Rosetti inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame

The Italian Football Hall of Fame, the award founded by the FIGC and the Football Museum Foundation in 2011 to celebrate figures who have had an unforgettable impact on the history of Italian football, welcomes ten new stars: Gianluca Vialli (Italian player), Ronaldo (foreign player), Roberto Mancini (Italian coach), Corrado Ferlaino (Italian executive), Roberto Rosetti (Italian referee, photo), Marco Tardelli (Italian veteran), Patrizia Panico (Italian women’s footballer), Giacinto Facchetti, Helenio Herrera, Umberto Agnelli (all posthumous awards).

The new inductees, who have been active in different periods with different roles, were voted in by a panel at the FIGC headquarters in Rome. The awards will be handed over to the inductees in January 2016 in an official ceremony, during which the recipients will hand over a souvenir from their career. The souvenirs will add to the collection preserved in Coverciano’s football museum. The Hall of Fame, which currently includes 47 legends, intends to be seen as an elite acknowledgement of footballing greatness whilst also occupying pride of place in Coverciano’s football museum.
The Italian Football Hall of Fame encompasses seven categories: Italian player (retired for at least two seasons), foreign player (retired for at least two seasons and having played in Italy for at least five seasons), Italian veteran (retired for at least 25 years), Italian coach (with at least 15 years activity), Italian director (with at least 15 years activity) and Italian referee (retired for at least two seasons). Posthumous awards are also given out. Here is the updated list of the Italian referees inducted into the Hall of Fame: Pierluigi Collina (2011), Luigi Agnolin (2012), Paolo Casarin (2012), Cesare Gussoni (2013), Sergio Gonella (2013), Stefano Braschi (2014), Roberto Rosetti (2015). Posthumous awards: Ottorino Barassi, Artemio Franchi, Giovanni Mauro, Concetto Lo Bello.

Roberto Rosetti

Referee
- Serie A and B from 1997 to 2010 (189 matches in Serie A)
- FIFA Referee from 2002 to 2010
- UEFA Elite Referee from 2005 to 2010
- Two FIFA World Cups: 2006 and 2010 (6 matches in total)
- UEFA Euro 2008 (4 matches, including the final)
- Two FIFA U-20 World Cups: 2003 (final) and 2009
- FIFA Confederations Cup 2005 (semi-final)
- FIFA Club World Cup 2009 (semi-final)
- Three UEFA Champions League semi-finals (2008, 2009, 2010)
- Three Italian Cup finals (2000, 2003, 2009)
- Italian Super Cup 2007
- IFFHS World’s Best Referee in 2008.

Referee Administration
- Responsible CAN B 2010-2011
- Supervisor of Russian Referees from 2011 to 2013
- Responsible CAN PRO 2014-2015
- FIFA Referee Instructor since 2011
- UEFA Referee Observer since 2011
- Special Advisor to UEFA Referees Committee since 2015

Source: FIGC

El Clasico rocked by top Spanish AR's match-fixing claims

Spanish football faces a potentially huge match-fixing scandal after an unnamed assistant referee alleged he had been told to favour Real Madrid in next month’s clásico against Barcelona. The assistant referee said he did not want to be identified because of concerns over “possible reprisals” but he made a formal complaint through a lawyer to the anti-corruption investigating magistrate in Barcelona, in which he claimed to have been told to favour Madrid – first by another official and then, over the phone, by a member of the Spanish Football Federation’s referees’ committee. He alleged he was told officials had already acted to influence the outcome of games and that another assistant referee has been subjected to similar pressures. According to his lawyer, Jacinto Vicente Hernández, an expert in sports law based in Barcelona, the assistant referee wanted to go public with the allegations but was persuaded to make a formal, legal statement to the anti-corruption investigating magistrate instead. The Guardia Civil has also been informed.

The story was broken by the Catalan newspaper L’Esportiu and followed up by Cadena Cope radio station. It has had a huge impact in Spain, even if there are doubts anything will come of it. The denuncia or formal complaint made by the assistant referee through his lawyer, dated 19 October, has been published. In it, the assistant referee recognises a telephone conversation he says took place was not recorded and that there is no concrete proof of it, but he hopes the other assistant referee will also come forward.
José Jiménez Muñoz, who is reported as being the referees’ committee member accused of having made the telephone call to the assistant referee, said on Wednesday night he had not yet had the chance to read the complaint but said of the allegations: “I have no idea where they come from. It is like something out of a Kafka novel.” Barcelona’s vice-president, Susana Monje, said: “I hope it does not prove to be true”. Later, she added: “We will possibly discuss at it a meeting of the board. All I can say at the moment is that, if it is confirmed, it will be a dangerous story in terms of the prestige of La Liga”. The claims have not been substantiated.
Miguel Cardenal, Spain’s secretary of state for sport, said: “This is an extremely serious accusation and is extraordinarily alarming. This needs to be resolved as soon as possible. We cannot be talking about threats without knowing who it is. No one should be scared. It cannot be reasonable that in 2015 someone can fear reprisals for making an accusation like this”.
The assistant referee, who forms part of one of the officiating teams that could be chosen for El Clásico, alleges that an official spoke to him in September and suggested that, should he be given the chance to officiate, he should seek to influence the game in Madrid’s favour. The assistant referee was allegedly told the order had come from “someone inside [the refereeing authorities]” and that it was better for the assistant referee to try to fix the game than a referee as the lead official is subject to greater media scrutiny. He claims to have been told this had already happened this season and that, as it caused a stir, it was better to be more “subtle”. The assistant referee said that he was not comfortable with the suggestion and that the official replied nor was he but as they are constantly rated by the referees’ committee, and their careers depend upon that committee, it would be wise to follow orders. The assistant referee alleges that a few days later he received the phone call from Jiménez Muñoz, who had been made aware of the assistant referee’s reluctance to participate. His lawyer suggested he call back and record the conversation but the assistant referee said the alleged call had come through a switchboard so he could not.
The La Liga president, Javier Tebas, said: “This allegation seems a bit far-fetched. It makes no sense, when the referee for this game has not been designated [yet]. The league is not set up for anybody, not from the league, or the Federation or anywhere”.
According to the assistant referee’s lawyer, he wanted to speak out in order to relieve the pressure he felt he was being put under. Having made the formal statement, the next step will be for an investigation to be opened, should it be considered there are sufficient grounds to do so. But the assistant referee admits there is no hard evidence. Real Madrid has yet to comment.

Source: The Guardian

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015 – Round of 16

28 October 2015
Mexico – Chile
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Fourth Official: Nick Waldron (NZL)

Brazil – New Zeeland
Referee: Mohd Bin Yaacob (MAS)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohd Muhamad (MAS)
Assistant Referee 2: Azman Ismail (MAS)
Fourth Official: Danny Makkelie (NED)

Nigeria – Australia
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Barraza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Fourth Official: Yevhen Aranovskiy (UKR)

Korea – Belgium
Referee: Malang Diedhiou (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Djibril Camara (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Aboubacar Doumbouya (GUI)
Fourth Official: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)

29 October 2015
Croatia – Germany
Referee: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Mehdi Abid Charef (ALG)

Mali – Korea DPR
Referee: Hector Rodriguez (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Walter Lopez (HON)
Fourth Official: Valdin Legister (JAM)

Russia – Ecuador
Referee: Abdulla Mohamed (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Al-Hammadi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Hasan Al-Mahri (UAE)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

France – Costa Rica
Referee: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Fourth Official: Diego Haro (PER)

Copa Sudamericana – Quarter-finals (Second Leg)

27 October 2015
Defensor Sporting – Huracan
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Diego Lara (ECU)
Referee Observer: Gustavo Lopez (URU)

28 October 2015
Sportivo Luqueno – Atletico Paranaense
Referee: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Popovits (URU)
Fourth Official: Fernando Falce (URU)
Referee Observer: Manuel Bernal (PAR)

Chapecoense – River Plate
Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Orellana (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Patricio Polic (CHI)
Referee Observer: Alicio Pena (BRA)

29 October 2015
Santa Fe – Independiente
Referee: Jose Argote (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Sanchez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Fourth Official: Mayker Gomez (VEN)
Referee Observer: Otalvaro Polanco (COL)

Ferreira: “Pereira pressures referees to favour Benfica”

"The chairman of the Portuguese referees called me before refereeing Benfica’s matches", said former FIFA referee Marco Ferreira. At only 38 years, he was abruptly relegated from international referee to the second division, just a few days after refereeing the Cup final. He decided to quit. Now he complains that the chairman of the Portuguese referees, Vitor Melo Pereira, pressures referees to favour Benfica: "My colleagues do not report it because they fear that Pereira will end their careers, as he did with mine".

- What went through your head when you received the news of being relegated to the second division?

- I was shocked. The news came only 15 days after I refereed the final of the Portuguese Cup, between Sporting and Braga; one of the biggest games of the season. There was no sign that could make me think they would send me to the second division. The same people who relegated me, a few days earlier appointed me to referee the Cup final. Very curious!

- Did you find an explanation?

- Besides having refereed the Cup final, in January of the same year I was promoted as a FIFA referee. The only explanation I can find is that last season I refereed Benfica three times and they lost two matches. I believe that's why I did not get any “El Classico”.

- Why do you think that? 

- I and many colleagues received calls from the chairman of the Referees Committee, Vitor Melo Pereira, during the week when we were appointed to referee Benfica. Vitor Pereira has many enemies and many opponents, including people within the Referees Committee and many clubs. He is not wanted there, but he is supported by Benfica. 

- Did you make any controversial decisions in those two defeats of Benfica? 

- At Braga, in October, the game did not go well, but for both teams. After that match, Benfica protested and told me I would never referee them again. Since then, I indeed did not referee any other important match for Benfica. 

- I understand… 

- In the last season I was considered the second best referee of Portugal after Proenca. I refereed Benfica – Sporting twice and Porto – Benfica once, and all games went well. 

- Do you think that the Portuguese referees are aware that they cannot be wrong against Benfica, as long as Pereira leads the Referees Committee? 

- I'm not going to say that Vitor Pereira speaks to the referees to ask them to favour the club. I do not say that. What I say is that he (Pereira) does that because he knows that Benfica is the only club that supports him. So he does not want any referee who can cause problems to Benfica. Benfica have never talked to me or called me for favouring them. But Vitor Pereira did. During the week when I had the Benfica match, he called me suggesting being careful. He only called before Benfica matches. He never called me before a game of Porto, for example. And not only me, many colleagues... 

- What exactly did Pereira say when he called you? 

- After Braga – Benfica that I told you about, Pereira appointed me for Rio Ave – Benfica. During that week, he called twice: on Tuesday and Thursday. On Thursday he said that if I will have a good match, he could appoint me for Benfica – Porto in April. He said to be careful because it "was the title match for Benfica". I said no, that was not the title game, because Benfica had four points advantage over Porto. And he answered: "It's very different to play against Porto in April with an advantage of four points versus two points or one". This, in my view, is serious, because he was clearly referring to Benfica. 

- And how did the Rio Ave – Benfica match go? 

- Benfica was winning 1-0 when I awarded a penalty kick for Rio Ave and sent off the captain of Benfica. Rio Ave came back with 2-1, but they were the right decisions. It was a good match. Pereira never called me again since then and did not appoint me to Benfica – Porto. 

- He never called you after that? 

- He did not. He said that the game would have to go well for me to be appointed for Benfica – Porto. I had a good match, but I was not appointed. So it means that, for him, a good game is only when Benfica wins. 

- Would it be correct to say that Vitor Pereira called the referees to pressure them to favour Benfica? 

- He calls the referees just before Benfica’s matches. He does not call anyone before any other games or for any other club. 

- Why did you not report the case to court? 

- I have complained to the Federation and they sent the complaint to the Disciplinary Committee of the Portuguese League. I declared that last week. 

- How are referees selected for matches in Portugal? 

- Vitor Pereira is free to choose whoever he wants. 

- And there is no bad atmosphere among the referees for these attitudes of the chairman of the Referees Committee? 

- Yes, it is, but they are afraid to denounce and put an end to it because they are afraid that Pereira will end their careers as he did with mine. I'm an example for them of what can happen. I was an international referee and never in the history of Portugal was an international referee relegated directly to the second division. 

- Can someone make a good living from refereeing in Portugal? 

- Yes. I am from the island of Madeira and I refereed all the matches on the continent. I travelled by plane and invested much time, so I could not have another professional activity other than refereeing. 

- How much makes an international referee in Portugal? 

- Depends on the matches, but he earns a fixed salary of 2,500 euros per month. In addition, 1,200 euros per match in the first division and 800 euros in the second division. No one became rich from refereeing. 

- Is there any relationship between your story and the complaints from Porto that Benfica plays almost always with numerical superiority on the field?

- I cannot say yes. I'd say that my colleagues have given up to the pressure of Pereira. But it is normal for a person to see this situation from outside and draw such conclusions. What I can say is that Pereira calls the referees before Benfica’s matches. But if that has an effect on the field I cannot say for sure. 

- Do you have any knowledge that, at some point, money were involved to favour Benfica? 

- I do not think so. I would like to make it clear that Benfica never called or contacted me to ask for anything. Never! I was a referee for nine years and Benfica or any other club has not made me this kind of offer. I think it is an initiative of Vitor Pereira in the interest of pleasing the only club that supports him. 

- How much Pereira makes as a chairman of the Referees Committee? 

- They say 8,000 euros per month, but I am not sure. 

- Why the other clubs do not act in this situation?

- I think they do and therefore do not support him. 

- How do you think the Portuguese football would react to this story? It's bad... 

- That's why I chose AS, being outside of Portugal and with a big international name. So it will have more impact in Portugal and elsewhere. 

- How difficult was your decision to quit refereeing? 

- I needed to quit in order to denounce what happens. I could not do it as a referee, because there are sanctions against the officials who publicly criticize the Referees Committee. 

- I have one last question: why Vitor Pereira appointed you to the Cup final if he planned your relegation? 

- He did that because it was a highly competitive and very hot match; if I would have done any mistakes, he would have had reasons to relegate me. The problem was that I did well and he ran out of arguments. I was the first and only international referee in the history of Madeira. Nobody can take it away from me.

Source: AS

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015 – Group Stage (Matches 33-36)

25 October 2015

Costa Rica – Korea DPR
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Abdelkhader Zitouni (TAH)

France – Syria
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson dos Santos (ANG)
Assistant Referee 2: Arsenio Marengula (MOZ)
Fourth Official: Bamlak Tessema (ETH)

Paraguay – New Zealand
Referee: Yevhen Aranovskiy (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Alokhin (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Korniyko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Hettikamkanamge Perera (SRI)

Russia – South Africa
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl López (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Víctor Ráez (PER)
Fourth Official: Oscar Reyna (GUA)

FIFA Futsal World Cup – Preliminary Round (UEFA)

22-25 October 2015

Group A (Ciorescu)

1. Victor Berg-Audic (FRA)
2. Ondřej Černý (CZE, photo)
3. Maksim Dzeikala (BLR)
4. Nikola Jelić (CRO)

Group B (Udevalla)
1. Septimiu Burtescu (ROU)
2. Damian Jaruchiewicz (POL)
3. Kaloyan Kirilov (BUL)
4. Gábor Kovács (HUN)

Group C (Kaunas)
1. Kamil Çetin (TUR)
2. Olli Niemelä (FIN)
3. Dejan Nikolić (SVN)
4. Sreten Vasić (SRB)

Group D (Nicosia)
1. Juan Gallardo (ESP)
2. Gabriel Gherman (ROU)
3. Talgat Kosmukhambetov (KAZ)
4. Yusif Nurullayev (AZE)

Group E (Ramat Gan)
1. Vyacheslav Daragan (UKR)
2. Marjan Mladenovski (MKD)
3. Costas Nicolaou (CYP)
4. Cédric Waroux (BEL)

Group F (Espoo)
1. Miguel Castilho (POR)
2. Lukáš Peško (SVK)
3. Grigori Zelentsov (RUS)

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015 – Group Stage (Matches 29-32)

24 October 2015

Mali – Honduras
Referee: Nick Waldron (NZL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ravinesh Kumar (FIJ)
Assistant Referee 2: Glen Lochrie (NZL)
Fourth Official: Gery Vargas (BOL)
Referee Observer: Hector Vergara (CAN)

Ecuador – Belgium
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Almaqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Abdulla Mohamed (UAE)
Referee Observer: Peter Mikkelsen (DEN)

Argentina – Australia
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyrill Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Stephan Klossner (SUI)
Referee Observer: Hector Vergara (CAN)

Germany – Mexico
Referee: Enrique Caceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zorrilla (PAR)
Fourth Official: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Peter Mikkelsen (DEN)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

20 October 2015
Santos – Saprissa
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Hermenerito Leal (GUA)
Fourth Official: Jonathan Polanco (GUA)

Motagua – Club America
Referee: Marlon Mejia (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Mangandi (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: David Santos (SLV)
Fourth Official: Edenilson Ventura (SLV)

Salt Lake – Municipal
Referee: Melvin Matamoros (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Melvyn Cruz (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Tabora (HON)
Fourth Official: Oscar Moncada (HON)

21 October 2015
Tigres – Herediano
Referee: Ricardo Salazar (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Boria (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Corey Parker (USA)
Fourth Official: Chris Penso (USA)

Comunicaciones – Los Angeles
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Mario Lopez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Oscar Macias (MEX)

22 October 2015
Montego Bay – Arabe Unido
Referee: Jose Penaloza (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcos Quintero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Hernandez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jorge Rojas (MEX)

San Francisco – Verdes
Referee: Walter Quesada (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Fourth Official: Oscar Davila (NCA)

Olimpia – Vancouver
Referee: Trevor Taylor (BRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Adrian Goddard (BRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Clifton Garnes (BRB)
Fourth Official: Moeth Gaymes (SVG)

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015 – Group Stage (Matches 25-28)

23 October 2015

Croatia – Nigeria
Referee: Wilson Lamouroux (COL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Fourth Official: Oscar Reyna (GUA)
Referee Observer: Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (MAS)

Guinea – Brazil
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Haecker (GER)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

Korea – England
Referee: Valdin Legister (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Kedlee Powell (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Washington (JAM)
Fourth Official: Bamlak Tessema (ETH)
Referee Observer: Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (MAS)

Chile – USA
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gregor Rojko (SVN)
Fourth Official: Mohd Bin Yaacob (MAS)