FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 47-48)

3 August 2023

Korea – Germany
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sarah Jones (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Salamasina (SAM)
Fourth Official: Marta Huerta De Aza (ESP)
VAR: Pol Van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
OVAR: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)

Morocco – Colombia
Referee: Maria Ferrieri Caputi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Tepusa (ROU)
Fourth Official: Akhona Makalima (RSA)
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
AVAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
OVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)

UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 – Second Qualifying Round (Second Leg)

1-3 August 2023

Zimbru Chisinau – Fenerbahce SK

Referee: Robert Harvey (IRL, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Robert Clarke (IRL)

Assistant Referee 2: Wayne McDonell (IRL)

Fourth Official: Paul McLaughlin (IRL)

Referee Observer: Alon Yefet (ISR)

Valmiera FC – SP Tre Penne
Referee: Tomaš Klima (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Jakub Hrabovsky (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jaroslav Kubr (CZE)
Fourth Official: Ladislav Szikszay (CZE)
Referee Observer: Michael Johansen (DEN)

Swift Hesper – The New Saints
Referee: Ishmael Barbara (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Vella (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Duncan Spencer (MLT)
Fourth Official: Darryl Agius (MLT)
Referee Observer: Bariş Şimşek (TUR)

Balzan FC – Nioman Hrodna
Referee: Ioannis Papadopoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasilios Nikolakakis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Konstantinos Nikolaidis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Evangelos Manouchos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

FK Partizani – AC d’Escaldes
Referee: Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 1: Atom Sevgulyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 2: Vanik Simonyan (ARM)
Fourth Official: Artem Gasparyan (ARM)
Referee Observer: Michail Argyrou (CYP)

Budućnost Podgorica – Struga Trim Lum
Referee: David Munro (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David Roome (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Jonathan Bell (SCO)
Fourth Official: Grant Irvine (SCO)
Referee Observer: Karel Vidlak (CZE)

AEK Larnaka – Tarpieda Zodzina
Referee: Marian Barbu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Imre Bucsi (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Colțescu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Ognjen Valjić (BIH)

F91 Diddeleng – Gzira United
Referee: Yigal Frid (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: David Biton (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Matityahu Yakobov (ISR)
Fourth Official: Idan Leiba (ISR)
Referee Observer: Ruud Bossen (NED)

Tobyl FK – FC Basel
Referee: Miloš Milanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milan Šutulović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Nikola Antić (SRB)
Fourth Official: Jovan Šegrt (SRB)
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn (GER)

Santa Coloma – Sutjeska Nikšić
Referee: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mikael Hallin (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Ekman (SWE)
Fourth Official: Victor Wolf (SWE)
Referee Observer: Ante Vučemilović-Šimunović (CRO)

Pyunik FA – Kalmar FF
Referee: Igor Stojčevski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Kuštrim Lika (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Sladjan Markoski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Aleksandar Grujoski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Peter Sippel (GER)

Spartak Trnava – FK Auda
Referee: Luca Cibelli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Matthias Sbrissa (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bastien Lengacher (SUI)
Fourth Official: Stefan Horisberger (SUI)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

Dinamo Tbilisi – Hamrun Spartans
Referee: Viktar Šymusik (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Siarhiej Kasaviec (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Siarhiej Firynovič (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dzmitryj Dzmitryjeu (BLR)
Referee Observer: Pavle Radovanović (MNE)

FA Urartu – Farul Constanța
Referee: Thomas Owen (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Lewiss Edwards (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Christopher (WAL)
Fourth Official: Alex McInch (WAL)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

FK Panevezys – Hapoel Beer Sheva
Referee: Jan Petřík (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Nadvornik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Marek Podany (CZE)
Fourth Official: Dalibor Černy (CZE)
Referee Observer: Sabri Çelik (TUR)

Sabah – RFS
Referee: Fedayi San (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonas Erni (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Köbeli (SUI)
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Referee Observer: Ladislav Gadoši (SVK)

Zalgiris Kaunas – Lech Poznan
Referee: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ole Kronlykke (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Norgaard (DEN)
Fourth Official: Lasse Graagaard (DEN)
Referee Observer: Gevorg Hovhannisyan (ARM)

Aqtobe FK – Torpedo Kutaisi
Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Portelli (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Duncan Sultana (MLT)
Fourth Official: Malcolm Spiteri (MLT)
Referee Observer: Ferenc Szekely (HUN)

KuPS Kuopio – Derry City
Referee: Dario Bel (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Pataki (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Kruno Šarić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Goran Pečarić (CRO)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

Pogon Szczecin – Linfield FC
Referee: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: İbrahim Uyarcan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mustafa Savranlar (TUR)
Fourth Official: Bahattin Şimşek (TUR)
Referee Observer: Domagoj Vučkov (CRO)

Zalaegerszegi TE – NK Osijek
Referee: Gal Leibovitz (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rostislav Talis (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Yossi Babayoff (ISR)
Fourth Official: Shalom Avraham (ISR)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

Dila Gori – Vorskla Poltava
Referee: Simone Sozza (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Davide Imperiale (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gamal Mokhtar (ITA)
Fourth Official: Andrea Colombo (ITA)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

Neftci PFK – FK Zeljeznicar
Referee: Balazs Berke (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balazs Buzas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Balazs Szert (HUN)
Fourth Official: Bence Csonka (HUN)
Referee Observer: Marian Ružbarsky (SVK)

Rosenborg BK – Crusaders FC
Referee: Adam Farkas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gergő Vígh-Tarsonyi (HUN)
Fourth Official: Marton Rusz (HUN)
Referee Observer: Haim Yaakov (ISR)

Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe – CSKA Sofia
Referee: Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Denis Rexha (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Erind Burgu (ALB)
Fourth Official: Erjon Bastari (ALB)
Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian (FRA)

Petrocub Hîncesti – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Peter Kjaersgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesper Dahl (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jacob Karlsen (DEN)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Orrason (ISL)

Riga FC – Kecskemeti TE
Referee: Iwan Griffith (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Johnathon Bryant (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Bird (WAL)
Fourth Official: John Jones (WAL)
Referee Observer: Rusmir Mrković (BIH)

Omonia Nicosia – Qabala IK
Referee: Adam Ladebäck (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcus Klitte (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Yng (SWE)
Fourth Official: Joakim Östling (SWE)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

PFK Levski – FC Shkupi
Referee: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Guillaume Maire (SUI)
Fourth Official: Lukas Fähndrich (SUI)
Referee Observer: Milorad Mažić (SRB)

Bohemians Praha – Bodo Glimt
Referee: Marcel Bîrsan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi (ROU)
Fourth Official: Iulian Dima (ROU)
Referee Observer: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR)

Progres Niederkorn – FC Midtjylland
Referee: Ferenc Karako (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Istvan Albert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Norbert Bornemissza (HUN)
Fourth Official: Mihaly Kapraly (HUN)
Referee Observer: Georgi Yordanov (BUL)

Beitar Jerusalem – PAOK
Referee: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Julien Aube (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jeremy Stinat (FRA)
Referee Observer: Hannes Kaasik (EST)

Adana Demirspor – CFR Cluj
Referee: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Hillaert (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ruben Wyns (BEL)
Fourth Official: Wesli De Cremer (BEL)
Referee Observer: Calum Murray (SCO)

KF Tirana – Beşiktaş JK
Referee: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Neil Davies (ENG)
Fourth Official: John Brooks (ENG)
Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)

FK Vojvodina – Apoel
Referee: Vitalijs Spasjonnikovs (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Raimonds Tatriks (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Artūrs Šakurovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA)
Referee Observer: Alain Sars (FRA)

Hammarby – Twente
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mangirdas Mirauskas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytenis Kazlauskas (LTU)
Fourth Official: Vilius Paulauskas (LTU)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Aarhus GF – Club Brugge
Referee: Atilla Karaoglan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ceyhun Sesigüzel (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Cevdet Kömürcüoğlu (TUR)
Fourth Official: Cagdaş Altay (TUR)
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI)

FC Drita – Viktoria Plzen
Referee: Jakob Sundberg (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Deniz Yurdakul (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakob Mastrup (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jonas Hansen (DEN)
Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin (ROU)

MSK Zilina – KAA Gent
Referee: Dumitru Muntean (MDA)
Assistant Referee 1: Vlad Lifciu (MDA)
Assistant Referee 2: Vadim Vicol (MDA)
Fourth Official: Stanislav Leu (MDA)
Referee Observer: Thoroddur Hjaltalin (ISL)

HNK Rijeka – KF Dukagjini
Referee: James Robinson (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Paul Robinson (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ryan Kelsey (NIR)
Fourth Official: Lee Tavinder (NIR)
Referee Observer: Igor Satchii (MDA)

Hibernian FC – Inter d’Escaldes
Referee: Peter Kralovič (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Milan Štrbo (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaš Vorel (SVK)
Fourth Official: Martin Dohal (SVK)
Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)

Aris – Ararat Armenia
Referee: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Giovanni Baccini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Dario Cecconi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Federico Dionisi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Stephen Tanner (ENG)

Larne – Ballkani
Referee: Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Gylfi Sigurdsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Ivar Kristjansson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Edward Foley (IRL)

FCSB – CSKA
Referee: Juxhin Xhaja (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Nertil Bregasi (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Arbër Zalla (ALB)
Fourth Official: Emanuela Rusta (ALB)
Referee Observer: Viktor Kassai (HUN)

NK Maribor – FC Deifferdeng
Referee: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Arkadiusz Wojcik (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Niemirowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Wojciech Myc (POL)
Referee Observer: Luc Wouters (BEL)

Borac Banja Luka – Austria Wien
Referee: Urs Schnyder (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher (SUI)
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger (SUI)
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović (SRB)

FC Luzern – Djurgardens IF
Referee: Genc Nuza (KOS)
Assistant Referee 1: Bujar Selimaj (KOS)
Assistant Referee 2: Arbnor Bullatovci (KOS)
Fourth Official: Burim Jahmurataj (KOS)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Dundalk – Akureyri
Referee: Walter Altmann (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Daniel Pfister (AUT)
Referee Observer: Sascha Amhof (SUI)

Haverfordwest AFC – B36 Torshavn
Referee: Christian Ciochirca (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Weiss (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Obritzberger (AUT)
Fourth Official: Alexander Harkam (AUT)
Referee Observer: Nerijus Dunauskas (LTU)

Shamrock Rovers – Ferencvarosi TC
Referee: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Mucha (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Mark Whitby (WAL)

Legia Warszawa – Ordabasy FK
Referee: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Calum Spence (SCO)
Fourth Official: Alan Muir (SCO)
Referee Observer: Michail Koukoulakis (GRE)

Debreceni VSC – FA Alashkert
Referee: Robert Schröder (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Wessel (GER)
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen (GER)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

Vitoria SC – NK Celje
Referee: Viktor Kopiyevskyy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Berkut (UKR)
Fourth Official: Yaroslav Kozyk (UKR)
Referee Observer: Gunnar Jonsson (ISL)

UEFA Champions League 2023/2024 - Second Qualifying Round (Second Leg)

1-2 August 2023

Panathinaikos – Dnipro
Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcel Unger (GER)
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager (GER)
VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
AVAR: Benjamin Brand (GER)
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos (CRO)

Olimpija Ljubljana – PFK Ludogorets
Referee: Christian Dingert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Benedikt Kempkes (GER)
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner (GER)
VAR: Pascal Müller (GER)
AVAR: Mike Pickel (GER)
Referee Observer: Jorn West Larsen (DEN)

Bate Borisov – Aris Limassol
Referee: Morten Krogh (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Rasmussen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Steffen Bramsen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Mikkel Redder (DEN)
VAR: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
AVAR: Clay Ruperti (NED)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

Slovan Bratislava – HSK Zrinjski
Referee: Jeremie Pignard (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Aurelien Drouet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Laurent Coniglio (FRA)
Fourth Official: Bastien Dechepy (FRA)
VAR: Pierre Gaillouste (FRA)
AVAR: Eric Wattellier (FRA)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Astana FK – GNK Dinamo
Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rogier Honig (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Roy de Nas (NED)
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij (NED)
VAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
AVAR: Edwin van de Graaf (NED)
Referee Observer: Michael Ross (NIR)

Qarabag FK – Rakow Czestochowa
Referee: Sven Jablonski (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Lasse Koslowski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Fourth Official: Tobias Reichel (GER)
VAR: Harm Osmers (GER)
AVAR: Mark Borsch (GER)
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)

BK Häcken – KI Klaksvik
Referee: Andrew Madley (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Cook (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Robathan (ENG)
Fourth Official: Michael Salisbury (ENG)
VAR: David Coote (ENG)
AVAR: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

Molde FK – HJK Helsinki
Referee: Igor Pajač (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivan Mihalj (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Vedran Djurak (CRO)
Fourth Official: Mateo Erceg (CRO)
VAR: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
AVAR: Ante Čuljak (CRO)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Maccabi Haifa – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Damian Sylwestrzak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Bartosz Heinig (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Karasewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Pawel Malec (POL)
VAR: Piotr Lasyk (POL)
AVAR: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL)
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi (SMR)

KRC Genk – Servette FC
Referee: Novak Simović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikola Djorović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Miloš Simović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Dejan Trifković (SRB)
VAR: Momčilo Marković (SRB)
AVAR: Aleksandar Živković (SRB)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

FC Copenhagen – Breidablik
Referee: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Rossi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Antonio Rapuano (ITA)
VAR: Luca Pairetto (ITA)
AVAR: Marco Piccinini (ITA)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

Galatasaray – Zalgiris Vilnius
Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwan Finjean (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard (FRA)
VAR: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
AVAR: Maika Vanderstichel (FRA)
Referee Observer: Rien Koopman (NED)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 43-46)

2 August 2023

Argentina – Sweden
Referee: Salima Mukansanga (RWA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Queency Victoire (MRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Njoroge (KEN)
Fourth Official: Kim Yu-Jeong (KOR)
VAR: Adil Zourak (MAR)
AVAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
OVAR: Fatiha Jermoumi (MAR)

South Africa – Italy
Referee: Maria Carvajal (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Leslie Vasquez (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU)
Fourth Official: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR: Armando Villarreal (USA)
OVAR: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)

Panama – France
Referee: Laura Fortunato (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Daiana Milone (ARG)
Fourth Official: Emikar Calderas (VEN)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Salome Di Iorio (ARG)
OVAR: Shirley Perello (HON)

Jamaica – Brazil
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Küng (SUI)
Fourth Official: Vincentia Amedome (TOG)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR: Pol Van Boekel (NED)
OVAR: Ella De Vries (BEL)

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2023 – Round of 16 (First Leg)

1-3 August 2023

Argentinos Juniors – Fluminense
Referee: Piero Maza (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Retamal (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Alejandro Molina (CHI)
Fourth Official: Felipe Gonzalez (CHI)
VAR: Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI)
AVAR: Alan Sandoval (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)

Bolivar – Athletico Paranaense
Referee: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Byron Romero (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Fourth Official: Juan Andrade (ECU)
VAR: Carlos Orbe (ECU)
AVAR: Andres Tola (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Ricardo Casas (ARG)
VAR Supervisor: Luis Vera (ECU)

River Plate – Internacional
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Fourth Official: Angel Arteaga (VEN)
VAR: Juan Lara (CHI)
AVAR: Edson Cisternas (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Victor Carrillo (PER)
VAR Supervisor: Dario Ubriaco (URU)

Nacional – Boca Juniors
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Fourth Official: Ramon Abatti (BRA)
VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)
AVAR: Igor Benevenuto (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Ednilson Corona (BRA)
VAR Supervisor: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)

Deportivo Pereira – Independiente Del Valle
Referee: Yael Falcon (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Navarro (ARG)
Fourth Official: Andres Merlos (ARG)
VAR: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
AVAR: Pablo Dovalo (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
VAR Supervisor: Marcio Santiago (BRA)

Atletico Mineiro – Palmeiras
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximiliano Del Yesso (ARG)
Fourth Official: Maximiliano Ramirez (ARG)
VAR: German Delfino (ARG)
AVAR: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Avila (ECU)

Atletico Nacional – Racing Club
Referee: Braulio Machado (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Paulo Zanovelli (BRA)
VAR: Rodolpho Toski (BRA)
AVAR: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Regildenia Moura (BRA)
VAR Supervisor: Giulliano Bozzano (BRA)

Flamengo – Olimpia
Referee: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez (ARG)
Fourth Official: Pablo Echavarria (ARG)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Hector Paleta (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Hector Baldassi (ARG)
VAR Supervisor: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)

CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2023 – Round of 16 (First Leg)

1-3 August 2023

Libertad – Fortaleza
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Lubin Torrealba (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Ponte (VEN)
Fourth Official: Yender Herrera (VEN)
VAR: Yadir Acuna (COL)
AVAR: John Leon (COL)
Referee Assessor: Miguel Nievas (URU)
VAR Supervisor: Barbra Bastias (CHI)

Emelec – Defensa y Justicia
Referee: Flavio Souza (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guilherme Camilo (BRA)
Fourth Official: Savio Sampaio (BRA)
VAR: Daniel Nobre (BRA)
AVAR: Rodrigo Guarizo (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Hilton Moutinho (BRA)
VAR Supervisor: Pericles Cortes (BRA)

Corinthians – Newell's Old Boys
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Fourth Official: Mathias de Armas (URU)
VAR: Andres Cunha (URU)
AVAR: Antonio Garcia (URU)
Referee Assessor: Luis Sanchez (VEN)
VAR Supervisor: Juan Cardellino (URIU)

Estudiantes La Plata – Goias
Referee: Andres Rojas (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Dionisio Ruiz (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Gallego (COL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Ortega (COL)
VAR: Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI)
AVAR: Alan Sandoval (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)

Botafogo – Guarani
Referee: Andres Matonte (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Nievas (URU)
Fourth Official: Jose Burgos (URU)
VAR: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
AVAR: Paulo Llarena (URU)
Referee Assessor: Hector Baldassi (ARG)
VAR Supervisor: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)

San Lorenzo – Sao Paulo
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Betancur (COL)
VAR: Juan Lara (CHI)
AVAR: Edson Cisternas (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Victor Carrillo (PER)
VAR Supervisor: Dario Ubriaco (URU)

Nublense – LDU Quito
Referee: Kevin Ortega (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Orue (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Sanchez (PER)
Fourth Official: Roberto Perez (PER)
VAR: John Perdomo (COL)
AVAR: Leonard Mosquera (COL)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Antequera (BOL)
VAR Supervisor: Roberto Silvera (URU)

America Mineiro – Red Bull Bragantino
Referee: Gery Vargas (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Antelo (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Edwar Saavedra (BOL)
Fourth Official: Ivo Mendez (BOL)
VAR: German Delfino (ARG)
AVAR: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Avila (ECU)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 39-42)

1 August 2023

Vietnam – Netherlands
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Karolin Kaivoja (EST)
Fourth Official: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
AVAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
OVAR: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)

Portugal – USA
Referee: Rebecca Welch (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Natalie Aspinall (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad (HUN)
Fourth Official: Anahi Fernandez (URU)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
OVAR: Maryna Striletska (UKR)

China – England
Referee: Casey Rebelt (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Ramina Tsoi (KGZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Heba Saadieh (PLE)
Fourth Official: Marianela Araya (CRC)
VAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
AVAR: Daiane Muniz (BRA)
OVAR: Shirley Perello HON)

Haiti – Denmark
Referee: Oh Hyeon-Jeong (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Park Mi-Suk (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Makoto Bozono (JPN)
Fourth Official: Akhona Makalima (RSA)
VAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
AVAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
OVAR: Neuza Back (BRA)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 35-38)

31 July 2023

Japan – Spain
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Felisha Mariscal (USA)
Fourth Official: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
VAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
AVAR: Armando Villarrel (USA)
OVAR: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)

Costa Rica – Zambia
Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Fatiha Jermoumi (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Soukaina Hamdi (MAR)
Fourth Official: Kim Yu-Jeong (KOR)
VAR: Adil Zourak (MAR)
AVAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
OVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)

Canada – Australia
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Elodie Coppola (FRA)
Fourth Official: Tess Olofsson (SWE)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
OVAR: Ella De Vries (BEL)

Ireland – Nigeria
Referee: Katia Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Karen Diaz (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Salome Di Iorio (ARG)
OVAR: Lucie Ratajova (CZE)

UEFA Women’s U-19 Euro Final 2023: Klarlund (DEN)

Sunday’s UEFA European Women’s Under-19 Championship final brings a new career highlight for proud Danish match referee Frida Klarlund. “I’m so happy – it’s a big thing to be selected for my first international final, and I’m very honoured,” the 33-year-old IT manager from Copenhagen told uefa.com as she stepped up preparations for the big game between Spain and Germany at the Den Dreef Stadium in Leuven, Belgium. Sunday’s date is the latest accolade on an impressive refereeing adventure that began when Klarlund was a teenager and her sister Trine Westhoff – a former elite referee herself – persuaded her to embark on her career. “I was 16 years old and part of a family that loved football, and I’d been attending a football school as a player,’ she says. ‘When you got too old to go to the football school, you had the opportunity to go a refereeing school. My sister told me to go there, I took the course, and I became a referee. I was the only female participant at the referee course. I didn’t really know about what I was signing up for – but I soon found out for myself that refereeing was fun.” Klarlund’s progress was rapid, and by the age of 19, higher-level assignments beckoned. In 2009, she moved up into the Danish domestic women's first division before being promoted to assignments in the elite division – a superb achievement for one so young. Klarlund started refereeing in men’s football as well, taking charge of youth teams first, and she has gradually advanced through the ranks – becoming the first Danish female referee in the domestic men’s second division, as well as making her top-flight Super League debut as a fourth official in September 2022. “I don’t find it difficult to referee in the men’s game,” Klarlund reflects. “I’ve been refereeing for a long time, and I think that’s why I have the respect of the players. They know me. Perhaps the only real reaction now is from spectators, who sometimes openly express surprise when they see that a female match official is taking charge of a men’s game.” The FIFA international badge followed in 2015. Three years later, Klarlund was a member of the referee team at the European women’s Under-17 finals in Lithuania, taking charge of the third-place playoff between England and Finland. In 2019, she was a fourth official at the UEFA women’s Under-19 finals in Scotland. Many of the Women's U-19 Euro referee team who have been on duty in Belgium this month are no strangers to Klarlund, thanks to these previous European final tournament experiences. ‘We were asked to introduce ourselves when we met up for these finals,” she says, “I was pleased to be able to say that I was glad to see so many of the officials again.”

Klarlund describes her refereeing style as a mixture of her own personality and knowledge gained from watching other referees. “You need to believe in yourself and what you’re good at,” she reflects, “but it’s obvious that I’ve learned quite a lot as well from observing experienced international referees.” Concentration, courage, sound people management and teamwork are all key assets for top referees, as well as the important trait of humility. “You’re only as good as your last game,” Klarlund insists. “And you always have to be ready to do even better in your next game.” A special youngster occupies Klarlund’s time away from football – her six-year-old daughter. “She loves to see me at the stadium,” says the proud mother, “but she’s not a football player at the moment, she likes dancing more!’ Juggling the demands of motherhood, professional life and refereeing presents no great problems for Klarlund. “I’m lucky in particular that my employers allow me full-time to commit myself to refereeing,” she says. “I’m very fortunate to have a lot of support around me.” Klarlund, who describes football as her hobby as well as her job, will be accompanied at Sunday’s final by assistant referees Emily Carney (England) and Ceri Williams (Wales), together with fourth official Jelena Cvetković (Serbia). “We’ll be ready, because you have to be concentrated and confident from the very first minute of a match to the last – you don’t know what will happen. As a referee, it’s clear that I need my team, and we’ll be talking with each other at length before the final to make sure that we’re fully prepared.” Will anything specific go through Frida Klarlund’s mind in the hectic moments before the big final gets underway on Sunday? “Some referees say that the best moment of a match is the final whistle,” she says. “But that’s not my view.” The best moment is when you line up with the teams - you’re the first to walk out onto the pitch, you see the crowd, you feel the atmosphere. I won’t be nervous – I’ll be thinking about how great it is to be there at that instant”. (Source: UEFA)

30 July 2023

Spain – Germany

Referee: Frida Klarlund (DEN)

Assistant Referee 1: Emily Carney (ENG)

Assistant Referee 2: Ceri Williams (WAL)

Fourth Official: Jelena Cvetković (SRB)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 31-34)

30 July 2023

Korea – Morocco
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Leila Moreira (BRA)
Fourth Official: Marianela Araya (CRC)
VAR: Daiane Muniz (BRA)
AVAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
OVAR: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)

Switzerland – New Zealand
Referee: Tori Penso (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mijensa Rensch (SUR)
Fourth Official: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
OVAR: Leslie Vasquez (COL)

Norway – Philippines
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephanie Yee-Sing (JAM)
Fourth Official: Anahi Fernandez (URU)
VAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
AVAR: Salome Di Iorio (ARG)
OVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)

Germany – Colombia
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandra Ramirez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN)
VAR: Armando Villarreal (USA)
AVAR: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
OVAR: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 28-30)

29 July 2023

Sweden – Italy
Referee: Cheryl Foster (WAL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Michelle O'Neill (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Franca Overtoom (NED)
Fourth Official: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
OVAR: Ella De Vries (BEL)

France – Brazil
Referee: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Kyoung-Min (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Joanna Charaktis (AUS)
Fourth Official: Lina Lehtovaara (FUIN)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Armando Villarreal (USA)
OVAR: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)

Panama – Jamaica
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Marybna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulina Baranowska (POL)
Fourth Official: Akhona Makalima (RSA)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Adil Zourak (MAR)
OVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)

Nervous referee announces wrong VAR decision before saying ‘no, wait!’

A Women's World Cup referee sparked confusion after announcing the wrong VAR decision in Spain's victory over Zambia, before correcting herself seconds later. Spain had put in a good showing as they beat Zambia 5-0 at Eden Park in New Zealand. However, the most intriguing moment came from Korean referee Oh-Hyeon Jeong while there was a VAR check on Jennifer Hermoso's goal in 70th minute. Hermoso had already netted earlier in the game but her second was initially ruled out as Olga Carmona was flagged offside in the build-up to the goal.

After the lengthy check, it seemed that the Spaniard would be allowed the goal until Oh-Hyeon Jeong appeared to stick with her original decision. The official announced that the decision was "no goal!", which was then met with boos from the crowd. This then saw the referee backtrack and say: "No, wait... no offside - Goal!" But for a second the Spanish team were left confused due to the dodgy announcement before realising that the goal had been given. The players then wheeled off to celebrate their fourth goal of the game. It was not the last action of the match as Alba Redondo then netted her second of the game in the 85th minute.

During the Women's World Cup, history was made as referees are announcing VAR decisions to the spectators in the stadium through a microphone. It is the first time that this has been done at a senior international tournament. The trial by FIFA was also done at the men's Club World Cup and men's U-20 World Cup earlier in the year. If the trial is deemed a success, it could then arrive in major European competitions like the Premier League.

Source: The Sun

UEFA Women’s U-19 Euro 2023 – Semi-finals

27 July 2023

Netherlands – Spain
Referee: Ewa Augustyn (POL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Emily Carney (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Danijela Mitrović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Frida Klarlund (DEN)

France – Germany
Referee: Sabina Bolic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Ceri Williams (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tiziana Trasciatti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Jelena Cvetković (SRB)

UEFA Referees Committee 2023-2027

Chairman
Roberto Rosetti (ITA, UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer)

Members
Dagmar Damkova (CZE, UEFA Refereeing Officer)
Björn Kuipers (NED, UEFA Refereeing Officer)
Vladimir Sajn (SVN, UEFA Refereeing Officer)
Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)

Referee Development Panel

1. Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)
2. David Elleray (ENG)
3. Herbert Fandel (GER)
4. Jose Gomes (POR)
5. Lutz Fröhlich (GER)
6. Gyöngyi Gaal (HUN, new)
7. Antony Gautier (FRA, new)
8. Martin Hansson (SWE, new)
9. Ingrid Jonsson (SWE)
10. Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)
11. Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)
12. Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
13. Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb (ENG)
14. Kyros Vassaras (GRE)
15. Howard Webb (ENG)

Referee Convention Panel

1. Sascha Amhof (SUI, new)
2. Vladimir Antonov (MDA)
3. Nuno Castro (POR)
4. Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)
5. Stephanie Forde (BEL)
6. Gyöngyi Gaal (HUN)
7. Terje Hauge (NOR)
8. Peter Hegyi (HUN)
9. Werner Helsen (BEL)
10. Sokol Jareci (ALB)
11. Michael Johansen (DEN)
12. Leonid Kaloshin (RUS)
13. Costas Kapitanis (CYP)
14. Daniel Meeson (ENG, new)
15. Gerard Perry (IRL)
16. Damian Picz (POL, new)
17. Radek Prihoda (CZE, new)
18. Alan Sant (MLT, new)
19. Alain Sars (FRA, new)
20. Katia Senesi (ITA)
21. Hege Steinlund (SWE, new)
22. Yariv Tepper (ISR)
23. Jorn West Larsen (DEN)
24. Alan Snoddy (NIR, UEFA appointment)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 25-27)

28 July 2023

Argentina – South Africa
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sarah Jones (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Salamasina (SAM)
Fourth Official: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
VAR: Abdulla Al Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
OVAR: Felisha Mariscal (USA)

England – Denmark
Referee: Tess Olofsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Polyxeni Irodotou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Oh Hyeon-Jeong (KOR)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
OVAR: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)

China – Haiti
Referee: Marta Huerta De Aza (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Marianela Araya (CRC)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
OVAR: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)

Fortunato ready for her second Women's World Cup

Laura Fortunato was appointed to referee in Australia-New Zealand 2023 and will represent Argentina at a Women’s World Cup for the second time in her career. The international referee spoke with ESPN.com about the advances in women's football and the vicissitudes of her profession.

Her beginnings as referee and the presence of women in refereeing

“When I did the referee course, I was teaching at the same time and I had to manage my time, because I took jobs in little schools and swimming pools; I was going from here to there all day. During the week, the course took a lot of my time and on weekends I refereed. It was getting difficult. I tried to focus on work during the week to be able to dedicate 100% of the weekend to refereeing. When I started my referee career, there were very few women in football, in general, not to mention in AFA. We were 10 women compared to 600 men who were already in AFA. It was very striking that a woman would referee a match. Over the years, more and more women joined. Today there are 50 women in AFA and what one sees is that there are more and more followers, more women want to take the course and on social networks or on TV we see an impressive number of women, perhaps in less recognized leagues. But they are there, fighting to be able to enter AFA, which has impressive worldwide recognition. Little-by-little, the generations are changing and more is being done to open up these areas that were believed to be masculine; it is opening up to women because of their abilities. It's hard for me to see myself as a role model, but sometimes I get messages from different girls from different parts of the country. I realize that I can inspire them to keep this moving forward, it's good. We are in a pivotal generation that is going to prepare the way so that in a few more years more and more women will be able to enjoy the profession and reach much higher than we are now. If I think about being an instructor? I would love to. I am still very focused on on-field refereeing, but in the future I would love to be able to pass on what I learned and I will continue to learn. I hope that possibility arises. It is a very important position to have instructors who understand what the referee's role was, former referees who know how to transmit their knowledge.”

The role of referees: a very mistreated profession

“It is a very difficult profession; we are very criticized. Psychological support is very important because there are referees who are more or less prepared to face criticism and pressure. There are times when you referee in a full stadium, it's a final, an important match and all of that puts pressure on the referee who has to try to deal with it in the best way possible. Post game, after a mistake or a criticism, we are not considered to be people... like when a player kicks a penalty and sends it out. People should have a little more empathy. In the women football, they want to equalize for the worse with the masculine, criticizing the referees, looking for problems or controversies where there are none. No referee in the world wants to be wrong. You have to make decisions in a matter of seconds, there are times when you can't get to see everything. Honesty is called into question when it comes to a mistake. The best referee is the one who, when the game ends, you don't know who refereed and you have to google it. My objective is always that the game ends and that nobody knows who refereed that match. Concentration on a playing field for 90 minutes is very difficult. We are a team and we try to keep everyone on the lookout constantly. The intercoms help us in case someone loses concentration; when you lose attention anything can happen. Sometimes, nothing is happening in the game and one can easily disperse, but the idea is to focus individually and collectively.

VAR, an ally that is here to stay

“I always said that the VAR is a very important tool for refereeing. I really believe that, applied well, it is vital to avoid those types of clear problems or obvious errors that can lead to a conflict. It is a technological tool, but it is managed by people and obviously there can be errors. It is a matter of time until certain points that are being tested are adjusted, there are countries where it has not yet been implemented. You have to give it time, there will always be mistakes because there are interpretation plays. Sometimes we analyze a play in a room with 100 referees and half believe one thing and the other half another. Hopefully they never take out the tool because it is very important for the referee on the field and, obviously, for the assistants. The VAR intervention is necessary when there are clear and obvious errors, not when it is a very subtle play or the referee explains what happened (for example a touch that is not enough to call a foul). The VAR reviews all the decisive plays (penalties, goals, red cards, mistaken identity). There are things that are not seen or not perceived live. When the situation does not warrant a change of decision, the VAR allows the game to continue. Each interpretative play cannot be interrupted; if the situation is covered by the referee, it does not need intervention. For example, in offside situations, the VAR draws lines. They are factual, you do not need the referee to review them. The time it takes to review a play is related to the quality of the image or the corresponding angle. The VAR must look for the best image and sometimes it is not the correct one, or the camera is moved. There are 15 cameras and you have to find the right one. And when you call the referee, you must show him two or three positions, so that she can evaluate. The time that technology takes is not always fast.

Australia-New Zealand, her second World Cup

“I am very excited to be able to be at a World Cup again. I found out at the end of last year, around Christmas. I received the appointment by email and I was very happy; I was looking forward to this moment. I am very happy and more prepared than ever to face this possibility. I gained some experience, not only in the last World Cup, but also the Olympic Games, Copa America, Copa Libertadores. There were big tournaments and many preparation sessions that give you experience. The way to face the new challenge is different. This World Cup is going to be different and each participant will be different because everything is progressing (attendance, pace of the matches, player abilities), not only refereeing but women's football worldwide is progressing a lot. Our progress goes hand-in-hand with the support provided by AFA, CONMEBOL and FIFA. The match refereeing experience, the learning, being with the elite of world refereeing, sharing a class, training with the best in the world, it gives you a baggage that has no comparison with anything else in refereeing. The instructors are excellent professionals who accompany us every day with a lot of learning. Talks with colleagues, having the opportunity to see certain places that one never imagined knowing. Refereeing gives you the possibility to meet incredible people and places.”

Dreams and projects

“Sometimes it's hard to think about what I dream about because opportunities appear little-by-little. When I look back, I remember that, when I started my career, other colleagues went to an international tournament or Olympic Game and I saw it as too far away for me. And now I see everything that I have lived, I look back and see everything that I came to do. Where do I dream of going? I don't know, I'm going step-by-step and I am 100% focused on the World Cup and that's good for setting short-term goals. I hope I can give Argentina the best possible representation. I am already 38 years old and the refereeing career is not eternal, it is ending around 45, but now the VAR opens other doors to extend the "refereeing life". I will see later which option is the most suitable for me.”

Source: ESPN

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 22-24)

27 July 2023

USA – Netherlands
Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Makoto Bozono (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Naomi Teshirogi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Kim Yu-Jeong (KOR)
VAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
AVAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
OVAR: Leslie Vasquez (CHI)

Portugal – Vietnam
Referee: Salima Mukansanga (RWA)
Assistant Referee 1: Queency Victoire (MRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Njoroge (KEN)
Fourth Official: Anahi Fernandez (URU)
VAR: Adil Zourak (MAR)
AVAR: Daiane Muniz (BRA)
OVAR: Fatiha Jermoumi (MAR)

Australia – Nigeria
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Küng (SUI)
Fourth Official: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
OVAR: Ella De Vries (BEL)

UEFA Champions League 2023/2024 - Second Qualifying Round (First Leg)

25-26 July 2023

HJK Helsinki – Molde FK
Referee: Sven Jablonski (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Lasse Koslowski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen (GER)
VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
AVAR: Benjamin Brand (GER)
Referee Observer: Howard Webb (ENG)

Zalgiris Vilnius – Galatasaray
Referee: Luis Godinho (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Teixeira (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Mota (POR)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Baixinho (POR)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Andre Narciso (POR)
Referee Observer: Neale Barry (ENG)

GNK Dinamo – Astana FK
Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivan Masso Granado (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Alejandro Estevez Iglesias (ESP)
Fourth Official: Miguel Ortiz Arias (ESP)
VAR: Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
AVAR: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

SK Dnipro – Panathinaikos
Referee: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Valerio Colarossi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Ermanno Feliciani (ITA)
VAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
AVAR: Francesco Fourneau (ITA)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

Servette FC – KRC Genk
Referee: Istvan Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Istvan Albert (HUN)
Fourth Official: Adam Farkas (HUN)
VAR: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
AVAR: Piotr Lasyk (POL)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

HSK Zrinjski – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Mathias Hillaert (BEL)
Fourth Official: Kevin Van Damme (BEL)
VAR: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
AVAR: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)

Breidablik – FC Copenhagen
Referee: Gergő Bogar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Theodoros Georgiou (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Balazs Szalai (HUN)
Fourth Official: Balazs Berke (HUN)
VAR: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
AVAR: Katalin Kulcsar (HUN)
Referee Observer: Mehmet Ilgaz (TUR)

Sheriff Tiraspol – Maccabi Haifa
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Riedel (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Santino Schreiner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Markus Hameter (AUT)
VAR: Alan Kijas (AUT)
AVAR: Josef Spurny (AUT)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

Aris Limassol – Bate Borisov
Referee: Yigal Frid (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: David Biton (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Matityahu Yakobov (ISR)
Fourth Official: Nael Odeh (ISR)
VAR: Ziv Adler (ISR)
AVAR: Nati Dotan (ISR)
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista (POR)

Rakow Czestochowa – Qarabag FK
Referee: Lukas Fähndrich (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonas Erni (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Guillaume Maire (SUI)
Fourth Official: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)
AVAR: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Referee Observer: Emil Božinovski (MKD)

PFK Ludogorets – Olimpija Ljubljana
Referee: Rohit Saggi (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Morten Jensen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Anders Dale (NOR)
Fourth Official: Sivert Amland (NOR)
VAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
AVAR: Erwin Blank (NED)
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

KI Klaksvik – BK Häcken
Referee: Michal Očenaš (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Bednar (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Polaček (SVK)
Fourth Official: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
VAR: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
AVAR: Luigi Nasca (ITA)
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev (BUL)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 19-21)

26 July 2023

Japan – Costa Rica
Referee: Maria Ferrieri Caputi (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Tepusa (ROU)
Fourth Official: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Salome Di Iorio (ARG)
OVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)

Spain – Zambia
Referee: Oh Hyeon-Jeong (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Seul-Gi (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Park Mi-Suk (KOR)
Fourth Official: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
VAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
AVAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
OVAR: Ella De Vries (BEL)

Canada – Ireland
Referee: Laura Fortunato (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Daiana Milone (ARG)
Fourth Official: Akhona Makalima (RSA)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
OVAR: Neuza Back (BRA)

UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 – Second Qualifying Round (First Leg)

25-27 July 2023

AC d’Escaldes – FK Partizani
Referee: Robert Jenkins (WAL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Beckett (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Harry Hendricks (WAL)
Fourth Official: Bryn Markham-Jones (WAL)
Referee Observer: Jens Larsen (DEN)

The New Saints – Swift Hesper
Referee: Jasper Vergoote (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Nico Claes (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Geerolf (BEL)
Fourth Official: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
Referee Observer: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT)

Hamrun Spartans – Dinamo Tbilisi
Referee: Miloš Gigović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Damir Lazić (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Amer Macić (BIH)
Fourth Official: Antoni Bandić (BIH)
Referee Observer: Andrejs Sipailo (LVA)

SP Tre Penne – Valmiera FC
Referee: Miloš Bošković (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Marjan Paunović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Marko Gojković (MNE)
Fourth Official: Miloš Bešović (MNE)
Referee Observer: Ian Stokes (IRL)

FC Ballkani – Larne FC
Referee: Denys Shurman (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Valentyn Kutsev (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmytro Zaporozhenko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Dmytro Panchyshyn (UKR)
Referee Observer: Michal Beneš (CZE)

Struga Trim Lum – Budućnost Podgorica
Referee: Artiom Kuchin (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Evgenii Belskii (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Sergei Vasiutin (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Daniiar Sahi (KAZ)
Referee Observer: Christopher Lautier (MLT)

RFS – Sabah
Referee: Jan Machalek (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Adam Horak (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Vaňa (CZE)
Fourth Official: Pavel Orel (CZE)
Referee Observer: Kostadin Gerginov (BUL)

FC Midtjylland – Progres Niederkorn
Referee: Volen Chinkov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Miroslav Ivanov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Stanimir Trenchev (BUL)
Referee Observer: Asim Xudiyev (AZE)

CSKA – FCSB
Referee: Luca Pairetto (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Bresmes (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Pasquale Capaldo (ITA)
Fourth Official: Giovanni Ayroldi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Kenneth Clark (SCO)

Nioman Hrodna – Balzan
Referee: Ivar Kristjansson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Andri Vigfusson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Vilhjalmur Thrarinsson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Kjell Alseth (NOR)

Fenerbahçe SK – Zimbru Chisinau
Referee: Nenad Minaković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Nemanja Petrović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Miloš Miškeljin (SRB)
Fourth Official: Danilo Nikolić (SRB)
Referee Observer: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)

Ordabasy FK – Legia Warszawa
Referee: Helgi Jonasson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Egill Gudlaugsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Johann Jonsson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)

FA Alashkert – Debreceni VSC
Referee: Vasilios Fotias (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Konstantinos Psarris (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Meindanas (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ioannis Papadopoulos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Inter d’Escaldes – Hibernian FC
Referee: Joni Hyytiä (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Sami Nykänen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Veli-Matti Leppänen (FIN)
Fourth Official: Petri Viljanen (FIN)
Referee Observer: Vadims Direktorenko (LVA)

Ararat Armenia – Aris
Referee: Bolat Sariev (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Sergei Kalatşiov (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Iurii Tihoniuk (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Säken Baiymbet (KAZ)
Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

FK Bodo Glimt – Bohemians Praha
Referee: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ali Ögel (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehmet Tugral (TUR)
Fourth Official: Tugay Numanoglu (TUR)
Referee Observer: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)

Qabala IK – Omonia Limassol
Referee: Andrei Chivulete (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Mitruți (ROU)
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic (ROU)
Referee Observer: David Malcolm (NIR)

Ferencvarosi TC – Shamrock Rovers
Referee: Ashot Ghaltakhchyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 1: Artur Gdlyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 2: Sargis Hovhannisyan (ARM)
Fourth Official: Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM)
Referee Observer: Rene Temmink (NED)

Gzira United – F91 Diddeleng
Referee: Tomaš Klima (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Matěj Vlček (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Lukaš Slaviček (CZE)
Fourth Official: Jan Všetečka (CZE)
Referee Observer: Kevin Parry (WAL)

Djurgardens IF – FC Luzern
Referee: Sander van der Eijk (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rens Bluemink (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erik Koopman (NED)
Fourth Official: Marc Nagtegaal (NED)
Referee Observer: Gerard Perry (IRL)

Apoel – Vojvodina
Referee: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Ross Macleod (SCO)
Fourth Official: Grant Irvine (SCO)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Kalmar FF – Pyunik FA
Referee: Ian McNabb (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Bell (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Jeffrey (NIR)
Fourth Official: Christopher Morrison (NIR)
Referee Observer: Tony Asumaa (FIN)

FK Auda – Spartak Trnava
Referee: Kari a Hovdanum (FRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Dan Hojgaard (FRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorleif Djurhuus (FRO)
Fourth Official: Alex Troleis (FRO)
Referee Observer: Simon Evans (WAL)

Viktoria Plzen – FC Drita
Referee: Henrik Nalbandyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 1: Mesrop Ghazaryan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 2: Gevorg Shakhkaldyan (ARM)
Fourth Official: Vardan Manukyan (ARM)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

CSKA Sofia – Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe
Referee: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy de Nas (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Murat Kücükerbir (NED)
Fourth Official: Martin Pérez (NED)
Referee Observer: Laszlo Vagner (HUN)

Torpedo Kutaisi – Aqtobe FK
Referee: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Florian Lemaire (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Quentin Blaise (BEL)
Fourth Official: Bert Put (BEL)
Referee Observer: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)

Kecskemeti TE – Riga FC
Referee: Irakli Kvirikashvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgi Elikashvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Davit Chigogidze (GEO)
Fourth Official: Davit Kharitonashvili (GEO)
Referee Observer: Dimitar Mečkarovski (MKD)

Farul Constanta – FA Urartu
Referee: Martin Dohal (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Adam Jekkel (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: František Ferenc (SVK)
Fourth Official: Kristian Michel (SVK)
Referee Observer: Albano Janku (ALB)

Vorskla Poltava – Dila Gori
Referee: Nikola Popov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Georgi Todorov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Venev (BUL)
Fourth Official: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Goran Mihaljević (MNE)

CFR Cluj – Adana Demirspor
Referee: Elçin Masiyev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Elsad Abdullayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Parvin Talıbov (AZE)
Fourth Official: Farid Haciyev (AZE)
Referee Observer: Antonio Damato (ITA)

FC Basel – Tobyl FK
Referee: Gustavo Correia (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Costa (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Claudio Pereira (POR)
Referee Observer: Orhan Erdemir (TUR)

FC Deifferdeng – NK Maribor
Referee: Joonas Jaanovits (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Aron Härsing (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Jaan Roos (EST)
Fourth Official: Karl Koppel (EST)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Maccabi Tel Aviv – Petrocub Hîncești
Referee: Matthew De Gabriele (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Jurgen Spiteri (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: Duncan Spencer (MLT)
Fourth Official: Andrea Sciriha (MLT)
Referee Observer: Pawel Gil (POL)

PAOK – Beitar Jerusalem
Referee: Mykola Balakin (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Korniyko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Viktor Nyzhnyk (UKR)
Fourth Official: Dmytro Kryvushkin (UKR)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

KF Dukagjini – HNK Rijeka
Referee: Jasmin Sabotic (LUX)
Assistant Referee 1: Joaquim Gomes (LUX)
Assistant Referee 2: Claude Ries (LUX)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Morais (LUX)
Referee Observer: John Ward (IRL)

Hapoel Beer Sheva – FK Panevezys
Referee: Robert Hennessy (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Dermot Broughton (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Emmett Dynan (IRL)
Fourth Official: Damien MacGraith (IRL)
Referee Observer: Viktor Shvetsov (UKR)

NK Celje – Vitoria SC
Referee: Chrysovalandis Theouli (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Kyriakos Sokratous (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Andreou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Menelaos Andoniou (CYP)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

Beşiktaş JK – KF Tirana
Referee: Daniel Schlager (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Sven Waschitzki (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Arno Blos (GER)
Fourth Official: Tobias Reichel (GER)
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega (ESP)

NK Osijek – Zalaegerszegi TE
Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rene Rohde (GER)
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner (GER)
Referee Observer: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)

FC Twente – Hammarby IF
Referee: John Brooks (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Neil Davies (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Akil Howson (ENG)
Fourth Official: Thomas Bramall (ENG)
Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

KA Akureyri – Dundalk FC
Referee: Georgi Davidov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Georgi Doynov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Petar Mitrev (BUL)
Fourth Official: Georgi Ginchev (BUL)
Referee Observer: Christof Dierick (BEL)

Club Brugge – Aarhus GF
Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: Davit Akhvlediani (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Davit Gabisonia (GEO)
Fourth Official: Irakli Kherkhadze (GEO)
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez (ESP)

B36 Torshavn – Haverfordwest AFC
Referee: Snir Levi (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rostislav Talis (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Snir Weintraub (ISR)
Fourth Official: Shalom Avraham (ISR)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

Tarpieda Zodzina – AEK Larnaka
Referee: Timothy Marshall (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrew Nethery (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: John Doherty (NIR)
Fourth Official: Shane Andrews (NIR)
Referee Observer: Nenad Djokić (SRB)

KAA Gent – MSK Zilina
Referee: Visar Kastrati (KOS)
Assistant Referee 1: Granit Hyseni (KOS)
Assistant Referee 2: Lumturije Muhadri (KOS)
Fourth Official: Ilir Mehmeti (KOS)
Referee Observer: Giorgi Vadachkoria (GEO)

Lech Poznan – Zalgiris Kaunas
Referee: Luka Bilbija (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Marko Perić (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Amir Kadić (BIH)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Deljković (BIH)
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira (POR)

Austria Wien – FK Borac
Referee: Joey Kooij (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Patrick Inia (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Dyon Fikkert (NED)
Fourth Official: Jannick van der Laan (NED)
Referee Observer: Petteri Kari (FIN)

Derry City – KuPS Kuopio
Referee: Robertas Valikonis (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Edgaras Bučinskas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Benas Kikutis (LTU)
Fourth Official: Kęstutis Bartuškevičius (LTU)
Referee Observer: Salustia Cipres (AND)

Linfield FC – Pogon Szczecin
Referee: David Šmajc (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: David Gabrovec (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Matic Mežnar (SVN)
Fourth Official: Dejan Balažič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

FK Sutjeska – Santa Coloma
Referee: Sandi Putros (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Deniz Yurdakul (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Markus (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jorgen Burchardt (DEN)
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytiä (FIN)

FK Željezničar – Neftci PFK
Referee: Juri Frischer (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Neeme Neemlaid (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Sander Saga (EST)
Fourth Official: Kevin Kaivoja (EST)
Referee Observer: Alain Bieri (SUI)

Crusaders FC – Rosenborg BK
Referee: Evangelos Manouchos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Tryfonas Petropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Konstantinos Nikolaidis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

KF Shkupi – PFK Levski
Referee: David Fuxman (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Sagi Metzamber (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Omer Barbiro (ISR)
Fourth Official: Niv Shteif (ISR)
Referee Observer: Nicolae Grigorescu (ROU)

Serie A will be the first top competition to air VAR conversations

Serie A will be the ‘first top competition to air audio of the conversations between VAR officials and referees' from the 2023-24 season, it has been confirmed. The plan had been in the works for some time and was announced by refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi. “We still need to decide, but there will be the utmost transparency,” said Rocchi in a press conference. The VAR audio recordings will be made public via DAZN from the start of the season. We have started an innovative project with DAZN and will be the first football federation to air audio of incidents that are the subject of discussion.”

It seems that it will not be an automatic access to all the recordings, but rather hand-picked incidents that caused the most controversy during that weekend’s games. That could change with time, and it could also depend on DAZN, who have the streaming rights to most Serie A games, what they will air. It is also therefore unlikely the VAR audio will be heard immediately during the match, but some time later. Meanwhile, refereeing designators could also have an opportunity to outline the reasoning behind certain decisions, whether they were correct or not. “The problem is not if a mistake was made, but why,” added Rocchi. “The solution is to have a space of our own every 15 days or once a month where we can explain the incidents.” There are already several former referees who act as pundits on Italian television and give their analysis of controversial situations both during and after the matches, but they are not always in agreement with the choices made by the officials and VAR.

Source: Football Italia

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 16-18)

25 July 2023

Colombia – Korea
Referee: Rebecca Welch (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Natalie Aspinall (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad (HUN)
Fourth Official: Marianela Araya (CRC)
VAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
AVAR: Armando Villarreal (USA)
OVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)

New Zealand – Philippines
Referee: Katia Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Karen Diaz (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Kim Yu-Jeong (KOR)
VAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Adil Zourak (MAR)
OVAR: Fatiha Jermoumi (MAR)

Switzerland – Norway
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Elodie Coppola (FRA)
Fourth Official: Anahi Fernandez (URU) 

 VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
OVAR: Ella De Vries (BEL)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 13-15)

24 July 2023

Italy – Argentina
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandra Ramirez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Ivana Martincic (CRO)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Armando Villarreal (USA)
OVAR: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)

Brazil – Panama
Referee: Cheryl Foster (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Michelle O’Neill (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Franca Overtoom (NED)
Fourth Official: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
OVAR: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)

Germany – Morocco
Referee: Tori Penso (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mijensa Rensch (SUR)
Fourth Official: Akhona Makalima (RSA)
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
OVAR: Neuza Back (BRA)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matches 10-12)

23 July 2023

Sweden – South Africa

Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)

Assistant Referee 2: Felisha Mariscal (USA)

Fourth Official: Kim Yu-Jeong (KOR)
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
AVAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
OVAR: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)

Netherlands – Portugal
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulina Baranowska (POL)
Fourth Official: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
VAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
AVAR: Abdullah Al-Marri (QAT)
OVAR: Joanna Charaktis (AUS)

France – Jamaica
Referee: Maria Carvajal (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Leslie Vasquez (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Loreto Toloza (CHI)
Fourth Official: Laura Fortunato (ARG)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
OVAR: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)

German Referees of the Year 2023: Brych and Derlin

The German referees of the year have been determined: Dr. Felix Brych is the "DFB Referee of the Year 2023" and Mirka Derlin the "DFB Women’s Referee of the Year 2023". The two referees were awarded their titles as part of the pre-season activities: Brych received the trophy in Herzogenaurach, while Derlin was delighted to receive her first award as DFB Referee of the Year at the DFB campus in Frankfurt.

Brych: "This is my sixth and most beautiful title"

Brych has been a DFB referee since 1999 and has overseen 336 Bundesliga games in his career so far. In addition, the referee from Munich is the sole record holder in the Champions League with the most appointments (85). He appeared in European and World Cup final tournaments as well as in several national and international finals and was named World Referee of the Year in 2016/2017. After 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020, Felix Brych has now been honored as the best referee in Germany for the sixth time. "This is my sixth and most beautiful title as referee of the year, which means the most to me. I am very grateful that I can still be part of Bundesliga as referee. I would like to confirm this special appreciation in the new season through my performances.", said Felix Brych. Lutz-Michael Fröhlich, managing director of the DFB referees, says: "It is outstandingly exemplary with what conscientiousness and discipline Felix, even after his long and very successful career as an international referee, approaches his refereeing in the national area. The matches he refereed in the past season were consistently recognized as professional and at an absolute top level."

Derlin: "I'm super proud"

Mirka Derlin became a DFB referee in 2006 and officiated 94 games in the women's Bundesliga and 75 in the 2nd women's Bundesliga. The high point of the 38-year-old from Bad Schwartau was the 2021 DFB Cup final for women in Cologne, which she confidently refereed. Derlin ended her active career after the 2022/2023 season, but she is still a member of the support team of DFB referees. She has bid farewell during the Bundesliga referees' summer training camp last weekend - and at the same time was named Referee of the Year. A huge surprise. "After my emotional farewell as an active referee, to also be awarded Referee of the Year 2023 left me completely speechless. And that doesn't happen to me too often. I was just overwhelmed and I'm super proud. The award means a lot to me. I couldn't have wished for a nicer end to my 16 years as a referee at the DFB. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way.", said Mirka Derlin. Christine Baitinger, sporting director of the DFB referees, adds: "Mirka is a great role model for all referees on and off the pitch. With her sovereign game management, she was one of our top referees for years and with her open nature she was also very popular with the clubs. But Mirka is also very valuable for refereeing outside of her own active work. The training and further education of young referees is very important to her. Due to the end of her active career, we will miss Mirka on the field very much. We know, however, that she will join us in the support team and pass on her great experience. That is exactly what distinguishes her."

Source: DFB