CONMEBOL U-20 Libertadores 2024

Uruguay, 2-17 March 2024

Referee: Leandro Rey (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Savorani (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Raineri (ARG)

Referee: Christian Aleman (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Montano (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ruben Flores (BOL)

Referee: Ramon Abatti (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nailton Sousa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Luanderson Lima (BRA)

Referee: Francisco Gilabert (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Sandoval (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Ureta (CHI)

Referee: Carlos Betancur (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: David Fuentes (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Blanco (COL)

Referee: Bryan Loayza (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Danny Avila (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: David Vacacela (ECU)

Referee: Juan Lopez (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Britos (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Nancy Fernandez (PAR)

Referee: Joel Alarcon (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Albert Alarcon (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Castillo (PER)

Referee: Mathias De Armas (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Pablo Llarena (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Agustin Berisso (URU)

Referee: Yender Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Erizon Nieto (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Migdalia Rodriguez (VEN)

Guest Trio (UEFA)
Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivan Masso Granado (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)/*due to injury, replaced by Diego Sanchez Rojo (ESP)

Pitana appointed Head of Referees in Ecuador

The Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) presented Nestor Pitana as their new Head of Referees at a press conference held at the House of Football. The Argentine holds the position of President of the National Referees Committee, replacing Roger Zambrano. Pitana had already been proposed to lead a Pro referee sub-committee that was going to be created within the National Committee. That happened in September last year when presidents of the Pro League met with Francisco Egas, president of the FEF, to find a solution to the constant mistakes of Ecuadorian referees. The other option was his compatriot Hector Baldassi, but time passed and that didn't happen. Now the FEF has made their decision. In 2021, FEF already did something similar, when they hired Baldassi himself as a referee advisor. However, now Pitana would even come to live in Ecuador to do his job.

Pitana, 48, retired from professional refereeing in 2022 after a very successful career. The Argentine attended two FIFA World Cups: Brazil 2014 (where he refereed four matches) and Russia 2018 (appointed to five games, including the final). In Brazil, he refereed 3 group stage matches and one of the quarter-finals, while in Russia he refereed the opening match and the big final, in addition to round of 16 and quarter-final matches. In total, he refereed 26 international A matches, while he had more than 300 games in the in the Argentine first division, including championship finals.

"Thank God for this moment, for this presentation. As I always say, referees are Team One, it's a fundamental part of football. We have a lot of potential, there are great referees. You have to believe, plan and feel football. The referee must be at the service of the game, with the commitment and conviction to do things right to minimise mistakes. My humble career has let me have this beautiful story. It's a big responsibility I'm taking. There are many things to work on around the clock because of the imminent start of the league, but you have to go out on the field with courage to make strong decisions. The players and the fans want that. That's what we do as a Referee Committee, we have to live up to it. We need to look for new talents in refereeing; it will be one of the priorities we are going to have in this management, so I want you to support me and be patient. The challenge is great and that's why we're here. As chairman of this important committee, I look forward to it, I love football and that's why it makes it easier for me, in addition to my passion for refereeing. I want to give the tools, tips, and opportunities to all referees in the country. There is no place in the world where refereeing is not questioned, but one has to work to minimize the margin of error. We have to look for talent; there is raw material.I know a lot of Ecuadorian referees, so I was able to do a kind of X-ray of each one. We have to be patient since new names have appeared, but they have to go through a process. You have to give them the freedom of decision-making. You never have to lose the imprint and style of the Ecuadorian referees; we just want to reinforce that. We each have a seal. I am convinced that our team of referees will be up to it."

Francisco Egas (FEF President) on the appointment of Pitana: "We believe in the progress of refereeing. There is a group of young referees in the country, coming from a different training system than the previous one. Ecuadorian refereeing is in full progress, it deserves to be at the top level again and lead in the football world; it is the primary objective we have for refereeing. One of the intentions of the FEF is to have a dedicated referee department and to put it in the hands of Pitana. Our idea is for Nestor to tell us who he wants to work with and what empty spots need to be filled. Later, we will dedicate ourselves to looking for the ideal profiles. On the issue of the debt of the referees, we have been working with an agreement more than a year ago. Unfortunately, we could not pay in time, but that thanks to the agreement they are calm. We have $1,200.000 in debts to the referees, but hopefully this year will be quieter in that respect."

Source: Ole

Three-time World Cup referee Staubli retired unexpectedly. Will she become become the new FIFA Head of Women’s Refereeing?

At 44, Esther Staubli has suddenly decided to put away her whistle, the Swiss Football Association announced. “I have decided to now take new paths,” said Staubli, without providing further details. Last Friday, she managed one last match, the semi-final of the UEFA Women’s Nations League between France and Germany, in Lyon: “The loop of my active refereeing activity closes with one last international highlight. By taking part in the Nations League Finals, I was able to realize one last dream”.

The only female referee in the Swiss Super League, Esther Staubli had been a FIFA referee for 19 years. A long career during which she participated in three FIFA Women’s World Cups (2015, 2019, 2023), three Women’s European Championships (2013, 2017 including the final, 2022) and two Olympic Games (2016, 2021). She also refereed the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League twice, in 2015 and 2020. To this must be added her presence at the FIFA U-17 (men’s) World Cup in 2017, as well as refereeing Azerbaijan-Sweden counting for the UEFA (men’s) Nations League, last November. In addition to her impressive international CV, the Swiss referee has 28 Super League, 59 Challenge League and 10 Swiss Cup matches to her credit.

“What Esther Staubli has done for Swiss refereeing is actually hard to put into words," says Sascha Amhof, Head of Refereeing at the Swiss Football Association. "She is a pioneer, role model and the female figurehead of the department. We take note of her decision in the year before the European Women's Championships in Switzerland with great regret”.

Source: SRF

FIFA AR Porras Ayuso suffered serious injury in bizarre camera collision

A LaLiga assistant referee was left with a bloodied face after a collision with a pitchside camera during Sunday's game between Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao. Female official Guadalupe Porras was returning to her position on the touchline after confirming Chimy Avila's 13th-minute opening goal for Betis.

The television coverage didn't initially pick up what had unfolded as Betis medical staff rushed over to attend to Porras, helping her onto a stretcher before moving her into an ambulance. But, according to Relevo, she collided with a DAZN 4K camera operator who was filming close-ups of the goal celebrations.

Betis medical staff rushed over to Porras to provide her with treatment before she left the stadium in an ambulance. Porras was replaced by fourth official Holgueras Castellanos, following a lengthy delay to the game.

Former LaLiga referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez told Cadena SER: “Message to Javier Tebas [LaLiga president] - the camera goes where it shouldn't go. Please let them work, the assistant referee is as professional as a player.”

Source: Daily Mail

UEFA Women’s Nations League Final 2024: Olofsson (SWE)

28 February 2024

Final
Spain – France
Referee: Tess Olofsson SWE (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Almira Spahic SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Francesca Di Monte ITA
Fourth Official: Iuliana Demetrescu ROU
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Katrin Rafalski GER
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti ITA

Match for Third Place
Netherlands – Germany
Referee: Stephanie Frappart FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Camille Soriano FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Elodie Coppola FRA
Fourth Official: Maria Ferrieri Caputi ITA
VAR: Jerôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Ella De Vries BEL
Referee Observer: Gyöngyi Gaal HUN

CONMEBOL Recopa 2024 (Second Leg)

29 February 2024

Fluminense – LDU Quito
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Fourth Official: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Reserve AR: Maximiliano Del Yesso (ARG)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR 1: Cristian Navarro (ARG)
AVAR 2: Hernan Mastrangelo (ARG)
AVAR 3: Hector Paletta (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Angel Sanchez (ARG)
VAR Supervisor: Patricio Polic (CHI)

UEFA Women’s Nations League 2023/24 – Promotion and Relegation Matches (Second Leg)

27-28 February 2023

Belgium – Hungary
Referee: Ivana Martinčić CRO (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić CRO
Fourth Official: Sabina Bolić CRO
Referee Observer: Marta Frias Acedo ESP

Ukraine – Bulgaria
Referee: Zuzana Valentova SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Miroslava Obertova SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Staša Špur SVN
Fourth Official: Miriama Bočkova SVK
Referee Observer: Sofia Karagiorgi CYP

Iceland – Serbia
Referee: Marta Huerta De Aza ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Eliana Fernandez Gonzalez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Rita Cabanero Mompo ESP
Fourth Official: Ainara Acevedo Dudley ESP
Referee Observer: Wendy Toms ENG

Norway – Croatia
Referee: Veronika Kovarova CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Zuzana Spindlerova CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Tereza Hessova CZE
Fourth Official: Michaela Pachtova CZE
Referee Observer: Paloma Quintero Siles ESP

Slovakia – Latvia
Referee: Shona Shukrula NED
Assistant Referee 1: Franca Overtoom NED
Assistant Referee 2: Diana Snoeren NED
Fourth Official: Lizzy van der Helm NED
Referee Observer: Ingrid Jonsson SWE

Northern Ireland – Montenegro
Referee: Hristiyana Guteva BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Marinova BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Pavleta Rashkova BUL
Fourth Official: Kristina Georgieva BUL
Referee Observer: Jenny Palmqvist SWE

Sweden – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Silvia Gasperotti ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giulia Tempestilli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefania Signorelli ITA
Fourth Official: Deborah Bianchi ITA
Referee Observer: Anri Saarivainio FIN

Concacaf Champions Cup 2024 – Second Round (Second Leg)

27 February 2024

Houston Dynamo – St. Louis City
Referee: Marco Ortiz (MEX, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Enrique Bustos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Sanchez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon (CRC)
VAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Guillermo Pacheco (MEX)

Orlando City SC – Cavalry FC
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Espinoza (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Michel Espinoza (MEX)
Fourth Official: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
VAR: Adonai Escobedo (MEX)
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)

Philadelphia Union – Deportivo Saprissa
Referee: Selvin Brown (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Orellana (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Emmanuel Aguirre (NCA)
Fourth Official: Ivan Barton (SLV)
VAR: Said Martinez (HON)
AVAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)

28 February 2024
FC Cincinnati – Cavalier FC
Referee: Keylor Herrera (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Fernandez (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: William Chow (CRC)
Fourth Official: Bryan Lopez (GUA)
VAR: Adonai Escobedo (MEX)
AVAR: Said Martinez (HON)

Nashville SC – Moca FC
Referee: Oshane Nation (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Ojay Duhaney (JAM)
Fourth Official: Mario Escobar (GUA)
VAR: Guillermo Pacheco (MEX)
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)

29 February 2024
New England Revolution – CA Independiente
Referee: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Zachari Zeegelaar (SUR)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)
VAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 – Second Round (Second Leg)

27-29 February 2024

Palestino – Portuguesa
Referee: Mario Diaz de Vivar (PAR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Canete (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Villagra (PAR)
Fourth Official: Jose Mendez (PAR)
VAR: Fernando Lopez (PAR)
AVAR: Jose Cuevas (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
VAR Supervisor: Marcio Santiago (BRA)

Red Bull Bragantino – Aguilas Doradas
Referee: Piero Maza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Serrano (CHI)
Fourth Official: Jose Cabero (CHI)
VAR: Fernando Vejar (CHI)
AVAR: Benjamin Saravia (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Silvia Regina (BRA)
VAR Supervisor: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)

Sporting Cristal – Always Ready
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Soppi (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Nievas (URU)
Fourth Official: Anahi Fernandez (URU)
VAR: Antonio Garcia (URU)
AVAR: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Jaimes (PER)
VAR Supervisor: Jose Espinel (ECU)

Nacional – Puerto Cabello
Referee: Yael Falcon (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Facundo Rodriguez (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Savorani (ARG)
Fourth Official: Pablo Echavarria (ARG)
VAR: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
AVAR: Pablo Dovalo (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
VAR Supervisor: Giullliano Bozzano (BRA)

Atletico Nacional – Nacional
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Fourth Official: Paulo Zanovelli (BRA)
VAR: Daniel Nobre (BRA)
AVAR: Rodrigo D’Alonso (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Luzmila Gonzalez (COL)
VAR Supervisor: Victor Carrillo (PER)

Botafogo – Aurora
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Fourth Official: Yorman Delgado (VEN)
VAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
AVAR: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Alicio Pena (BRA)
VAR Supervisor: Ricardo Casas (ARG)

El Nacional – Sportivo Trinidense
Referee: John Ospina (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Gallego (COL)
Fourth Official: John Hinestroza (COL)
VAR: John Perdomo (COL)
AVAR: Leonard Mosquera (COL)
Referee Assessor: Wilson Avila (ECU)
VAR Supervisor: Henry Gambetta (PER)

Colo Colo – Godoy Cruz
Referee: Andres Matonte (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Horacio Ferreiro (URU)
Fourth Official: Jose Burgos (URU)
VAR: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
AVAR: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Referee Assessor: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
VAR Supervisor: Luis Vera (ECU)

UEFA Youth League 2023/2024 – Round of 16

27 February 2024

AZ Alkmaar – FC Porto
Referee: Ivana Projkovska MKD (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Goce Petreski MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Kuštrim Lika MKD
Fourth Official: Erwin Blank NED
Referee Observer: Rudy Bossen NED

MSK Žilina – FC Copenhagen
Referee: Joey Kooij NED
Assistant Referee 1: Patrick Inia NED
Assistant Referee 2: Dyon Fikkert NED
Fourth Official: Michal Očenaš SVK
Referee Observer: Marian Ružbarsky SVK

FSV Mainz – Manchester City
Referee: Atilla Karaoglan TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Ceyhun Sesigüzel TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Cevdet Kömürcüoglu TUR
Fourth Official: Patrick Schwengers GER
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer LUX

28 February 2024
Olympiacos SFP – RC Lens
Referee: David Šmajc SVN
Assistant Referee 1: David Gabrovec SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Matic Mežnar SVN
Fourth Official: Georgios Balachoutis GRE
Referee Observer: Albano Janku ALB

AC Milan – SC Braga
Referee: Miloš Milanović SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Novak Novaković SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Nemanja Todorović SRB
Fourth Official: Marco Monaldi ITA
Referee Observer: Salustia Cipres AND

FC Salzburg – FC Nantes
Referee: Mohammad Aslam NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jorgen Valstadsve NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Alf Rossland NOR
Fourth Official: Florian Jäger AUT
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner AUT

Bayern München – Feyenoord Rotterdam
Referee: Robert Jenkins WAL
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Beckett WAL
Assistant Referee 2: Ashley Davis WAL
Fourth Official: Wolfgang Haslberger GER
Referee Observer: Vadims Direktorenko LVA

Real Madrid – RB Leipzig
Referee: Vasilios Fotias GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Meindanas GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Vasilios Nikolakakis GRE
Fourth Official: Manuel Perez Hernandez ESP
Referee Observer: Ferenc Szekely HUN

Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup 2024 – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

26 February 2024

USA – Mexico
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Lourdes Noriega (HON)
Fourth Official: Mayary Cartagena (GUA)
VAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
AVAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)

Argentina – Dominican Republic
Referee: Odette Hamilton (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephanie Yee-Sing (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Carissa Douglas-Jacob (TRI)
Fourth Official: Carly Shaw-MacLaren (CAN)
VAR: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)
AVAR: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)

27 February 2024
Colombia – Puerto Rico
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabrielle Lemieux (CAN)
Fourth Official: Merlin Soto (HON)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Diana Perez (MEX)

Brazil – Panama
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Marie-Han Gagnon-Chretien (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Snedden (CAN)
Fourth Official: Sandra Benitez (SLV)
VAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)
AVAR: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

28 February 2024
Paraguay – El Salvador
Referee: Karen Hernandez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandra Ramirez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Jessica Morales (MEX)
Fourth Official: Priscila Perez (MEX)
VAR: Diana Perez (MEX)
AVAR: Francia Gonzalez (MEX)

Canada – Costa Rica
Referee: Tori Penso (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Fourth Official: Crystal Sobers (TRI)
VAR: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)
AVAR: Amairany Garcia (MEX)

Referees union accused of threatening MLS replacement officials

The negotiations between the Professional Soccer Referees (PSRA) - the union that represents officials that work MLS matches - and its employer, the Professional Referees Organization (PRO), are becoming increasingly acrimonious, with PRO filing an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against the PSRA earlier this week. The filing, a copy of which has been obtained by ESPN, alleges that PSRA executive board member Chris Penso "unlawfully threatened and coerced potential replacement workers by threatening them that performing officiating work during a lockout would negatively impact the officials' eligibility for assignments to officiate college soccer matches." The charge comes amid a lockout by PRO of PSRA referees that was instituted after the union voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative collective bargaining agreement negotiated between representatives of the two organizations. 

This marks the second time in the last 10 years that PRO, which is funded in part by MLS, has locked out the PSRA referees during CBA negotiations. The PSRA is seeking increases in compensation as well as improved travel accommodations. The ULP document goes on to allege that Penso and other bargaining unit and PSRA members have revoked college assignments of replacement officials. "College soccer officiating assignments are outside employment unrelated to the operations of PRO, and Mr. Penso, as well as numerous other bargaining unit and PSRA members, are responsible for assigning such work for third parties," the document states. The document also alleges that on or about Feb. 18, 2024 and continuing thereafter, other agents of PSRA, including bargaining unit and PSRA members, "threatened replacement workers with reprisals for engaging in replacement work during a lockout, including, but not limited to, loss of outside employment (i.e., college officiating assignments and other non-bargaining unit work); loss of reputation and future opportunities to officiate PRO-assigned matches; exclusion from the social and professional officiating community; and other explicit and implicit threats for engaging in work of the PSRA bargaining unit during a work stoppage, which is protected under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA")."

The PSRA had previously filed two ULP charges against PRO. The first, filed back on Jan. 5, alleged that PRO representatives spoke directly with union members about the CBA talks without union leadership present, a tactic known as "direct dealing." The second ULP charge, filed earlier this month, alleges that PRO's general manager, Mark Geiger, sent a letter to union membership on Feb. 9 stating that if the tentative agreement wasn't approved, it would lock the players out, withdraw its current proposal and agree only to substantially inferior terms. The PSRA complaint contends this constitutes "regressive bargaining, violates [PRO's] obligation to bargain in good faith, and constitutes reprisals against PSRA members for engaging in protected activity." Contacted by ESPN following the disclosure of PRO's filing, PSRA president Peter Manikowski said: "The union is reviewing [the document], and we want to reiterate that the National Labor Relations Board is investigating the two Unfair Labor Practice charges that we filed in January and February." PRO's ULP filing comes amid the two sides trading accusations about the bargaining process. Prior to Wednesday's season opener between Miami and Real Salt Lake, MLS commissioner Don Garber told reporters that the rejection of the tentative agreement amounted to "a very disappointing process. I can't remember in my nearly 40 years of sports ever having a bargaining unit reach agreement and then not having the members support it," he said. The PSRA hit back on Thursday stating, among other things, that its negotiators repeatedly told their PRO counterparts that what was being offered wouldn't be approved by its membership, and only put the tentative agreement to a vote because they were told "there is no more money," and needed to drive home how inadequate the proposal was. It also described a proposed no strike/no lockout agreement as inadequate given that it would have frozen wages at 2023 levels. This drew a response from Geiger that the PSRA had mischaracterized his letter to union membership, and that he was simply conveying what would happen if the deal was rejected. Geiger added that the offer of paying PSRA members the same wage during negotiations was required by U.S. labor law, and would take place as negotiations continued.

Source: ESPN

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final 2024: Angeles (DOM)

25 February 2024

Final

Brazil – Italy
Referee 1: Juan Angeles (DOM, photo)
Referee 2: Turki Al-Salehi (OMA)
Third Official: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Fourth Official: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Timekeeper: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi (UAE)

Match for Third Place
Iran – Belarus
Referee 1: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Referee 2: Louis Siave (MRI)
Third Official: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Fourth Official: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Timekeeper: Micke Palomino (PER)

UEFA Women’s Nations League 2023/24 – Promotion and Relegation Matches (First Leg)

23 February 2024

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Sweden
Referee: Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Silvia Fernandez Perez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Iragartze Fernandez Esesumaga
Fourth Official: Zulema Gonzalez Gonzalez ESP
Referee Observer: Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb GER

Montenegro – Northern Ireland
Referee: Michele Schmölzer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Linda Schmid SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Belinda Pierre SUI
Fourth Official: Victoria Beyer FRA
Referee Observer: Sjoukje de Jong NED

Bulgaria – Ukraine
Referee: Minka Vekkeli FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Heini Hyvönen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Alisa Levälampi FIN
Fourth Official: Lotta Vuorio FIN
Referee Observer: Blaženka Logarušić CRO

Latvia – Slovakia
Referee: Fabienne Michel GER
Assistant Referee 1: Sina Diekmann GER
Assistant Referee 2: Anne Uersfeld GER
Fourth Official: Karoline Wacker GER
Referee Observer: Snježana Fočić CRO

Serbia – Iceland
Referee: Ewa Augustyn POL
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandra Ulanowska POL
Assistant Referee 2: Julia Bukarowicz POL
Fourth Official: Eszter Urban HUN
Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott IRL

Hungary – Belgium
Referee: Alina Peșu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Daniela Constantinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Petruța Iugulescu ROU
Fourth Official: Ana Terteleac ROU
Referee Observer: Rhona Coombes IRL

Croatia – Norway
Referee: Abigail Byrne ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Sophie Dennington ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Nicoleta Bria ENG
Fourth Official: Stacey Pearson ENG
Referee Observer: Antonia Kokotou GRE

Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup 2024 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

23 February 2024

Dominican Republic – Mexico
Referee: Marianela Araya (CRC, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mijensa Rensch (SUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Lidia Ayala (SLV)
Fourth Official: Mayary Cartagena (GUA)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)

Argentina – USA
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabrielle Lemieux (CAN)
Fourth Official: Carly Shaw-MacLaren (CAN)
VAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
AVAR: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)

24 February 2024
Puerto Rico – Panama
Referee: Karen Hernandez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandra Ramirez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Jessica Morales (MEX)
Fourth Official: Merlin Soto (HON)
VAR: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
AVAR: Francia Gonzalez (MEX)

Colombia – Brazil
Referee: Tori Penso (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Fourth Official: Sandra Benitez (SLV)
VAR: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)
AVAR: Amairany Garcia (MEX)

25 February 2024
El Salvador – Costa Rica
Referee: Natalie Simon (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Felisha Mariscal (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Meghan Mullen (USA)
Fourth Official: Crystal Sobers (TRI)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Francia Gonzalez (MEX)

Paraguay – Canada
Referee: Katia Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Karen Diaz (MEX)
Fourth Official: Priscila Perez (MEX)
VAR: Diana Perez (MEX) 

AVAR: Amairany Garcia (MEX)

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2024 – Semi-finals

24 February 2024

Iran – Brazil
Referee 1: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL, photo)
Referee 2: Vitalij Gomolko (LTU)
Third Official: Vladimir Tashkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Timekeeper: Eduards Borisevics (LVA)

Italy – Belarus
Referee 1: Micke Palomino (PER)
Referee 2: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Third Official: Sergio Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Timekeeper: Aecio Fernandez (URU)

UEFA Women’s Nations League 2023/24 – Semi-finals

23 February 2024

Spain – Netherlands
Referee: Rebecca Welch ENG (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Emily Carney ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad HUN
Fourth Official: Kirsty Dowle ENG
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis ENG
Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska POL

France – Germany
Referee: Esther Staubli SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Susann Küng SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Paulina Baranowska POL
Fourth Official: Deborah Anex SUI
VAR: Sandro Schärer SUI
AVAR: Katalin Kulcsar HUN
Referee Observer: Caroline De Boeck BEL

MLS referees protest outside of PRO offices in New York amid strike

Members of the locked-out Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA), the labor union representing match officials in Major League Soccer, picketed Wednesday in New York City in front of MLS and Professional Referee Organization (PRO) headquarters. “We want a little bit more respect from the league, players and our organization,” said Brian Dunn, an MLS referee since 2012, who was on the picket line. “We do so much for them, between travel and training, we just want to be paid fairly for what we do for them.”

On Saturday, PRO locked out MLS referees after 96% of PSRA members rejected a proposed labor pact. Members of the union stated the proposed deal “would leave them without improvements officials needed to see in compensation and benefits, travel, scheduling” and other issues. “This is their weak attempt to apply economic pressure, and MLS is sacrificing the quality of the game to do that,” Peter Manikowski, president and lead negotiator for PSRA, said in a statement. “We call it like it is - and this is a foul.” According to PSRA, the MLS/PRO offer they rejected would have benefited few officials, not the whole membership. Currently, MLS referees on the high end of the wage scale make $90,000 base salary and $1,300 per match, the union said. In Germany, Manikowski said officials are paid approximately $108,000 (€100,000) base per season and $5,400 (€5,000) per match. The union also says that some MLS officials are paid $2,000 for off-field work commitments. A proposed increase to $4,000 does not capture the refs’ added workload and does not remotely keep up with the revenue growth in MLS, the union said. MLS/PRO’s offer would have kept travel benefits for the nearly 500 regular season matches each year mostly unchanged from five years ago. The union claims the offer did not provide a proper health care plan or cost-effective benefits to 70 of the officials, either. “We have asked the company for additional dates to bargain, but we have not received an answer back,” Manikowski said in a phone call. “You got guys like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and that’s the first game of the season and you have someone who has never refereed in a professional game before, it should be interesting,” Dunn said. (Source: Sportico)

Since the start of the last CBA in 2019, MLS has expanded from 24 teams to 29 and between that and a new playoff format, the number of games the league has hosted rose from 408 in 2019 to 493 in 2023. The PSRA believes the demands on match officials have only increased as a result, and that the PRO's latest offer did not reflect that. "Anyone that's been following the league has seen the great things that have been happening - star players, new teams coming in, sponsorship deals, so it seems like everything is on an upbeat," he said. "We just feel like we're not being treated fairly when it comes to the same level in the numbers, in the compensation, in the fair treatment, working conditions for us. It's not on par with where the league is going." The specifics of the PRO's latest offer included a 25% overall increase in salaries for match officials, with referees slated for a jump of 10-33%, assistant referees due for a 75-104% increase and video assistant referees expecting a raise of 15-100%, per ESPN. The PSRA have also demanded better travel arrangements considering the increase in teams and games and say that the PRO have offered them just four business class flights a year in the new CBA.

In the meantime, the PRO has lined up a group of replacement officials to oversee matches during the lockout. More than 60 match officials with experience around the world and in other American leagues were reportedly enlisted, but there are concerns around their preparedness for this season. They have only had a few days' notice to prepare for the games, and so the PRO and MLS decided on Wednesday not to implement new rules that the PRSA's members had been rehearsing for several months. It is a plan that has MLS' seal of approval, though. "PRO worked for months and addressed all the issues that were raised by PSRA's bargaining unit," MLS executive vice-president of sporting product and competition Nelson Rodríguez said in a statement on Saturday. "It is also unfortunate that the PSRA rejected PRO's offer for a mutual no strike - no lockout commitment, which would have allowed all match officials to continue working during ongoing negotiations. PRO has informed us of its contingency plan for the upcoming MLS season, which includes utilizing experienced professional match referees supported by veteran VAR officials. We are confident in the comprehensive plan they have put in place."

The PSRA's issues go further back than MLS' recent expansion, though. Match officials on the picket line, many of whom were supported by family members, said being a professional referee in the U.S. has rarely paid well. Some officials were paid as little as a few hundred dollars per match in earlier seasons, and the PSRA insists that low wages continue to be a problem that are in stark contrast to the money the league and its teams are collecting at times. Gonzales estimates that around 50% of the PSRA's membership work second jobs to make ends meet, but that those on the road are not physically able to. In a recent social media post, the union pointed at Inter Miami's recent preseason friendly at FC Dallas, when assigned match officials were paid less than $400 for a match that had a crowd of 32,000. Gonzales said he saw someone describe the situation as such: "100% of a low number is still a pretty low number." Travel arrangements are also a point of contention since several match officials spent a large chunk of time away from home. Some referees spend as many as 300 days on the road and can be gone for two weeks at a time depending on the match schedule and the regularly scheduled group sessions arranged by the PRO to ensure everyone is fit and up to date on the latest standards. "Somebody like me spent almost 200 days of last year away from home, jumping from hotel to hotel, city to city, airplane to airplane and I want to travel comfortably so I am mentally prepared, physically prepared to do the job that is required of me - training, refereeing, running, whatever the case may be," Gonzales said. "You have players flying charter and they're out there. We're doing the same thing when it comes to 90 minutes. Just be fair." The PSRA plans to stage another series of protests in front of MLS' offices - the same building where the PRO is also headquartered - on Saturday and Sunday, when most of the teams in the league play their first game. (Source: CBS)

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2024 – Quarter-finals

22 February 2024

Brazil – Japan
Referee 1: Juan Angeles (DOM, photo)
Referee 2: Said Hachim (MAD)
Third Official: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Fourth Official: Louis Siave (MRI)
Timekeeper: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)

Belarus – Portugal
Referee 1: Turki Al-Salehi (OMA)
Referee 2: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Third Official: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi (UAE)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Tashkov (BUL)
Timekeeper: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)

Iran – UAE
Referee 1: Sergio Soares (POR)
Referee 2: Saverio Bottalico (ITA)
Third Official: Eduards Borisevics (LVA)
Fourth Official: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Timekeeper: Vitalij Gomolko (LTU)

Italy – Tahiti
Referee 1: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Referee 2: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Third Official: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Fourth Official: Micke Palomino (PER)
Timekeeper: Jorge Gomez (COL)

UEFA Europa League 2023/2024 – Round of 32 (Second Leg)

22 February 2024

Qarabag FK – SC Braga
Referee: Georgi Kabakov BUL (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov BUL
Fourth Official: Nikola Popov BUL
VAR: Ivaylo Stoyanov BUL
AVAR: Dragomir Draganov BUL
Referee Observer: Petteri Kari FIN

SC Freiburg – RC Lens
Referee: Rade Obrenovič SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež SVN
Fourth Official: David Šmajc SVN
VAR: Nejc Kajtazović SVN
AVAR: Asmir Sagrković SVN
Referee Observer: Martin Hansson SWE

Stade Rennais – AC Milan
Referee: Joao Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Joao Ferreira POR
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Helder Malheiro POR
Referee Observer: David Malcom NIR

Toulouse FC – SL Benfica
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Marco Di Bello ITA
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
AVAR: Daniele Doveri ITA
Referee Observer: Jorn-West Larsen DEN

Sporting CP – BSC Young Boys
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Peter Kralovič SVK
VAR: Christian Dingert GER
AVAR: Pascal Müller GER
Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gomez ESP

Olympique de Marseille – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Tobias Stieler GER
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann GER
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Borsch GER
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen GER
VAR: Marco Fritz GER
AVAR: Benjamin Brand GER
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro POR

Sparta Praha – Galatasaray
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: John Brooks ENG
VAR: Stuart Attwell ENG
AVAR: David Coote ENG
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer GER

AS Roma – Feyenoord Rotterdam
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez ESP
Fourth Official: Juan Martinez Munuera ESP
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez ESP
AVAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez ESP
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann SUI

UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 – Round of 32 (Second Leg)

21-22 February 2024

KAA Gent – Maccabi Haifa
Referee: Matej Jug SVN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali SVN
Fourth Official: Martin Matoša SVN
VAR: Alen Borošak SVN
AVAR: Dragoslav Perič SVN
Referee Observer: Michail Argyrou CYP

PFK Ludogorets – Servette FC
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev AZE
Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov AZE
Assistant Referee 2: Akif Amirəli AZE
Fourth Official: Kamal Umudlu AZE
VAR: Alper Ulusoy TUR
AVAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen TUR
Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel FRA

GNK Dinamo – Real Betis
Referee: Urs Schnyder SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher SUI
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger SUI
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov MDA

Bodo Glimt – AFC Ajax
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Polychronis Kostaras GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Lazaros Dimitriadis GRE
Fourth Official: Vasilios Fotias GRE
VAR: Angelos Evangelou GRE
AVAR: Evangelos Manouchos GRE
Referee Observer: Edward Foley IRL

Slovan Bratislava – Sturm Graz
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld ISR
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan ISR
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni ISR
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz ISR
VAR: Ziv Adler ISR
AVAR: Roi Reinshreiber ISR
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn GER

Eintracht Frankfurt – Union St. Gilloise
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Anders Dale NOR
Fourth Official: Rohit Saggi NOR
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Clay Ruperti NED
Referee Observer: Alberto Undiano Mallenco ESP

Ferencvarosi TC – Olympiakos SFP
Referee: Clement Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Erwan Finjean FRA
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet FRA
VAR: Jerôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov UKR

Legia Warszawa – Molde FK
Referee: Harm Osmers GER
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger GER
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal GER
Fourth Official: Tobias Reichel GER
VAR: Robert Schröder GER
AVAR: Daniel Schlager GER
Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson SWE

UEFA Champions League 2023/2024 – Round of 16 (First Leg, II)

20 February 2024
Inter Milano – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Istvan Kovacs ROU (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene ROU
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic ROU
VAR: Marco Fritz GER
AVAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel GER

PSV Eindhoven – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović SRB
Fourth Official: Novak Simović SRB
VAR: Nejc Kajtazović SVN
AVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
Referee Observer: Carlos Velasco Carballo ESP

21 February 2024
FC Porto – Arsenal FC
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder NED
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij NED
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Pol van Boekel NED
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas SCO

SSC Napoli – FC Barcelona
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Lupp GER
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Kempter GER
Fourth Official: Sven Jablonski GER
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Sören Storks GER
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav BIH

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2024 – Group Stage

15 February 2024
USA – Italy
Referee 1: Mariano Romo (ARG, photo)
Referee 2: Micke Palomino (PER)
Third Official: Turki Al-Salehi (OMA)
Fourth Official: Abdulaziz Abdullah (KUW)
Timekeeper: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)

Tahiti – Argentina
Referee 1: Vitalij Gomolko (LTU)
Referee 2: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Third Official: Saverio Bottalico (ITA)
Fourth Official: Eduards Borisevics (LVA)
Timekeeper: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)

UAE – Egypt
Referee 1: Jorge Gomez (COL)
Referee 2: Lucas Estevao (BRA)
Third Official: Vladimir Tashkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)
Timekeeper: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)

Spain – Iran
Referee 1: Jelili Ogunmuyiwa (NGA)
Referee 2: Said Hachim (MAD)
Third Official: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Fourth Official: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Timekeeper: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)

16 February 2024
Colombia – Japan
Referee 1: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Referee 2: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)
Third Official: Louis Siave (MRI)
Fourth Official: Sergio Soares (POR)
Timekeeper: Vitalij Gomolko (LTU)

Senegal – Belarus
Referee 1: Turki Al-Salehi (OMA)
Referee 2: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Third Official: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Fourth Official: Lucas Estevao (BRA)
Timekeeper: Aecio Fernandez (URU)

Portugal – Mexico
Referee 1: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Referee 2: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Third Official: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi (UAE)
Fourth Official: Jelili Ogunmuyiwa (NGA)
Timekeeper: Abdulaziz Abdullah (KUW)

Brazil – Oman
Referee 1: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Referee 2: Eduards Borisevics (LVA)
Third Official: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Tashkov (BUL)
Timekeeper: Said Hachim (MAD)

17 February 2024
Italy – Egypt
Referee 1: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Referee 2: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Third Official: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Fourth Official: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Timekeeper: Abdulaziz Abdullah (KUW)

UAE – USA
Referee 1: Vladimir Tashkov (BUL)
Referee 2: Sergio Soares (POR)
Third Official: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Fourth Official: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Timekeeper: Said Hachim (MAD)

Spain – Tahiti
Referee 1: Micke Palomino (PER)
Referee 2: Jorge Gomez (COL)
Third Official: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Fourth Official: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi (UAE)
Timekeeper: Lucas Estevao (BRA)

Argentina – Iran
Referee 1: Louis Siave (MRI)
Referee 2: Saverio Bottalico (ITA)
Third Official: Eduards Borisevics (LVA)
Fourth Official: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Timekeeper: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)

18 February 2024
Japan – Belarus
Referee 1: Lucas Estevao (BRA)
Referee 2: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Third Official: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Fourth Official: Micke Palomino (PER)
Timekeeper: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)

Senegal – Colombia
Referee 1: Abdulaziz Abdullah (KUW)
Referee 2: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi (UAE)
Third Official: Sergio Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Turki Al-Salehi (OMA)
Timekeeper: Vladimir Tashkov (BUL)

Mexico – Oman
Referee 1: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Referee 2: Vitalij Gomolko (LTU)
Third Official: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)
Fourth Official: Saverio Bottalico (ITA)
Timekeeper: Jorge Gomez (COL)

Brazil – Portugal
Referee 1: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Referee 2: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Third Official: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Fourth Official: Louis Siave (MRI)
Timekeeper: Jelili Ogunmuyiwa (NGA)

19 February 2024
Egypt – USA
Referee 1: Eduards Borisevics (LVA)
Referee 2: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Third Official: Abdulaziz Abdullah (KUW)
Fourth Official: Micke Palomino (PER)
Timekeeper: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)

Italy – UAE
Referee 1: Said Hachim (MAD)
Referee 2: Louis Siave (MRI)
Third Official: Lucas Estevao (BRA)
Fourth Official: Jorge Gomez (COL)
Timekeeper: Mariano Romo (ARG)

Argentina – Spain
Referee 1: Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Referee 2: Turki Al-Salehi (OMA)
Third Official: Jelili Ogunmuyiwa (NGA)
Fourth Official: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Timekeeper: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi (UAE)

Iran – Tahiti
Referee 1: Sergio Soares (POR)
Referee 2: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Third Official: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Fourth Official: Vitalij Gomolko (LTU)
Timekeeper: Saverio Bottalico (ITA)

20 February 2024
Belarus – Colombia
Referee 1: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi (UAE)
Referee 2: Abdulaziz Abdullah (KUW)
Third Official: Said Hachim (MAD)
Fourth Official: Louis Siave (MRI)
Timekeeper: Turki Al-Salehi (OMA)

Japan – Senegal
Referee 1: Saverio Bottalico (ITA)
Referee 2: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Third Official: Sergio Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Timekeeper: Juan Angeles (DOM)

Oman – Portugal
Referee 1: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Referee 2: Micke Palomino (PER)
Third Official: Jorge Gomez (COL)
Fourth Official: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Timekeeper: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)

Mexico – Brazil
Referee 1: Francisco De Oses Bumedien (ESP)
Referee 2: Vladimir Tashkov (BUL)
Third Official: Vitalij Gomolko (LTU)
Fourth Official: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Timekeeper: Eduards Borisevics (LVA)

Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup 2024 – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

20 February 2024

Mexico – Argentina
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (CAN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Marie-Han Gagnon-Chretien (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Snedden (CAN)
Fourth Official: Carly Shaw-MacLaren (CAN)
VAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
AVAR: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)

USA – Dominican Republic
Referee: Astrid Gramajo (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Iris Vail (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Dina Socop (GUA)
Fourth Official: Mayary Cartagena (GUA)
VAR: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
AVAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)

21 February 2024
Panama – Colombia
Referee: Katia Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Karen Diaz (MEX)
Fourth Official: Sandra Benitez (SLV)
VAR: Diana Perez (MEX)
AVAR: Amairany Garcia (MEX)

Brazil – Puerto Rico
Referee: Natalie Simon (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Felisha Mariscal (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Meghan Mullen (USA)
Fourth Official: Merlin Soto (HON)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Francia Gonzalez (MEX)

22 February 2024
Costa Rica – Paraguay
Referee: Odette Hamilton (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephanie Yee-Sing (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Carissa Douglas-Jacob (TRI)
Fourth Official: Crystal Sobers (TRI)
VAR: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)
AVAR: Diana Perez (MEX)

Canada – El Salvador
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Lourdes Noriega (HON)
Fourth Official: Priscila Perez (MEX)
VAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM) 

AVAR: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

CONMEBOL Recopa 2024 (First Leg)

22 February 2024

LDU Quito – Fluminense

Referee: Andres Rojas (COL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Gallego (COL)
Fourth Official: John Ospina (COL)
Reserve AR: Richard Ortiz (COL)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR 1: John Leon (COL)
AVAR 2: Yadir Acuna (COL)
AVAR 3: John Perdomo (COL)
Referee Assessor: Manuel Bernal (PAR)
VAR Supervisor: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)

Concacaf Champions Cup 2024 – Second Round (First Leg)

20 February 2024

St. Louis City – Houston Dynamo
Referee: Adonai Escobedo (MEX, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Espinoza (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Michel Espinoza (MEX)
Fourth Official: Daniel Quintero (MEX)
VAR: Guillermo Pacheco (MEX)
AVAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)

Deportivo Saprissa – Philadelphia Union
Referee: Victor Caceres (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Sanchez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Enrique Bustos (MEX)
Fourth Official: Marco Ortiz (MEX)
VAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Oscar Mejia (MEX)

21 February 2024
Cavalry FC – Orlando City
Referee: Juan Calderon (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Henri Pupiro (NCA)
Fourth Official: Keylor Herrera (CRC)
VAR: Oscar Mejia (MEX)
AVAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)

CA Independiente – New England Revolution
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Assistant Referee 2: Raymundo Feliz (DOM)
Fourth Official: Mario Escobar (GUA)
VAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)
AVAR: Guillermo Pacheco (MEX)

22 February 2024
Moca FC – Nashville SC
Referee: Bryan Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mora (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: William Chow (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)
VAR: Guillermo Pacheco (MEX)
AVAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)

Cavalier FC – FC Cincinnati
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bisguerra (MEX)
Fourth Official: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
VAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Oscar Mejia (MEX)

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 – Second Round (First Leg)

20-22 February 2024

Portuguesa – Palestino
Referee: Augusto Aragon (ECU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Baren (ECU)
Fourth Official: Bryan Loayza (ECU)
VAR: Carlos Orbe (ECU)
AVAR: Monica Amboya (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Jairo Romero (VEN)
VAR Supervisor: Carlos Pastorino (URU)

Aguilas Doradas – Red Bull Bragantino
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Pablo Llarena (URU)
Fourth Official: Anahi Fernandez (URU)
VAR: Antonio Garcia (URU)
AVAR: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Referee Assessor: Abraham Gonzalez (COL)
VAR Supervisor: Luis Vera (ECU)

Always Ready – Sporting Cristal
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Antoni Garcia (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Migdalia Rodriguez (VEN)
Fourth Official: Emikar Calderas (VEN)
VAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
AVAR: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Juan Lugones (BOL)
VAR Supervisor: Patricio Polic (CHI)

Puerto Cabello – Nacional
Referee: Braulio Machado (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Neuza Back (BRA)
Fourth Official: Paulo Zanovelli (BRA)
VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)
AVAR: Rodrigo Nunes (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Marlon Escalante (VEN)
VAR Supervisor: Jose Espinel (ECU)

Nacional – Atletico Nacional
Referee: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez (ARG)
Fourth Official: Laura Fortunato (ARG)
VAR: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
AVAR: Pablo Dovalo (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Joel Ruiz (PAR)
VAR Supervisor: Pericles Cortez (BRA)

Aurora – Botafogo
Referee: Cristian Garay (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Sandoval (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Ureta (CHI)
Fourth Official: Juan Lara (CHI)
VAR: Fernando Vejar (CHI)
AVAR: Benjamin Saravia (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Oscar Maldonado (BOL)
VAR Supervisor: Christian Schiemann (CHI)

Sportivo Trinidense – El Nacional
Referee: Roberto Perez (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Enrique Pinto (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Atoche (PER)
Fourth Official: Milagros Arruela (PER)
VAR: Joel Alarcon (PER)
AVAR: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Referee Assessor: Cynthia Franco (PAR)
VAR Supervisor: Pericles Cortez (BRA)

Godoy Cruz – Colo Colo
Referee: Flavio de Souza (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nailton Sousa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Luanderson Lima (BRA)
Fourth Official: Edina Alves (BRA)
VAR: Rodolpho Toski (BRA)
AVAR: Rodrigo D’Alonso (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Hector Baldassi (ARG) 

VAR Supervisor: Sergio Cristiano (BRA)

Pauly to Schumacher: “If one shouts here, I am that one! Go back to the goal immediately and take the yellow card with you!”

The long-time Bundesliga referee Dieter Pauly passed away at the age of 81. Born in Mönchengladbach, Pauly had become famous above all because of the "Sport Photo of the Year 1981", which shows him nose to nose with goalkeeper Toni Schumacher. The photographer Dieter Wiechmann, who also died last week at the age of 79, had shot the picture. The "image" was once called the "most famous referee photo of the Bundesliga". On May 1981, during the match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Koln (2-2), Schumacher shouted at him and Pauly responded: "If one shouts here, I am that one, Toni! Go back to the goal immediately and take the yellow card with you!”

From 1980 to 1990, Dieter Pauly refereed exactly 100 games in the Bundesliga, the 1986 German Cup final, the 1988 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and represented his country the 1988 European Championship in Germany. He was named Referee of the Year three times. In 1990, Pauly became the first German referee to be honoured with a farewell game, which took place in his hometown of Mönchengladbach.

Source: Express

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Referee Seminar (AFC, CAF, OFC)

Doha (Qatar), 25-29 February 2024

AFC

1. Alireza Faghani (AUS, 1978, photo)
2. Ma Ning (CHN, 1979)
3. Adham Makhadmeh (JOR, 1986)
4. Yusuke Araki (JPN, 1986)
5. Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN, 1986)
6. Kim Hee-Gon (KOR, 1985)
7. Mohammed Al-Hoish (KSA, 1986)
8. Khalid Al-Turais (KSA, 1987)
9. Ahmad Al-Ali (KUW, 1984)
10. Nazmi Nasaruddin (MAS, 1990)
11. Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA, 1983)
12. Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (QAT, 1987)
13. Salman Falahi (QAT, 1990)
14. Omar Al-Ali (UAE, 1981)
15. Adel Al-Naqbi (UAE, 1982)
16. Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB, 1984)

CAF
1. Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG, 1985)
2. Mahamat Alhadji (CHA, 1986)
3. Jean Ndala (COD, 1987)
4. Amin Omar (EGY, 1985)
5. Mohamed Maarouf (EGY, 1986)
6. Pierre Atcho (GAB, 1992)
7. Mutaz Ibrahim (LYB, 1990)
8. Dahane Beida (MTN, 1991)
9. Bouchra Karboubi (MAR, 1987)
10. Issa Sy (SEN, 1984)
11. Omar Artan (SOM, 1992)
12. Abongile Tom (RSA, 1991)
13. Mahmood Ismail (SDN, 1988)

OFC
1. Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (NZL, 1983)
2. Ben Aukwai (SOL, 1986)

Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup 2024

USA, 17 February - 10 March 2024

Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin CAN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Chantal Boudreau CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Gabrielle Lemieux CAN

Referee: Myriam Marcotte CAN
Assistant Referee 1: Marie-Han Gagnon-Chretien CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Snedden CAN

Referee: Marianela Araya CRC
Assistant Referee 1: Mijensa Rensch SUR
Assistant Referee 2: Lidia Ayala SLV

Referee: Astrid Gramajo GUA
Assistant Referee 1: Iris Vail GUA
Assistant Referee 2: Dina Socop GUA

Referee: Melissa Borjas HON
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello HON
Assistant Referee 2: Lourdes Noriega HON

Referee: Odette Hamilton JAM
Assistant Referee 1: Stephanie Yee-Sing JAM
Assistant Referee 2: Carissa Douglas-Jacob TRI

Referee: Katia Garcia MEX
Assistant Referee 1: Enedina Caudillo MEX
Assistant Referee 2: Karen Diaz MEX

Referee: Karen Hernandez MEX
Assistant Referee 1: Sandra Ramirez MEX
Assistant Referee 2: Jessica Morales MEX

Referee: Tori Penso USA
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt USA

Referee: Natalie Simon USA
Assistant Referee 1: Felisha Mariscal USA
Assistant Referee 2: Meghan Mullen USA

Video Assistant Referees
1. Drew Fischer CAN
2. Ricardo Montero CRC
3. Benjamin Pineda CRC
4. Daneon Parchment JAM
5. Amairany Garcia MEX
6. Francia Gonzalez MEX
7. Diana Perez MEX
8. Tatiana Guzman NCA 

9. Ekaterina Koroleva USA

Support Referees
1. Carly Shaw-MacLaren CAN
2. Mayary Cartagena GUA
3. Merlin Soto HON
4. Priscila Perez MEX
5. Sandra Benitez SLV
6. Crystal Sobers TRI

UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 – Round of 32 (First Leg)

15 February 2024

Olympiakos SFP – Ferencvarosi TC
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist SWE
Fourth Official: Fredrik Klitte SWE
VAR: Marco Fritz GER
AVAR: Sören Storks GER
Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers NED

Sturm Graz – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Klyver SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Max Wilde SWE
Fourth Official: Oscar Johnson SWE
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi SMR

Union St. Gilloise – Eintracht Frankfurt
Referee: Craig Pawson ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Betts ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Hussin ENG
Fourth Official: Simon Hooper ENG
VAR: Stuart Attwell ENG
AVAR: Christopher Kavanagh ENG
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili GEO

Molde FK – Legia Warszawa
Referee: Enea Jorgji ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Denis Rexha ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Ridiger Cokaj ALB
Fourth Official: Eldorjan Hamiti ALB
VAR: Luca Pairetto ITA
AVAR: Michael Fabbri ITA
Referee Observer: Alain Sars FRA

Servette FC – PFK Ludogorets
Referee: Filip Glova SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Polaček SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Bednar SVK
Fourth Official: Martin Dohal SVK
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Michal Očenaš SVK
Referee Observer: Alan Sant MLT

Real Betis – GNK Dinamo
Referee: Mykola Balakin UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Berkut UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Dmytro Zaporozhenko UKR
Fourth Official: Viktor Kopiyevskyy UKR
VAR: Maurizio Mariani ITA
AVAR: Kateryna Monzul UKR
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas GRE

AFC Ajax – FK Bodo Glimt
Referee: Antonio Carvalho POR
Assistant Referee 1: Paulo Bras POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Martins POR
Fourth Official: Helder Carvalho POR
VAR: Tiago Martins POR
AVAR: Luis Godinho POR
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan ARM

Maccabi Haifa – KAA Gent
Referee: William Collum SCO
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor SCO
Assistant Referee 2: David McGeachie SCO
Fourth Official: David Dickinson SCO
VAR: David Coote ENG
AVAR: Andrew Dallas SCO
Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin ROU

UEFA Europa League 2023/2024 – Round of 32 (First Leg)

15 February 2023

Feyenoord Rotterdam – AS Roma
Referee: Radu Petrescu ROU (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Grigoriu ROU
Fourth Official: Marcel Bîrsan ROU
VAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
AVAR: Ovidiu Hațegan ROU
Referee Observer: Viktor Kassai HUN

Galatasaray – Sparta Praha
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Naranjo Perez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sanchez Rojo ESP
Fourth Official: Alejandro Muniz Ruiz ESP
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea ESP
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter SUI

Shakhtar Donetsk – Olympique de Marseille
Referee: Erik Lambrechts BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Jo De Weirdt BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny BEL
Fourth Official: Nathan Verboomen BEL
VAR: Dennis Johan Higler NED
AVAR: Jan Boterberg BEL
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni ITA

BSC Young Boys – Sporting CP
Referee: Benoît Bastien FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelien Berthomieu FRA
Fourth Official: Jeremie Pignard FRA
VAR: Benoît Millot FRA
AVAR: Eric Wattellier FRA
Referee Observer: Kenneth Clark SCO

SL Benfica – Toulouse FC
Referee: Donatas Rumšas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radiuš LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Dovydas Sužiedelis LTU
Fourth Official: Robertas Valikonis LTU
VAR: Pol van Boekel NED
AVAR: Jeroen Manschot NED
Referee Observer: Michael Ross NIR

AC Milan – Stade Rennais
Referee: Nikola Dabanović MNE
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović MNE
Assistant Referee 2: Srdjan Jovanović MNE
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković MNE
VAR: Nejc Kajtazovič SVN
AVAR: Alen Borošak SVN
Referee Observer: Lutz-Michael Fröhlich GER

RC Lens – SC Freiburg
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski POL
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek POL
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Winkler POL
Fourth Official: Damian Kos POL
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Piotr Lasyk POL
Referee Observer: Stefan Johannesson SWE

SC Braga – Qarabag FK
Referee: Morten Krogh DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Rasmussen DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Steffen Bramsen DEN
Fourth Official: Mikkel Redder DEN
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Jonas Hansen DEN
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller AUT