Refereeing World

FIFA U-20 World Cup – Quarter-finals (Matches 45-46)

3 June 2023

Israel – Brazil
Referee: Juan Calderon (CRC, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro (NCA)
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (NZL)
Reserve AR Bernard Mutukera (SOL)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Adonai Escobedo (MEX)
SVAR: Wiily Delajod (FRA)

Colombia – Italy
Referee: Salman Falahi (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Ramzan Al Naemi (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Majid Al Shammari (QAT)
Fourth Official: Mohamed Marouf (EGY)
Reserve AR: Zakaria Brinsi (MAR)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Carlos Orbe (ECU)
SVAR: Kim Jong-Hyeok (KOR)

UEFA statement concerning referee Marciniak

UEFA received a statement from Mr. Marciniak expressing his deepest apologies and providing a clarification regarding his involvement in the event. UEFA has diligently investigated the allegations surrounding Szymon Marciniak's participation in an event organised in Katowice on 29 May 2023. These allegations are taken with utmost seriousness by UEFA and the entire football community as we unequivocally reject the values promoted by a group linked to this conference. Yesterday, we committed to gathering all relevant information and sought urgent clarification on this matter. After conducting a thorough review, we have received a statement from Mr. Marciniak expressing his deepest apologies and providing a clarification regarding his involvement in the event. We believe it is crucial to share his statement to address the concerns and ensure transparency.

I hope this statement will find its way to all those concerned, particularly the individuals who were rightfully alarmed and disappointed by my participation in the "Everest" event organised in Katowice on 29 May 2023. I want to express my deepest apologies for my involvement and any distress or harm it may have caused. Upon reflection and further investigation, it has become evident that I was gravely misled and completely unaware of the true nature and affiliations of the event in question. I had no knowledge that it was associated a Polish extreme-right movement. Had I been aware of this fact, I would have categorically declined the invitation. It is important to understand that the values promoted by this movement are entirely contrary to my personal beliefs and the principles I strive to uphold in my life. I am deeply remorseful for any perception that my participation may have contradicted them. As a professional deeply committed to the game of football, I want to emphasise my unwavering support for the values championed by UEFA, particularly inclusivity and respect for all individuals regardless of their background. These principles lie at the very core of the spirit of football and align seamlessly with my personal beliefs. Moreover, I wholeheartedly condemn any form of hate, discrimination, or intolerance, as they have no place within the sport or society as a whole. I also want to highlight my commitment to combating discrimination in football. I was among the first referees in the world, and certainly the first in my country, to apply the "three-step procedure" in response to a serious discriminatory incident during a match in Poland. Moving forward, I pledge to be more vigilant in scrutinising the events and organisations with which I associate myself. I am committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that such lapses in judgment do not occur in the future. Lastly, I extend my sincere apologies to the clubs, players, fans, colleagues, officials and organisations who place their trust in me. I fully comprehend that my actions have had repercussions beyond personal disappointment, and I am fully prepared to accept any consequences resulting from my ill-advised participation. Thank you for your understanding, and I humbly request an opportunity to make amends and regain your trust through my future actions.

Sincerely,

Szymon Marciniak

Following Mr. Marciniak's statement, UEFA acknowledges his profound apologies and clarification. UEFA also reached out to "NEVERAGAIN," an NGO affiliated with the FARE network, which raised the initial concerns about Mr. Marciniak's involvement in the event. They requested that Mr. Marciniak remain in his role as the referee for the upcoming UEFA Champions League final, firmly asserting that removing him would undermine the promotion of anti-discrimination. Based on the information provided, UEFA confirms that Mr. Marciniak will fulfil his role as the referee for the 2023 UEFA Champions League final. UEFA is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, respectful and fair-play football environment, and stands firmly against hate, discrimination, and intolerance. We reiterate our commitment to promoting unity, respect, and fair play within the beautiful game. We look forward to a thrilling UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City FC and FC Internazionale Milano next week at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium.

Source: UEFA

Concacaf U-20 Women’s Championship Final 2023:

4 June 2023

Mexico – USA/Costa Rica
Referee:
Assistant Referee 1:
Assistant Referee 2:
Fourth Official:
VAR:
AVAR:

Mourinho charged with abusing match official, as new footage shows football fans at airport hurling abuse at referee Taylor

Jose Mourinho has been charged with insulting and abusing a match official, the governing body UEFA has said, after the football manager was filmed shouting at officials following AS Roma's loss to Sevilla in the Europa League final. Mourinho was critical of the refereeing after the game, saying: "It was an intense, masculine, vibrant game with a referee who seemed Spanish. It was yellow, yellow, yellow all the time." The Roma manager was then seen shouting abuse at English referee Anthony Taylor in the VIP car park following the Italian team's defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League final.

It comes as new footage has surfaced capturing the terrifying abuse hurled at Taylor and his family by a group of Roma fans at Budapest Airport after the Italian side's defeat by Sevilla. A video of the incident shows dozens of football fans standing up from their seats at a café and surrounding Taylor and his family while filming him with their phones.

The 44-year-old can be seen getting up from his table and picking up his bags while he speaks to his family as the fans encircle them, chanting abuse and insults following the ill-tempered final on Wednesday. Two airport security guards remain close to them as the fans continue to shout, and the family is soon ushered out of the café and into a secure area away as the supporters hound him. The clip also shows a chair and a bottle being thrown in the direction of Taylor and his group, which included two women.

The Premier League has condemned fans following the abuse Taylor and his family faced after the UEFA Europa League Final. A spokesperson said: "We are shocked and appalled by the unacceptable abuse directed at Anthony Taylor and his family as they travelled back from the UEFA Europa League Final. No one should have to suffer the inexcusable behaviour they had to endure yesterday. Anthony is one of our most experienced and accomplished match officials and we fully support him and his family." PGMOL, the English referees body, said in a statement it was "aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport. We are appalled at the unjustified and abhorrent abuse directed at Anthony and his family as he tries to make his way home from refereeing the UEFA Europa League final," it said. "We will continue to provide our full support to Anthony and his family."

In a statement supplied to Sky News, Budapest Airport said a 42-year-old Italian citizen involved in the incident was "apprehended by the police and criminal proceedings have been initiated on charges of affray". It added: "Fans of the losing Roma team recognised the referee in the food court of the airport, where he was waiting for his flight to depart. Thanks to the airport operator's close cooperation with the police and the increased police presence at the airport during the arrival and departure of the fans, the authorities intervened immediately, and the referee was escorted to a lounge and boarded his flight safely, accompanied by police officers. Budapest Airport and the police wish to make it clear that there is zero tolerance towards violence of any kind towards passengers or staff working at the airport."

Sevilla won on penalties to condemn Roma manager Jose Mourinho to his first defeat in a European final after a match that saw Premier League referee Taylor dish out 14 yellow cards, the most ever in a Europa League game, and play almost 30 minutes of stoppage time in total. After the game, footage that has been shared widely on social media showed Mourinho directing a string of expletives towards the officials in the car park, labelling their performance a "disgrace".

Source: SkyNews

Concacaf U-20 Women’s Championship 2023 – Semi-finals

2 June 2023

Mexico – Canada
Referee: Astrid Gramajo (GUA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Iris Vail (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Lourdes Noriega (HON)
Fourth Official: Natalie Simon (USA)
VAR: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)
AVAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)

USA – Costa Rica
Referee: Sandra Benítez (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Lidia Ayala (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivett Santiago (CUB)
Fourth Official: Odette Hamilton (JAM)
VAR: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)
AVAR: Francia Gonzalez (MEX)

Australian Beath whistles full-time on his decorated career

Chris Beath, one of Australia's most decorated football referees, has announced that this Saturday’s Isuzu UTE A-League Men's Grand Final will be his 234th and final A-League/A-League Men match as a referee, as he hangs up the whistle.

The 38-year-old Queenslander made his A-League refereeing debut on 28 September 2008 in the match between Wellington Phoenix FC and Sydney FC and retires with a record number of A-League/A-League Men matches refereed, and fifth all time in men's national league history. His 15-year national league career ends with this weekend's decider being his fourth consecutive appointment as referee for the A-League/A-League Men's Grand Final, in addition to refereeing the inaugural FFA Cup (now Australia Cup) Final in 2014, an achievement that a referee is only provided once in their career. Having been included on the FIFA International List of Referees in 2011, Beath was added to the AFC Elite Match Official Panel in 2013, regularly officiating matches in the AFC Champions League, as well as qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup. Across a 13-year international career, Beath refereed at two AFC Asian Cups in 2015 and 2019, two AFC U-23 Championships in 2018 and 2020 (including the 2020 Final), the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019, and was a video match official at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. The past four years saw Beath’s international achievements progress even further, with him refereeing the men’s Gold Medal Match at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (Brazil v Spain), the Final of the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup (Chelsea FC v Palmeiras) and being appointed to the Panel for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022. Beath’s final appointment as an international match official will be as a video match official for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 - his second in that role - to be played in Australia and New Zealand.

“I’ve had such an incredible journey with football over the past thirty years. From playing as a junior to refereeing elite football in more than thirty countries, including some of the biggest tournaments in world football,” Beath said. “My career wouldn’t have been possible without the support of a huge group of people over the years. Professionally, the team at Football Australia, and closer to home my long-term coach Ted Kearney, and my entire family, more specifically my wife Sara, and our three kids. For now, my focus and preparation are solely on the match coming up on Saturday which the team and I are very much looking forward to,” Beath concluded.

Football Australia Head of Referees Nathan Magill said: “Chris Beath's retirement marks the end of an incredible career in football refereeing. His record of 234 A-League matches, and four consecutive A-League Men's Grand Final appointments demonstrate exceptional commitment and professionalism. From his debut in 2008, to earning spots on the FIFA International List, and the AFC Elite Match Official Panel, Chris has been a beacon of excellence on a global scale. His role in major international tournaments such as the AFC Asian Cups, the Tokyo Olympics, and FIFA World Cups, has elevated his stature and positively influenced football domestically and globally. As Chris prepares for his final assignment as a video match official for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, we acknowledge his immense contribution to football. His career will continue to inspire many upcoming referees. We're thankful for his years of dedicated service and look forward to his ongoing involvement in football.”

Source: Football Australia

Hategan returns to refereeing 443 days after heart attack

After more than a year, Ovidiu Hațegan will referee an official match at the again. The 42-year-old referee was appointed to the Unirea Ungheni – Corvinul Hunedoara match, the first leg of the promotion play-off in League 2, on Saturday, 3 June 2023. Hațegan will be joined by assistants Sebastian Gheorghe and Alexandru Corb, fourth official Mircea Ardelean, and observer Ioan Onicas.

At the end of March 2022, Ovidiu Hațegan suffered a heart attack at the end of a training session. The surgical intervention was successful, the issue being solved with a stent. At that time, Hațegan was on the list of candidate referees expected to go to Qatar for the World Cup towards the end of the year. He needed a recovery period, but he resumed his activity as VAR only 3 months after the heart surgery he went through, at the Romanian Supercup, the first match with the VAR system in Romanian football. Later he was appointed VAR and some European matches. The last official match that Ovidiu Hațegan refereed on the field was Olympique Lyon – FC Porto, 1-1, played on 17 March 2022, in the UEFA Europa League. On 20 April 2023, Hațegan was invited by his local club UTA to referee a friendly game between the senior team and the U-18 team.

Source: FRF

UEFA U-17 Euro Final 2023: Karaoglan (TUR)

2 June 2023

Germany – France
Referee: Atilla Karaoglan (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Tugral (TUR)

Assistant Referee 2: Milan Šutulović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Miloš Milanović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers (NED)

UEFA Europa League Final 2023: Taylor (ENG)

Since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, there has been much to savour in refereeing terms for the 44-year-old English match official from Altrincham in the north-western metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. He was a member of the FIFA World Cup team in Qatar in November and December, and also officiated the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final in Morocco in February. These follow previous major European assignments as a referee for UEFA: The UEFA Super Cup match between Bayern Munich and Sevilla – also in Budapest – in 2020 and the 2021 UEFA Nations League final between France and Spain in Milan. Two years ago, he was part of the referee team for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament; in the less recent past, he was also an additional assistant referee (AAR) for the 2014 Super Cup match, 2015 UEFA Europa League final and the UEFA Euro and UEFA Champions League finals in 2016. Add Taylor’s regular appointments at the summit of the English domestic game, and it is crystal clear why the former prison officer is enjoying a fulfilling journey as one of the leading referees on this continent and beyond.

Dedication and focus

Another huge occasion awaits Taylor and his team in the Hungarian capital’s Puskás Aréna on Wednesday. He is approaching the event with the same dedication and professional attitude that has marked his refereeing career since he was encouraged as a teenager to stop criticising referees as a spectator and to try doing the job himself. “My mother told me to give refereeing a go because she was tired of hearing me complaining about the referee when I was watching my local [current English National League] team Altrincham FC,” the father of two daughters reflects. A course was booked, and that timely advice set Taylor on a challenging pathway through local football and the English non-league set-up – a road that would pave the way for duty as an English Football League referee (2006-10) and lead to his promotion to the English Premier League elite in 2010. He then gained his international badge in 2013 to open the door to assignments in Europe and beyond.

English support

Taylor will be accompanied in Budapest by a team composed mainly of English match officials – starting with assistant referees Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn, fourth official Michael Oliver and reserve assistant referee Stuart Burt. Fellow Englishmen Stuart Attwell and Christopher Kavanagh have been assigned video assistant referee (VAR) duties together with Bastian Dankert (Germany). “I’m pleased that I’ll be working with a lot of English colleagues at the final,” Taylor reflects. “We all know each other extremely well. Gary and Adam have been long-time assistants with me, and we’re happy that we’ve fulfilled a lot of common targets together this season. We want to demonstrate real leadership qualities to the rest of the referees in England to show what you can achieve through hard work and commitment.” “Humility, honesty and mental resilience” – three characteristics that Taylor identifies as keys to success for a top referee, in addition to the priceless ability to manage people. “You’ve got to remember that in dealing with teams, players and coaches, we’re operating in a people-oriented environment,” he explains. “You need to understand players’ characteristics, how they behave and what triggers their emotions. You can speak to one player in a way that won’t work with another player. This means that a lot of my focus as a referee is about studying individual players and their characters, especially in pressure situations.”

Mental strength a ‘must’

“People must also understand the mental toughness that a referee requires. At the top level, there are pressures and expectations, you’re under scrutiny and you’re taking important decisions. It’s not always possible to give a 100%-perfect performance. Sometimes you’re unhappy with yourself, and it’s vital that you’re able to cope. Referees now put a lot of emphasis on how they approach the mental side of the job. Some of us can fall back on our earlier professional experiences – my job was very important in this respect. Otherwise, there is a lot of psychological help and support given to us nowadays, which certainly stands referees in good stead.” A distinguished career at the top of his trade does not mean that Taylor and his refereeing team have run out of objectives to set for the future. “Yes, there are still goals to achieve,” he explains. “There’s no reason for us not to believe that we can reach new targets.” The first immediate aim is to be totally prepared for one of European club football’s biggest occasions in Budapest this week. “You gradually build up your full concentration after arriving at the stadium and as the match approaches,” Taylor says. “You often get the case in a big match such as a final that something will happen in the first couple of minutes, so you need to ready and switched on, and be able to set markers and lines so that the teams know what is expected of them and what is acceptable or not”. Anthony Taylor has come a long way since he was a self-confessed ‘moaner’ about referees as a teenage fan on the terraces. He will have a great deal to look back on and cherish when he finally calls it a day as a referee – and he agrees with the viewpoint that being a referee can help people develop in every walk of life. “There’s no better example of this than when you take a young grassroots referee at the age of 15 or 16 and observe their development over the next couple of years,” he explains. “You see their confidence levels increase at home, or at school or college. They become much more comfortable about taking decisions. You learn about commitment, and how to set and work towards goals. Being a referee can greatly enhance people’s overall life skills – I think there’s no doubt about that.” (Source: UEFA)

31 May 2023

FC Sevilla – AS Roma

Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)

Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)

Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)

Fourth Official: Michael Oliver (ENG)

Reserve AR: Stuart Burt (ENG)

VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)

AVAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)

SVAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)

Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers (NED)

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