New FIFA List: Video Match Officials

FIFA has recently updated their Regulations on the Nomination and Appointment of FIFA International Match Officials. The biggest news is the addition of a new list in 2021 - video match officials - that could include active referees or assistant referees, as well as retired match officials. The proposed video match officials shall have officiated regularly first division matches in their country for at least two years and have officiated at least 15 matches as a VMO. There is no fitness requirement for this role. A minor change is that, starting next year, FIFA referees can wear their FIFA badge not only when officiating as referees, but also for other roles, which was not allowed before. Finally, these regulations indicate that “match officials shall wear their respective FIFA badges at all international matches”; however, that might not be fully applicable with the recently introduced UEFA and CONMEBOL badges. 


Nomination conditions 
1. Lists of candidates including both women and men shall be compiled for: 
a) referees 
b) assistant referees 
c) video match officials 
d) futsal referees 
e) beach soccer referees. 
2. When nominating a candidate, member associations shall observe the following conditions: 
a) Candidates may be nominated for only one list, except for video match officials (VMOs), who can also be referees or assistant referees. 
b) Member associations that do not have an organised league may not make any nominations. 
c) The maximum number of match officials from each member association shall be decided annually by the FIFA Referees Committee, taking the following factors, among others, into account: 
I. The level of refereeing of each member association
II. The level or professionalization of competitions within each member association
d) The proposed match officials shall be at least 25 years old (23 years old in the case of assistant referees) on 1 January of the year for which they have been nominated. 
e) The proposed match officials shall have officiated regularly at matches at the highest level in the member association of their country for at least two years. 
f) Only candidates who have officiated more often as assistant referees than as referees in the previous 12 months may be considered for the list of international assistant referees. 
g) The proposed video match officials (VMOs) shall have officiated regularly at matches at the highest level in the member association of their country for at least two years and have officiated at least 15 matches as a VMO. They can also be directly certified by FIFA or the confederations. There is no fitness requirement for this role. 
h) The proposed match officials shall have passed the appropriate FIFA fitness test related to their category, as well as a medical examination certifying that they are fit to act as match officials within the four months prior to the deadline for nomination for the FIFA Refereeing International Lists (1 June – 30 September). FIFA reserves the right to require match officials over the age of 45 to undergo additional technical assessments as well as specific medical examinations and fitness testing on a case-by-case basis. 
i) Candidates who are temporarily injured, ill or pregnant (or recovering from pregnancy and/or childbirth) at the time of nomination may be approved provisionally until they have passed the above-mentioned medical examination and physical fitness test and FIFA has received official notification of the results. 
j) The member associations shall supply FIFA with the rankings of the proposed match officials based on the marks obtained at national level. These rankings shall apply only to first-division matches at which they have officiated in the 12 months prior to their nomination. 
k) Nominations must be submitted no later than 1 October via the link provided by FIFA Refereeing. 
l) Failure to fulfil any of the foregoing conditions will lead to rejection of the candidate(s) in question. 

Changing roles 
International match officials included in one of the lists for any given year may not be proposed for any other list until a period of 12 months (for specialised training) has elapsed. This period shall begin on the day on which the match official concerned no longer appears on the international list. The video match official (VMO) role is exempted from this article. 

Conflicts of interest 
Match officials proposed for the lists may not exercise any official function as a member of an executive committee, as a general secretary, or as a member of the referees committee of any football club, member association, confederation or FIFA during the year for which they have been appointed. 

Validation of Nomination 
The FIFA Referees Committee shall decide upon any nominations for the FIFA Refereeing International Lists. The FIFA Referees Committee may consult the confederations before reaching a decision. 

Allotments 
The FIFA Referees Committee reserves the right to decide on the number of match officials that it deems appropriate for each category of match officials, and may disregard the rankings provided by the member associations under art. 6 par. 2 j) of these regulations. 

Badges 
The selected match officials shall receive FIFA international match official badges representing the category for which they were approved. The match officials shall wear their respective badges at all international matches which they officiate during the year for which they were appointed and may wear them for domestic matches as well. They may not, however, wear their FIFA international match official badge if it does not match their role in a match, unless they are a FIFA international referee, in which case they can also wear their badge for other roles. 

Expectations of behaviour 
FIFA international match officials shall be role models. As such, they are expected to behave with dignity and respect, while complying with all applicable FIFA regulations and guidelines. 

Suspension and removal requests by a member association 
The member association to which an international match official is affiliated may submit a formal request to the FIFA Referees Committee to suspend or remove the match official from the lists for any justifiable reason. 

Suspensions and removals by the FIFA Referees Committee 
The FIFA Referees Committee reserves the right to suspend or remove any international match official from the lists on grounds of performance, behaviour or for any other justifiable reason.

Source: FIFA

CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2020 – Second Round (Second Leg)

3-5 November 2020

Liverpool – Sport Huancayo
Referee: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Andres Merlos (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Pastorino (URU)

Bolivar – Audax Italiano
Referee: Kevin Ortega (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Orue (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Sanchez (PER)
Fourth Official: Miguel Santivanez (PER)
Referee Assessor: Juan Lugones (BOL)

Deportes Tolima – Union La Calera
Referee: Augusto Aragon (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Andres Tola (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU)
Fourth Official: Franklin Congo (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Oscar Ruiz (COL)

Defensa y Justicia – Sportivo Luqueno
Referee: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Horacio Ferreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Santiago Fernandez (URU)
Fourth Official: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Sabrina Lois (ARG)

Sao Paulo – Lanus
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Fourth Official: Orlando Bracamonte (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Emerson de Carvalho (BRA)

River Plate – Atletico Nacional
Referee: Andres Merlos (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Yesso (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Mariana Almeida (ARG)
Fourth Official: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Juan Cardellino (URU)

Huachipato – Fenix
Referee: Ivo Mendez (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Montano (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ariel Guizada (BOL)
Fourth Official: Christian Aleman (BOL)
Referee Assessor: Barbra Bastias (CHI)

Caracas – Vasco da Gama
Referee: John Ospina (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Dionisio Ruiz (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexander Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Bismarks Santiago (COL)
Referee Assessor: Miguel Buitrago (VEN)

Penarol – Velez
Referee: Flavio de Souza (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo van Gasse (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Neuza Back (BRA)
Fourth Official: Rafael Traci (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Dario Ubriaco (URU)

Deportivo Cali – Millonarios
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guilherme Camilo (BRA)
Fourth Official: Edina Alves (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)

Estudiantes de Merida – Coquimbo Unido
Referee: Luis Quiroz (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Baren (ECU)
Fourth Official: Roberto Sanchez (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Candelario Andarcia (VEN)

Emelec – Union
Referee: Angelo Hermosilla (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Edson Cisternas (CHI)
Fourth Official: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Omar Ponce (ECU)

Universidad Catolica – Sol de America
Referee: Fernando Espinoza (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Navarro (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Julio Fernandez (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Echenique (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Francisco Mondria (CHI)

Atletico Tucuman – Independiente
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Canete (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Cuevas (PAR)
Fourth Official: Derlis Lopez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Ricardo Casas (ARG)

Bahia – Melgar
Referee: Cristian Garay (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Orellana (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Felipe Gonzalez (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Regildenia Moura (BRA)

Atletico Junior – Plaza Colonia
Referee: Angel Arteaga (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lubin Torrealba (VEN)
Fourth Official: Juan Soto (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Abraham Gonzalez (COL)

FIFA: Everyone should feel safe and welcome in our game

Norwegian referee Tom Harald Hagen announced on Monday “the time is right” after publicly coming out as gay in a newspaper interview. Hagen is a former FIFA referee, who officiated at international level, particularly in European competitions and FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers, and is currently active in the Norwegian league. Speaking to Norwegian newspaper Glamdalen, Hagen said: “There’s been an incredible number of nice words and messages. I'm a little surprised over how much attention it has received, but it's very nice to read messages especially from young football players, referees, supporters, players and coaches. Also, parents have thanked me on behalf of their children.” 
FIFA commends Hagen on this courageous decision. For an active actor of the game to come out, and the positive reactions that this has generated overall, sends a clear message in favour of diversity. Football has to be for all and Tom Harald’s brave move is important to show the way and make everyone feel safe and welcome in our game,” said FIFA’s Chief Social Responsibility and Education Officer Joyce Cook. President of the Norwegian Football Association Terje Svendsen was equally positive towards Hagen for his openness. Talking to the Norwegian FA’s website he said: “The fact that there are very few men who are openly gay in football, and that hostile comments are a challenge, shows we still have a job to do in our organisation and culture. It's so good to have role models like Tom Harald. I hope this results in a development where more men come forward as gay and more people choose football.” 
FIFA has been taking concrete measures to promote diversity and anti-discrimination in football, in particular discrimination based on sexual orientation. The FIFA Good Practice Guide on Diversity and Anti-Discrimination supports all FIFA member associations to strengthen their activities to ensure a welcoming atmosphere free of discrimination. The structure and all good practice examples in the guide are all applicable to fight homophobia. In addition, FIFA directly assists member associations to develop action plans with a comprehensive approach looking at regulations, education, sanctions and controls, networking and engagement, as well as communication. Following a number of sanctions based on homophobic incidents, FIFA is currently working on pilot projects with individual member associations to prevent further incidents. FIFA is also actively raising awareness on this topic, for instance with the annual FIFA Diversity Award launched in 2016. The annual jury systematically includes experts from the football family who have spoken out against homophobia in football themselves (past jury members include: former USA international and FIFA Women's World Cup™ winner Abby Wambach, former German international Thomas Hitzlsperger, and English referee Ryan Atkin) and past nominees and finalists include the International Gay & Lesbian Football Association, Football v Homophobia and the Russian LGBT Sport Federation. Finally, the FIFA Disciplinary Code was updated in 2019 in line with the highest international standards and makes clear that contemptuous, discriminatory or derogatory words or actions on account of sexual orientation shall be sanctioned. 

Source: FIFA

Kamnueng: I want an Asian female to officiate in a FIFA World Cup

When Pannipar Kamnueng was appointed Thailand FA’s Director of Referees Department in 2016, she became the world's first female to hold such a position in a national association. The appointment was a testament to her pedigree as a top-quality former international referee having officiated matches in a series of FIFA women's tournaments. Successful as she was, however, Kamnueng quickly became aware of the added layer of challenges she would face. "It was difficult for a woman to lead over a thousand men of different characters," Kamnueng, who was appointed AFC Referees Department's Manager in mid-2019, told FIFA.com. "I had to think and work hard to manage their development both on the domestic front and at the international level. "There was a lot of pressure. At times, I sat alone and cried secretly for some frustrating reasons which I couldn't tell anyone. But I was determined to do the job well. Before as a referee I had experiences of dealing with all sorts of difficulties. Nothing could stop me working hard." As it turned out, three years of hard work saw Kamnueng achieve new success in the managerial role with a growing number of qualified referees developed during her tenure. "We have produced quite a few Thai referees who have grown into qualified international referees,” the 44-year-old said. “I am happy to make my family proud of me." 
An athletic youngster interested in multiple sports in her early days, Kamnueng gravitated towards playing football. Following university she turned to refereeing on the advice of a teacher. Having spent a few years officiating matches on the domestic front, her career turned a new leaf when she was nominated as a match official in the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, hosted by Thailand. Having officiated a group match between Russia and Spain, Kamnueng’s second test came in a quarter-final encounter between Brazil and Russia. During the match she awarded the Brazilians a free-kick from which the South Americans scored and went on to win. But after the match, she realised her decision was a mistake. “I knew I needed to work hard and improve.” Kamnueng continued to make progress on the international scene being the first Asian referee to officiate a final match at the Algarve Cup [in 2006], before embracing what was her first FIFA Women's World Cup™ at China 2007 where she was appointed to officiate a group game between Brazil and New Zealand. "It was really a dream come true to work at a Women's World Cup for me," she said. "I was the first Thai female referee to do so in the Women’s World Cup. And this time I was calm and had a decent match as the referee because I had completed a thorough preparation thanks to FIFA in the lead-up." Kamnueng didn't look back thereafter. She went on to figure at the Women's Olympic Football Tournament China 2008, before appearing in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games 2010 in Singapore. Her career culminated when she officiated the third-place play-off between Venezuela and Italy in the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica. "I started as a young referee in 2004 and ten years on, I ended up officiating one of the final-stage matches at a FIFA tournament," she said. "They were great experiences working at all these FIFA tournaments. I had the opportunity of witnessing first-class professionalism by the players and officials alike. The competition levels [at FIFA tournaments] were very high so I learned how to work under pressure." 
By any standards, Kamnueng is highly accomplished and a big inspiration for young girls pursuing a refereeing career across the world. And with her new role leading the AFC Referees Department, she has been able to set fresh goals for herself, primarily to promote female referees’ opportunities officiating in men’s competitions. "I strongly feel female referees can perform well in men's matches if they are given enough opportunities. I am for the women referees who passed the men's fitness test and served in this year's AFC Cup," she said, citing the three Japanese referees who formed an all-female officiating team in an AFC Cup match in May 2019. "Now I am on a project aimed at promoting female referees’ fitness and my goal is to have an Asian woman referee to officiate a FIFA World Cup match. We will try to promote the women's referee's work across Asia, to enhance their quality and help them reach world-class levels.” 

Source: FIFA

UEFA Europa League 2020/2021 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

29 October 2020

Royal Antwerp – Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Federico La Penna (ITA)
Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin (SVN)

AC Milan – Sparta Praha
Referee: Halis Özkahya (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kerem Ersoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Çem Satman (TUR)
Fourth Official: Alper Ulusoy (TUR)
Referee Observer: Domagoj Vuckov (CRO) 

LOSC Lille – Celtic FC
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Fourth Official: Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Jens Larsen (DEN) 

AEK Athens – Leicester City
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Referee Observer: Marian Ružbarsky (SVK)

Zorya Luhansk – SC Braga
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 1: Levan Varamishvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Zaza Pipia (GEO)
Fourth Official: Georgi Vadachkoria (GEO)
Referee Observer: Ray Ellingham (WAL)

Sivasspor – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Amer Macić (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Admir Šehović (BIH)
Referee Observer: Kenneth Clark (SCO)

Qarabag FK – Villarreal CF
Referee: Pavel Orel (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Petr Blažej (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jiri Križ (CZE)
Fourth Official: Ondrej Pechanec (CZE)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

LASK – PFC Ludogorets
Referee: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
Referee Observer: Goran Mihaljević (MNE)

Feyenoord – Wolfsberger AC
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Viktor Kopiievskyi (UKR)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

CSKA Moskva – GNK Dinamo
Referee: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Grigoriu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marcel Birsan (ROU)
Referee Observer: Ferenc Szekely (HUN)

Crvena Zvezda – Slovan Liberec
Referee: Fabio Verissimo (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Campos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Martins (POR)
Fourth Official: Antonio Nobre (POR)
Referee Observer: Orhan Erdemir (TUR)

KAA Gent – TSG Hoffenheim
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Fedayi San (SUI)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

AS Roma – CSKA Sofia
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitri Zhuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleg Maslyanko (BLR)
Fourth Official: Denis Scherbakov (BLR)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

CFR Cluj – Young Boys
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist (SWE)
Fourth Official: Bojan Pandžić (SWE)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Ivanov (RUS)

Arsenal – Dundalk
Referee: Filip Glova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Bednar (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: František Ferenc (SVK)
Fourth Official: Michal Ocenaš (SVK)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

Molde FK – Rapid Wien
Referee: Petr Ardeleanu (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Nadvornik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Petr Caletka (CZE)
Fourth Official: Karel Hrubes (CZE)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

OGC Nice – Hapoel Beer Sheva
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Cook (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Sian Massey-Ellis (ENG)
Fourth Official: Peter Bankes (ENG)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

Slavia Praha – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Ross (SCO)
Fourth Official: Nicholas Walsh (SCO)
Referee Observer: Jan Carlsen (DEN)

Rangers FC – Lech Poznan
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Silver Koiv (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Aron Härsing (EST)
Fourth Official: Juri Frischer (EST)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

SL Benfica – Standard de Liege
Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jeremie Pignard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Michalis Koukoulakis (GRE)

Omonia FC – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radius (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Dovydas Sužiedėlis (LTU)
Fourth Official: Donatas Šimenas (LTU)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernandez Marin (ESP)

Granada CF – PAOK FC
Referee: Tiago Martins (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Pedro Almeida (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Hugo Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Helder Malheiro (POR)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

AZ Alkmaar – HNK Rijeka
Referee: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Usachev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Valeri Danchenko (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergei Lapochkin (RUS)
Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin (ROU)

Real Sociedad – SSC Napoli
Referee: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ian Hussin (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley (ENG)
Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian (FRA)

UEFA Champions League 2020/2021 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

27 October 2020
Lokomotiv Moskva – Bayern München
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Marius Avram (ROU)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

Shakhtar Donetsk – Internazionale Milano 
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Volen Chinkov (BUL)
VAR: Felix Zwayer (GER)
AVAR: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista (POR)

Atletico de Madrid – FC Salzburg
Referee: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Șovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
VAR: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
AVAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA) 
Referee Observer: Emil Bozhinovski (MKD)

Borussia Mönchengladbach – Real Madrid
Referee: Orel Grinfeld (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1:  Roy Hassan (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz (ISR)
VAR: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
AVAR: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED) 

FC Porto – Olympiacos FC
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Marco Fritz (GER)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Mark Borsch (GER) 
Referee Observer: Martin Hansson (SWE) 

Olympique de Marseille – Manchester City
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Pickel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner (GER)
VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
AVAR: Harm Osmers (GER) 
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

Atalanta BC – AFC Ajax
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN) 
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Fourth Official: Dragoslav Perič (SVN)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Peter Sippel (GER) 

Liverpool FC – FC Midtjylland
Referee: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik (POL)
Fourth Official: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
VAR: Pawel Gil (POL)
AVAR: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez (ESP)

28 October 2020
FC Krasnodar – Chelsea FC
Referee: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ceyhun Sesigüzel (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Serkan Olguncan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU) 

Istanbul Başakşehir – Paris St. Germain
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Hallberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
AVAR: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Sevilla FC – Stade Rennais
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Halil Meler (TUR)
VAR: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
AVAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

Club Brugge – Lazio
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gari Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: Paul Tierney (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR: Lee Betts (ENG) 
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Borussia Dortmund – FC Zenit
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED) 
Fourth Official: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
VAR:  Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

Ferencvarosi TC – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaš Somolani (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Boris Marhefka (SVK)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER) 
Referee Observer: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)

Juventus – FC Barcelona
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout (NED)
VAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

Manchester United – RB Leipzig
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež (SVN)
Fourth Official: Pawel Gil (POL)
VAR: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
AVAR: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)

CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2020 – Second Round (First Leg)

27-29 October 2020

Audax Italiano – Bolivar 
Referee: Fernando Espinoza (ARG, photo) 
Assistant Referee 1: Julio Fernandez (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Navarro (ARG) 
Fourth Official: Felipe Gonzalez (CHI) 
Referee Assessor: Jorge Osorio (CHI) 

Sport Huancayo – Liverpool
Referee: Marlon Vera (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Aguiar (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Dennys Guerrero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Carlos Betancur (COL)
Referee Assessor: Cesar Mongrut (PER)

Union La Calera – Deportes Tolima
Referee: Fernando Echenique (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ariel Guizada (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Montano (BOL)
Fourth Official: Christian Aleman (BOL)
Referee Assessor: Patricio Polic (CHI)

Fenix – Huachipato
Referee: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Andres Merlos (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Dario Ubriaco (URU)

Sportivo Luqueno – Defensa y Justicia
Referee: Andres Matonte (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Soppi (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Fourth Official: Juan Lopez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Torres (PAR)

Atletico Nacional – River Plate
Referee: Angel Arteaga (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lubin Torrealba (VEN)
Fourth Official: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Referee Assessor: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)

Lanus – Sao Paulo
Referee: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Horacio Ferreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Santiago Fernandez (URU)
Fourth Official: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Ricardo Casas (ARG)

Vasco da Gama – Caracas
Referee: Michael Espinoza (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Coty Carrera (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Raul Lopez (PER)
Fourth Official: Wagner Magalhaes (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Nilson Moncao (BRA)

Velez Sarsfield – Penarol
Referee: Derlis Lopez (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Canete (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Cuevas (PAR)
Fourth Official: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Sergio Viola (ARG)

Millonarios – Deportivo Cali

Referee: Franklin Congo (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Andres Tola (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Monica Amboya (ECU)
Fourth Official: John Ospina (COL)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)

Sol de America – Universidad Catolica
Referee: Nicolas Lamolina (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucas Germanotta (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Daiana Milone (ARG)
Fourth Official: Mario Diaz de Vivar (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Joel Ruiz (PAR)

Union – Emelec
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Canete (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Cuevas (PAR)
Fourth Official: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)

Coquimbo Unido – Estudiantes de Merida
Referee: Christian Aleman (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Montano (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ariel Guizada (BOL)
Fourth Official: Fernando Espinoza (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Barbra Bastias (CHI)

Independiente – Atletico Tucuman
Referee: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Horacio Ferreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Santiago Fernandez (URU)
Fourth Official: Derlis Lopez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Angel Sanchez (ARG)

Melgar – Bahia
Referee: Carlos Betancur (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Sebastian Vela (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Gallego (COL)
Fourth Official: Marlon Vera (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Manuel Yupanqui (PER)

Plaza Colonia – Junior
Referee: Andres Merlos (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Yesso (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Mariana Almeida (ARG)
Fourth Official: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Silvera (URU)

CAF Confederation Cup Final 2020: Alioum (CMR)

25 October 2020

Pyramids – RS Berkane
Referee: Alioum Alioum (CMR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Elvis Noupue (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Issa Yaya (CHA)
Fourth Official: Eric Otogo Castane (GAB)
VAR: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)
AVAR 1: Haythem Guirat (TUN)
AVAR 2: Jerson Dos Santos (ANG)

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL (Matchday 4)

17 November 2020

Peru – Argentina
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dionisio Ruiz (COL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Herrera (COL)
VAR: Andres Rojas (COL)
AVAR: John Ospina (COL)
Referee Assessor: Enrique Caceres (PAR)

Venezuela – Chile
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Lamolina (ARG)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: Fernando Espinoza (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)

Ecuador – Colombia
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lubin Torrealba (VEN)
Fourth Official: Angel Arteaga (VEN)
VAR: Andres Cunha (URU)
AVAR: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Referee Assessor: Freddy Arellanos (PER)

Uruguay – Brazil
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI)
VAR: Cristian Garay (CHI)
AVAR: Angelo Hermosilla (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Larrionda (URU)

Paraguay – Bolivia
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Fourth Official: Jose Argote (VEN)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR: Carlos Betancur (COL)
Referee Assessor: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL (Matchday 3)

12 November 2020

Argentina – Paraguay
Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Danilo Manis (BRA)
Fourth Official: Luiz Oliveira (BRA)
VAR: Bruno Arleu (BRA)
AVAR: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Hector Baldassi (ARG)

Bolivia – Ecuador
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA) 
Assistant Referee 1: Kleber Gil (BRA) 
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA) 
Fourth Official: Flavio De Souza (BRA) 
VAR: Rodolpho Toski (BRA) 
AVAR: Rafael Traci (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Osorio (CHI)

Colombia – Uruguay
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Fourth Official: Facundo Tello (ARG)
VAR: Diego Haro (PER)
AVAR: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Torres (PAR)

Chile – Peru
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
VAR: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
AVAR: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Referee Assessor: Omar Ponce (ECU)

Brazil – Venezuela
Referee: Juan Benitez (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Jose Mendez (PAR)
VAR: Eber Aquino (PAR)
AVAR: Derlis Lopez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Oscar Ruiz (COL)

VAR decisions on DFB Referee Twitter

In which situations can the video assistant referee (VAR) intervene? Has the situation been checked? What was the final decision made by the referee on the pitch, with the assistance of the VAR? Starting from the 5th matchday of the 2020/2021 season in the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga, information on VAR checks will be published on the new Twitter account of the DFB referees @dfbschiris, which will lead to a faster and better understanding of decisions. 
The VAR was introduced in the top German division in the 2017/2018 season, following a decision by the Bundesliga clubs. The video assistant referee has also been in use in the 2nd Bundesliga since the 2019/2020 season. In principle, the following four situations are checked by the VAR in each game: goal (foul, handball, offside and other irregularities during or in advance of scoring a goal), penalty kick (non-punished or wrongly punished offences), red card (not awarded or wrongly awarded), mistaken identity of a player (red, yellow-red or yellow card). In the event of interventions by the video assistant referee and checks that lead to a noticeable delay in the game, tweets will be published on the Twitter channel @dfbschiris containing the referee's decision, the reason for the review and the final decision. The DFB referee channel @dfbschiris is accessible to fans, media and interested parties without their own Twitter account. Checks that do not lead to a noticeable delay in the game and are not included on the DFB referee's Twitter channel will also take place in the four categories described. Through the new Twitter channel of the DFB referees @dfbschiris, the VAR system is to be continuously developed and improved in terms of transparency and building understanding during the 2020/21 season. 

Source: DFB

UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 – Qualifying Round (Matchday 12)

27 October 2020

Finland – Scotland
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Susann Küng (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Emilie Aubry (SUI)
Fourth Official: Michele Schmölzer (SUI)

Sweden – Iceland
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Camille Soriano (FRA)
Fourth Official: Maika Vanderstichel (FRA)

Georgia – Israel
Referee: Liudmyla Telbukh (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Svitlana Grushko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandra Vdovina (UKR)
Fourth Official: Kateryna Zora (UKR)

Moldova – Poland
Referee: Ivana Projkovska (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Elena Soklevska-Ilievski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Vjolca Izeiri (MKD)
Fourth Official: Irena Velevačkoska (MKD)

Russia – Turkey
Referee: Elvira Nurmustafina (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Elena Alistratova (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Nargis Magau (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Justina Lavrenovaite (LTU)

Romania – Switzerland
Referee: Meliz Özçiğdem (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Deybet Gök (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sedef Aktan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Cansu Tryak (TUR)

Greece – Ukraine
Referee: Shona Shukrula (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolet Bakker (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Diana Snoeren (NED)
Fourth Official: Lizzy Van Der Helm (NED)

Czech Republic – Azerbaijan
Referee: Eszter Urban (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Judit Kulcsar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Katalin Török (HUN)
Fourth Official: Katalin Sipos (HUN)

Italy – Denmark
Referee: Cheryl Foster (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Laura Griffiths (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ceri Williams (WAL)
Fourth Official: Rebecca Welch (ENG)

Wales – Norway
Referee: Marta Frias Acedo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrada Aloman (ESP)
Fourth Official: Maria Gil Soriano (ESP)

Estonia – Slovenia
Referee: Volha Tsiareshka (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Alena Karas (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Anastasiya Danchenko (BLR)
Fourth Official: Alena Kanaplianikava (BLR)

Belarus – Northern Ireland
Referee: Zulema Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Rocio Puente Pino (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Rita Cabanero Mompo (ESP)
Fourth Official: Elena Pelaez Arnillas (ESP)

Slovakia – Latvia
Referee: Lois Otte (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Joline Delcrois (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Berengere Pierart (BEL)
Fourth Official: Hannelore Onsea (BEL)

Lithuania – Belgium
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lotta Vuorio (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jenni Mahlamäki (FIN)
Fourth Official: Ifeoma Kulmala (FIN)

Kosovo – Netherlands
Referee: Sandra Bastos (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Olga Almeida (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Diana Henriques (POR)
Fourth Official: Ana Carneiro (POR)

Austria – France
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandra Ardasheva (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Fourth Official: Anastasiya Romanyuk (UKR)

Portugal – Cyprus
Referee: Henrikke Nervik (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Monica Lokkeberg (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Elisabeth Thoresen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Ingvild Aarland (NOR)

CAF Champions League 2019/2020 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

23-24 October 2020

Al Ahly – Wydad Casablanca
Referee: Victor Gomes (RSA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Zakhele Siwela (RSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Souru Phatsoane (LES)
Fourth Official: Sadok Selmi (TUN)

Zamalek – Raja Casablanca
Referee: Maguette N’Diaye (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: El Hadji Samba (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Nouha Bangoura (SEN)
Fourth Official: Issa Sy (SEN)
VAR: Bakary Gassama (GAM)
AVAR: Zakhele Siwela (RSA)

Damkova steps aside from UEFA Referees Committee

A member of UEFA’s referees committee stepped aside from her work because her husband is a suspect in a match-fixing investigation, the European soccer body said Wednesday. Dagmar Damkova is a former top referee in women’s soccer and married to Roman Berbr, who resigned Monday as vice president of the Czech Republic soccer federation while implicated in fixing games. UEFA said in a statement to The Associated Press that Damkova “spontaneously decided to step aside from her duties (while) the investigation into her husband is ongoing in the Czech Republic.” She has not been linked to the corruption case that focuses on men’s games in lower divisions of Czech soccer. 
Czech police raided the soccer federation headquarters last week as part of a corruption and match-fixing investigation targeting 20 people, including referees. Damkova is the only woman on the five-person UEFA panel that oversees preparing match officials and selecting them for international competitions. UEFA said Damkova’s work involves selecting officials for women’s international games and competitions but not in men’s soccer. She also sits on the FIFA referees committee, after a career in which she handled women’s soccer finals in the 2008 Olympics, the 2009 European Championship and the 2011 Champions League. FIFA did not respond to a request to confirm if Damkova also stepped aside from working with the world football body. 

Source: AP News

Osorio takes over from Osses as Head of Chilean referees

After the departure of Enrique Osses from the presidency of the Referees Committee, Jorge Osorio took the office on an interim basis and a few days ago he was ratified in the position by the National Professional Football Association.
Osorio, born in 1977, was a recognized national and international referee. In addition, he is an Industrial Engineer, Bachelor of Engineering Sciences, Bachelor of Education and mathematics teacher. Osorio refereed in the professional Chilean soccer championships between 1998 and 2017, having FIFA status since 2006 until his retirement in 2017. "It is a very good feeling to feel the support of the Chilean Football Federation and the Board of Directors to take on this challenge," confessed the former referee after assuming his position in the ANFP. In addition, Osorio, who is also Director of the Football Referee career of the National Football Institute since 2018, spoke about the objectives of his mandate: "The fundamental objective is to reinforce and strengthen what has already being done and works. Will give different tools to the referees to achieve credibility, both to the referees on the field and to those who are in the VAR role". Finally, Osorio highlighted the participation of the woman referees Maria Carvajal, Loreto Toloza, Cindy Nahuelcoy, Leslie Vasquez and Marcia Castillo in the national championships: "We have had a lot of participation from them. We want to continue strengthening and promoting them. Their appointments are going to depend on what they demonstrate day-by-day on the pitch. They have demonstrated the skills they have and we trust them. We hope that in the future more female referees will continue to be integrated into football and that is why we are going to give them all the tools so that they can become stronger and achieve their objectives", he said.

Source: Redgol

UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 – Qualifying Round (Matchday 11)

21-24 October 2020

Denmark – Israel
Referee: Reelika Turi (EST, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Anni Koppel (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Anni Rahula (EST)
Fourth Official: Luisa Klaar (EST)

Greece – Montenegro
Referee: Miriama Matulova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivana Leskova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Lenka Pavlackova (SVK)
Fourth Official: Maria Krcova (SVK)

Wales – Faroe Islands
Referee: Briet Bragadottir (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Runa Stefansdottir (ISL).
Assistant Referee 2: Eydis Einarsdottir (ISL)
Fourth Official: Bergros Unudottir (ISL)

Sweden – Latvia
Referee: Maria Marotta (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Veronica Martinelli (ITA)
Fourth Official: Maria Sole Caputi (ITA)

Russia – Slovenia
Referee: Jana Adamkova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriela Hanakova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Danijela Stojanović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Lucie Šulcova (CZE)

Poland – Azerbaijan
Referee: Tanja Subotič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Helena Buh (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Staša Špur (SVN)
Fourth Official: Aleksandra Česen (SVN)

Turkey – Kosovo
Referee: Stacey Pearson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Melissa Burgin (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Emily Carney (ENG)
Fourth Official: Abigail Marriott (ENG)

Cyprus – Portugal
Referee: Michalina Diakow (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Anna Dabrowska (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandra Prus (POL)
Fourth Official: Monika Mularczyk (POL)

Lithuania – Romania
Referee: Lorraine Watson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Kylie Cockburn (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Vikki Allan (SCO)
Fourth Official: Abbie Hendry (SCO)

Ukraine – Ireland
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Jelena Kumer (CRO)

Netherlands – Estonia
Referee: Zuzana Valentova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Maria Sukenikova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Miroslava Pastorekova (SVK)
Fourth Official: Petra Pavlikova (SVK)

Hungary – Slovakia
Referee: Hristiyana Guteva (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Marinova (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Pavleta Rashkova (BUL)
Fourth Official: Dimitrina Milkova (BUL)

Scotland – Albania
Referee: Valentina Finzi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucia Abruzzese (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Tiziana Trasciatti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Martina Molinaro (ITA)

Spain – Czech Republic
Referee: Sara Persson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Josefin Aronsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jilan Taher (SWE)
Fourth Official: Lovisa Johansson (SWE)

France – North Macedonia
Referee: Vera Opeykina (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Iulia Petrova (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Ekaterina Kurochkina (RUS)
Fourth Official: Nadezhda Gorinova (RUS)

Serbia – Kazakhstan
Referee: Cristina Trandafir (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihaela Tepusa (ROU)
Fourth Official: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)

UEFA Europa League 2020/2021 – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

22 October 2020

BSC Young Boys – AS Roma
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Juste Jimenez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Drago Kos (SVN)

CSKA Sofia – CFR Cluj
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Cevdet Komurcuoglu (TUR)
Fourth Official: Koray Gencerler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

Dundalk FC – Molde FK
Referee: Petri Viljanen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mika Lamppu (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Riku Vihreävuori (FIN)
Fourth Official: Joni Hyytia (FIN)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

Rapid Wien – Arsenal FC
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Navordnik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2:Tomas Mokrusch (CZE)
Fourth Official: Karel Hrubes (CZE)
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR)

Bayer Leverkusen – OGC Nice
Referee: Fran Jović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivica Modrić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Hrvoje Radić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Mario Zebec (CRO)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Hapoel Beer Sheva – Slavia Praha
Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Thibaued Nijssen (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Fourth Official: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Referee Observer: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

Standard de Liege – Rangers FC
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Heine Sorensen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Fourth Official: Jens Maae (DEN)
Referee Observer: Michalis Argyrou (CYP)

Lech Poznan – SL Benfica
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Srdan Jovanović (MNE)
Fourth Official: Milos Bosković (MNE)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

PSV Eindhoven – Granada CF
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Fourth Official: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

PAOK FC – Omonia FC
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David Roome (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Graeme Stewart (SCO)
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Rusmir Mrković (BIH)

SSC Napoli – AZ Alkmaar
Referee: Daniel Stefański (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Dawid Golis (POL)
Fourth Official: Damian Sylwestrzak (POL)
Referee Observer: Lutz-Michael Fröhlich (GER)

HNK Rijeka – Real Sociedad
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jakub Winkler (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Bartosz Heinig (POL)
Fourth Official: Krzysztof Jakubik (POL)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

SC Braga – AEK Athens
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Deabart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelien Berthomieu (FRA)
Fourth Official: Amaury Delerue (FRA)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Leicester City – Zorya Luhansk
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
Fourth Official: Johan Hamel (FRA)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

Sparta Praha – LOSC Lille
Referee: Duje Strukan (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Perica (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alen Jakšić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Marin Vidulin (CRO)
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)

Celtic FC – AC Milan
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež (SVN)
Fourth Official: Dragoslav Perič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

Maccabi Tel Aviv – Qarabag FK
Referee: John Beaton (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel McFarlane (SCO)
Fourth Official: Euan Anderson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Milan Karadžić (SRB)

Villarreal CF – Sivasspor
Referee: Sergii Boiko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Semen Shlonchak (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Viktor Matyash (UKR)
Fourth Official: Vitali Romanov (UKR)
Referee Observer: Elimir Pilav (BIH)

Tottenham Hotspur – LASK
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Klyver (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikael Hallin (SWE)
Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

PFC Ludogorets – Royal Antwerp
Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: David Bitton (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dvir Shimon (ISR)
Fourth Official: David Fuxman (ISR)
Referee Observer: Viktor Shvetsov (UKR)

Wolfsberger AC – CSKA Moskva
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Fourth Official: Sören Storks (GER)
Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)

GNK Dinamo – Feyenoord
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Kaarlo Hamalainen (FIN)
Referee Observer: David Malcom (NIR)

TSG Hoffenheim - Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Naranjo Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magan (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

Slovan Liberec – KAA Gent
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Christopher Jäger (AUT)
Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)

Concacaf League 2020 – Preliminary Round

20-22 October 2020 

CA Independiente – Antigua GFC 
Referee: Diego Montano (MEX, photo) 
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Espinosa (MEX) 
Assistant Referee 2: Michel Morales (MEX) 
Fourth Official: Oscar Macias (MEX)

Arcahaie – Verdes FC
Referee: Reon Radix (GRN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ojay Duhaney (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Helpys Feliz (DOM)
Fourth Official: Randy Encarnacion (DOM)

CD Fac – Managua
Referee: Oliver Vergara (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Alejandro Camarena (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Ronald Bruna (PAN)
Fourth Official: John Pitti (PAN)

Alajuelense – Cibao FC
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Logan Brown (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nick Uranga (USA)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)

Municipal Limeno – Forge FC
Referee: Selvin Brown (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Roney Salinas (HON)
Fourth Official: Said Martinez (HON)

FC Motagua – Comunicaciones FC
Referee: Keylor Herrera (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: William Arrieta (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Mora (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

UEFA Champions League 2020/2021 – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

20 October 2020
Dynamo Kyiv – Juventus FC
Referee: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Șovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Colţescu (ROU)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Harm Osmers (GER)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

FC Zenit – Club Brugge
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Haquette (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Roy Hassan (ISR)
Fourth Official: Karim Abed (FRA)
VAR: Benoît Millot (FRA)
AVAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi (SMR)

Stade Rennais – FC Krasnodar
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ioannis Papadopoulos (GRE)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef (NED)

Chelsea – Sevilla FC
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Gianpaolo Calvarese (ITA)
VAR: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
AVAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Sandor Piller (HUN)

Lazio – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Frank Schneider (FRA)
VAR: François Letexier (FRA)
AVAR: Jerôme Brisard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)

FC Barcelona – Ferencvarosi TC
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)
Fourth Official: Fedayi San (SUI)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

Paris St. Germain – Manchester United
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Guilllermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

RB Leipzig – Istanbul Başakşehir
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

21 October 2020
FC Salzburg – Lokomotiv Moskva
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)
Fourth Official: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Šajn (SVN)

Real Madrid – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
VAR: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
AVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

Bayern München – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

FC Internazionale – Borussia Mönchengladbach
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Allan Lindhout (NED)
VAR: Danny Makkelie (NED)
AVAR: Jan de Vries (NED)
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev (BUL)

Olympiacos FC – Olympique de Marseille
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Fourth Official: Piero Giacomelli (ITA)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Giorgio Peretti (ITA)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Manchester City – FC Porto
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonnikovs (LVA)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA)
VAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
AVAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

AFC Ajax – Liverpool FC
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Daniel Siebert (GER)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

FC Midtjylland – Atalanta BC
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Santos (POR)
Fourth Official: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Luis Godinho (POR)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

World Cup referee Esposito threatened by the Medellin cartel

During the program “Un Buen Momento” on Radio La Red in Argentina, former FIFA referee Carlos Esposito made a confession about an incredible encounter with John Jairo Velasquez, “Popeye”, who was a member of the Medellin cartel and Pablo Escobar’s hitman. 
The Argentine referee, who participated in the 1986 World Cup, was appointed to the second leg of the Copa Libertadores semi-final between Atletico Nacional and Danubio, on 17 May 1989, after 0-0 in the first leg. Esposito and his assistants, Juan Bava and Abel Gnecco, arrived on the day before in the capital of Antioquia and at that very moment their experience began. “We arrived in Medellin and they put us in a car to take us to the hotel. During the journey, the people that were in the car told us about the places where they had thrown the bodies of referees who had been killed for not accepting bribes”, Esposito narrated on the radio station. After arriving at the hotel, Esposito received an invitation for dinner, which he declined, but hours later, when he was in his room, he was visited by “four people with machine guns and behind them entered the famous 'Popeye', well dressed, in a suit and tie. He was carrying a suitcase and said 'here is $250,000; it’s yours, take it away'”. The former referee said that they did not accept the money offered by 'Popeye', to which he responded by closing the suitcase and stating that “your life here is worth nothing and in Buenos Aires it can cost us $1,000 each”. While leaving, they told us: 'You already know what to do'”, he added. Esposito said that, during his stay, they were watched by 'gangsters' 24 hours, to intimidate them. “It was very difficult, we never slept. We also had to change our return flight, so we can leave Medellin for Bogota the same night, right after the game”, he said. Esposito also recalled that on that trip to the Colombian capital the president of Danubio “asked me if we had had a bad time, insinuating that they too had been threatened”. “Luckily, Nacional won that game 6-0. If not, I don’t know what would have happened”, the ex-referee concluded. After advancing to the final, the Colombian team ended up winning Copa Libertadores, after beating Olimpia of Paraguay 5-4 on penalties (aggregate score 2-2). 

No action over Massey-Ellis incident

Sergio Aguero will not face retrospective action for placing a hand on the left shoulder of the assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis during Manchester City’s win over Arsenal, as it was not deemed by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organising body for match officials, to have been an aggressive or threatening action. 
The incident occurred in the 42nd minute, with Aguero apparently unhappy at Massey-Ellis for not awarding City a throw-in and instead giving it to Arsenal. The 32-year-old Argentinian grabbed Massey-Ellis at the top of a shoulder, close to her neck, before moving away. She shrugged off Aguero’s move in the immediate aftermath and the referee, Chris Kavanagh, did not penalise the centre-forward at the time. If he had deemed it an offence the player could have been shown a yellow or red card. The rules state that touching an official is not an offence unless done in an aggressive or threatening manner. It is understood that the PGMOL does not view Aguero’s action as falling into either of those categories. The striker, who was making a first appearance in four months following injury, drew criticism for the act on social and traditional media. Pep Guardiola was asked about the incident following the 1-0 win that was secured thanks to Raheem Sterling’s first-half goal. “Hey, come on guys. Come on guys,” Manchester City’s manager said. “Sergio is the nicest person I ever met in my life. We can look at the problems in other situations but not in this one. Come on.” 

Source: The Guardian

Czech FA dismissed its entire Referees Committee

Czech police have detained 20 people, including deputy Czech Football Association head Roman Berbr, over alleged corruption and match-fixing following a nationwide raid, news reports said. “The police have launched criminal proceedings against 20 people today regarding an organised crime group active in corruption to fix results of football matches,” High State Prosecutor Lenka Bradacova told Reuters, confirming earlier reports by local media. Czech Football Association spokesman Michael Jurman confirmed the raid. “We can confirm that since the morning the police have acted, including a search at the association headquarters,” Jurman said. “We are providing the police with maximum cooperation.” The case centres on alleged match-fixing in the second and third tiers of Czech football, and officials are also investigating a number of referees, Seznam Zpravy news website reported. Berbr (photo) has held his post since 2013 and according to local media has been pulling the strings in Czech football for years. The 66-year-old former referee, who is married to the European Union member’s first-ever female referee, Dagmar Damkova, served as a secret police agent during the communist era. Media have pointed to Berbr in relation to corruption cases and bullying at the FA, but he has never been charged. His former boss Miroslav Pelta led the FA until he was detained in 2017 on charges of bribery and abuse of power. He faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted in a trial currently under way. (Source: Al Jazeera)
The Czech Football Association dismissed its referees committee on Monday, including chairman Jozef Chovanec, three days after police raided the FA’S headquarters and other locations around the country and charged 20 people with corruption. Deputy Czech FA chief Roman Berbr, who was among the 20 people charged with match fixing last Friday, handed in his resignation. He is in police custody. Former secret police agent Berbr, 66, who has been an influential figure in Czech football, delivered his resignation via his attorney shortly before an extraordinary session of the country’s Football Association, the group’s chairman Martin Malik told a news conference. “All of us, who are active in Czech football, we let this happen,” Malik said. “The situation which we are dealing with now is abnormal. It is an attack against the very essence of football. I cannot tell how big the impact will be.”Malik said the association would cooperate closely with the police to create a special unit focusing on preventing match-fixing, similar to other UEFA members. He added that the Czech association has informed UEFA about the situation. (Source: Reuters)

Hackett: Flights, police escorts and being abandoned in the car park

There might be a feeling that international football is just a waste of a weekend when club football could still be going on, but there are still a lot of players who will see playing for their country as the pinnacle of their career. It’s a similar honour for referees when they are selected by FIFA or UEFA to oversee a fixture, but there’s more that goes into the entire process than you might think. The authorities do try to keep certain countries apart to stop all hell breaking loose, but there are still plenty of countries with history or angry fans that will make it an edgy affair. 
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has detailed what goes into being a referee on international duty, and it certainly doesn’t sound like a nice mini-break abroad with a game of football thrown in. The choices are made by FIFA or UEFA, so a ref will simply get a date and a place with some flight details, while they are also required to be in the city at least 24 hours before kick-off. The officiating team travel together and it often involves a few connecting flights, while they are eventually met on arrival by a member of the home FA and taken to their hotel. At least they do get a little bit of time for sightseeing and enjoying the destination, while it’s probably a good idea to get this out of the way before the match if everything goes wrong and public recognize you. There is an astonishing amount of preparation and box ticking on the morning of the game, with the officials taken to the ground at 10 a.m. to check everything from kit colours to the playing surface and a full plan with the police, fire brigade and various other officials. Everything is very closely managed and the referees get taken to the ground with a police escort before the game, so that’s always going to draw attention and make everyone aware who’s on the way to the ground. After the game is a fairly simple review of your performance from the observer and then dinner and some sleep before going home the next day, but it doesn’t always turn out that way. Hackett detailed one memorable occasion in Greece where their driver simply disappeared and left them in the car park to try and find their own way back to the hotel, although it sounds like they did manage to escape unscathed. It’s fascinating to see how much goes on behind the scenes with the match officials, while you can also understand why a comfortable home victory with no controversy would be welcomed by most refs after the match. 

CAF Confederation Cup 2019/2020 – Semi-finals

19-20 October 2020

Pyramids FC – Horoya
Referee: Bamlak Tessema (ETH, photo) 
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammed Ibrahim (SDN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)
Fourth Official: Peter Waweru (KEN)

RS Berkane – Hassania Agadir
Referee: Jean Ngambo (COD)
Assistant Referee 1: Olivier Safari (COD)
Assistant Referee 2: Soulaimane Amaldine (COM)
Fourth Official: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (BDI)

CAF Champions League 2019/2020 – Semi-finals (First Leg)

17-18 October 2020

Wydad Casablanca – Al Ahly
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Dos Santos (ANG)
Assistant Referee 2: Arsenio Marengula (MOZ)
Fourth Official: Peter Waweru (KEN)

Raja Casablanca – Zamalek
Referee: Alioum Alioum (CMR)
Assistant Referee 1: Elvis Noupue (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Issa Yaya (CHA)
Fourth Official: Eric Otogo Castane (GAB)
VAR: Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG)

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2020 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

20-22 October 2020

Santos – Defensa y Justicia
Referee: Leodan Gonzalez (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Fourth Official: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Referee Assessor: Regildenia Moura (BRA)

Olimpia – Delfin
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)
Fourth Official: Andres Matonte (URU)
Referee Assessor: Manuel Bernal (PAR)

Penarol – Atletico Paranaense
Referee: Jose Mendez (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Fourth Official: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Pastorino (URU)

Colo Colo – Jorge Wilstermann
Referee: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Navarro (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Julio Fernandez (ARG
Fourth Official: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Osorio (CHI)

River Plate – Liga de Quito

Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Christian Garay (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Angel Sanchez (ARG)

Sao Paulo – Binacional
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Gonzalez (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)

Nacional – Alianza Lima
Referee: Juan Benitez (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Fourth Official: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Juan Cardellino (URU)

Racing – Estudiantes de Merida
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Referee Assessor: Sabrina Lois (ARG)

Flamengo – Junior
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez (ARG)
Fourth Official: Facundo Tello (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Sergio Cristiano (BRA)

Bolivar – Guarani
Referee: Angelo Hermosilla (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Alejandro Molina (CHI)
Fourth Official: Luis Yrusta (BOL)
Referee Assessor: Juan Lugones (BOL)

Palmeiras – Tigre
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Fourth Official: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
Referee Assessor: Emerson de Carvalho (BRA)

Universidad Catolica – Internacional
Referee: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Navarro (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Julio Fernandez (ARG)
Fourth Official: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Barbra Bastias (CHI)

Gremio – America de Cali
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Fourth Official: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Paolo Conceicao (BRA)

Libertad – Independiente Medellin
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)
Fourth Official: Andres Matonte (URU)
Referee Assessor: Cynthia Franco (PAR)

Boca Juniors – Caracas
Referee: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Fourth Official: Andres Cunha (URU)
Referee Assessor: Sergio Viola (ARG)