Leagues Cup 2023 – Round of 16

6-8 August 2023

FC Dallas – Inter Miami
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bisguerra (MEX)
Fourth Official: Randy Encarnacion (DOM)
VAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

Philadelphia Union – New York Red Bulls
Referee: Victor Caceres (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Michel Morales (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Pablo Hernandez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Ismael Lopez (MEX)
VAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)

Queretaro – New England Revolution
Referee: Daniel Quintero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Martinez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Jessica Morales (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jorge Camacho (MEX)
VAR: Eric Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)

Charlotte FC – Houston Dynamo
Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lyes Arfa (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Chris Elliott (USA)
Fourth Official: Filip Dujic (CAN)
VAR: Allen Chapman (USA)
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)

Club America – Nashville FC
Referee: Selvin Brown (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Roney Salinas (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Mangandi (SLV)
Fourth Official: Rosendo Mendoza (USA)
VAR: Eric Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Ismael CORNEJO (SLV)

Toluca – Minnesota United
Referee: Victor Rivas (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Jeremy Kieso (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Jeremy Hanson (USA)
Fourth Official: Nima Saghafi (USA)
VAR: Diego Montano (MEX)
AVAR: Tristley Bassue (SKN)

Tigres – Monterrey
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Blas (USA)
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation (JAM)
VAR: Allen Chapman (USA)
AVAR: Jozef Batko (USA)

Los Angeles FC – Real Salt Lake
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nick Uranga (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Da Silva (USA)
Fourth Official: Reon Radix (GRN)
VAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)
AVAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)

Arab Club Champions Cup 2023 – Quarter-finals

6-7 August 2023

Al Sadd – Al Shorta
Referee: Khalid Al Turais (KSA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hesham Al Refai (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Faisal Al Qahtani (KSA)
Fourth Official: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR)
VAR: Mohammed Al Hoish (KSA)
AVAR: Mohammed Ibrahim (SDN)

Al Ittihad – Al Hilal
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al Maqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Al Shammari (QAT)
VAR: Ahmad Al Ali (KUW)
AVAR: Jasem Al Ali (UAE)

Raja AC – Al Nassr
Referee: Mahmoud El Banna (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud El Regal (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed El Din (EGY)
Fourth Official: Amin Omar (EGY)
VAR: Ashour (EGY)
AVAR: Khalil Hassani (TUN)

Al Shabab – Al Wahda
Referee: Lahlou Benbraham (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
Assistant Referee 2: Abbes Zerhouni (ALG)
Fourth Official: Lotfi Bekouassa (ALG)
VAR: Samir Guezzaz (MAR)
AVAR: Lahcen Azgaou (MAR)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Round of 16 (Matches 53-54)

7 August 2023

England – Nigeria
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandra Ramirez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Emikar Calderas (VEN)
Reserve AR: Migdalia Rodriguez (VEN)
VAR: Armando Villarreal (USA)
AVAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
OVAR: Felisha Mariscal (USA)

Australia – Denmark
Referee: Rebecca Welch (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Natalie Aspinall (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad (HUN)
Fourth Official: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (CAN)
Reserve AR: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
OVAR: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Round of 16 (Matches 51-52)

6 August 2023

Netherlands – South Africa
Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Makoto Bozono (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Naomi Teshirogi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Oh Hyeon-Jeong (KOR)
Reserve AR: Park Mi-Suk (KOR)
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
AVAR: Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
OVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)


Sweden – USA
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Elodie Coppola (FRA)
Fourth Official: Casey Reibelt (AUS)
Reserve AR: Ramina Tsoi (KGZ)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
OVAR: Katrin Rafalski (GER)

FIFA Referee Legacy Program

A focus on legacy has been a key theme underpinning the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, one that is generally clearly visible in tangible ways such as infrastructure improvements and equipment contributions.

So too, there are also numerous less evident areas in which FIFA is helping to provide positive benefits for the football fraternities of both nations. FIFA partnered with Football NSW to provide local community referees the opportunity to observe World Cup referee training in Sydney where ‘Team One’ are based during the tournament. Kari Seitz, FIFA Head of Refereeing, Women, said: “The idea that the tournament can really benefit the community as a legacy programme long term by the referees coming out, observing the Women’s World Cup referees – this is an opportunity for inspiration as well as knowledge sharing.” Notably, hundreds of local match officials have been engaged in the programme over the course of the tournament. Many of those have travelled significant distances to make the most of a unique opportunity. “We try to make a connection with the community – the referee community – at every competition we do at FIFA,” Seitz added. “What I think is really nice about this one is we are getting more referees involved to be part of this really unique opportunity.”

The FIFA Referee Legacy Observers Program provided an example of how hosting the Women’s World Cup can benefit the local community through knowledge sharing experiences. With only limited number of females historically taking up refereeing, the programme - and the tournament - is providing role models for young aspiring match officials. “There's nothing better than seeing what the future can hold and for girls to see what they could be,” said Renae Coghill, Football Australia’s Elite Refereeing Coach. “And, definitely, we've had some observers come through and they can see the role models of the referees, but also people doing roles behind the scenes. So, there are different pathways you can take, and I think that's something that's growing so much for women at the moment. [The young girls] just seem so excited when you talk about it. It gives them something to aspire to and just they're getting little hints and tips. And so many people don't realise what referees do behind the scenes and the preparation they put in. So, getting a little insight to that gives the girls something to plan and [aspire] to.”

Source: FIFA

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Round of 16 (Matches 49-50)

5 August 2023

Switzerland – Spain 

Referee: Cheryl Foster (WAL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Michelle O’Neill (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Franca Overtoom (NED)
Fourth Official: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Reserve AR: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
OVAR: Ella De Vries (BEL)

Japan – Norway
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Leila Moreira (BRA)
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia (MEX)
Reserve AR: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
VAR: Daiane Muniz (BRA)
AVAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
OVAR: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)

Leagues Cup 2023 – Round of 32

2-4 August 2023

Inter Miami – Orlando City
Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Henri Pupiro (NCA)
Fourth Official: Keylor Herrera (CRC)
VAR: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)

Mazatlan – Dallas
Referee: Oshane Nation (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Zachari Zeegelaar (SUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ojay Duhaney (JAM)
Fourth Official: Steffon Dewar (JAM)
VAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)
AVAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)

Pachuca – Houston Dynamo
Referee: Edgar Morales (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Enrique Martinez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Michel Caballero (MEX)
Fourth Official: Ismael Lopez (MEX)
VAR: Oscar Mejia (MEX)
AVAR: Mario Terrazas (MEX)

Los Angeles – Juarez
Referee: Marcos De Oliveira (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Jairo Morales (PUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Limanuel Sola (PUR)
Fourth Official: Tristley Bassue (SKN)
VAR: Allen Chapman (USA)
AVAR: Tyler Wyrostek (USA)

Atlas FC – New England Revolution
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Michel Espinoza (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Leonardo Castillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jesus Lopez (MEX)
VAR: Diego Montano (MEX)
AVAR: Ivan Barton (SLV)

New York Red Bulls – New York City
Referee: Daniel Quintero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Mayra Mora (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauricio Nieto (MEX)
Fourth Official: Abraham Quirate (MEX)
VAR: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)

Philadelphia Union – DC United
Referee: Rosendo Mendoza (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Fourth Official: Okeito Nicholson (JAM)
VAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)
AVAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)

Pumas Unam – Queretaro
Referee: Guido Gonzalez (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Jeremy Kieso (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Blas (USA)
Fourth Official: Filip Dujic (CAN)
VAR: Allen Chapman (USA)
AVAR: Tyler Wyrostek (USA)

Charlotte FC – Cruz Azul
Referee: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Geovany Garcia (SLV)
Fourth Official: Christopher Mason (JAM)
VAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Oscar Mejia (MEX)

Leon – Real Salt Lake
Referee: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Pablo Hernandez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Ramirez (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ivan Lopez (MEX)
VAR: Luis Santander (MEX)
AVAR: Mario Terrazas (MEX)

Chicago Fire – Club America
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Assistant Referee 2: Raymundo Feliz (DOM)
Fourth Official:: Steffon Dewar (JAM)
VAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)
AVAR: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

FC Cincinnati – Nashville SC
Referee: Nima Saghafi (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Kali Smith (USA)
Fourth Official: Pierre-Luc Lauziere (CAN)
VAR: Diego Montano (MEX)
AVAR: Fabio Tovar (USA)

Columbus Crew – Minnesota United
Referee: Reon Radix (GRN)
Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicholas Anderson (JAM)
Fourth Official: Tristley Bassue (SKN)
VAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)
AVAR: Ivan Barton (SLV)

Toluca – Kansas City
Referee: Abraham Camacho (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuel Martinez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Jaime Gonzalez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Victor Caceres (MEX)
VAR: Oscar Mejia (MEX)
AVAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)

Monterrey – Portland
Referee: Guillermo Pacheco (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jair Sosa (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Soto (MEX)
Fourth Official: Randy Encarnacion (DOM)
VAR: Allen Chapman (USA)
AVAR: Tyler Wyrostek (USA)

Tigres – Vancouver Whitecaps
Referee: Lukasz Szpala (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Chris Elliott (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Lock (USA)
Fourth Official: Keylor Herrera (CRC)
VAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Mario Terrazas (MEX)

Assistant referee Toloza removed by FIFA from Women’s World Cup 2023

Loreto Toloza will no longer appear in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup that currently takes place in Australia and New Zealand. The assistant referee was part of the Chilean team, headed by referee María Carvajal and completed by her other assistant, Leslie Vasquez. As of this week, she is facing one of the most critical controversies in the Chilean refereeing: Toloza and her colleague Cindy Nahuelcoy are accused of being favored by an alleged relationship with Julio Bascunan, a member of the Referees Committee, and they even tried to stain the highest refereeing authority in Chile: Roberto Tobar. 

The plot, which included a mass email, led to an investigation after which the ANFP Disciplinary Committee applied 40 matches of suspension to those responsible. FIFA acted accordingly with the ruling of the Chilean sports court, of which it was duly informed. The signal was eloquent: Toloza does not appear on the referee team for the match between South Africa and Italy, which will be played this Wednesday. The match will be refereed by Carvajal with Vasquez as the first assistant, while the second assistant will be the Ecuadorian Monica Aboya. Strictly speaking, Toloza will no longer appear on any appointments. She was excluded from the competition.

Toloza assumed in advance that the Women’s World Cup adventure would not be comfortable, since the concept of a refereeing team with Vasquez was already extremely difficult. Communication between the two assistants is absolutely cut off. They have not spoken since the conflict broke out. There is also no communication between Vasquez and Nahuelcoy, the other referee involved in the operation. The decision adopted by FIFA only managed to deepen the drama that she began to experience as soon as she was sentenced by the court presided over by Exequiel Segall, after the conclusions of the investigation led by the ANFP Compliance Officer, Miguel Angel Valdes. In Australia, Toloza was literally adrift: she will not be considered further in the tournament, although she is still there and does not know when she will be sent back to Chile. The sanctioned referee is not having a good time. Her days are spent locked in her room, without contact with anyone. There has been no communication with her from Chile either to find out her state of mind or the conditions of her return. If, from the mental point of view, Toloza is already devastated enough, the other effect suffered by the referee is economic. Each match official selected for the tournament that takes place in Australia and New Zealand earns 10,000USD. To this guaranteed income it is added 6,000USD, which are the fees that the referees receive for each game in which they participate. Toloza, according to the initial calculations, based on technical arguments, would have aspired to at least two matches. As a result of the sanction, in addition to the obvious damage to her professional image, she will only receive one match fee. Both Toloza and Nahuelcoy can appeal the first instance ruling in the Second Chamber of the Disciplinary Committee.

Source: La Tercera

Concacaf Central American Cup 2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

1-3 August 2023

Real Esteli – CSD Xelaju
Referee: Fernando Moron (PAN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ronald Bruna (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andres Vargas (PAN)
Fourth Official: Oliver Vergara (PAN)

Jocoro FC – Coban Imperial
Referee: Jefferson Escobar (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Orellana (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Lourdes Noriega (HON)
Fourth Official: Raul Castro (HON)

LD Alajuelense – Olancho FC
Referee: Ignacio Fuentes (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Alvarado (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Ordonez (GUA)
Fourth Official: Bryan Lopez (GUA)

Verdes FC – FC Motagua
Referee: Josue Ugalde (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: William Chow (CRC)
Fourth Official: David Gomez (CRC)

Comunicaciones FC – Real Espana
Referee: Joseph Dickerson (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Enrique Bustos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Da Silva (USA)
Fourth Official: Jaime Herrera (SLV)

CD Olimpia – Atletico Independiente
Referee: Filiberto Martinez (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Mangandi (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Vargas (SLV)
Fourth Official: Sergio Reyna (GUA)

Diriangen FC – CS Herediano
Referee: Nelson Salgado (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Roney Salinas (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Tabora (HON)
Fourth Official: Selvin Brown (HON)

Deportivo Saprissa – CS Cartagines
Referee: Melvin Matamoros (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Aczel Perez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Tipaz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Julio Luna (GUA)

Referee Maza made headlines by using personalized cards

The Chilean referee recently surprised with a particular customization of his yellow card, which was shown nine times. Personalization of sportswear is not something new. Some cases are marked by the search for a unique design on the captain’s bag, or on the goalkeeper’s shirt, as Felipe Nunez did a few years ago with his tribute to Gustavo Cerati. Others are looking for more subtle alternatives, like the picture of the kids on the shin guards, or the embroidered name on the football boots. In the same way, referee Piero Maza wanted to leave his mark in refereeing. The referee of the match between Universidad Catolica and Coquimbo Unido, which ended in a narrow 2-1 victory for the Crusaders, surprised with a peculiar object. When cautioning the players with the yellow card, the image of the referee himself could be seen along with his printed name.

It’s not the first curious situation that Piero Maza has had on the pitch. One of the most memorable situations happened in 2016, when he was in charge of the game between Union La Calera and Palestino at the Lucio Farina stadium in Quilloa. On this occasion, Maza had to suspend the match for a few minutes because the spectators had thrown an empanada like a projectile on the ground, the referee picked up the food and handed it to the fourth referee. After having refereed the Finalissima between Argentina and Italy last year, Mazza appeared in international tournaments using a golden whistle.

Piero Maza was one of the referees who, at the time, was sacked by Javier Castrilli when the Argentine was in charge of the ANFP’s Referees Committee. Amid the investigation into accusations that Francisco Gilabert was pressured to cancel a penalty kick midway through the promotion match between Huachipato and Deportes Copiapo, Castrilli was fired and Maza, along with other dismissed referees, returned to their duties. However, Castrilli continues to be up to date with what’s happening in the Chilean football and, in fact, took to his Twitter account to question one of Maza’s decisions in the latest duel between UC and Coquimbo. The play in question was Diego Sanchez’s foul against Fernando Zampedri in the 65th minute of the match. “Incredible that this action, after also being reviewed by the VAR, is interpreted as reckless and not as seriously endangering the physical integrity of the opponent… it’s a “brutal foul” … it should have been an expulsion… “, explained Castrilli on the social network. Then, in another message, he continued that “the permissiveness of the referee harms the game because he does not protect the players… from that moment Coquimbo played with one more player “.

Source: Athletistic