberate play’ and ‘deflection’ based on the expectation that a player who is clearly in an offside position should not become onside on all occasions when an opponent moves and touches the ball, as outlined in circular 26 (July 2022)

Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct

• It is not always clear whether an action was an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball (or both). The same principle should apply for challenging for the ball as attempting to play the ball. Clarification that if the referee awards a penalty kick for an offence which involved a defending team player challenging an opponent for the ball (excluding holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.), the same sanction should be issued to the player as for an attempt to play the ball, i.e., if the offence stops or interferes with a promising attack – no caution (no yellow card); DOGSO offence – caution (yellow card)

• Clarification that the senior team official can be sanctioned only for an offence committed by an ‘unidentified offender’ who is in/from the technical area, i.e., this does not apply to an offence committed by an ‘unidentified player’

Law 14 – The Penalty Kick

• Clarification that the goalkeeper must not behave in a manner that fails to show respect for the game and the opponent, i.e., by unfairly distracting the kicker

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocol

• Amended wording reflects the VAR ‘light’ system, which does not involve a replay operator.

Source: IFAB

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2022/23 – Quarter-finals (Second Leg)

29 March 2023 

FC Barcelona – AS Roma
Referee: Riem Hussein (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Sina Diekmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Frida Nilsen (DEN)
VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
AVAR: Franziska Wildfeuer (GER)
Referee Observer: Marte Soro (NOR)

Arsenal WFC – Bayern München
Referee: Marta Huerta De Aza (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Eliana Fernandez Gonzalez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Maria Ferrieri Caputi (ITA)
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
Referee Observer: Sofia Karagiorgi (CYP)

30 March 2023
VfL Wolfsburg – Paris St. Germain
Referee: Cheryl Foster (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ceri Williams (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad (HUN)
Fourth Official: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)
AVAR: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Referee Observer: Antonia Kokotou (GRE)

Chelsea FCW – Olympique Lyonnais
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Ivana Projkovska (MKD)
VAR: Duje Strukan (CRO)
AVAR: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Referee Observer: Silvia Spinelli (ITA)

AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Final 2023: Al-Salehi (OMA) & Al-Raeesi (UAE)

26 March 2023

Iran – Japan
Referee 1: Turki Al-Salehi (OMA, photo)
Referee 2: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi (UAE)
Third Referee: Abdulla Saleh (BHR)
Timekeeper: Suparith Udma (THA)
Reserve AR: Abdulaziz Abdullah (KUW)

Kiwi refereeing couple making history

All couples share common interests, but Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh and Anna-Marie Keighley took that a step further when they became the first husband-and-wife pair to referee each game on the New Zealand Football cup finals. “We were both lucky enough to be recognised and appointed to the games and it’s pretty exciting to make a little bit of New Zealand football history,” Anna-Marie says. “Both of us are out and about in different areas, either in Auckland for the northern league during the winter or around the country for the summer national leagues,” Anna-Marie explains. “It’s pretty common for us to be going in different directions so it’s nice to be going to the same place this time and both being there to support each other.”

The couple first met through refereeing and tied the knot in 2017. Now based in Hamilton, both agree their spouse has played a key role in their impressive careers as match officials. “I know a lot of other referees who maybe don’t get the same kind of support from their partners as we do – it’s great to have someone who understands the demands of being at the top,” Campbell-Kirk says. “It takes a lot of time and sacrifice with all the training and sometimes it can be hard to get out there, especially in the winter at 6pm in the rain. But one of us always says to the other, ‘Come on, we need to get out there and do this’. There are a lot of ups and downs with refereeing so to have someone to go through that with makes a big difference.” That hard work has paid off with Campbell-Kirk firmly established as one of New Zealand’s best male referees and Anna-Marie making her mark on the international stage after appearing at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Olympic Games and many other global age-group tournaments. Anna-Marie, who works as a teacher at Rototuna Senior High, says much of her progress can be put down to the support of her husband, who is always on hand to help critique her performances and offer advice. “He’s been refereeing longer than I have so has a good understanding of how all the teams play and their tactics,” she says. “He has a wealth of expertise I can draw on and apply in some of my games. It’s kind of like having my own personal 24-hour mentor.”

With their lives so heavily entwined with the beautiful game, the pair admit it can be hard to get away from football and do make a conscious effort to enjoy other aspects of married life. “It’s definitely hard because we’re both so involved, and Anna-Marie coaches a team at her school as well. And my whole family is football so sometimes it can just be a football, football, football mind-set,” Campbell-Kirk says. “But we have tried to make sure at least one day a week is no football and that we don’t go out to a game or watch one on TV.” Used to running the rule over 22 players and having the final say, you may think a couple featuring two referees would have its differences, but Anna-Marie says her and Campbell-Kirk are no different to any other husband and wife and that she often enjoys taking a back seat at home. “It’s funny, I make a lot of decisions on the field so sometimes it’s nice afterwards to hand over some of the decision making, like what we’re going to have for dinner and things like that,” she explains. “It’s like any other relationship in that it’s all about give and take and sharing responsibility.”

Source: NZ Football

UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers (Matchday 2)

26 March 2023 

England – Ukraine
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)
Fourth Official: Richard Martens (NED)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Referee Observer: Drago Kos (SVN)

Kazakhstan – Denmark
Referee: Novak Simović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikola Djorovic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Miloš Simovic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Lazar Lukić (SRB)
VAR: Momčilo Marković (SRB)
AVAR: Jelena Cvetković (SRB)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

Slovenia – San Marino
Referee: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Hillaert (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ruben Wyns (BEL)
Fourth Official: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)
VAR: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
AVAR: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Referee Observer: Vencel Toth (HUN)

Liechtenstein – Ireland
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Fourth Official: Sandi Putros (DEN)
VAR: Pawel Pskit (POL)
AVAR: Piotr Lasyk (POL)
Referee Observer: Plarent Kotherja (ALB)

Malta – Italy
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Nikola Popov (BUL)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Dragomir Draganov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Milorad Mažić (SRB)

Northern Ireland – Finland
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor (SVK)
Fourth Official: Peter Kralović (SVK)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Edwin Van De Graaf (NED)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

Slovakia – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bresmes (ITA)
Fourth Official: Giovanni Ayroldi (ITA)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

Luxembourg – Portugal
Referee: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Grigoriu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Iulian Dima (ROU)
VAR: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU)
AVAR: Horatiu Fesnic (ROU)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

27 March 2023
Netherlands – Gibraltar
Referee: Morten Krogh (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Rasmussen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Steffen Bramsen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Peter Kjrsgaard (DEN)
VAR: David Coote (ENG)
AVAR: Lee Bettts (ENG)
Referee Observer: Asim Khudiyev (AZE)

Ireland – France
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Paulo Soares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Fabio Verissimo (POR)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Luis Godinho (POR)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

Poland – Albania
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
VAR: Nejc Kajtazovic (SVN)
AVAR: Matej Jug (SVN)
Referee Observer: Martin Hansson (SWE)

Moldova – Czechia
Referee: Daniel Schlager (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Dietz (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Kempter (GER)
Fourth Official: Tobias Reichel (GER)
VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
AVAR: Pascal Müller (GER)
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez (ESP)

Sweden – Azerbaijan
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mikael Berchebru (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mathieu Grosbost (FRA)
Fourth Official: Bastien Dechjepy (FRA)
VAR: Benoît Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Eric Wattellier (FRA)
Referee Observer: David Malcom (NIR)

Austria – Estonia
Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Denis Rexha (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Ridiger Cokaj (ALB)
Fourth Official: Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB)
VAR: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)
AVAR: Gianluca Aureliano (ITA)
Referee Observer: Thorolddur Hjaltalin (ISL)

Hungary – Bulgaria
Referee: Halil Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kerem Ersoy (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardesler (TUR)
VAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
AVAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

Montenegro – Serbia
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
VAR: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
AVAR: Jeremie Pignard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Michael Ross (NIR)

28 March 2023
Georgia – Norway
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonnikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR: Peter Bankes (ENG)
Referee Observer: Emil Bozhinovski (MKD)

Scotland – Spain
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Lukas Fähndrich (SUI)
VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)
AVAR: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Referee Observer: Marian Ruzbarsky (SVK)

Turkey – Croatia
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Klyver (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Niklas Nybeg (SWE)
Fourth Official: Granit Maqedonci (SWE)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Mike Pickel (GER)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Wales – Latvia
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: Levan Varamishvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Zaza Pipia (GEO)
Fourth Official: Aleko Aptsiauri (GEO)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

Switzerland – Israel
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Srdjan Jovanovic (MNE)
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković (MNE)
VAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
AVAR: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Romania – Belarus
Referee: Allard Lindhout (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rogier Honig (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Rens Bluemink (NED)
Fourth Official: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Clay Ruperti (NED)
Referee Observer: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)

Kosovo – Andorra
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Riedel (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Santino Schreiner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Christopher Jäger (AUT)
VAR: Christian Ciochirca (AUT)
AVAR: Alan Kijas (AUT)
Referee Observer: Alan Sant (MLT)

Concacaf Nations League 2022/2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

26-28 March 2023

League A

Mexico – Jamaica
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)

USA – El Salvador
Referee: Mario Escobar (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Ventura (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Humberto Panjoj (GUA)
Fourth Official: Julio Luna (GUA)

Canada – Honduras
Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Henri Pupiro (NCA)
Assistant Referee 2: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Fourth Official: Luis Santander (MEX)

Costa Rica – Panama
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bisguerra (MEX)
Fourth Official: Diego Montano (MEX)

League B

Antigua – Barbados
Referee: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Geovany Garcia (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Mangandi (SLV)
Fourth Official: Jaime Herrera (SLV)

Cuba – Guadeloupe
Referee: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Fernandez (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: William Chow (CRC)
Fourth Official: Randy Encarnacion (DOM)

St. Vincent and The Grenadines – Bahamas
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Karen Diaz (MEX)
Fourth Official: Kimbell Ward (SKN)

Dominican Republic – Belize
Referee: Yadel Martinez (CUB)
Assistant Referee 1: Leonel Garcai (CUB)
Assistant Referee 2: Andras Vargas (PAN)
Fourth Official: Felix Mojica (NCA)

Trinidad and Tobago – Nicaragua
Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Logan Brown (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cory Richardson (USA)
Fourth Official: Víctor Rivas (USA)

Guatemala – French Guyana
Referee: Marco Ortiz (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Sanchez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Enrique Bustos (MEX)
Fourth Official: Filiberto Martinez (SLV)

Haiti – Bermuda
Referee: Melvin Matamoros (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Roney Salinas (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Bare (DOM)
Fourth Official: Adonis Carrasco (DOM)

Guyana – Montserrat
Referee: Keylor Herrera (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Ojeda (NCA)
Assistant Referee 2: Berman Bermudez (NCA)
Fourth Official: Victor Caceres (MEX)

League C

Puerto Rico – Cayman Islands
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Felisha Mariscal (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandra Ramirez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Karen Hernandez (MEX)

St. Kitts and Nevis – Aruba
Referee: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Ronald Bruna (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Alejandro Camarena (PAN)
Fourth Official: Oliver Vergara (PAN)

Saint Lucia – Dominica
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jessica Morales (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephanie Yee Sing (JAM)
Fourth Official: Lizzet Garcia (MEX)

US Virgin Islands – Sint Maarten
Referee: Reginald Gumbs (SKN)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Browne (SKN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mario Parry (SKN)
Fourth Official: Trevester Richards (SKN)

Bonaire – Turks and Caicos Islands
Referee: Kwinsi Williams (TRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Raymundo Feliz (DOM)
Assistant Referee 2: Ainsley Rochard (TRI) 

Fourth Official: Sergio Rozenhaut (SUR)

FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023

Indonesia, 20 May – 11 June 2023

AFC 

Referee: Yusuke Araki (JPN, 1986, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jun Mihara (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Takumi Takagi (JPN)

Referee: Salman Falahi (QAT, 1990)
Assistant Referee 1: Ramzan Al-Naemi (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Majid Al-Shammari (QAT)

Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (KSA, 1986)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalaf Al-Shammari (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Yasir Al-Sultan (KSA)

Video Assistant Referees
1. Kim Jong Hyeok (KOR, 1983)
2. Sivakorn Pu-Udom (THA, 1987)
3. Ahmed Darwish (UAE, 1987)

Support Referee
Ahmad Al-Ali (KUW, 1987)

CAF
Referee: Mohamed Marouf (EGY, 1986)
Assistant Referee 1: Zakaria Brinsi (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abbes Zerhouni (ALG)

Referee: Issa Sy (SEN, 1984)
Assistant Referee 1: Nouha Bangoura (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Adou Ngoh (CIV)

Referee: Abongile Tom (RSA, 1991)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivanildo Lopes (ANG)
Assistant Referee 2: Abelmiro Dos Reis (STP)

Video Assistant Referees
1. Amr El-Shinawi (EGY, 1986)
2. Hamza El Fariq (MAR, 1987)

Support Referee
Abdel Bouh (MTN, 1990)

CONCACAF
Referee: Juan Calderon (CRC, 1987)
Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro (NCA)

Referee: Oshane Nation (JAM, 1991)
Assistant Referee 1: Ojay Duhaney (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Jassett Kerr-Wilson (JAM)

Referee: Marco Ortiz (MEX, 1988)
Assistant Referee 1: Enrique Bustos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Sanchez (MEX)

Video Assistant Referees
1. Adonai Escobedo (MEX, 1987)
2. Tatiana Guzman (NCA, 1985)
3. Timothy Ford (USA, 1980)

Support Referee
Bryan Lopez (GUA, 1988)

CONMEBOL
Referee: Yael Falcon (ARG, 1988)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Del Yesso (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez (ARG)

Referee: Ramon Abatti (BRA, 1989)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guilherme Camilo (BRA)

Referee: Piero Maza (CHI, 1984)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Alejandro Molina (CHI)

Referee: John Ospina (COL, 1992)
Assistant Referee 1: John Leon (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Gallego (COL)

Video Assistant Referees
1. German Delfino (ARG, 1978)
2. Rodolpho Toski (BRA, 1987)
3. Juan Lara (CHI, 1989)
4. Carlos Orbe (ECU, 1982)

Support Referee
Yender Herrera (VEN, 1991)

OFC
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (NZL, 1990)
Assistant Referee 1: Folio Moeaki (TGA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bernard Mutukera (SOL)

Support Referee
Veer Singh (FIJ, 1989)

UEFA
Referee: Francois Letexier (FRA, 1989)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)

Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED, 1985)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)

Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE, 1988)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Soderkvist (SWE)

Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI, 1988)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)

Referee: Halil Meler (TUR, 1986)
Assistant Referee 1: Emre Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kerem Ersoy (TUR)

Video Assistant Referees
1. Willy Delajod (FRA, 1992)
2. Aleandro Di Paolo (ITA, 1977)
3. Dennis Higler (NED, 1985)
4. Luis Godinho (POR, 1985)
5. Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP, 1984)
6. Fedayi San (SUI, 1982)

Support Referee
Donatas Rumsas (LTU, 1988)

International Friendly Matches – March 2023

22-28 March 2023

Germany – Peru
Referee: Maria Ferrieri Caputi (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Davide Massa (ITA)
VAR: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)
AVAR: Luigi Nasca (ITA)

Hungary – Estonia
Referee: Walter Altmann (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Witschnigg (AUT)
Fourth Official: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
VAR: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)
AVAR: Josef Spurny (AUT)

Ireland – Latvia
Referee: Andrei Chivulete (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: George Neacsu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Robert Harvey (IRL)

Georgia – Mongolia
Referee: Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 1: Mesrop Ghazaryan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 2: Atom Sevgulyan (ARM)
Fourth Official: Aleko Aptsiauri (GEO)

El Salvador – Honduras
Referee: Victor Rivas (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cory Richardson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Logan Brown (USA) 

Fourth Official: Nima Saghafi (USA)

Argentina – Panama
Referee: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Tejera (URU)

Greece – Lithuania
Referee: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Florian Lemaire (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Nico Claes (BEL)
Fourth Official: Angelos Evangelou (GRE)

North Macedonia – Faroe Islands
Referee: Miloš Savović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikola Radulović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandar Djikanović (MNE)
Fourth Official: Stojančo Trpčevski (MKD)

Iran – Russia
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Timur Gaynullin (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrey Sapenko (UZB)
Fourth Official: Amir Arabbaraghi (IRN)

Russia – Iraq
Referee: Ahrol Risqullayev (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanjar Shoyusupov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Alisher Usmonov (UZB)
Fourth Official: Artyom Lyubimov (RUS)

Armenia – Cyprus
Referee: Dumitru Muntean (MDA)
Assistant Referee 1: Vadim Vicol (MDA)
Assistant Referee 2: Anatolie Basiul (MDA)
Fourth Official: Henrik Nalbandyan (ARM)

Morocco – Brazil
Referee: Sadok Selmi (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalil Hassani (TUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed Bekir (TUN)
Fourth Official: Mostapha Kachef (TUN)
VAR: Haythem Guirat (TUN)
AVAR: Naim Hosni (TUN)

Germany – Belgium
Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwan Finjean (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Jeanne (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jeremy Stinat (FRA)
VAR: Alexandre Castro (FRA)
AVAR: Aurelien Petit (FRA)

Morocco – Peru
Referee: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Valentin Pizarro Gomez (ESP)

Chile – Paraguay
Referee: Flavio De Souza (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves (BRA)
Fourth Official: Jose Cabero (CHI)
VAR: Rodolpho Toski (BRA)
AVAR: Rodrigo D’Alonso (BRA)

Australia – Ecuador
Referee: Chae Sang-Hyeop (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kwak Seung-Soon (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Bang Gi-Yeol (KOR)
Fourth Official: Kim Dae-Yong (KOR)

Japan – Colombia
Referee: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ronnie Minh Koh (SIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Park Sang-Jun (KOR)
Fourth Official: Hiroki Kasahara (JPN)
VAR: Kim Jong-Hyeok (KOR)
AVAR: Ko Hyung-Jin (KOR)

Korea – Uruguay
Referee: Yusuke Araki (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Yukitaka Kumagai (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Takeshi Asada (JPN)
Fourth Official: Choi Hyun-Jae (KOR)
VAR: Jumpei Iida (JPN)
AVAR: Yudai Yamamoto (JPN)

Uzbekistan – Venezuela
Referee: Khalid Al Turais (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Yasir Al Sultan (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdulrahim Al Shammari (KSA)
Fourth Official: Sami Al Jurays (KSA)

Kuwait – Tajikistan
Referee: Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA)
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Al Amri (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Al Ghaithi (OMA)
Fourth Official: Ahmad Al Ali (KUW)
VAR: Turki Al Khudhayr (KSA)
AVAR: Abdullah Al Shehri (KSA)

Saudi Arabia – Bolivia
Referee: Ahmed Darwish (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Sabet Al Ali (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Yaser Al Murshidi (UAE)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Al Ismail (KSA)
VAR: Mohammed Khadim (UAE)
AVAR: Saqr Al Zaabi (UAE)

Argentina – Curacao
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Fourth Official: Christian Ferreyra (URU)

UEFA U-19 Futsal Euro 2023 Qualifiers – Main Round

21-26 March 2023

Group 1 – Moldova

Referees
1. Volha Pauliuts (BLR)
2. Idan Berenshtein (ISR)
3. Dario Pezzuto (ITA)
4. Daniel Matkovic (SUI, photo)
Timekeeper
Igor Soltanici (MDA)

Group 2 – Serbia
Referees
1. Hikmat Qafarli (AZE)
2. Chiara Perona (ITA)
3. Ingus Purinš (LVA)
4. Javier Moreno Reina (ESP)
Timekeeper
Marko Aleksic (SRB)

Group 3 – Portugal
Referees
1. Trayan Enchev (BUL)
2. Telmen Undrakh (NOR)
3. Aleš Mocnik Peric (SVN)
4. Valentin Ciuplea (WAL)
Timekeeper
Filipe Duarte (POR)

Group 4 – Latvia
Referees
1. Gevorg Yeghoyan (ARM)
2. Victor Chaix (FRA)
3. Vasilios Christodoulis (GRE)
4. Viktor Bugenko (MDA)
Timekeeper
Eduards Fatkulins (LVA)

Group 5 – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referees
1. Martin Koster (DEN)
2. Peter Nurse (ENG)
3. Norbert Szilagyi (HUN)
4. Nicola Manzione (ITA)
Timekeeper
Vedran Marcinko (BIH)

Group 6 – Netherlands
Referees
1. Yiangos Yiangou (CYP)
2. Kirill Naishouler (FIN)
3. Zviad Bliadze (GEO)
4. Miguel Castilho (POR)
Timekeeper
Davey Markerink (NED)

Group 7 – Italy
Referees
1. Stefan Vrijens (BEL)
2. Marjan Mladenovski (MKD)
3. Ruben Santos (POR)
4. Nikola Rabrenović (SRB)
Timekeeper
Antonio Dimundo (ITA)

UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers (Matchday 1)

23 March 2023
Italy – England
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
AVAR: Piotr Lsyk (POL)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Kazakhstan – Slovenia
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)
AVAR: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

North Macedonia – Malta
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Silver Koiv (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Sten Klaasen (EST)
Fourth Official: Juri Frischer (EST)
VAR: Pawel Pskit (POL)
AVAR: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Kenneth Clark (SCO)

Denmark – Finland
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager (GER)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Referee Observer: Kjell Alseth (NOR)

San Marino – Northern Ireland
Referee: Gergo Bogar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Kobor (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Theodoros Georgiou (HUN)
Fourth Official: Adam Farkas (HUN)
VAR: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
AVAR: Katalin Kulcsar (HUN)
Referee Observer: Salustia Cipres (AND)

Portugal – Liechtenstein
Referee: Espen Eskas (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin (NOR)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Hagenes (NOR)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Xavier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Draženko Kovačić (CRO)

Slovakia – Luxembourg
Referee: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež (SVN)
Fourth Official: Alen Borošak (SVN)
VAR: Matej Jug (SVN)
AVAR: Nejc Kajtazovic (SVN)
Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Ireland
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radius (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Dovydas Sužiedelis (LTU)
Fourth Official: Robertas Valikonis (LTU)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

24 March 2023
Bulgaria – Montenegro
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Akif Amirali (AZE)
Fourth Official: Kamal Umudlu (AZE)
VAR: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
AVAR: Aleandro Di Paolo (ITA)
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira (POR)

France – Netherlands
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Livio Marinelli (ITA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Manuel Diaz Vega (ESP)

Gibraltar – Greece
Referee: Rohit Saggi (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Morten Jensen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Anders Dale (NOR)
Fourth Official: Mohammad Aslam (NOR)
VAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
AVAR: Clay Ruperti (NED)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

Czechia – Poland
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Vassilis Fotias (GRE)
VAR: Angelos Evangelou (GRE)
AVAR: Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Moldova – Faroe Islands
Referee: Nicholas Walsh (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Calum Spence (SCO)
Fourth Official: Alan Muir (SCO)
VAR: David Coote (ENG)
AVAR: Peter Bankes (ENG)
Referee Observer: Hannes Kaasik (EST)

Sweden – Belgium
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz (ISR)
VAR: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
AVAR: David Fuxman (ISR)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

Austria – Azerbaijan
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Winkler (POL)
Fourth Official: Damian Kos (POL)
VAR: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
AVAR: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL)
Referee Observer: Alain Sars (FRA)

Serbia – Lithuania
Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)
VAR: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
AVAR: Bram Van Driesche (BEL)
Referee Observer: Viktor Kassai (HUN)

25 March 2023
Scotland – Cyprus
Referee: Duje Strukan (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Zobenica (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alen Jakšić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Igor Pajac (CRO)
VAR: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
AVAR: Fran Jović (CRO)
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

Armenia – Turkey
Referee: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Mario Melero Lopez (ESP)
VAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
AVAR: Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Itchko Lozev (BUL)

Belarus – Switzerland
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Naranjo Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sanchez Rojo (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
Referee Observer: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

Israel – Kosovo
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: David Roome (SCO)
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson (SCO)
VAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR: Darren England (ENG)
Referee Observer: Petteri Kari (FIN)

Spain – Norway
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelien Berthomieu (FRA)
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard (FRA)
VAR: Benoît Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Eric Wattellier (FRA)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

Croatia – Wales
Referee: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia (POR)
Fourth Official: Vitor Ferreira (POR)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Luis Godinho (POR)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Sajn (SVN)

Andorra – Romania
Referee: Dario Bel (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Pataki (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Kruno Šaric (CRO)
Fourth Official: Ante Culjak (CRO)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)

Concacaf Nations League 2022/2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

23-25 March 2023

League A

Suriname – Mexico
Referee: Said Martinez (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Fourth Official: Nelson Salgado (HON)

Grenada – USA
Referee: Daneon Parchment (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Ojay Duhaney (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Jassett Kerr-Wilson (JAM)
Fourth Official: Okeito Nicholson (JAM)

Martinique – Costa Rica
Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Micheal Barwegen (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Fourth Official: Carly Shaw-MacLaren (CAN)

Curacao – Canada
Referee: Juan Calderon (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Mora (CRC)
Fourth Official: Jose Garcia (SLV)

League B

French Guyana – Dominican Republic
Referee: Ricangel De Leca (ARU)
Assistant Referee 1: Angelo Doyle (BRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Peters (ATG)
Fourth Official: Ken Pennyfeather (ATG)

Barbados – Cuba
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Assistant Referee 2: Enmanuel Aguirre (NCA)
Fourth Official: Sergio Reyna (GUA)

Guadeloupe – Antigua and Barbuda
Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lyes Arfa (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt (CAN)
Fourth Official: Damien Rosa (MTQ)

Bahamas – Trinidad and Tobago
Referee: Oshane Nation (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicholas Anderson (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Zachari Zeegelaar (SUR)
Fourth Official: Daniel Quintero (MEX)

Nicaragua – St. Vincent and The Grenadines
Referee: Adonai Escobedo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Espinosa (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Michel Morales (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jose Fuentes (GUA)

Belize – Guatemala
Referee: Selvin Brown (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: David Moran (SLV)
Fourth Official: Jefferson Escobar (HON)

Bermuda – Guyana
Referee: Fernando Hernandez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Pablo Hernandez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Leonardo Castillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Evens Julmis (BAH)

Montserrat – Haiti
Referee: Bryan Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Tipaz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Raul Castro (HON)

League C

Saint Martin – St. Kitts and Nevis
Referee: Steffon Dewar (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Wasnah Barnarde (ATG)
Assistant Referee 2: Iroots Appleton (ATG)
Fourth Official: Shekiel Jokil (SUR)

British Virgin Islands – Puerto Rico
Referee: Reon Radix (GRN)
Assistant Referee 1: Clenton Daniel (GRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Clinton Hayward (BER)
Fourth Official: Tristley Bassue (SKN)

Anguilla – Saint Lucia
Referee: Moeth Gaymes (SVG)
Assistant Referee 1: Kenran Daniel (SVG)
Assistant Referee 2: Denroy Barker (SVG)
Fourth Official: Shavin Greene (GUY)

Turks and Caicos Islands – US Virgin Islands
Referee: Christopher Mason (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Dwight Cummins (CAY)
Assistant Referee 2: Kedlee Powell (CAY)
Fourth Official: Benjamín Whitty (CAY)

Sint Maarten – Bonaire
Referee: Nima Saghafi (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicholas Uranga (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Da Silva (USA)
Fourth Official: Joseph Dickerson (USA)

Costa Rica: FIFA referee argues with his AR about a penalty kick

The controversy that occurred in San Carlos between the referee David Gomez and his assistant Victor Ramirez, led the Referees Committee to suspend both from refereeing in Costa Rica and to request Concacaf not to assign them any matches at the confederation level.

During the recent game between San Carlos and Alajuelense, referee Gomez had a discussion with his AR Ramirez, who signaled a penalty kick, but the referee refused the recommendation and left his assistant talking alone. The action came after Alexis Gamboa brought down Bryan Felix in the penalty area. The assistant raised the flag signaling for the penalty, but the referee ignored it. “The Costa Rican Football Federation expresses its concern and rejection after the unacceptable events carried out by the refereeing team this Sunday at the Carlos Ugalde Alvarez stadium in San Carlos. The referee department reported that the headsets presented some technical problems before this game and referees made the decision, on their own, not to use them. However, the referees are trained to carry out their work without the need for this equipment, and there are enough ways to communicate with each other in an effective and respectful way.” In view of what happened, the Referees Committee made the immediate decision not to appoint referee David Gomez and assistant referee Victor Ramirez for any further matches. Since both Gomez and Ramirez are on the FIFA List, the FCRF General Secretariat communicated with Concacaf and requested that this provision also applies to international matches. (Source: La Nation)

FIFA referee David Gomez is also involved in another controversy. Another FIFA referee, Keylor Herrera, filed a complaint with the Costa Rican Football Federation. He denounced four of his colleagues for defamation because they accused him of leaking private conversations between the referees. Herrera’s lawyer Antonio Cabal spoke with ESPN and informed that it is an administrative action before the Referees Committee and the Ethics Committee of the Costa Rican Football Federation (FCRF) for defamation, those accused being Herrera’s colleagues Pedro Navarro, David Gomez, Benjamin Pineda and Hugo Cruz. The actions that happened recently have led Keylor Herrera to conclude that he is being taken as a scapegoat and is being accused of having broken the trust by leaking the conversations to a journalist, which he not only ensures that it is false, but that at this point it is already beginning to affect his role as a referee in the first division of Costa Rica. In addition, on a trip to Guatemala for a Concacaf meeting, apparently one of the people who accompanied him would have heard Keylor Herrera say the name of the journalist who published the information. "The suspicion of where the gossip begins comes from a comment Keylor made on a trip to Guatemala where someone heard him alluding to a journalist's name; however, he has no connection to the journalist and that is an error of the people who are pointing it out", said his lawyer. (Source: ESPN)

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2022/23 – Quarter-finals (First Leg)

21 March 2023

Bayern München – Arsenal WFC
Referee: Ivana Projkovska (MKD, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Vjolca Izeiri (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulina Baranowska (POL)
Fourth Official: Monika Mularczyk (POL)
VAR: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
AVAR: Jelena Cvetković (SRB)
Referee Observer: Sofia Karagiorgi (CYP)

AS Roma – FC Barcelona
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Tepusa (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sandra Bastos (POR)
VAR: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU)
AVAR: Horatiu Fesnic (ROU)
Referee Observer: Ausra Kance (LTU)

22 March 2023
Olympique Lyonnais – Chelsea FCW
Referee: Tess Olofsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Polyxeni Irodotou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)
Fourth Official: Maria Ferrieri Caputi (ITA)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Ella De Vries (BEL)
Referee Observer: Anja Kunick (GER)

Paris St. Germain – VfL Wolfsburg
Referee: Rebecca Welch (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Natalie Aspinall (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Franca Overtoom (NED)
Fourth Official: Marta Huerta de Aza (ESP)
VAR: Darren England (ENG)
AVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)
Referee Observer: Maria Villa Gutierrez (ESP)

AFA must pay millions to a referee removed due to union affiliation

The Argentine Football Association lost a million-pessos trial with a SADRA referee and must pay him one million pesos for "unfair practice" and being vetoed by the president of the Argentine Referees Association (AAA), Federico Beligoy. In addition, he must be reinstated as soon as possible and will be able to referee again.

Maximiliano Salado Paz was marginalized by AFA for being part of another union. After many twists and turns, judge Viviana Dobarrio ruled that the AFA must pay him 1,000,000 pesos plus interest. On the other hand, they will pay almost 2 million more pesos in fees for the lawyers involved in the trial. "I started my career as referee. Since they didn't like my height, I dedicated myself to being an assistant referee. In 2019, I was refereeing in the First National with matches in Buenos Aires and good possibilities of upgrading until this problem came and they began to send me to Federal A. In 2021, I only refereed two matches and never received any other appointments," the referee said in statements to Clarin. And he added: "At first, as the change was so abrupt, it hit me very hard. I was so close to refereeing in the First Division and then arrived to nothing. I was part of a reduced group doing the pre-season matches and I had the dream of reaching the international level. It all took a long time due to legal issues". Labor Court No. 21 indicated that "the matches assigned to him to referee gradually decreased until they stopped granting him such tasks, a circumstance that according to the elements provided is linked to his affiliation to a specific union and that, according to the testimonial rendered, also affected other people affiliated with the said association, specifically SADRA".

Source: Minuto Uno

UEFA Women’s Futsal Euro Final 2023: Dzeko (CRO) & Veselic (SVN)

19 March 2023

Ukraine – Spain
Referee 1: Mislav Džeko (CRO)
Referee 2: Dejan Veselic (SVN, photo)
Third Referee: Monika Czudzinowicz (POL)
Timekeeper: Dominykas Norkus (LTU)
Referee Observer: Romuald Bourgois (FRA)

Referee in Egypt disallows goal after watching replay on mobile phone

A referee ruled out a late goal after using a crowd member's mobile phone to review an incident during a second division match in Egypt on Friday. The bizarre moment went viral after many were left bewildered by referee Mohamed Farouk's decision to use a fan's phone as a replacement for the video assistant referee [VAR].

The match, which was between Suez SC and Al-Nasr, sparked into controversy in the 90th minute when Al-Nasr thought they'd scored a late equaliser. The players of Suez were sent into disbelief by the original, on-field decision and suggested that one of the Al-Nasr players had been standing in an offside position. With VAR not operated in second-tier games, referee Farouk had to use the phone of a crowd member to come to a conclusive decision on the matter. There were murmurs through the crowd as they eagerly awaited the official's ruling. After careful consideration, Farouk overturned his original call on the goal and disallowed it. Fifteen minutes of stoppage time were added and Suez won the game 3-1.

The referee left the pitch under police protection, amid protests from Al-Nasr players and officials, who threatened to take legal action against the referee for violating the regulations. Reports from BaladTV suggest that the match could be replayed, should the country's Referee Committee decide that inappropriate measures were taken. The same outlet claim that the country's League Association is still awaiting a report from the committee before making any final judgements on the matter. It remains to be seen what conclusion that they will come to but, after labelling it a 'catastrophic mistake', it can be expected for the match to be replayed.

Source: Daily Mail

CONMEBOL Beach Soccer Copa America Final 2023: Gomez (COL) & Amay (ECU)

19 March 2023

Argentina – Brazil
Referee 1: Jorge Gomez (COL)
Referee 2: Brando Amay (ECU)
Third Referee: Ricardo Zuniga (CHI)
Timekeeper: Ferley Fuentes (COL)
Reserve AR: Cristian Galaz (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Cesar Figueredo (URU)

El Clasico referee report by Negreira

After the first evidence of the refereeing reports given to Barcelona in El Caso Negreira emerged last week, Libertad Digital have released another report on referee Carlos Delgado Ferreiro.

The report in question was ahead of El Clasico in 2012, which finished 2-2, with a goal each from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The report consists of three pages and was put together by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira himself. The report details how Delgado will have “prepared the control of the match well” and applies advantage where possible. It also explains that it’s best to go to the ground “in order to make sure that he recognises the fouls”, however that he is likely to punish dives. “The worst physically in the class”, is also a description of Delgado, who retired two years later. “He struggles to pick up the rhythm of the game and will spend the first ten minutes in the middle of the pitch.” Barcelona maintains their innocence over El Caso Negreira, insisting that all is about the board. The charges were recently accepted into the court process this week, and the club, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell are all facing charges of “continuous corruption” as things stand.

Source: Football Espana

CAF Champions League 2022/2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

17-18 March 2023

Coton Sport – Al Ahly
Referee: Peter Waweru (KEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Samuel Kuria (KEN)
Fourth Official: Dickens Mimisa (KEN)

Vita Club – Wydad AC
Referee: Boubou Traore (MLI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sidiki Sidibe (GUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Modibo Samake (MLI)
Fourth Official: Ousmane Diakate (MLI)

JS Kabylie – Petro de Luanda
Referee: Dahane Beida (MTN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Youssouf (MTN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bouna Ndiaye
Fourth Official: Babacar Sarr (MTN)

Al Hilal – Mamelodi Sundowns
Referee: Sadok Selmi (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalil Hassani (TUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed Bakir (TUN)
Fourth Official: Mehrez Melki (TUN)

Vipers – Raja CA
Referee: Mohamed Athoumani (COM)
Assistant Referee 1: Soulaimane Amaldine (COM)
Assistant Referee 2: Dimbiniaina Andriatianarivelo (MAD)
Fourth Official: Soulaimane Ansudane (COM)

Simba – Horoya
Referee: Mohamed Adel (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmed Hossam (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Hany Abd El-Fattah (EGY)
Fourth Official: Mohamed Maarouf (EGY)

Al Merrikh – ES Tunis
Referee: Ahmad Heeralall (MRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Baje Babajee (MRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jeff Pithia (MRI)
Fourth Official: Ganesh Chutooree (MRI)

Belouizdad – Zamalek
Referee: Ibrahim Mutaz (LBY)
Assistant Referee 1: Attia Amsaaed (LBY)
Assistant Referee 2: Wahed Al Jaahawe (LBY)
Fourth Official: Abdulwahid Huraywidah (LBY)

Negreira’s referee reports paid by FC Barcelona revealed

FC Barcelona paid €7.3 million for at least 17 years to Enríquez Negreira (from 2001 to 2018) for ‘shoddy’ reports; this is what the information revealed by Libertad Digital has shown. The company has had access to various reports in which the superficial analysis is the most striking aspect, as well as the spelling and grammatical mistakes. The reports have appeared in a sweep of the house of an ex-member of the Barça sporting commission, Josep Contreras, who died in December of 2022. Contreras directed a commission of the payments from Barça to Negreira’s son for the referee reports through the company Tresep. In the documents published, the lack of a thorough analysis (just 2-3 pages) is clear, with a poor quality of writing and a confusing level of usability. For these reports, Negreira pocketed €400,000 a year.

One of the reports revealed is that of Ignacio Iglesias Vilanueva, a current VAR in Spain. It concerns the match between FC Barcelona and RCD Mallorca on the 11 November 2012. In the document, the referee and his assistants are analysed, with specific data regarding the games refereed with FC Barcelona and their opponent, followed by the following section ‘personal profile’: “Physically very well prepared, he follow the game closely and arrives at the areas easily, which allows him to almost always make the correct decision in quick plays. He is more doubtful in terms of shirt pulling at corners, which is something that happens to everyone.” Nacho (Iglesias Villanueva) is a very technical and disciplined referee, which leads him to always caution in terms of the rule book (handballs, elbows, tackles from behind, not allowing quick free kicks, etc.) He is one of the few referees who has changed his mind regarding a throw-in, as he gave it too early. Given his level of calmness and honesty, he will caution or send off all the players who deserve it. He is brave and normally takes decisions very convincingly, which is why he always cautions with fairness. He doesn’t have a huge personality or level of charisma, but his security and his prudence allow him to have efficient games. He has a high level of confidence in himself which is positive, but in turn, he does not defend the decisions of his assistants as if they were his own. He will listen regarding fouls but not yellow cards. When the assistants are not being listened to, they tend to restrict their contribution to the referee, which is why it may seem easy for them to not participate if they are not very convinced regarding their own decision. Over what we have seen this season, with regards to the offsides, the assistant number 2 is correct more often than the referee on the bench. He will not hesitate to stop play if a goalkeeper is injured or a player that is offside. He transmits calmness but as and when is needed he can take control, he shows a strong personality and is very decisive in making the players keep quiet. He does not like diving, although he will not risk cautioning a player is he is convinced that the intention was not to trick the referee. He is reasonable can be spoken to him in a polite way. He does not allow protests when they are unjustified or a lack of respect (with bad gestures). He takes decisions with a lot of security, with a high level of confidence in himself. It must be considered that next week the referees in both the first and second division have a technical meeting in Madrid and will analyse their performances, which normally means they show themselves to be strict with the demands of the Committee. As always happens, they will work to avoid issues.”

Source: AS

AFC U-20 Asian Cup Final 2023: Nasaruddin (MAS)

18 March 2023

Uzbekistan – Iraq
Referee: Muhammad Bin Nasaruddin (MAS)
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmad Al-Rashdi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamad Bin Khalil (MAS)
Fourth Official: Yahya Al-Mulla (UAE)
Reserve AR: Faisal Al-Shammari (QAT)
Referee Assessor: Ali Al-Traifi (KSA)

Bolivian referees suspended after 132-minute match

Bolivia’s football federation suspended six match officials after they added 42 minutes in a professional national league match. Palmaflor beat Blooming 3-2 on Monday in a match that was later revised by the country’s refereeing commission. The 132-minute clash took place under heavy rains in the city of Chapare, in the South American country’s heartland. Referee Julio Gutierrez added the time due to a prolonged video review of Palmaflor’s second goal and a brawl that followed two red cards for the visitors. The commission made the decision to suspend the officials late on Tuesday. Blooming said on Twitter that the match officials put its players under heavy risk of injury due to “excessive added time.” Palmaflor’s top sports executive is Bolivia’s former President Evo Morales, who said on social media his team had won the match despite “suspicious officials.” Morales governed Bolivia between 2006-2019. The club rose to the country’s top-flight division this year.

Source: AP

UEFA Europa League 2022/2023 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

16 March 2023

Fenerbahce – Sevilla FC
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR: David Coote (ENG)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

SC Freiburg – Juventus FC
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij (NED)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega (ESP)

Real Betis – Manchester United
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

Feyenoord – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Iker De Francisco Grijalba (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer (GER)

Union St. Gilloise – Union Berlin
Referee: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes (ESP)
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Ferencvarosi TC – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Paulo Soares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Antonio Nobre (POR)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Luis Godinho (POR)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

Arsenal FC – Sporting CP
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva (ESP)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Real Sociedad – AS Roma
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic (ROU)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Sören Storks (GER)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

UEFA Europa Conference League 2022/23 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

15-16 March 2023

Istanbul Başakşehir – KAA Gent
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: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)

Sivasspor – ACF Fiorentina
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Srdjan Jovanovic (MNE)
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković (MNE)
VAR: Harm Osmers (GER)
AVAR: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

Djurgardens IF – Lech Poznan
Referee: Duje Strukan (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Zobenica (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alen Jakšić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Igor Pajac (CRO)
VAR: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
AVAR: Fran Jović (CRO)
Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)

Slovan Bratislava – FC Basel
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Fourth Official: Morten Krogh (DEN)
VAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR: Darren England (ENG)
Referee Observer: Itchko Lozev (BUL)

West Ham – AEK Larnaca
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Radoslav Gidzhenov (BUL)
VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)
AVAR: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Referee Observer: David Malcom (NIR)

Alkmaar – Lazio
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Fourth Official: Asmir Sagrković (SVN)
VAR: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
AVAR: Nejc Kajtazovič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Orasson (ISL)

OGC Nice – FC Sheriff
Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Lothar D’Hondt (BEL)
VAR: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
AVAR: Bram Van Driesche (BEL)
Referee Observer: Drago Kos (SVN)

Villarreal CF – RSC Anderlecht
Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giovanni Baccini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Rosario Abisso (ITA)
VAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
AVAR: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Michalis Argyrou (CYP)

Former Spanish referee chief Sanchez Arminio accused of embezzlement

The former head of Spanish referees, Victoriano Sanchez Arminio, will have to testify as a defendant for alleged embezzlement, as part of an investigation into the former leadership of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Spain's main criminal court ordered the judge in charge of the investigation to hear Sanchez Arminio, who was president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) between 1993 and 2019, as well as the former secretary general, Raul Masso, as defendants. The court's order, made public on Tuesday, also calls for the former president of the RFEF, Angel Maria Villar, to testify again as a defendant in the case. This investigation is prior to and runs parallel to what is known as the "Negreira case", in which payments from La Liga team Barcelona to companies belonging to the former CTA vice-president, Jose Maria Enrique Negreira, are being investigated. The Audiencia Nacional gave this order to judge Alejandro Abascal, after partially upholding an appeal by La Liga against the magistrate's decision not to summon Sanchez Arminio and Masso, after they had already testified as witnesses. According to the prosecutor's office, which supported La Liga's appeal, expert reports show an accounting mismatch of almost 8.0 million euros ($8.57 million). This discrepancy leads to the suspicion that these funds paid by La Liga for refereeing fees "have not been used for their intended purpose." The case is part of the investigation launched in the summer of 2017, known as "Operation Soule", in which former RFEF president Villar was charged. Villar, chief of the RFEF for 29 years, is suspected of having created a network through which he allegedly used Spanish national team matches to benefit his son Gorka's company. He also allegedly used the RFEF to grant benefits to presidents of regional federations "in whose sphere he was not assured of support", according to an order by Judge Pedraz, who was then the investigating judge in the case.

Source: The Score