FIFA U-17 World Cup Final 2023: Eskas (NOR)

2 December 2023

Final
Germany – France
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida MTN
Reserve AR: Koffi Ahonto TOG
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
AVAR: Lahlou Benbraham ALG
SVAR: David Coote ENG

Match for Third Place
Argentina – Mali
Referee: Fu Ming CHN
Assistant Referee 1: Cao Yi CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Ma Ji CHN
Fourth Official: Omar Al-Ali UAE
Reserve AR: Said Al-Marzouqi UAE
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Kate Jacewicz AUS
SVAR: Joseph Dickerson USA

UEFA Futsal Champions League 2023/2024 – Elite Round

29 November - 3 December 2023

Group A – Jelgava (LVA)
Referees
1. Vedran Babic CRO
2. Marc Birkett ENG (photo)
3. Vlad Ciobanu ROU
4. Ademir Avdic SWE
Timekeeper
Kiazo Leladze LVA
Referee Observer
Antonio Cardoso POR

Group B – Pristina (KOS)
Referees
1. Ondrej Černy CZE
2. Cedric Pelissier FRA
3. Bogdan Hanceariuc ROU
4. Daniel Matkovic SUI
Timekeeper
Besart Ismajli KOS
Referee Observer
Pedro Galan Nieto ESP

Group C – Lisbon (POR)
Referees
1. Peter Nurse ENG
2. Alejandro Martinez Flores ESP
3. Damian Grabowski POL
4. Kamil Cetin TUR
Timekeeper
Filipe Duarte POR
Referee Observer
Ivan Novak CRO

Group D – Palma de Mallorca (ESP)
Referees
1. David Nissen DEN
2. Gabor Kovacs HUN
3. Miguel Castilho POR
4. Dejan Veselic SVN
Timekeeper
Diego Martinez Garcia ESP
Referee Observer
Massimo Cumbo ITA

UEFA Europa League 2023/2024 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

30 November 2023

Olympique de Marseille – AFC Ajax
Referee: Simone Sozza ITA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Andrea Colombo ITA
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati ITA
AVAR: Paolo Valeri ITA
Referee Observer: Vladimir Šajn SVN

SC Freiburg – Olympiacos
Referee: Irfan Peljto BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo BIH
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigović BIH
VAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
AVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili GEO

TSC Bačka Topola – West Ham United
Referee: Allard Lindhout NED
Assistant Referee 1: Rogier Honig NED
Assistant Referee 2: Patrick Inia NED
Fourth Official: Jannick van der Laan NED
VAR: Clay Ruperti NED
AVAR: Edwin van de Graaf NED
Referee Observer: Robert Schörgenhofer AUT

AEK Athens – Brighton & Hove Albion
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Bekim Zogaj SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni SUI
Fourth Official: Johannes von Mandach SUI
VAR: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
AVAR: Lionel Tschudi SUI
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi SMR

Sparta Praha – Real Betis
Referee: Nikola Dabanović MNE
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović MNE
Assistant Referee 2: Srdjan Jovanović MNE
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković MNE
VAR: Mario Zebec CRO
AVAR: Igor Pajač CRO
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson SWE

Atalanta BC – Sporting CP
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Cook ENG
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley ENG
VAR: Stuart Attwell ENG
AVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev BUL

Sturm Graz – Rakow Czestochowa
Referee: Filip Glova SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Polaček SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Bednar SVK
Fourth Official: Boris Marhefka SVK
VAR: Michal Očenaš SVK
AVAR: Erik Gemzicky SVK
Referee Observer: Martin Atkinson ENG

Maccabi Haifa – Stade Rennais
Referee: Horațiu Feșnic ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Cerei ROU
Fourth Official: Rareș Vidican ROU
VAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
AVAR: Andrei Chivulete ROU
Referee Observer: Ferenc Szekely HUN

Rangers FC – Aris Limassol
Referee: Rohit Saggi NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Morten Jensen NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Anders Olav Dale NOR
Fourth Official: Kai Erik Steen NOR
VAR: Dennis Johan Higler NED
AVAR: Pol van Boekel NED
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer LUX

Liverpool FC – LASK Linz
Referee: Urs Schnyder SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher SUI
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger SUI
VAR: Marco Fritz GER
AVAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernndez ESP
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega ESP

Toulouse FC – Union St. Gilloise
Referee: Matej Jug SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali SVN
Fourth Official: Martin Matoša SVN
VAR: Nejc Kajtazovič SVN
AVAR: Asmir Sagrkovič SVN
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez ESP

Villarreal CF – Panathinaikos
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Pozor SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Jekkel SVK
Fourth Official: Peter Kralovič SVK
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Alper Ulusoy TUR
Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG

Servette FC – AS Roma
Referee: Daniel Stefański POL
Assistant Referee 1: Dawid Golis POL
Assistant Referee 2: Michał Obukowicz POL
Fourth Official: Wojciech Myć POL
VAR: Piotr Lasyk POL
AVAR: Pawel Pskit POL
Referee Observer: Hannes Kaasik EST

Sheriff Tiraspol – Slavia Praha
Referee: Christian Ciochirca AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Weiss AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Obritzberger AUT
Fourth Official: Sebastian Gishamer AUT
VAR: Alan Kijas AUT
AVAR: Josef Spurny AUT
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere BEL

Molde FK – Qarabag FK
Referee: Erik Lambrechts BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Jo De Weirdt BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny BEL
Fourth Official: Nathan Verboomen BEL
VAR: Benoît Millot FRA
AVAR: Jan Boterberg BEL
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski POL

BK Häcken – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: Julian Weinberger AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch AUT
Fourth Official: Stefan Ebner AUT
VAR: Manuel Schüttengruber AUT
AVAR: Walter Altmann AUT
Referee Observer: Niklas Lidarenda FRO

UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

30 November 2023

Olimpija Ljubljana – LOSC Lille
Referee: Sven Jablonski GER (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Lasse Koslowski GER
Assistant Referee 2: Eduard Beitinger GER
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner GER
VAR: Sascha Stegemann GER
AVAR: Benjamin Brand GER
Referee Observer: Sabri Çelik TUR

Astana FK – GNK Dinamo
Referee: John Beaton SCO
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel McFarlane SCO
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny SCO
Fourth Official: Matthew MacDermid SCO
VAR: Andrew Dallas SCO
AVAR: Steven McLean SCO
Referee Observer: Christof Dierick BEL

KI Klaksvik – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Kristo Tohver EST
Assistant Referee 1: Sander Saga EST
Assistant Referee 2: Sten Klaasen EST
Fourth Official: Juri Frischer EST
VAR: Jonas Hedegaard Hansen DEN
AVAR: Jakob Kehlet DEN
Referee Observer: Thoroddur Hjaltalin ISL

KAA Gent – Zorya Luhansk
Referee: Evangelos Manouchos GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Konstantinos Psarris GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Konstantínos Nikolaidis GRE
Fourth Official: Anastasios Papapetrou GRE
VAR: Aristotelis Diamantopoulos GRE
AVAR: Stefanos Koumbarakis GRE
Referee Observer: Jouni Hyytia FIN

FC Ballkani – Viktoria Plzen
Referee: Marian Barbu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Imre Bucsi ROU
Fourth Official: Sebastian Colțescu ROU
VAR: Ovidiu Hațegan ROU
AVAR: Radu Petrescu ROU
Referee Observer: Edward Foley IRL

Bodo Glimt – FC Lugano
Referee: Dario Bel CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Pataki CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Marjan Tomas CRO
Fourth Official: Patrik Kolarić CRO
VAR: Duje Strukan CRO
AVAR: Marin Vidulin CRO
Referee Observer: Bariş Şimşek TUR

Beşiktaş – Club Brugge
Referee: David Šmajc SVN
Assistant Referee 1: David Gabrovec SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaž Černe SVN
Fourth Official: Dejan Balažič SVN
VAR: Alen Borošak SVN
AVAR: Dragoslav Perič SVN
Referee Observer: Kenneth Clark SCO

AZ Alkmaar – HSK Zrinjski
Referee: Oleksiy Derevinskyy UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Semen Shlonchak UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Andriy Skrypka UKR
Fourth Official: Dmytro Panchyshyn UKR
VAR: Luca Pairetto ITA
AVAR: Daniele Doveri ITA
Referee Observer: Michail Koukoulakis GRE

HJK Helsinki – Aberdeen FC
Referee: Genc Nuza KOS
Assistant Referee 1: Fatlum Berisha KOS
Assistant Referee 2: Bujar Selimaj KOS
Fourth Official: Dardan Çaka KOS
VAR: Daniele Chiffi ITA
AVAR: Eugenio Abbattista ITA
Referee Observer: Stavros Tritsonis GRE

Breidablik – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Luka Bilbija BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Damir Lazić BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Amer Macić BIH
Fourth Official: Antoni Bandić BIH
VAR: Fran Jović CRO
AVAR: Ante Čuljak CRO
Referee Observer: Petteri Kari FIN

Aston Villa – Legia Warszawa
Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Davide Imperiale ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Giovanni Baccini ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marchetti ITA
VAR: Gianluca Aureliano ITA
AVAR: Lorenzo Maggioni ITA
Referee Observer: Sascha Amhof SUI

AC Fiorentina – KRC Genk
Referee: Joey Kooij NED
Assistant Referee 1: Joost van Zuilen NED
Assistant Referee 2: Roy de Nas NED
Fourth Official: Alex Bos NED
VAR: Jeroen Manschot NED
AVAR: Erwin Blank NED
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos CRO

FK Čukarički – Ferencvarosi TC
Referee: Mohammed Al-Emara FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Turkka Valjakka FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Juuso Mantere FIN
Fourth Official: Peiman Simani FIN
VAR: Sören Storks GER
AVAR: Harm Osmers GER
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz AUT

Eintracht Frankfurt – PAOK FC
Referee: Damian Sylwestrzak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Bartosz Heinig POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Karasewicz POL
Fourth Official: Pawel Malec POL
VAR: Bartosz Frankowski POL
AVAR: Krzysztof Jakubik POL
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas SCO

FC Nordsjaelland – Fenerbahçe
Referee: Jeremie Pignard FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Aurelien Drouet FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Laurent Coniglio FRA
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard FRA
VAR: Benoît Bastien FRA
AVAR: Eric Wattellier FRA
Referee Observer: Ruud Bossen NED

Spartak Trnava – PFK Ludogorets
Referee: Vitalijs Spasjonņikovs LVA
Assistant Referee 1: Raimonds Tatriks LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Arturs Sakurovs LVA
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs LVA
VAR: Cesar Soto Grado ESP
AVAR: Jose Munuera Montero ESP
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav BIH

IFAB approves trials to improve behaviour in football

At its Annual Business Meeting (ABM) held in London today, which was chaired by Ian Maxwell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association, The IFAB focused on measures to improve participant behaviour in football and increase respect for match officials. Following the recommendations made in October by The IFAB's Football and Technical Advisory Panels, the ABM supported a proposed trial whereby only the team captain may approach the referee in certain major game situations. In addition, it was agreed that temporary dismissals (sin bins) for dissent and specific tactical offences should be trialled at higher levels, following their successful implementation in grassroots football. Protocols and a system for trialling will now be developed. The stricter application of the Laws of the Game against players and coaches who demonstrate disrespectful conduct and the better management of mass confrontations were also amongst the measures discussed, with further trials to be developed. The members were also updated on the successful trial involving match officials wearing body cameras at grassroots level, which had been introduced to deter instances of serious misconduct towards match officials. The members agreed on the need to continue to develop semi-automated offside technology to assist on-field match officials to speed up decision making in relation to offside situations. It was also agreed that, after the successful VAR decision communication trial conducted by FIFA, in which the referee announces the final decision after a VAR review, the AGM should consider including this effective measure in the Laws of the Game.

Reducing time lost and disruption to game tempo

The ABM discussed potential strategies to address the time lost in matches and tactics aimed at disrupting the game’s tempo, including in relation to the six-second restriction for goalkeepers, delaying restarts and managing injuries.

Clarifications for 2024/25 Laws

The ABM also considered potential clarifications for the Laws of the Game 2024/25, including a possible amendment to Law 12 (Fouls and Misconduct), according to which handball offences for which penalties are awarded would be sanctioned in the same way as fouls.

VAR developments

The members were updated on the ongoing FIFA-led review of the video assistant referee (VAR) protocol, as announced at The IFAB Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March 2023, which aims to identify whether any formal recommendations are required for amendments or trials. The process will involve discussions with major football competitions that have extensive experience of using the VAR system. All members agreed that any measures should not result in any additional delays.

IFAB communication efforts

With regard to The IFAB’s education strategy, the members were informed about further developments tofootballrules.com, the simplified version of the Laws of the Game aimed at making the rules of football more accessible and easier to understand, and about the Laws now being available in audio format.

The ABM shapes the agenda for The IFAB’s AGM, to be held in Glasgow on 2 March 2024, where any proposed changes to the Laws are considered for approval. Any changes approved at the AGM will be incorporated into the Laws of the Game as of 1 July 2024.

Source: IFAB

AFC Champions League 2023/2024 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

27-29 November 2023

Sharjah FC – Al Sadd
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (JPN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Kota Watanabe (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Takeshi Asada (JPN)
Fourth Official: Ryo Tanimoto (JPN)
VAR: Jumpei Iida (JPN)
AVAR: Yusuke Araki (JPN)

FC Nasaf – Al Faisaly
Referee: Kim Hee-Gon (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Song Bong-Keun (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kwak Seung-Soon (KOR)
Fourth Official: Choi Hyun-Jae (KOR)
VAR: Kim Jong-Hyeok (KOR)
AVAR: Kim Dae-Yong (KOR)

AGMK – Al Ittihad
Referee: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ronnie Koh (SIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdul Hannan (SIN)
Fourth Official: Wiwat Jumpaoon
VAR: Khamis Al Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Mohamed El Shrief (QAT)

Al Duhail – FC Istiklol
Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (MAS)
Assistant Referee 1: Zairul Tan (MAS)
Assistant Referee 2: Arif Rasid (MAS)
Fourth Official: Songkran Bunmeekiart (THA)
VAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom (THA)
AVAR: Torphong Somsing (THA)

Sepahan FC – Air Force Club
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al Maqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Al Shammari (QAT)
VAR: Abdulla Al Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Meshari Al Shammari (QAT)

Al Nassr – Persepolis FC
Referee: Ma Ning (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Zhou Fei (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Zhang Cheng (CHN)
Fourth Official: Wang Di (CHN)
VAR: Shen Yinhao (CHN)
AVAR: Zhang Lei (CHN)

Incheon United – Yokohama Marinos
Referee: Alireza Faghani (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: George Lakrindis (AUS)
Fourth Official: Tam Ping Wun (HKG)
VAR: Alex King (AUS)
AVAR: Kearney Robinson (AUS)

Kawasaki Frontale – Johor Darul Tazim
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Al Hammadi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Hasan Al Mahri (UAE)
Fourth Official: Sultan Al Hammadi (UAE)
VAR: Ahmed Darwish (UAE)
AVAR: Mohammed Khadim (UAE)

Pathum United – Ulsan Hyundai
Referee: Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA)
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Al Amri (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Al Ghaithi (OMA)
Fourth Official: Adam Kersey (AUS)
VAR: Shaun Evans (AUS)
AVAR: Lara Lee (AUS)

Shandong Taishan – Kaya Iloilo
Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalaf Al Shammari (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Yasir Al Sultan (KSA)
Fourth Official: Faisal Al Balawi (KSA)
VAR: Abdullah Al Shehri (KSA)
AVAR: Ibrahim Al Dakheel (KSA)

Al Ain – Pakhtakor FC
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al Kalaf (JOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Al Roalle (JOR)
Fourth Official: Ryo Tanimoto (JPN)
VAR: Jumpei Iida (JPN)
AVAR: Ahmed Al Ali (JOR)

Al Fayha – Ahal FC
Referee: Ahmad Al Ali (KUW)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdulhadi Manea (KUW)
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Sadeq (KUW)
Fourth Official: Hussein Yehia (LIB)
VAR: Abdullah Al Kandari (KUW)
AVAR: Hashem Al Ibrahim (KUW)

Navbahor – Al Hilal
Referee: Salman Falahi (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Ramzan Al Naemi (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Majid Al Shammari (QAT)
Fourth Official: Wiwat Jumpaoon (THA)
VAR: Khamis Al Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Mohamed El Shrief (QAT)

Nassaji Mazandaran – Mumbai City
Referee: Hanna Hattab (SYR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ali Ahmad (SYR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamad Kazzaz (SYR)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Al Shammari (QAT)
VAR: Abdulla Al Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Meshari Al Shammari (QAT)

UEFA Champions League 2023/2024 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

28 November 2023

Lazio – Celtic
Referee: Halil Meler TUR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Kerem Ersoy TUR
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler TUR
VAR: Alper Ulusoy TUR
AVAR: Bastian Dankert GER
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu ROU

Shakhtar Donetsk – Royal Antwerp
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski POL
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek POL
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Winkler POL
Fourth Official: Patryk Gryckiewicz POL
VAR: Marco Fritz GER
AVAR: Jerôme Brisard FRA
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti ITA

Feyenoord Rotterdam – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Robert Jones ENG
VAR: Stuart Attwell ENG
AVAR: Tiago Martins POR
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira POR

Paris St. Germain – Newcastle United
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Pawel Raczkowski POL
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen NOR

AC Milan – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Istvan Kovacs ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene ROU
Fourth Official: Marcel Birsan ROU
VAR: Pol van Boekel NED
AVAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo ESP

Manchester City – RB Leipzig
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist SWE
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck SWE
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez ESP
AVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner AUT

Young Boys – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Marc Nagtegaal NED
VAR: Clay Ruperti NED
AVAR: Nejc Kajtazović SVN
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan ESP

FC Barcelona – FC Porto
Referee: Daniele Orsato ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Ciro Carbone ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini ITA
Fourth Official: Michael Fabbri ITA
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati ITA
AVAR: Paolo Valeri ITA
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB

29 November 2023
Galatasaray – Manchester United
Referee: Jose Sanchez Martinez ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez ESP
Fourth Official: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez ESP
VAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea ESP
AVAR: Juan Martinez Munuera ESP
Referee Observer: Drago Kos SVN

Sevilla FC – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Davide Massa ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio ITA
Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani ITA
VAR: Paolo Valeri ITA
AVAR: Massimiliano Irrati ITA
Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian FRA

Bayern München – FC Copenhagen
Referee: Stephanie Frappart FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Mikael Berchebru FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Steven Torregrossa FRA
Fourth Official: Bastien Dechepy FRA
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez ESP
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge NOR

Arsenal FC – RC Lens
Referee: Artur Dias POR
Assistant Referee 1: Paulo Soares POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro POR
Fourth Official: Miguel Nogueira POR
VAR: Tiago Martins POR
AVAR: Hugo Miguel POR
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras GRE

Real Madrid – SSC Napoli
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Jeremy Stinat FRA
VAR: Jerôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Pol van Boekel NED
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista POR

SC Braga – Union Berlin
Referee: Clement Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Erwan Finjean FRA
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet FRA
VAR: Willy Delajod FRA
AVAR: Stuart Attwell ENG
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB

SL Benfica – Inter Milano
Referee: Andris Treimanis LVA
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasennikovs LVA
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs LVA
VAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
AVAR: Bastian Dankert GER
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov ISR

Real Sociedad – FC Salzburg
Referee: Mykola Balakin UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Berkut UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Dmytro Zaporozhenko UKR
Fourth Official: Yaroslav Kozyk UKR
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Alper Ulusoy TUR
Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers NED

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 – Semi-finals

28 November 2023

Argentina – Germany
Referee: Joao Pinheiro (POR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia (POR)
Fourth Official: Atilla Karaoglan (TUR)
Reserve AR: Ceyhun Sesigüzel (TUR)
VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)
AVAR 1: John Perdomo (COL)
AVAR 2: Angelos Evangelou (GRE)

France – Mali
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Nievas (URU)
Fourth Official: Selvin Brown (HON)
Reserve AR: Gerson Orellana (HON)
VAR: Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI)
AVAR 1: Derlis Lopez (PAR)
AVAR 2: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)

German referee Brych ruptures ligament in record-equalling game

German referee Felix Brych has suffered a cruciate ligament rupture while officiating a record-equalling Bundesliga match on Saturday evening. Brych made his 344th Bundesliga appearance as referee in VfB Stuttgart’s 2-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt, equalling Wolfgang Stark’s record, but the injury forced him off the pitch early.

According to the German Football Federation (DFB) on Sunday, Brych will undergo surgery soon. The length of his absence “cannot yet be estimated,” the DFB said in a statement.

The experienced referee slipped and twisted his right knee in the 32nd minute. “I was lying on the ground and thought: This can’t be happening. I already realized that it wasn’t good,” Brych told broadcasters Sky Sport after the game. He then limped to the sideline and received treatment. Initially, he remained on the pitch with a bandage, but at half-time he handed the match over to fourth official Patrick Schwengers. “The doctors said it would be risky to continue. It is what it is. That’s life. Now I’m standing here and have the record. That makes me happy. On the other hand, I’m also down,” he said.

Source: StarConnect

Concacaf Caribbean Cup Final 2023 (First Leg)

30 November 2023

SV Robinhood – Cavalier FC
Referee: Adonis Carrasco (DOM, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Raymundo Feliz (DOM)
Assistant Referee 2: Wasnah Barnarde (ATG)
Fourth Official: Moeth Gaymes (SVG)

Airline pilots called in to improve communication between EPL referees

Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer for the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), invited two pilots to speak to his team of Premier League referees in October as part of a larger push to improve communications between the referee on the pitch and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) hub.

Two pilots for British Airways, Chris Heaven and Pete Nataraj, were chosen to give a presentation to the 20 referees and 30 assistant referees in Select Group 1. The group is responsible for officiating Premier League matches in the UK and includes some of the most senior referees in the sport. According to The Times, the presentation lasted 45 minutes and discussed communication while also providing advice on remaining calm in challenging situations. Guidance included emphasizing the need for clarity and accuracy, minimal syllables, and a focus on ensuring that dialogue is brief and direct. The focus on communication comes after a chaotic miscommunication between the VAR and on-field referee. The incident saw Liverpool's Luis Diaz wrongly disallowed a goal in September sparking outrage. An audio recording released after the event depicted a lack of clarity in communication and led to a review of the VAR process.

The decision to have the pilots speak is largely due to their work in a high-pressure environment where communication (or lack of it) can be a matter of life and death. Pilots must communicate with many different groups over the course of a shift, providing relevant but different information, to make vital and often split-second decisions. During the talk, the pilots discussed the similarities between the role of the pilot and the referee. Much like a football referee, pilots have to be able to listen to communications from ground staff, air traffic control, cabin crew, and those in the cockpit with them and filter out the 'white noise' to deal with what really matters at the moment. Clarity in communication is also a crucial factor in both roles. Pilots are frequently required to land abroad, where a simple, standardized vocabulary is vital to overcoming any language barriers. On the field, the referee also receives input from assistants, the VAR, players, and managers simultaneously, with little time for explanations. In the September incident, for instance, an assistant said, "Give it," but it was unclear whether he was referring to the goal or the offside, resulting in the referee making the wrong call. This is not the first time aviation professionals have spoken to the group. In December 2022, PGMOL brought in air traffic control staff to discuss similar themes of communication in high-pressure environments.

Source: ESPN, Reuters, The Times

Concacaf Central American Cup Final 2023 (First Leg)

28 November 2023

Real Esteli – LD Alajuelense
Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere (CAN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Lyes Arfa (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt (CAN)
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)

Mateu Lahoz retired because he was demoted in Spain

Former World Cup referee Mateu Lahoz has revealed the real reason he was forced to retire following 32 years of officiating. The Spanish official was infamous for his bold decision-making in matches, particularly when he was in charge of Argentina's World Cup match against the Netherlands last year. The 46-year-old produced a record 17 cards, which included a red for Denzel Dumfries after Argentina's penalty-shootout victory. Following the game, Messi led criticism against him which saw him sent home from the tournament before the semi-finals: “I don't want to speak about referees because after they will sanction you. But people saw what happened. I think FIFA must take care of this, it cannot put a referee like that for a match of such magnitude, of such importance. The referee cannot fail to be up to the task”.

Now, Mateu Lahoz has claimed he was 'demoted' as a referee and 'pushed' to retire by the Technical Committee for Referees (CTA) after he was given a guard of honour in his final game in La Liga last season. Recently he has appeared sporadically in the media but was asked if he ever thought about getting his boots back on. “Well… To dream? It’s always free. It’s true that I hadn’t even thought about it. Being surrounded by referees at the Marca Awards has awakened that excitement in me. I still wake up with that excitement of refereeing. I know it’s practically impossible. I have spent 32 years refereeing and today I would like to continue doing so, but in Spain. This country has given me absolutely everything and I don’t think I should go into exile.”

However, he was also honest about the fact that his ‘decision’ to retire was given some impetus by a push from the Technical Committee for Referees (CTA). “There has been a bit of controversy, but people have to understand that I was demoted. They demoted me, that is the truth. I would have continued on the pitch, but for the CTA I was one of the worst referees last season and that is why I am not on the green field”, admitted Mateu Lahoz.

Source: Marca

CAF Confederation Cup 2023/2024 – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

26 November 2023

USM Alger – Al Hilal
Referee: Ibrahim Traore (CIV, photo)

Modern Future – SuperSport United
Referee: Jean Ouattara (BFA)

Zamalek – Abu Salim
Referee: Mehrez Melki (TUN)

Sagrada Esperanca – SOAR Coyah
Referee: Mahmood Ismail (SDN)

Club Africain – Dreams FC
Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (MAD)

Rivers United – Academica do Lobito
Referee: Adalbert Diouf (SEN)

Diables Noirs – Stade Malien
Referee: Elmabrouk Muhammad (LIB)

RS Berkane – Sekhukhune United
Referee: Louis Houngnandande (BEN)

CAF Champions League 2023/2024 – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

24-25 November 2023

Pyramids – TP Mazembe
Referee: Peter Waweru (KEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Eleazar (KEN)
Fourth Official: Phillip Brooke (KEN)

CR Belouizdad – Young Africans
Referee: Alhadi Mahamat (CHA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bogola Issa (CHA)
Assistant Referee 2: Moussa Hafiz (CHA)
Fourth Official: Alfred Pousri (CHA)

Simba – Mimosas
Referee: Mohamed Maarouf (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Samir Saad (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Youssef El-Bosaty (EGY)
Fourth Official: Mahmoud Nagy (EGY)

ES Tunis – Etoile du Sahel
Referee: Mohamed Adel (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Sami Abouzid (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Hany Abd El-Fattah
Fourth Official: Ibrahim Nour El-Din (EGY)

Petro de Luanda – Al Hilal
Referee: Samir Guezzaz (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Zakaria Brinssi (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Hamza Nassiri (MAR)
Fourth Official: Noureddine El Jaafari (MAR)

Al Ahly – Medeama
Referee: Boubou Traore (MLI)
Assistant Referee 1: Modibo Samake (MLI)
Assistant Referee 2: Amadou Guisse (MLI)
Fourth Official: Ibrahima Keita (MLI)

Wydad AC – Jwaneng Galaxy
Referee: Cumar Cartan (SOM)
Assistant Referee 1: Xamze Cabdi (SOM)
Assistant Referee 2: Eid Ali (SOM)
Fourth Official: Ahmed Hussein (SOM)

Mamelodi Sundowns – FC Nouadhibou
Referee: Youcef Gamouh (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: El Hamlaoui Brahim (ALG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adel Abane (ALG)
Fourth Official: Houssam Benyahia (ALG)

UEFA Youth League 2023/2024 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

28 November 2023 

Shakhtar Donetsk – Royal Antwerp
Referee: Robert Hennessy IRL (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Emmett Dynan IRL
Assistant Referee 2: Michelle O’Neill IRL
Fourth Official: Konrad Oldhafer GER
Referee Observer: Jorn-West Larsen DEN

Lazio – Celtic
Referee: Antoine Chiaramonti AND
Assistant Referee 1: Andreu Simarro AND
Assistant Referee 2: Joan Serra AND
Fourth Official: Federico Dionisi ITA
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu ROU

Feyenoord Rotterdam – Atlético de Madrid
Referee: Jasper Vergoote BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Geerolf BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Martijn Tiesters BEL
Fourth Official: Martijn Vos NED
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira POR

Paris St. Germain – Newcastle United
Referee: Bolat Sariev KAZ
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksei Dolgih KAZ
Assistant Referee 2: Denis Labaşov KAZ
Fourth Official: Guillaume Paradis FRA
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen NOR

AC Milan – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: David Dickinson SCO
Assistant Referee 1: Calum Spence SCO
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Rae SCO
Fourth Official: Giovanni Ayroldi ITA
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo ESP

BSC Young Boys – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Edgars Malcevs LVA
Assistant Referee 1: Martinš Svipsts LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Deniss Ševčenko LVA
Fourth Official: Mirel Turkes SUI
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan ESP

Manchester City – RB Leipzig
Referee: Alessandro Dudic SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Pascal Hirzel SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Alain Heiniger SUI
Fourth Official: Benjamin Speedie ENG
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner AUT

FC Barcelona – FC Porto
Referee: Roman Jitari MDA
Assistant Referee 1: Vladislav Lifciu MDA
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Sajin MDA
Fourth Official: David Lopez Jimenez ESP
Referee Observer: Salustia Cipres AND

29 November 2023
Galatasaray – Manchester United
Referee: Robert Jenkins WAL
Assistant Referee 1: Lewiss Edwards WAL
Assistant Referee 2: Connor Thomas WAL
Fourth Official: Can Cengiz TUR
Referee Observer: Drago Kos SVN

Sevilla FC – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Martin Dohal SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaš Straka SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Tobiaš Pacak SVK
Fourth Official: Ignacio de Santisteban Adame ESP
Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gomez ESP

Arsenal FC – RC Lens
Referee: Helgi Jonasson ISL
Assistant Referee 1: Gylfi Sigurdsson ISL
Assistant Referee 2: Gudmundur Bjarnason ISL
Fourth Official: Scott Tallis ENG
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras GRE

Real Sociedad – FC Salzburg
Referee: Lothar D’Hondt BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Romain Devillers BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Nico Claes BEL
Fourth Official: Ibai Rezola Etxeberria ESP
Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel FRA

SC Braga – Union Berlin
Referee: Henrik Nalbandyan ARM
Assistant Referee 1: Sargis Hovhannisyan ARM
Assistant Referee 2: Gevorg Shakhkaldyan ARM
Fourth Official: Joao Afonso POR
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović,SRB

Bayern München – FC Copenhagen
Referee: Elçin Masiyev AZE
Assistant Referee 1: Parvin Talıbov AZE
Assistant Referee 2: Rahman Imami AZE
Fourth Official: Michael Bacher GER
Referee Observer: Peter Sippel GER

Real Madrid – SSC Napoli
Referee: Sander van der Eijk NED
Assistant Referee 1: Rens Bluemink NED
Assistant Referee 2: Dyon Fikkert NED
Fourth Official: Fernando Bueno Prieto ESP
Referee Observer: Michael Johansen DEN

SL Benfica – Inter Milano
Referee: Andreas Argyrou CYP
Assistant Referee 1: Petros Petrou CYP
Assistant Referee 2: Marios Dimitriadis CYP
Fourth Official: Pedro Ramalho POR
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro POR

UEFA Youth League 2023/2024 – Domestic Champions Path, Round 2 (Second Leg)

28 November 2023 

HJK Helsinki – FC Nantes
Referee: Stefan Ebner AUT (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mattias Hartl AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed El Sadany AUT
Fourth Official: Joona Kontinen FIN
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen NOR

AZ Alkmaar – Molde FK
Referee: Viktor Kopiyevskyy UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Volodymyr Vysotskyy UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Zhukov UKR
Fourth Official: Jesse Rozendal NED
Referee Observer: Luc Wouters BEL

FK Partizan – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Pierre Gaillouste FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Evrard FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Brice Le Tellier FRA
Fourth Official: Milan Stefanović SRB
Referee Observer: Nenad Djokić SRB

29 November 2023
FC Midtjylland – Rukh Lviv
Referee: Tomaš Klima CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Lukaš Machač CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Pavel Pospišil CZE
Fourth Official: Jacob Karlsen DEN
Referee Observer: Kjell Alseth NOR

GNK Dinamo – FC Basel
Referee: Gustavo Correia POR
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Costa POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Martins POR
Fourth Official: Ante Čulina CRO
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin SVN

Olympiacos – Qabala IK
Referee: James Robinson NIR
Assistant Referee 1: Adam Jeffrey NIR
Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Nethery NIR
Fourth Official: Georgios Balachoutis GRE
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas GRE

MSK Žilina – Sparta Praha
Referee: Jakob Sundberg DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Deniz Yurdakul DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Markus DEN
Fourth Official: Lukaš Dzivjak SVK
Referee Observer: Libor Kovařik CZE

3 December 2023
Dynamo Minsk – FSV Mainz
Referee: Jeremy Muller LUX
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Morim LUX
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Stammet LUX
Fourth Official: Tom Bauer GER
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn GER

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 – Quarter-finals

24 November 2023

Brazil – Argentina
Referee: Espen Eskas (NOR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin (NOR)
Fourth Official: Keylor Herrera (CRC)
Reserve AR: Victor Ramirez (CRC)
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo (ITA)
AVAR 1: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)
AVAR 2: Angelos Evangelou (GRE)

Spain – Germany
Referee: Omar Al-Ali (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Jassim Al-Ali (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Said Al-Marzouqi (UAE)
Fourth Official: Mutaz Ibrahim (LBY)
Reserve AR: Ahmed Hossam (EGY)
VAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
AVAR 1: Abdullah Jamali (KUW)
AVAR 2: David Coote (ENG)

25 November 2023
France – Uzbekistan
Referee: Dahane Beida (MTN)
Assistant Referee 1: Dimbiniaina Andriatianarivelo (MAD)
Assistant Referee 2: Koffi Ahonto (TOG)
Fourth Official: Pierre Atcho (GAB)
Reserve AR: Carine Fomo (CMR)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR 1: Lahlou Benbraham (ALG)
AVAR 2: Joseph Dickerson (USA)

Mali – Morocco
Referee: Augusto Aragon (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Baren (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Tola (ECU)
Fourth Official: Ivo Mendez (BOL)
Reserve AR: Roger Orellana (BOL)
VAR: Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI)
AVAR 1: Derlis Lopez (PAR)
AVAR 2: John Perdomo (COL)

UEFA Women’s Nations League 2023/24 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

2 December 2023 

Israel – Armenia

Referee: Irena Velevačkoska-Ristevski MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Vjolca Izeiri MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Elena Soklevska-Ilievski MKD
Fourth Official: Ivana Projkovska MKD
Referee Observer: Galina Doneva BUL

5 December 2023
Malta – Latvia
Referee: Rita Vehapi KOS
Assistant Referee 1: Lumturije Muhadri KOS
Assistant Referee 2: Fitore Govori KOS
Fourth Official: Festina Koxha KOS
Referee Observer: María Villa Gutiérrez ESP

Andorra – Moldova
Referee: Ioánna Allagiótou CYP
Assistant Referee 1: Déspina Dimosthénous CYP
Assistant Referee 2: María Savvídou CYP
Fourth Official: Myrofóra Toumázou CYP
Referee Observer: Snježana Fočić CRO

Turkey – Georgia
Referee: Jeļena Jermolajeva LVA
Assistant Referee 1: Liga Didriķe LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Diana Vanaga LVA
Fourth Official: Darja Voitehoviča LVA
Referee Observer: Irina Mîrț ROU

Luxembourg – Lithuania
Referee: Franziska Wildfeuer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Sina Diekmann GER
Assistant Referee 2: Anne Uersfeld GER
Fourth Official: Fabienne Michel GER
Referee Observer: Blaženka Logarušić CRO

Azerbaijan – Faroe Islands
Referee: Lovisa Johansson SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Camilla Stendahl SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Jilan Taher SWE
Fourth Official: Maral Mirzai SWE
Referee Observer: Ivana Vlaić BIH

Montenegro – Cyprus
Referee: Teresa Oliveira POR
Assistant Referee 1: Ana Silva POR
Assistant Referee 2: Cátia Tavares POR
Fourth Official: Maria Andrada POR
Referee Observer: Anja Kunick GER

Israel – Estonia
Referee: Maika Vanderstichel FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Clémentine Dubreil FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mélissa Rossignol FRA
Fourth Official: Émeline Rochebilière FRA
Referee Observer: Teodora Albon ROU

Kazakhstan – Armenia
Referee: Jurgita Mačikunyte LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Irina Pozdejeva LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Guostė Jonikaite LTU
Fourth Official: Ugnė Šmitaite LTU
Referee Observer: Cristina Babadac ROU

Bulgaria – North Macedonia
Referee: Alexandra Collin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Clothilde Brassart FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Nabila Zaouak FRA
Fourth Official: Clémence Gonçalves FRA
Referee Observer: Sofía Karagiórgi CYP

Spain – Sweden
Referee: Kateryna Monzul UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Svitlana Hrushko UKR
Fourth Official: Sofiya Prychyna UKR
Referee Observer: Nelly Viennot FRA

Italy – Switzerland
Referee: Volha Blockaja BLR
Assistant Referee 1: Anastasija Dančanka BLR
Assistant Referee 2: Valiancina Sakalovič BLR
Fourth Official: Hanna Nalivajka BLR
Referee Observer: Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb GER

Northern Ireland – Ireland
Referee: Veronika Kovářová CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Nikola Šafránková CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Zuzana Špindlerová CZE
Fourth Official: Jana Adámková CZE
Referee Observer: Regien Belksma-Konink NED

Hungary – Albania
Referee: Karoline Wacker GER
Assistant Referee 1: Daniela Göttlinger GER
Assistant Referee 2: Isabel Steinke GER
Fourth Official: Miriam Schwermer GER
Referee Observer: Petra Pavlíková SVK

Romania – Croatia
Referee: Rasa Grigone LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Ieva Ramanauskiene LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Gerda Eidinzonaite LTU
Fourth Official: Lina Skladaityte LTU
Referee Observer: Claudine Brohet BEL

Slovakia – Finland
Referee: Deborah Bianchi ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Laura Cordani SMR
Assistant Referee 2: Nidaa Hader ITA
Fourth Official: Anna Frazza ITA
Referee Observer: Sharon Sluyts BEL

Poland – Greece
Referee: Jelena Pejković CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić CRO
Fourth Official: Ivana Martinčić CRO
Referee Observer: Marta Atzori ITA

Serbia – Ukraine
Referee: Katalin Sipos HUN
Assistant Referee 1: Judit Gavalla-Kulcsár HUN
Assistant Referee 2: Noémi Hegedűs-Baráth HUN
Fourth Official: Réka Molnár HUN
Referee Observer: Marta Frías Acedo ESP

Czechia – Slovenia
Referee: Emanuela Rusta ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Erinda Kume ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Koleta Prenga ALB
Fourth Official: Eglantina Pjetrushaj ALB
Referee Observer: Ingrid Jonsson SWE

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Belarus
Referee: Deborah Anex SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Émilie Aubry SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Santos SUI
Fourth Official: Natalija Papovic SUI
Referee Observer: Pernilla Larsson SWE

Austria – Norway
Referee: Marta Huerta de Aza ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Eliana Fernández González ESP
Fourth Official: Elisabeth Calvo Valentín ESP
Referee Observer: Antonía Kókotou GRE

Portugal – France
Referee: Ivana Projkovska MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Vjolca Izeiri MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Elena Soklevska-Ilievski MKD
Fourth Official: Irena Velevačkoska-Ristevski MKD
Referee Observer: Caroline De Boeck BEL

Denmark – Iceland
Referee: Catarina Campos POR
Assistant Referee 1: Andreia Sousa POR
Assistant Referee 2: Vanessa Gomes POR
Fourth Official: Sílvia Domingos POR
Referee Observer: Bente Skogvang NOR

Wales – Germany
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Petruța Iugulescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Roxana Ivanov ROU
Fourth Official: Ana Terteleac ROU
Referee Observer: Miroslava Migalová SVK

Netherlands – Belgium
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Camille Soriano FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Élodie Coppola FRA
Fourth Official: Victoria Beyer FRA
Referee Observer: Maria Persson SWE

Scotland – England
Referee: Alina Peșu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihaela Țepușă ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Daniela Constantinescu ROU
Fourth Official: Cristina Trandafir ROU
Referee Observer: Kirsi Heikkinen FIN

UEFA Women’s Nations League 2023/24 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

23 November 2023 

Kazakhstan – Israel
Referee: Simona Ghisletta SUI (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sabrina Keinersdorfer SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Jeanine Okle SUI
Fourth Official: Natalija Papovic SUI
Referee Observer: Dilan Gökcek Işcan TUR

26 November 2023
Israel – Kazakhstan
Referee: Cansu Tiryaki TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Mürvet Yavuztürk TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Arzu Görgün TUR
Fourth Official: Meliz Özçiğdem TUR
Referee Observer: Carina Vitulano ITA

30 November 2023
Finland – Romania
Referee: Elvira Nūrmūstafina KAZ
Assistant Referee 1: Nargis Magau KAZ
Assistant Referee 2: Timur Tūrsymbaev KAZ
Fourth Official: Artiom Kutşin KAZ
Referee Observer: Jelena Banjeglav SRB

1 December 2023
Latvia – Andorra
Referee: Silvia Gasperotti ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giulia Tempestilli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefania Signorelli ITA
Fourth Official: Stefania Menicucci ITA
Referee Observer: Knarik Grigoryan ARM

Montenegro – Faroe Islands
Referee: Marina Zechner AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Biljana Iskin AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Cindy Müller AUT
Fourth Official: Silke Hohenauer AUT
Referee Observer: Snježana Fočić CRO

Georgia – Luxembourg
Referee: Lisa Benn ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Sian Massey-Ellis ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Nicoleta Bria ENG
Fourth Official: Stacey Fullicks ENG
Referee Observer: Ana Minić SRB

Moldova – Malta
Referee: Louise Thompson NIR
Assistant Referee 1: Victoria Finlay NIR
Assistant Referee 2: Rachel Greer NIR
Fourth Official: James Robinson NIR
Referee Observer: Ivana Vlaić BIH

Kazakhstan – Estonia
Referee: Kirsty Dowle ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Emily Carney ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Sophie Denington ENG
Fourth Official: Lauren Impey ENG
Referee Observer: Caroline De Boeck BEL

Greece – Serbia
Referee: Gamze Durmuş TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Mürvet Yavuztürk TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Aysu Toraman TUR
Fourth Official: Ömer Turtay TUR
Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott IRL



Lithuania – Turkey
Referee: Olivia Tschon AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Amina Gutschi AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Sara Telek AUT
Fourth Official: Maria Ennsgraber AUT
Referee Observer: Carina Vitulano ITA

Albania – Northern Ireland
Referee: Minka Vekkeli FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Heini Hyvönen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Tonja Weckström FIN
Fourth Official: Lotta Vuorio FIN
Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska POL



Kosovo – Bulgaria
Referee: Meliz Özçiğdem TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Arzu Görgün TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Fatma Tursun TUR
Fourth Official: Sevcan Özkar TUR
Referee Observer: Sharon Sluyts BEL

Croatia – Slovakia
Referee: Hristiyana Guteva BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Marinova BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Pavleta Rashkova BUL
Fourth Official: Kristina Georgieva BUL
Referee Observer: Gyöngyi Gaál HUN

Ukraine – Poland
Referee: Ana Terteleac ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Alexandra Apostu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Roxana Ivanov ROU
Fourth Official: Iuliana Demetrescu ROU
Referee Observer: Silvia Spinelli ITA

Slovenia – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Lizzy van der Helm NED
Assistant Referee 1: Diana Snoeren NED
Assistant Referee 2: Ashley de Haan NED
Fourth Official: Julia van Es NED
Referee Observer: Dilan Gökcek Işcan TUR

Cyprus – Azerbaijan
Referee: Caroline Lanssens BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Irmgard Van Meirvenne BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Margot Jacobs BEL
Fourth Official: Jana Van Laere BEL
Referee Observer: Dagmar Damková CZE

Norway – Portugal
Referee: Ivana Martinčić CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić CRO
Fourth Official: Sabina Bolić CRO
Referee Observer: Gitte Holm DEN

Switzerland – Sweden
Referee: Frida Klarlund Nielsen DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Katrine Stensholm DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Ceri Williams WAL
Fourth Official: Julie Thomsen DEN
Referee Observer: Eléni Kyríou GRE

Belarus – Czechia
Referee: Jelena Medjedović SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Ivana Jovanović SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandra Stojanac SRB
Fourth Official: Marina Višnjić-Živković SRB
Referee Observer: Antonía Kókotou GRE

Wales – Iceland
Referee: Esther Staubli SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Susann Küng SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Linda Schmid SUI
Fourth Official: Leonora Ismaili SUI
Referee Observer: Paloma Quintero Siles ESP

Belgium – Scotland
Referee: Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Rocío Puente Pino ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Ainhoa Fernández Ruiz AND
Fourth Official: Arantza Gallestegui Pérez ESP
Referee Observer: Esther Azzopardi MLT

Germany – Denmark
Referee: Maria Ferrieri Caputi ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Tiziana Trasciatti ITA
Fourth Official: Martina Molinaro ITA
Referee Observer: Rhona Coombes IRL

Ireland – Hungary
Referee: Shona Shukrula NED
Assistant Referee 1: Franca Overtoom NED
Assistant Referee 2: Martina Boer NED
Fourth Official: Marisca Overtoom NED
Referee Observer: Irina Mîrț ROU

England – Netherlands
Referee: Tess Olofsson SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Almira Spahic SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Emelie Elfstrand SWE
Fourth Official: Eva Svärdsudd SWE
Referee Observer: Aušra Kancė LTU

France – Austria
Referee: Ewa Augustyn POL
Assistant Referee 1: Paulina Baranowska POL
Assistant Referee 2: Julia Bukarowicz POL
Fourth Official: Monika Mularczyk POL
Referee Observer: Blaženka Logarušić CRO

Spain – Italy
Referee: Eléni Antoníou GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Georgía Komisopoúlou GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Vasilía Tsiklitári GRE
Fourth Official: Andromáchi Tsioflíki GRE
Referee Observer: Emilia Wnuk POL

Referee Barton confronted at the airport after CNL match Mexico - Honduras

Referee Ivan Barton has become the epicenter of a controversy that has made waves on social media, generating indignation among fans of the Honduran national team. They believe that the Salvadoran referee's decisions favored Mexico to the detriment of the Honduran team, especially the time added to the match after the 90 minutes had expired.

The controversy continued off the field, as a video circulated on digital platforms showing referee Barton at the Mexico City Airport. In the images, the referee is wearing sunglasses and headphones, apparently oblivious to the growing controversy. But it did not go unnoticed by the Honduran fans, many of whom were on the same flight and confronted the referee. In the video, you can see how the Honduran fans express their discontent with Ivan Barton for his decisions on the field of play. Despite the criticism and complaints, the referee seems to ignore and does not respond to the accusations of bias. "In the plane they ask for more extra time thanks to Barton", "come on, Barton", and "all Hondurans are waiting for you with open arms", were some of the messages that were dedicated to him inside the plane. The Honduran fans are upset because they believe that the referee's decisions favored Mexico during the match that resulted in Honduras' elimination from the Nations League after losing on penalties to Mexico.

The president of the Honduran National Soccer Federation (FENAFUTH), Jorge Salomón, told the newspaper El Heraldo de Honduras that they would seek to proceed through legal channels, seeking to somehow win the game 'from the desk'. The referee granted nine minutes of added time, which turned into 12, and the equalizing goal was scored in the 100th minute, in addition to the claim that there was a foul on Edson Alvarez's goal. In the penalty shootout, two penalties missed by Chino Huerta were retaken and the third, which he did score, should also have been retaken because goalkeeper Luis Angel Malagon had gone into the area to claim that goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar had been sent off for a double yellow card.

Source: Marca

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2023/24 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

22 November 2023
Olympique Lyonnais – Sankt Pölten
Referee: Sandra Bastos POR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Catia Tavares POR
Assistant Referee 2: Ana Silva POR
Fourth Official: Silvia Domingos POR
Referee Observer: Christine Frai GER

SL Benfica – FC Rosengard
Referee: Cheryl Foster WAL
Assistant Referee 1: Ceri Williams WAL
Assistant Referee 2: Franca Overtoom NED
Fourth Official: Shona Shukrula NED
Referee Observer: Anja Kunick GER

SK Brann – Slavia Praha
Referee: Alina Peşu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Daniela Costantinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Țepușă ROU
Fourth Official: Cristina Trandafir ROU
Referee Observer: Ingrid Jonsson SWE

Eintracht Frankfurt – FC Barcelona
Referee: Jana Adamkova CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajova CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Zuzana Špindlerova CZE
Fourth Official: Veronika Kovarova CZE
Referee Observer: Marta Atzori ITA

23 November 2023
Paris St. Germain – Bayern München
Referee: Marta Huerta De Aza ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Eliana Fernandez Gonzalez ESP
Fourth Official: Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP
Referee Observer: Caroline De Boeck BEL

BK Häcken – Real Madrid
Referee: Ivana Projkovska MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Vjolca Izeiri MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Elena Soklevska-Ilievski MKD
Fourth Official: Irena Velevačkoska MKD
Referee Observer: Gyöngyi Gaal HUN

AS Roma – AFC Ajax
Referee: Ewa Augustyn POL
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandra Ulanowska POL
Assistant Referee 2: Julia Bukarowicz POL
Fourth Official: Monika Mularczyk POL
Referee Observer: Miroslava Migalova SVK

Chelsea FCW – Paris FC
Referee: Ivana Martinčić CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić CRO
Fourth Official: Sabina Bolić CRO
Referee Observer: Jenny Palmqvist SWE

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 – Round of 16

20-21 November 2023

Ecuador – Brazil
Referee: Atilla Karaoglan TUR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ceyhun Sesigüzel TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Cevdet Kömürcüoğlu TUR
Fourth Official: Rade Obrenovič SVN
Reserve AR: Jure Praprotnik SVN
VAR: David Coote ENG
AVAR: Ivaylo Stoyanov BUL

Spain – Japan
Referee: Pierre Atcho GAB
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Ditsoga GAB
Assistant Referee 2: Carine Fomo CMR
Fourth Official: Mutaz Ibrahim LBY
Reserve AR: Khalil Hassani TUN
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Khalid Al-Turais KSA

Mali – Mexico
Referee: Gustavo Tejera URU
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro URU
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Nievas URU
Fourth Official: Ivo Mendez BOL
Reserve AR: Carlos Tapia BOL
VAR: John Perdomo COL
AVAR: Derlis Lopez PAR

Germany – USA
Referee: Fu Ming CHN
Assistant Referee 1: Cao Yi CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Ma Ji CHN
Fourth Official: Ko Hyung-Jin KOR
Reserve AR: Yoon Jae-Yeol KOR
VAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA
AVAR: Angelos Evangelou GRE

Argentina – Venezuela
Referee: Morten Krogh DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Rasmussen DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Steffen Bramsen DEN
Fourth Official: Bryan Lopez GUA
Reserve AR: Luis Ventura GUA
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Kate Jacewicz AUS

Morocco – Iran
Referee: Joao Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Keylor Herrera CRC
Reserve AR: William Chow CRC
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
AVAR: Igor Benevenuto BRA

UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers (Matchday 10)

19 November 2023

Hungary – Montenegro
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Marc Nagtegaal NED
VAR: Clay Ruperti NED
AVAR: Jeroen Manschot NED
Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gomez ESP

Serbia – Bulgaria
Referee: Erik Lambrechts BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Jo De Weirdt BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny BEL
Fourth Official: Nathan Verboomen BEL
VAR: Pol van Boekel NED
AVAR: Jan Boterberg BEL
Referee Observer: Michael Ross NIR

Belgium – Azerbaijan
Referee: Gergő Bogar HUN
Assistant Referee 1: Theodoros Georgiou HUN
Assistant Referee 2: Balazs Szalai HUN
Fourth Official: Ferenc Karako HUN
VAR: Tamas Bognar HUN
AVAR: Istvan Vad HUN
Referee Observer: Niklas Lidarenda FRO

Sweden – Estonia
Referee: Fabio Maresca ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marchetti ITA
VAR: Gianluca Aureliano ITA
AVAR: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Referee Observer: Asim Xudiyev AZE

Spain – Georgia
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mircea Grigoriu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe ROU
Fourth Official: Radu Petrescu ROU
VAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
AVAR: Sebastian Colțescu ROU
Referee Observer: Rusmir Mrković BIH

Scotland – Norway
Referee: Horațiu Feșnic ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Cerei ROU
Fourth Official: Marian Barbu ROU
VAR: Mario Zebec CRO
AVAR: Duje Strukan CRO
Referee Observer: Kevin Parry WAL

Portugal – Iceland
Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Tryfon Petropoulos GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Iordanis Aptosoglou GRE
Fourth Official: Andreas Gamaris GRE
VAR: Aristotelis Diamantopoulos GRE
AVAR: Evangelos Manouchos GRE
Referee Observer: Alain Bieri SUI

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Slovakia
Referee: Julian Weinberger AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Kolbitsch AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Witschnigg AUT
Fourth Official: Stefan Ebner AUT
VAR: Alan Kijas AUT
AVAR: Manuel Schüttengruber AUT
Referee Observer: Giorgi Vadachkoria GEO

Liechtenstein – Luxembourg
Referee: Stephanie Frappart FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Mikael Berchebru FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Steven Torregrossa FRA
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard FRA
VAR: Willy Delajod FRA
AVAR: Maika Vanderstichel FRA
Referee Observer: Dimitar Mečkarovski MKD

20 November 2023
Ukraine – Italy
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez ESP
Fourth Official: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez ESP
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera ESP
AVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Referee Observer: Michal Beneš CZE

North Macedonia – England
Referee: Filip Glova SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Polaček SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Bednar SVK
Fourth Official: Boris Marhefka SVK
VAR: Michal Očenaš SVK
AVAR: Pawel Pskit POL
Referee Observer: Clayton Pisani MLT

Czechia – Moldova
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Stephane De Almeida SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj SUI
Fourth Official: Johannes von Mandach SUI
VAR: Maurizio Mariani ITA
AVAR: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
Referee Observer: Lassin Isaksen FRO

Albania – Faroe Islands
Referee: Sven Jablonski GER
Assistant Referee 1: Lasse Koslowski GER
Assistant Referee 2: Eduard Beitinger GER
Fourth Official: Frank Willenborg GER
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Benjamin Brand GER
Referee Observer: Kostadin Gerginov BUL

Northern Ireland – Denmark
Referee: Jerôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelien Drouet FRA
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet FRA
VAR: Eric Wattellier FRA
AVAR: François Letexier FRA
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro POR

Slovenia – Kazakhstan
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Pawel Raczkowski POL
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Bartosz Frankowski POL
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis CYP

San Marino – Finland
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Mangirdas Mirauskas LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandras Stepanovas LTU
Fourth Official: Mindaugas Jackus LTU
VAR: Jochem Kamphuis NED
AVAR: Erwin Blank NED
Referee Observer: Pavel Salii KAZ

21 November 2023
Greece – France
Referee: Daniel Siebert GER
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel GER
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal GER
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen GER
VAR: Marco Fritz GER
AVAR: Christian Dingert GER
Referee Observer: Drago Kos SVN

Gibraltar – Netherlands
Referee: Arda Kardeşler TUR
Assistant Referee 1: İbrahim Uyarcan TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Deniz Özaral TUR
Fourth Official: Ümit Öztürk TUR
VAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen TUR
AVAR: Alper Ulusoy TUR
Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin ROU

Croatia – Armenia
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Martin Dohál SVK
VAR: Paolo Valeri ITA
AVAR: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson SWE

Wales – Turkey
Referee: Matej Jug SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali SVN
Fourth Official: Martin Matoša SVN
VAR: Nejc Kajtazovič SVN
AVAR: Alen Borošak SVN
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer GER

Romania – Switzerland
Referee: Davide Massa ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marcenaro ITA
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati ITA
AVAR: Valerio Marini ITA
Referee Observer: Goran Mihajlević MNE

Andorra – Israel
Referee: Sascha Stegemann GER
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christof Günsch GER
Fourth Official: Tobias Reichel GER
VAR: Sören Storks GER
AVAR: Pascal Müller GER
Referee Observer: Antony Gautier FRA

Kosovo – Belarus
Referee: Georgi Kabakov BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov BUL
Fourth Official: Volen Chinkov BUL
VAR: Dragomir Draganov BUL
AVAR: Vasimir El-Hatib BUL
Referee Observer: Salustia Cipres AND

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers – AFC (Round 2, Matchday 2)

21 November 2023

Pakistan - Tajikistan
Referee: Yusuke Araki (JPN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jun Mihara (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Kota Watanabe (JPN)
Fourth Official: Ngo Duy Lan (VIE)

Myanmar – Korea DPR
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrey Sapenko (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin (UZB)
Fourth Official: Virendha Rai (BHU)

Chinese Taipei – Malaysia
Referee: Mohammed Al Shamrani (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammed Al Refaei (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Omar Al Jamal (KSA)
Fourth Official: Clifford Daypuyat (PHI)

Philippines – Indonesia
Referee: Kim Jong-Hyeok (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Park Kyun-Yong (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jang Jong-Pil (KOR)
Fourth Official: Choi Hyun-Jae (KOR)

Bangladesh – Lebanon
Referee: Kim Dae-Yong (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bang Gi-Yeol (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Kang Dong-Ho (KOR)
Fourth Official: Ramesh Venkatesh (KOR)

China – Korea
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al Maqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Nurzatbek Abdıkadırov (KGZ)

Singapore – Thailand
Referee: Ahmad Al Ali (KUW)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdulhadi Manea (KUW)
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Sadeq (KUW)
Fourth Official: Hussein Yehia (LIB)

Hong Kong – Turkmenistan
Referee: Adel Al Naqbi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ali Al Nuaimi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Sabet Al Ali (UAE)
Fourth Official: Razlan Joffri

Vietnam – Iraq
Referee: Abdulla Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalid Khalaf (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Faisal Al Shammari (QAT)
Fourth Official: Ahmad A'Qashah

Uzbekistan – Iran
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Al Hammadi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Hasan Al Mahri (UAE)
Fourth Official: Ismaeel Habib (BHR)

Nepal – Yemen
Referee: Shen Yinhao (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Guo Jingtao (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Luo Zheng (CHN)
Fourth Official: Adam Fazeel (MDV)

India – Qatar
Referee: Sivakorn Pu-Udom (THA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rawut Nakrit (THA)
Assistant Referee 2: Tanate Chuchuen (THA)
Fourth Official: Songkran Bunmeekiart (THA)

Kyrgyzstan – Oman
Referee: Mooud Bonyadifard (IRN)
Assistant Referee 1: Saeid Ghasemi (IRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Alireza Ildorom (IRN)
Fourth Official: Vahid Kazemi (IRN)

Palestine – Australia
Referee: Qasim Al Hatmi (OMA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nasser Ambusaidi (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Hamed Al Ghafri (OMA)
Fourth Official: Mahmood Al Majarafi (OMA)

Syria – Japan
Referee: Ma Ning (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Zhou Fei (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Zhang Cheng (CHN)
Fourth Official: Ali Reda (LIB)

Bahrain – UAE
Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalaf Al Shammari (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Yasir Al Sultan (KSA)
Fourth Official: Faisal Al Balawi (KSA)

Jordan – Saudi Arabia
Referee: Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA)
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Al Amri (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Al Ghaithi (OMA)
Fourth Official: Omar Al Yaqoubi (OMA)

Afghanistan – Kuwait
Referee: Ahmed Al Ali (JOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ayman Obeidat (JOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Muhsen (JOR)
Fourth Official: Mohammad Arafah (JOR)

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers – CAF (Round 1, Matchday 2)

19–21 November 2023

Sudan - Congo DR
Referee: Bamlak Tessema (ETH, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Temesgin Samuel (ETH)
Assistant Referee 2: Fasika Biru (ETH)
Fourth Official: Lemi Nigussie (ETH)

Zimbabwe – Nigeria
Referee: Souleiman Djama (DJI)
Assistant Referee 1: Liban Abdourazak (DJI)
Assistant Referee 2: Rachid Waiss Bouraleh (DJI)
Fourth Official: Mohamed Guedi (DJI)

Mozambique – Algeria
Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (RWA)
Assistant Referee 1: Dieudonne Mutuyimana (RWA)
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Mugabo (RWA)
Fourth Official: Jean Ishimwe (RWA)

Burundi – Gabon
Referee: Issa Sy (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: El Hadji Samba (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Nouha Bangoura (SEN)
Fourth Official: Daouda Gueye (SEN)

Sierra Leone – Egypt
Referee: Jean Ndala (COD)
Assistant Referee 1: Blaise Nabina (COD)
Assistant Referee 2: Bongele Ngila (COD)
Fourth Official: Yannick Malala (COD)

Djibouti – Guinea Bissau
Referee: Athoumani Mohamed (COM)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Ibrahim (COM)
Assistant Referee 2: Soulaimane Amaldine (COM)
Fourth Official: Soulaimane Ansudane (COM)

Liberia – Equatorial Guinea
Referee: Karim Sabry (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdessamad Abertoune (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Yahya Nouali (MAR)
Fourth Official: Redouane Jiyed (MAR)

Seychelles – Kenya
Referee: Younoussa Camara (GUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sidiki Sidibe (GUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Mamady Tere (GUI)
Fourth Official: Abdoulaye Manet (GUI)

Gambia – Côte d'Ivoire
Referee: Jalal Jiyed (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Lahcen Azgaou (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mustapha Akerkad (MAR)
Fourth Official: Mustapha Kechaf (MAR)

Mali – Central African Republic
Referee: Georges Gatogato (BDI)
Assistant Referee 1: Herve Nduwayo (BDI)
Assistant Referee 2: Olivier Nibogora (BDI)
Fourth Official: Rodrigue Bigirimana (BDI)

Chad – Madagascar
Referee: Tewodros Mitiku (ETH)
Assistant Referee 1: Tigle Gizaw (ETH)
Assistant Referee 2: Mustefa Meki (ETH)
Fourth Official: Belay Tadesse (ETH)

Somalia – Uganda
Referee: Jose Asangono (EQG)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Andeme (EQG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Ayecaba (EQG)
Fourth Official: Pedro Obono (EQG)

Botswana – Guinea
Referee: Tanguy Mebiame (GAB)
Assistant Referee 1: Abelmiro Dos Reis (STP)
Assistant Referee 2: Urbain Ndong (GAB)
Fourth Official: Cregue Mouckagni (GAB)

Malawi – Tunisia
Referee: Aklesso Gnama (TOG)
Assistant Referee 1: Komlan Adiwotso (TOG)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdou Kpelafia (TOG)
Fourth Official: Kouassi Attiogbe (TOG)

Eswatini – Cape Verde
Referee: Sabri Fadul (SDN)
Assistant Referee 1: Omer Ahmed (SDN)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdelgabar Abdelgabar (SDN)
Fourth Official: Abdalaziz Ahmed (SDN)

Rwanda – South Africa
Referee: Amin Omar (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud El Regal (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Tawfik (EGY)
Fourth Official: Ahmed Al Ghandour (EGY)

Lesotho – Benin
Referee: Teklu Mogos (ERI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sirak Samuel (ERI)
Assistant Referee 2: Eyobel Michael (ERI)
Fourth Official: Idris Osman (ERI)

South Sudan – Mauritania
Referee: Patrice Milazare (MRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Hensley Petrousse (SEY)
Assistant Referee 2: James Emile (SEY)
Fourth Official: Keren Yocette (SEY)

Togo – Senegal
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
Assistant Referee 2: Abbes Zerhouni (ALG)
Fourth Official: Nabil Boukhalfa (ALG)

Sao Tome & Principe – Namibia
Referee: Ousmane Diakite (MLI)
Assistant Referee 1: Nouhoum Bamba (MLI)
Assistant Referee 2: Amadou Guisse (MLI)
Fourth Official: Ibrahima Keita (MLI)

Libya – Cameroon
Referee: Raphiou Ligali (BEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Narcisse Kouton (BEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lucien Hontonnou (BEN)
Fourth Official: Issa Mouhamed (BEN)

Comoros – Ghana
Referee: Abdel Bouh (MTN)
Assistant Referee 1: Hamedine Diba (MTN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed Yahia (MTN)
Fourth Official: Moussa Diou (MTN)

Niger – Zambia
Referee: Abdulrazg Ahmed (LBY)
Assistant Referee 1: Attia Amsaaed (LBY)
Assistant Referee 2: Wahed Al Jaahawe (LBY)
Fourth Official: Abdulwahid Huraywidah (LBY)

Mauritius – Angola
Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (MWI)
Assistant Referee 1: Clemence Kanduku (MWI)
Assistant Referee 2: Edward Kambatuwa (MWI)
Fourth Official: Gift Chicco (MWI)

Ethiopia – Burkina Faso
Referee: Lamin Jammeh (GAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdul Jawo (GAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Omar Darboe (GAM)
Fourth Official: Omar Sallah (GAM)

Tanzania – Morocco
Referee: Abongile Tom (RSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Zakhele Siwela (RSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Souru Phatsoane (LES)
Fourth Official: Thando Ndzandzeka (RSA)