Archundia replaces Brizio as Head of Referees in Mexico

Former two-time World Cup referee Armando Archundia became the new Head of the Mexican referees, replacing Arturo Brizio Carter. Archundia was presented by Yon de Luisa, president of the Mexican Football Federation, who highlighted his experience as a professional referee since 1985, First Division referee from 1991 to 2010, with a record of 591 games, being the referee with the most matches in the history of Mexican football. He was the first referee to officiate five matches at the World Cup, in Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010, also attending the Confederations Cup, Copa Libertadores and many Concacaf tournaments, becoming a FIFA Instructor upon his retirement from the field. Yon de Luisa also emphasized Archundia's off the field preparation, having a degree in Economics from the Autonomous Metropolitan University, a law degree from the University of Ecatepec and a master's degree in Business Administration and Management from the International University of La Rioja. In addition, he has work experience managing the Municipal Institute of Physical Culture and Sports in Ixtapaluca, with extraordinary public recognition, impeccable honour and proven teamwork capacity.

For his part, Armando Archundia expressed his feelings as the new President of the Referees Committee. “I am very happy, very excited to return to my home, which gave me great satisfaction and supported me in everything. I am committed to teamwork, I like refereeing, I am passionate about it. Today I feel as excited as I was 16 years ago: on 13 June 2006, I was refereeing my first World Cup match between Brazil and Croatia; today, 15 June 2022, I am starting a very important project, where we will work as a team, together with all of you for the good of football and refereeing. I feel extremely grateful today, it is one of my hopes and dreams that I had for some time, to be able to lead the Referees Committee and give back much of what the FMF and refereeing gave me”, concluded Archundia. (Source: FMF)

“My cycle is over”. Those were the words with which Arturo Brizio Carter said goodbye to the Referees Committee and he thanked Yon de Luisa, president of the Mexican Football Federation, for his support during the five years he was chairman of referees. During the time of Brizio at the head of the refereeing, VAR was introduced in Mexican football, as one of the great contributions that the former referee coordinated. Sources inside the committee assured that “Brizio was highly appreciated, he put his chest to the bullets in the face of media and managerial attacks. He was always a person who went straight to the referees and explained to them personally when they were not designated for important matches”, the source explained to ESPN Digital. (Source: ESPN)

Semi-automated offside technology at World Cup

FIFA are confident semi-automated technology to assist with quicker Video Assistant Referee decisions could be ready for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, world football's governing body president Gianni Infantino said on Monday. Trials on the AI technology will continue in the coming months, but Infantino said there was significant progress. "We tested it at the Club World Cup, and it looks very good. We are very satisfied, and we will take decision before the tournament," Infantino told a news conference in Doha after the meeting of the International Football Association Board, which regulates the Laws of the Game. Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA Referees Committee, added: "I'm confident it can go ahead." Semi-automated offside techniology, which will enable offside to be detected in seconds, uses automated ball detection and creates three-dimensional models of a player’s position instantly.

IFAB ratified, as expected, the use of five substitutes into the Laws of the Game. It was first introduced as a tweak to the rules because of the Covid-19 pandemic but has now become permanent although its use in different competitions will remain at the discretion of the body organising the matches. It was also decided to increase the maximum number of substitutes on the bench from 12 to 15 - again at the discretion of the competition organising body. These changes come into effect on July 1.

IFAB also discussed attacks on referees and the possibility of body cameras being worn which would act as a deterrent as well as evidence collection. "Referees will profit from the possible protection, which sadly still takes place in many parts of the world," Infantino said. "We have attacks on them from players, officials, spectators and parents and we have to be very firm in that respect." He also said more trials on tweaking the offside law and making decisions less marginal would continue in junior tournaments in Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden. Also finding ways for better time keeping would be trialled. "It is not acceptable that a game of 90 minutes actually only have the ball in play for 47-48 minutes on average. We have to look into that," Infantino added.

Source: Reuters

Feliz: Going to the World Cup without being initially interested in football

Helpys Feliz has 8 siblings and three dreams. “Now that this opportunity has come to me, which is more than a blessing and a great commitment for me and for our country, in which I cannot fail, I have to tell my mother that my first dream, to go to a World Cup, is coming true. I was very upset because I used to work in the Sports area of ​​the Air Force, but they fired me (and many other athletes) after I sacrificed more than six years organizing and teaching the fundamentals of this discipline. I can’t hide it, the news of going to the World Cup comforts me, but it is a great responsibility, to put this small country on the World Cup map for the first time as a match official and opening the door to our talent, that makes me forget any other stumbling blocks and confirm that things are achieved by hard working”, explained Feliz

Helpys Feliz made history for Dominican refereeing on May 4 when he was appointed by Concacaf for the second leg of the 2022 Concacaf Champions League final, an unprecedented event. In 2019, he also participated in the U-20 World Cup in Poland. He grew up in Invivienda and football never caught his attention; he was in love with the 10 kilometers run, high jump and a little swimming in his university life in APEC, where he graduated in marketing and achieved a diploma in tourism. But his academic plans disappeared when his sports mentor Roque Garcia suggested to attend his first football referee seminar. “It was Roque who got me into this, I did well in that seminar and then the federation included me in another FIFA seminar for ‘projected referees’ in Panama. From there everything continued with ups and downs, because nothing here has been fortuitous, work has been done so that our country could achieve this goal”, explains 32 years old Helpys Feliz. The other two dreams to be pursued by Feliz are to participate in the Olympic Games and to be the first immortal official of the Dominican sport in football.

Source: Blaze Trends

UEFA Nations League 2022/2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

12-14 June 2022

League A

Spain – Czech Republic
Referee: Cüneyt Cakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Alper Ulusoy (TUR)
VAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
AVAR: Kerem Ersoy (TUR)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

Switzerland – Portugal
Referee: Fran Jović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Hrvoje Radić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Luka Pušic (CRO)
Fourth Official: Mario Zebec (CRO)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

France – Croatia
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ydan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz (ISR)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Denmark – Austria
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Naranjo Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sanchez Rojo (ESP)
Fourth Official: Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Xavier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)

Netherlands – Wales
Referee: Horatiu Fesnic (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Cerei (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Coltescu (ROU)
VAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
AVAR: Giacomo Paganessi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)

Poland – Belgium
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrisimbegović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Admir Šehović (BIH)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Salvatore Longo (ITA)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

Germany – Italy
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Andrei Chivulete (ROU)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

England – Hungary
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
VAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
AVAR: Eric Wattellier (FRA)
Referee Observer: Itchko Lozev (BUL)

League B

Norway – Sweden
Referee: Harm Osmers (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Seidel (GER)
Fourth Official: Robert Schroder (GER)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Mark Borsch (GER)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Medved (SVK)

Slovenia – Serbia
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Luca Massimi (ITA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

Iceland – Israel
Referee: Duje Strukan (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Zobenica (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alen Jaksic (CRO)
Fourth Official: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
VAR: Novak Simovic (SRB)
AVAR: Aleksandar Zivkovic (SRB)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Armenia – Scotland
Referee: Nikola Dabanovic (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Milutin Djukic (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Vladan Todorovic (MNE)
Fourth Official: Milos Boskovic (MNE)
VAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR: Clay Ruperti (NED)
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista (POR)

Romania – Montenegro
Referee: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Costa (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Jesus (POR)
Fourth Official: Vitor Ferreira (POR)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Fabio Verissimo (POR)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

Ukraine – Ireland
Referee: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Serkan Olguncan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ceyhun Sesiguzel (TUR)
Fourth Official: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
VAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
AVAR: Abdullah Özkara (TUR)
Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Finland
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Dragomir Draganov (BUL)
VAR: Ivailo Stoianov (BUL)
AVAR: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi (SMR)

League C

Northern Ireland – Cyprus
Referee: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jon Nunez Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Adrian Cordero Vega (ESP)
VAR: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
AVAR: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

Georgia – Bulgaria
Referee: Espen Eskas (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Engan (NOR)
Fourth Official: Rohit Saggi (NOR)
VAR: Soren Storks (GER)
AVAR: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Referee Observer: Ferenc Szekely (HUN)

North Macedonia – Gibraltar
Referee: Dumitru Muntean (MDA)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrei Bodean (MDA)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Mardari (MDA)
Fourth Official: Roman Jitari (MDA)
VAR: Michal Ocenas (SVK)
AVAR: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

Greece – Kosovo
Referee: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Obritzberger (AUT)
Fourth Official: Alexander Harkam (AUT)
VAR: Christian Ciochirca (AUT)
AVAR: Alan Kijas (AUT)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

Kazakhstan – Slovakia
Referee: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Romain Devillers (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny (BEL)
Fourth Official: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
VAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
AVAR: Ingmar Oostrom (NED)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

Azerbaijan – Belarus
Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Tryfon Petropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Iordanis Aptosoglou (GRE)
Fourth Official: Georgios Tzovaras (GRE)
VAR: Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (GRE)
AVAR: Konstantinos Psarris (GRE)
Referee Observer: Lassin Isaksen (FRO)

Turkey – Lithuania
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mikael Berchebru (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Fourth Official: Mikael Lesage (FRA)
VAR: Benoît Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Pierre Gaillouste (FRA)
Referee Observer: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT)

Luxembourg – Faroe Islands
Referee: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Livio Marinelli (ITA)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Sergio Ranghetti (ITA)
Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)

League D

Malta – San Marino
Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Mario Diks (NED)
Fourth Official: Sander Van Der Eijk (NED)
VAR: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
AVAR: Allard Lindhout (NED)
Referee Observer: Michael Johansen (DEN)

Moldova – Andorra
Referee: Peter Kjaersgaard-Andersen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesper Dahl (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jakob Sundberg (DEN)
VAR: Darren England (ENG)
AVAR: Lee Betts (ENG)
Referee Observer: Pavle Radovanović (MNE)

Liechtenstein – Latvia
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Goce Petreski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Igor Stojchevski (MKD)
VAR: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)
AVAR: Luca Zufferli (ITA)
Referee Observer: Jan Carlsen (DEN)

Concacaf Nations League 2022/2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

12-14 June 2022

League A

Honduras – Canada
Referee: Mario Escobar (GUA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mora (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Fourth Official: Keylor Herrera (CRC)

Martinique – Panama
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Michel Morales (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Espinosa (MEX)
Fourth Official: Tristley Bassue (SKN)

Jamaica – Mexico
Referee: Bryan Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Logan Brown (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cory Richardson (USA)
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)

El Salvador – USA
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Hernandez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon (CRC)

League B

Cuba – Antigua and Barbuda
Referee: Guillermo Pacheco (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Carolina Briones (MEX)
Fourth Official: Marco Ortiz (MEX)

Guadeloupe – Barbados
Referee: Melvin Matamoros (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Roney Salinas (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Sanchez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Selvin Brown (HON)

Trinidad and Tobago – St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Referee: Nelson Salgado (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Jesus Tabora (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Ronald Bruna (PAN)
Fourth Official: Jefferson Escobar (HON)

Nicaragua – Bahamas
Referee: Julio Luna (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Julian Mendez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Ordonez (GUA)
Fourth Official: Jose Fuentes (GUA)

Guatemala – Dominican Republic
Referee: Adonai Escobedo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Ibrahim Martinez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Karen Diaz (MEX)
Fourth Official: Said Martinez (HON)

Bermuda – Montserrat
Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lyes Arfa (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Angelo Doyle (BAR)
Fourth Official: Marcos De Oliveira (USA)

Haiti – Guyana
Referee: Randy Encarnacion (DOM)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Bare (DOM)
Assistant Referee 2: Walter Cid (DOM)
Fourth Official: Adonis Carrasco (DOM)

French Guiana – Belize
Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Kleon Lindey (GUY)
Fourth Official: Damien Rosa (MTQ)

League C

Saint Kitts and Nevis – Saint Martin
Referee: Jaime Herrera (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Geovany Garcia (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Mangandi (SLV)
Fourth Official: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)

Saint Lucia – Anguilla
Referee: Kwinsi Williams (TRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Ainsley Rochard (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Graeme Browne (SKN)
Fourth Official: Raul Castro (HON)

Puerto Rico – British Virgin Islands
Referee: German Martinez (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Assistant Referee 2: Clinton Hayward (BER)
Fourth Official: Filiberto Martinez (SLV)

Bonaire – US Virgin Islands
Referee: Katia Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Orellana (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Mayra Mora (MEX)
Fourth Official: Oscar Macias (MEX)

Turks and Caicos Islands – Sint Maarten
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Marie-Han Gagnon-Chretien (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Shirley Perello (HON)
Fourth Official: Odette Hamilton (JAM)

UEFA U-21 Euro 2023 Qualifiers (Matchday 13)

11-14 June 2022

Portugal – Greece
Referee: David Coote (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nick Hopton (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring (ENG)
Fourth Official: Michael Salisbury (ENG)
Referee Observer: Ognjen Valjić (BIH)

Wales – Netherlands
Referee: David Šmajc (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: David Gabrovec (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaž Černe (SVN)
Fourth Official: Dejan Balažič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI)

Gibraltar – Bulgaria
Referee: Alessandro Dudic (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Köbeli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Alain Heiniger (SUI)
Fourth Official: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Referee Observer: Calum Murray (SCO)

Iceland – Cyprus
Referee: Damian Sylwestrzak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Bartosz Kaszyński (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Karasewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Pawel Malec (POL)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Armenia – Ukraine
Referee: Thomas Owen (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Beckett (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Harry Hendricks (WAL)
Fourth Official: Bryn Markham-Jones (WAL)
Referee Observer: Salustia Cipres (AND)

Czech Republic – Andorra
Referee: Marcel Bîrsan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: George Neacșu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sorin Antonie (ROU)
Referee Observer: Gunnar Jonsson (ISL)

Albania – Kosovo
Referee: Marian Barbu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Imre Bucsi (ROU)
Fourth Official: Lucian Rusandu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Christos Nikolaidis (CYP)

England – Slovenia
Referee: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Arkadiusz Wojcik (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Niemirowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Damian Kos (POL)
Referee Observer: Tony Asumaa (FIN)

Italy – Ireland
Referee: Gergő Bogar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Theodoros Georgiou (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gergő Vígh-Tarsonyi (HUN)
Fourth Official: Mihaly Kapraly (HUN)
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez (ESP)

Norway – Azerbaijan
Referee: Luka Bilbija (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Dujak (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Amer Macić (BIH)
Fourth Official: Antoni Bandić (BIH)
Referee Observer: Ladislav Gadoši (SVK)

Wales – Gibraltar
Referee: Chrysovalandis Theouli (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Marios Kalogirou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Pavlos Georgiou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Georgios Nikolaou (CYP)
Referee Observer: Luc Wouters (BEL)

Denmark – Turkey
Referee: Miguel Nogueira (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Teixeira (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Bras (POR)
Fourth Official: Andre Narciso (POR)
Referee Observer: Viktor Kassai (HUN)

Concacaf Nations League 2022/2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

9-11 June 2022

League A

Panama – Martinique
Referee: Ismael Cornejo (SLV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Henri Pupiro (NCA)
Fourth Official: Jaime Herrera (SLV)

Canada – Curaçao
Referee: Nima Saghafi (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank Anderson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Corey Rockwell (USA)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)

USA – Grenada

Referee: Said Martinez (HON)

Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)

Assistant Referee 2: Zachari Zeegelaar (SUR)

Fourth Official: Oliver Vergara (PAN)

Mexico – Suriname
Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Helpys Feliz (DOM)
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon (CRC)

League B

Barbados – Guadeloupe
Referee: Raul Castro (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Browne (SKN)
Assistant Referee 2: Ainsley Rochard (TRI)
Fourth Official: Kwinsi Williams (TRI)

Antigua and Barbuda – Cuba
Referee: Kimbell Ward (SKN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Parry (SKN)
Assistant Referee 2: Ike Inniss (GUY)
Fourth Official: Reginald Gumbs (SKN)

Belize – French Guiana
Referee: Daniel Quintero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Berman Bermudez (NCA)
Assistant Referee 2: Horacio Molina (NCA)
Fourth Official: Felix Mojica (NCA)

St. Vincent and the Grenadines – Trinidad and Tobago
Referee: Alex Chilowicz (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Jassett Kerr-Wilson (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Jermaine Yee Sing (JAM)
Fourth Official: Reon Radix (GRA)

Bahamas – Nicaragua
Referee: Joseph Dickerson (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Tipaz (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Humberto Panjoj (GUA)
Fourth Official: Bryan Lopez (GUA)

Dominican Republic – Guatemala
Referee: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Ramirez (CRC)
Fourth Official: David Gomez (CRC)

Montserrat – Bermuda
Referee: Adonis Carrasco (DOM)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Cid (DOM)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Bare (DOM)
Fourth Official: Randy Encarnacion (DOM)

Guyana – Haiti
Referee: Luis Santander (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Soren Amalensi (SUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Angelo Doyle (BAR)
Fourth Official: Francia Gonzalez (MEX)

League C

Aruba – St. Kitts and Nevis
Referee: Daneon Parchment (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Ojay Duhaney (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicholas Anderson (JAM)
Fourth Official: Steffon Dewar (JAM)

Dominica – Saint Lucia
Referee: Odette Hamilton (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Washington (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Damian Williams (JAM)
Fourth Official: Neressa Goldson (JAM)

Cayman Islands – Puerto Rico
Referee: Sergio Reyna (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Iroots Appleton (ATG)
Assistant Referee 2: Wasnah Barnarde (ATG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)

US Virgin Islands – Bonaire
Referee: Marcos De Oliveira (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Christopher Wattam (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Micheal Barwegen (CAN)
Fourth Official: Drew Fischer (CAN)

Sint Maarten – Turks and Caicos Islands
Referee: Oscar Macias (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1:: Mayra Mora (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Gerson Orellana (HON)
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia (MEX)

UEFA Nations League 2022/2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

9-11 June 2022

League A

Switzerland – Spain
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Joost Van Zuilen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
VAR: Danny Makkelie (NED)
AVAR: Laurens Gerrets (NED)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

Portugal – Czech Republic
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Fourth Official: David Smajc (SVN)
VAR: Rade Obrenovic (SVN)
AVAR: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos (CRO)

Austria – France
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (GRE)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Angelos Evangelou (GRE)
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović (SRB)

Denmark – Croatia
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Winkler (POL)
Fourth Official: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
VAR: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
AVAR: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Netherlands – Poland
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ibrahim Uyarcan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardesler (TUR)
VAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
AVAR: Kemal Yilmaz (TUR)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Wales – Belgium
Referee: Benoit Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelien Berthomieu (FRA)
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard (FRA)
VAR: Benoit Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Frederic Haquette (FRA)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

England – Italy
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Musial (POL)
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
AVAR: Adam Kupsik (POL)
Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

Hungary – Germany
Referee: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Orrason (ISL)

League B

Sweden – Serbia
Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Lothar D’Hondt (BEL)
VAR: Jerome Brisard (FRA)
AVAR: Bastien Dechepy (FRA)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

Norway – Slovenia
Referee: Fabio Verissimo (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Mota (POR)
Fourth Official: Miguel Nogueira (POR)
VAR: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
AVAR: Miguel Moreira (POR)
Referee Observer: Neale Barry (ENG)

Albania – Israel
Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Rui Teixeira (POR)
Fourth Official: Andre Narciso (POR)
VAR: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
AVAR: Bruno Esteves (POR)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

Ukraine – Armenia
Referee: Daniel Stefanski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Dawid Golis (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Michal Obukowicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Lukasz Kuzma (POL)
VAR: Piotr Lasyk (POL)
AVAR: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL)
Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin (ROU)

Ireland – Scotland
Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Fourth Official: Rosario Abisso (ITA)
VAR: Gianluca Aureliano (ITA)
AVAR: Giacomo Paganessi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Michalis Koukoulakis (GRE)

Romania – Finland
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Staudinger (AUT)
Fourth Official: Josef Spurny (AUT)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Riem Hussein (GER)
Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva (LTU)

Montenegro – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Matteo Marchetti (ITA)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Mauro Vivenzi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

League C

Greece – Cyprus
Referee: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balazs Buzas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Kobor (HUN)
Fourth Official: Balazs Berke (HUN)
VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
AVAR: Mark Borsch (GER)
Referee Observer: Jens Larsen (DEN)

Kosovo – Northern Ireland
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Dennis Rasmussen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jens Maae (DEN)
VAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
AVAR: Erwin Blank (NED)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

North Macedonia – Georgia
Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: David Bitton (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sagy Metzamber (ISR)
Fourth Official: Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR)
VAR: David Fuxman (ISR)
AVAR: Ziv Adler (ISR)
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira (POR)

Gibraltar – Bulgaria
Referee: Petri Viljanen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mika Lamppu (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Riku Vihreävuori (FIN)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Al-Emara (FIN)
VAR: Pascal Muller (GER)
AVAR: Marco Achmuller (GER)
Referee Observer: Alon Yefet (ISR)

Azerbaijan – Slovakia
Referee: Donatas Rumsas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radius (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Dovydas Suziedelis (LTU)
Fourth Official: Robertas Valikonis (LTU)
VAR: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
AVAR: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Orhan Erdemir (TUR)

Belarus – Kazakhstan
Referee: Manuel Schuttengruber (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Rene Eisner (AUT)
VAR: Christian Ciochirca (AUT)
AVAR: Alan Kijas (AUT)
Referee Observer: Milan Karadžić (SRB)

Faroe Islands – Lithuania
Referee: Igor Pajac (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Pataki (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Mihalj (CRO)
Fourth Official: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
VAR: Dario Bel (CRO)
AVAR: Vedran Djurak (CRO)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Luxembourg – Turkey
Referee: Antonio Nobre (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Paulo Soares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Helder Malheiro (POR)
VAR: Luis Godinho (POR)
AVAR: Miguel Moreira (POR)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

League D

Malta – Estonia
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David Roome (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Fourth Official: Craig Napier (SCO)
VAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
AVAR: Clay Ruperti (NED)
Referee Observer: Domagoj Vučkov (CRO)

Moldova – Latvia
Referee: Andrew Madley (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Harry Lennard (ENG)
Fourth Official: Robert Jones (ENG)
VAR: Jarred Gillett (ENG)
AVAR: Lee Betts (ENG)
Referee Observer: Martin Hansson (SWE)

Andorra – Liechtenstein
Referee: Nejc Kajtazovic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Grega Kordez (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Fourth Official: Asmir Sagrkovic (SVN)
VAR: Rade Obrenovic (SVN)
AVAR: Aleksandar Matkovic (SVN)
Referee Observer: Vadims Direktorenko (LVA)

Buffon: “One of my team-mates punched referee Oliver in the ribs”

Former Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon described the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid in 2018 when he was red-carded as his proudest moment. He also revealed someone else punched referee Michael Oliver, yet he was the one to receive the red card. The Bianconeri produced a heroic performance after losing 3-0 at home in the first leg to take the lead by the same score line at the Bernabeu in the return leg, only for everything to change when Madrid was awarded a stoppage-time penalty. Buffon was red-carded for his furious reaction, while Cristiano Ronaldo dispatched the spot kick to send the eventual winners into the semi-final.

Speaking to La Stampa, Buffon said of the incident: “Madrid in 2018 is the match I am most proud of, even if I still don’t understand why the referee, Oliver, sent me off. I didn’t offend him and I think one of my team-mates gave him a punch or two in the ribs but it wasn’t me and I received the red!” That was the final Champions League match of Buffon’s spell with Juve. He reached the final on three occasions but never won it. He moved to Paris Saint-Germain that summer but suffered another shocking last-16 exit before returning to Juve as back-up and was eliminated at the same stage in each of his last two seasons before joining Parma.

Source: Football Italia

AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2022

Uzbekistan, 1-19 June 2022

Referees
1. Jonathan Barreiro (AUS)
2. Alex King (AUS)
3. Ma Ning (CHN, photo)
4. Ali Sabah (IRQ)
5. Mohanad Sarray (IRQ)
6. Yusuke Araki (JPN)
7. Yudai Yamamoto (JPN)
8. Kim Hee-Gon (KOR)
9. Ahmad Al-Ali (KUW)
10. Ali Shaban (KUW)
11. Ahmed Al-Kaf (OMA)
12. Saoud Al-Athbah (QAT)
13. Salman Falahi (QAT)
14. Mohammed Al-Hoish (KSA)
15. Khalid Al-Turais (KSA)
16. Hettikamkanamge Perera (SRI)
17. Hanna Hattab (SYR)
18. Mongkolchai Pechsri (THA)
19. Omar Al-Ali (UAE)
20. Adel Al-Naqbi (UAE)
21. Akhrol Riskullaev (UZB)

Assistant Referees
1. Owen Goldrick (AUS)
2. George Lakrindis (AUS)
3. Cao Yi (CHN)
4. Shi Xiang (CHN)
5. Watheq Al-Swaiedi (IRQ)
6. Ali Ubaydee (IRQ)
7. Isao Nishihashi (JPN)
8. Takumi Takagi (JPN)
9. Jang Jong-Pil (KOR)
10. Song Bong-Keun (KOR)
11. Abdulhadi Al-Anezi (KUW)
12. Abbas Gholoum (KUW)
13. Abu Al-Amri (OMA)
14. Rashid Al-Ghaithi (OMA)
15. Yousuf Al-Shamari (QAT)
16. Zahy Al-Shammari (QAT)
17. Khalaf Al-Shammari (KSA)
18. Yasir Al-Sultan (KSA)
19. Palitha Hemathunga (SRI)
20. Ali Ahmad (SYR)
21. Tanate Chuchuen (THA)
22. Rawut Nakarit (THA)
23. Sabet Al-Ali (UAE)
24. Ali Al-Nuaimi (UAE)

Video Assistant Referees
1. Shaun Evans (AUS)
2. Fu Ming (CHN)
3. Jumpei Iida (JPN)
4. Kim Woo-Sung (KOR)
5. Abdulla Al-Marri (QAT)
6. Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
7. Sivakorn Pu-Udom (THA)
8. Aziz Asimov (UZB)

Support Referees
1. Ammar Ashkanani (KUW)
2. Majed Al Shamrani (KSA)
3. Yahya Al-Mulla (UAE)
4. Rustam Lutfullin (UZB)