UEFA referees train for VAR launch

UEFA and European referees are hard at work preparing for the introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) in UEFA competitions from next season. At a four-day course in Madrid, a group of referees with limited experience of VAR in their own countries took part in intensive theoretical and practical sessions, which are enabling them to learn the ropes in time for the launching of VAR in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League from the play-offs next August. They were joined on the last day by elite referees already experienced with VAR, as UEFA adopts and fine-tunes a unified approach to the system for all of its referees. The course in Madrid was hosted by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) at its Ciudad del Fútbol national training centre at Las Rozas, just outside the capital, and followed a first course last month at the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) national centre in Zeist. The video assistant referee reviews decisions made by the referee in certain key match situations with the use of video footage and a headset for communication. This year, VAR was incorporated into the Laws of the Game by football’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), following trials in major competitions. The decision to introduce VAR in UEFA competitions was taken by the UEFA Executive Committee in September. In addition to the UEFA Champions League, the committee decided that VAR would also be used at the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. UEFA plans to subsequently extend the deployment of VAR to the final tournament of UEFA EURO 2020, the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League (group stage onwards) and the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals.

The training programme is designed to guarantee an efficient and smooth implementation of the system at UEFA level, and additional courses will be taking place in the coming months. "This project needs time, preparation and hard work," said UEFA chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti. "It is an important project, not only for referees, but for European football as a whole. The objective is to prevent clear errors, and this project and this training can help referees take the right decisions. It is essential that we achieve consistency and uniformity. We must speak one language." Among the focal points in Madrid were training sessions involving rooms at the RFEF centre equipped with state-of-the-art technical equipment and several screens, and two teams of players out on the pitch. The trainee video assistant referees – sat together with an assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) who provides support, as well as a technical operator – reviewed decisions taken by the referee on the field and communicated with the referee during the review process. In addition, the trainees participated in simulation sessions involving recorded footage of actual matches, practising reviews and communication with the referee, the AVAR and operator. They were given constant guidance by VAR instructors and members of the UEFA Referees Committee. The referees were also given insights, among other things, into VAR procedures and communication, and undertook protocol and video tests to enhance the learning process, giving feedback on their experiences along the way. Former top Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo highlighted experiences with VAR in Spain. "Nowadays, everybody is able to review incidents on their television set or mobile phones," said Rosetti. "The one person who cannot do this is the referee – and the referee is the one who has to take the decision. We have to help the referee take the correct decision – and this is the way." The referees in Madrid found the course an extremely positive experience. "It's very important in terms of our development, and the development within football," said Scottish referee Bobby Madden. "UEFA has recognised that there is a benefit for referees, and for football. With this being our first introduction to VAR, it's important for us to get an understanding of where and when VAR can be of value." "This is the future," added Slovenian official Matej Jug. "The course is helping us learn how VAR works and be successful with it, and it is important to hear and exchange views with those who already have experience of VAR." Elite referees who joined the course later in the week all welcomed the introduction of VAR in UEFA competitions. "It gives me more confidence," said Turkey's Cüneyt Çakır. "We know that if there is a really clear and obvious mistake, there can be an intervention, and a decision can be corrected." "To me, VAR is an additional tool to support my decisions," added German official Felix Brych. "My experiences with VAR so far have been really positive." Anthony Taylor from England said that VAR is "a positive step forward for referees in general – anything that helps us get decisions correct on the field of play has to be a positive development." "It's a very important project, and referees are very happy with it," said Dutch referee Björn Kuipers.

Source: UEFA

AFC Champions League Final 2018 (First Leg)

3 November 2018

Kashima Antlers – Persepolis FC
Referee: Ma Ning (CHN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Cao Yi (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Shi Xiang (CHN)
Additional AR 1: Fu Ming (CHN)
Additional AR 2: Liao Guowen (HKG)
Fourth Official: Huo Weiming (CHN)

Saudi Arabia: Clattenburg remains director of refereeing, but is no longer chairman of the referees committee

Mark Clattenburg has not been sacked by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation, despite reports. The former Premier League official remains the director of refereeing, but is no longer the chairman of the referees committee.

Clattenburg has explained to Sportsmail that the role of both was proving too much as it involved him looking after grassroots refereeing as well as officiating himself and taking care of foreign referees in the league. He will now concentrate on working with the overseas officials and taking charge of matches. The Saudi FA confirmed Clattenburg had left his position as chairman of referees via an announcement on Wednesday. A statement posted on Twitter read: 'The Saudi Football Federation issued a decision appointing Nabil bin Khalid al-Naqshbandi as chairman of the referees committee to replace the Mark Clattenburg of England. The decision to appoint Naqshbandi is part of the framework of the board's efforts to elevate football in the kingdom to the prestige that benefits it globally”.

Clattenburg was considered England's best referee when he arrived in Saudi Arabia in February 2017. The year previous, he took charge of the FA Cup final, the Champions League final and the Euro 2016 final in quick succession.

Source: Daily Mail

CAF Champions League Final 2018 (First Leg)

2 November 2018

Al Ahly – Esperance Tunis
Referee: Mehdi Abid Charef (ALG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean Birumushahu (BDI)
Fourth Official: Eric Otogo-Castane (GAB)
VAR: Bakary Gassama (GAM)
AVAR 1: El Hadji Samba (SEN)
AVAR 2: Djibril Camara (SEN)

Referee Cunha protected by riot police in Copa Libertadores

Referee Andres Cunha had to be protected by riot police after a late penalty kick saw River Plate reach the Copa Libertadores final at the expense of Gremio.

Cunha, in consultation with VAR, awarded a penalty against Gremio's Bressan for handball after 86 minutes. Bressan was given his marching orders for a second yellow card but refused to go quietly. The penalty was eventually taken in the fifth of 14 minutes of added time, and was converted by Gonzalo Martinez to send River through to the final.

Having lost the first leg of the semi-final 1-0 on home soil, River knew they had to win to keep alive their hopes of the Copa Libertadores title. And, despite dominating proceedings, they fell a goal down after 35 minutes as Leonardo struck for Brazilian side Gremio. But River kept pushing forward and got a deserved equaliser after 81 minutes as Rafael Borre struck to level matters.

River Plate won the second leg 2-1 and went through on the away goals rule. The Argentine side, beaten 1-0 at home in the first leg, went further behind when Leo Gomes scored for the Brazilian holders after 35 minutes in Porto Alegre. River Plate were still two goals behind on aggregate with nine minutes of normal time left, but then Rafael Borre scored.

Uruguayan Cunha then sparked the penalty drama in the 86th minute and was surrounded by Gremio players, with riot police entering the field to protect him during the nine-minute delay that followed before the kick was taken. After the long wait, Martinez buried from 12 yards to send River through on away goals.

In incredible scenes, riot police were forced to protect Cunha from furious Gremio players as River celebrated reaching the final.

It sets up a potential blockbuster game against Argentine rivals Boca Juniors, who have a two-goal lead going to Sao Paulo for the second leg of their semi-final against Palmeiras. River are bidding for a fourth Copa Libertadores title having previously won the competition in 1986, 1996 and 2015. Should Boca progress from their semi-final, they will be looking for a seventh crown having tasted glory in 1977, 1978, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2007.

Source: Mirror/BBC

Belgium: Top referees Vertenten and Delferiere received money and expensive gifts from players’ agent

Agent Dejan Veljkovic, who is seen by the Belgian judiciary as one of the main players in the sizeable bribery scandal that has been keeping the country under control for weeks, had hundreds of phone talks with two top referees, according to the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, whose journalists have been allowed to see the file. The recording of the telephone conversations conducted by the Serbian players' agent with referees outline a disconcerting picture, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. Veljkovic had frequent contact with Sébastien Delferière and Bart Vertenten, the two referees who are suspected of match fixing. The players' agent called Vertenten a dozen of times within a few months. With Delferière, the contact was even more intensive: hundreds of phone calls were recorded. For months they called each other more than once a day.

Questionable penalty

In the recorded conversations, the agent never explicitly asked them to influence matches ("You never know who is listening in", he warned several times), but his words seem to leave little to the imagination. "The most important thing is that Antwerp wins," Veljkovic would have said to Vertenten, for example, two days before he was the referee in the relegation duel of Antwerp with Eupen. Vertenten gave Antwerp a questionable penalty and that same evening Veljkovic called that "fantastic" to the financial director of KV Mechelen, another club in relegation distress, where Veljkovic had several players at that time. The tapes would also show that Delferière prevented a suspension for Sofiane Hanni, one of the players from Veljkovic's group. "I will try to make sure he is not suspended," said the referee over the phone. Hanni was indeed not suspended.

Money and expensive gifts

In exchange for their 'services', Vertenten and Delferière received money and expensive gifts from Veljkovic, according to the Belgian justice system. Vertenten has been retained since his arrest on 10 October 2018. His lawyers have doubts about the representation of the talks by the judiciary. Delferière has been released after interrogation, but is still part of the investigation of justice. The Belgian Football Federation decided to replace Delferière and Vertenten on the FIFA List with Bram Van Driessche (33) and Nathan Verboomen (30), as of 1 January 2019.

Source: NOS

VAR to be used in CAF Finals

For the first time, the Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will be applied for the finals of this season’s CAF Inter-clubs competitions: CAF Champions League 2018 and CAF Confederation Cup 2018. This follows the approval of the CAF Executive Committee at its meeting on 27-28 September 2018 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The decision comes after the success of the premier implementation of the latest refereeing technology during the Total CAF Super Cup last February between Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco) and TP Mazembe (DR Congo) in Casablanca. “This is a historic moment for African football. It clearly shows that CAF is determined and committed to the interclub competitions and will bring on board the latest and innovative technologies to make it better. “We (CAF) are the first confederation to use VAR in the final of the Club competitions. We did it for the CAF Super Cup and we are delighted to go a step further with the Inter-clubs competitions,” said CAF General Secretary Amr Fahmy. In the build-up to that, a preparatory course has been scheduled for 24-29 October 2018 in Cairo, Egypt. In attendance will be 12 elite match officials (six referees and six assistant referees) to be supervised by David Elleray, Technical Director of the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The selected referees are Janny Sikazwe (Zambia), Ghead Grisha (Egypt), Mehdi Abid Charef (Algeria), Bamlak Tessema (Ethiopia), Victor Gomes (South Africa) and Papa Bakary Gassama (Gambia). And the Assistant Referees are Emiliano Jerson Dos Santos (Angola), Zakhele Siwela (South Africa), Jean Claude Birumushahu (Burundi), Anouar Hmila (Tunisia), Abdelhak Etchiali (Algeria) and Mahmoud Abo El Regal (Egypt).

Source: CAF

Zambia top female FIFA referee dies in car accident

Zambia has lost one of its top female football referees after she succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident.

Leah Namukonda, one of two female FIFA referees, died at Ndola Central Hospital in northern Zambia where she was admitted. She had gone to see a friend hours after officiating a domestic league match and she was involved in a road accident, according to Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) Vice-President Rix Mweemba. “We are devastated as an association because she was one of the few female referees we have... it's very sad because we were one strong family," he said. Before Namukonda’s death, Zambia had two FIFA female referees and two assistants. Gladys Lengwe is now the only female FIFA referee.

Source: The Star

AFC Cup Final 2018: Al-Jassim (QAT)

28 October 2018

Air Force Club – Altyn Asyr
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (QAT, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al-Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Khamis Al-Marri (QAT)
Reserve AR: Juma Al-Burshaid (QAT)

Layec quits as general manager of French elite referees

It is a departure that will make noise. After nine years at the Technical Direction of the Refereeing (DTA), Bertrand Layec decided to leave his functions. An essential figure in the Batta era, of which he is still a faithful, Bertrand Layec recently left his position as general manager of the French elite referees. Hired in 2009 by Jean-Pierre Escalettes, then President of the FFF, Layec has often crystallized tensions and criticism, some seeing him as a dictator, but who has developed the elite referees with whom he had good relationships. His departure from the DTA is explained in particular by the cold relations he had with Pascal Garibian, the Technical Director of Refereeing. A similar situation occurred between Layec and Alain Sars, current Deputy Technical Director of Refereeing, to which Layec no longer speaks for several years, being upset with Sars for his media interventions at the time.

While still holding the whistle in Ligue 1 during the 2008/2009 season, Bertrand Layec was found guilty of defamation and public insults against Bruno Derrien by the Criminal Court of Paris. Layec was accused of forwarding an anonymous email that was violently attacking Bruno Derrien, following the release of Bruno Derrien's book “A bas l’arbitre”, in which Bertrand Layec is quoted several times. While he was announced as possible successor of Eric Poulat at the position of Regional Technical Advisor of Refereeing (CTRA) in the Ligue de Bretagne, a function he had already occupied in the past, Bertrand Layec will not return to his region. A foreign federation could acquire his services.

Source: Arbitage57