UEFA Champions League Final 2025: Kovacs (ROU)

31 May 2025

Paris St. Germain – Inter Milano
Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi (ROU)
Fourth Official: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
Reserve AR: Bruno Jesus (POR)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Catalin Popa (ROU)
SVAR: Paulus van Boekel (NED)

The UEFA Referees Committee has appointed István Kovács from Romania to referee the 2025 UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Internazionale Milano, which takes place at the Football Arena in Munich, Germany on Saturday 31 May 2025. Kick-off is at 21:00 CET. The 40-year-old, an international referee since 2010, will be officiating his third UEFA club competition final after his appointment as the referee for the 2024 UEFA Europa League final in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, between Atalanta BC and Bayer Leverkusen and the 2022 UEFA Conference League final between AS Roma and Feyenoord in Tirana, Albania. He has refereed seven UEFA Champions League matches this season, including the round of 16 second leg between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain.

UEFA Europa League Final 2025: Zwayer (GER)

21 May 2025

Tottenham Hotspur – Manchester United
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz (GER)
Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Reserve AR: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Benjamin Brand (GER)
SVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)

Felix Zwayer from Germany will referee the 2025 UEFA Europa League final between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, to be played at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, on Wednesday 21 May at 21:00 CEST. An international referee since 2012, the 43-year-old German has this season taken charge of seven UEFA Champions League matches – including the semi-final return leg between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal –, two UEFA Europa League matches and one UEFA Conference League match. This will be his second UEFA competition final as a referee after having officiated Croatia against Spain in the 2023 UEFA Nations League final. He was also the referee of four matches at UEFA EURO 2024, including the semi-final between England and Netherlands.

UEFA Europa Conference League Final 2025: Peljto (BIH)

28 May 2025

Chelsea FC – Real Betis
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Halil Meler (TUR)
Reserve AR: Kerem Ersoy (TUR)
VAR: Jérôme Brisard (FRA)
AVAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
SVAR: Marco di Bello (ITA)

The UEFA Referees Committee has revealed that Irfan Peljto of Bosnia-Herzegovina will referee the 2025 UEFA Conference League final between Chelsea FC and Real Betis Balompié at Stadion Wrocław in Wrocław, Poland, on Wednesday 28 May 2025 at 21:00 CEST. The 40-year-old has been an international referee since 2015 and will be taking charge of his first UEFA club competition final. This season he has officiated seven UEFA Champions League matches – including the quarter-final first leg between Arsenal FC and Real Madrid CF – and four UEFA Europa League matches.

UEFA Women’s Champions League Final 2025: Martinčić (CRO)

24 May 2025

Arsenal WFC – FC Barcelona
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Ivana Projkovska (MKD)
Reserve AR: Staša Špur (SVN)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Momčilo Marković (SRB)
SVAR: Alen Borošak (SVN)

The UEFA Referees Committee has announced that Ivana Martinčić from Croatia will referee the 2025 UEFA Women’s Champions League final between Arsenal Women FC and FC Barcelona at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon on Saturday 24 May at 18:00 CEST (17:00 local time). An international referee since 2014, the 39-year-old, from Croatia, will take charge of her first UEFA Women’s Champions League final after having fulfilled the role of 4th official at last year’s final between Olympique Lyonnais and FC Barcelona in Bilbao. This season, she has been involved as a match official in three UEFA Women’s Champions League matches and has been selected as a referee for the upcoming UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 final tournament.

UEFA Nations League Final 2025: Schärer (SUI)

8 June 2025

TBD – TBD
Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane de Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni (SUI)
Fourth Official: Serdar Gozubuyuk (NED)
VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)
*Reserve AR, AVAR and SVAR will be confirmed in due course.

The UEFA Referees Committee has announced that Sandro Schärer from Switzerland will referee the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League final at the Football Arena in Munich, Germany, on Sunday 8 June at 21:00 CEST. The 36-year-old has been an international referee since 2015 and has been appointed at eleven UEFA club competition matches this season. In August 2024 he refereed the UEFA Super Cup between Real Madrid CF and Atalanta BC.

CAF Champions League Final 2025

First Leg, 24 May 2025

Mamelodi Sundowns – Pyramids
Referee: Mahmood Ismail (SDN, photo)

Second Leg, 1 June 2025

Pyramids – Mamelodi Sundowns
Referee: Omar Artan (SOM)

CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2025 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

13-15 May 2025

Nacional Potosi – Boston River
Referee: Ramón Abatti BRA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Boschilia BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Guillerme Camilo BRA
Fourth Official: Rodrigo Pereira BRA
VAR: Daniel Nobre BRA
AVAR: Marco Fazekas BRA

Gremio – Godoy Cruz
Referee: Diego Ulloa COL
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Roldán COL
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Blanco COL
Fourth Official: Andrés Rojas COL
VAR: Heider Castro COL
AVAR: Mauricio Perez COL

Academia Puerto Cabello – Melgar
Referee: Juan Andrade ECU
Assistant Referee 1: Andrés Tola ECU
Assistant Referee 2: Danny Ávila ECU
Fourth Official: Anthony Díaz ECU
VAR: Roberto Sánchez ECU
AVAR: Kevin Pazmino ECU

Lanus – Vasco Da Gama
Referee: Carlos Benítez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Cañete PAR
Assistant Referee 2: José Villagra PAR
Fourth Official: Dilio Rodríguez BOL
VAR: Fernando López PAR
AVAR: Nadia Weiler PAR

Union – Mushuc Runa
Referee: Yender Herrera VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Antoni García VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Erizon Nieto VEN
Fourth Official: Rony Cueva VEN
VAR: Juan Soto VEN
AVAR: Yorman Delgado VEN

Sportivo Luquemo – Atletico Grau
Referee: Dione Rissios CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Marcia Castillo CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Leslie Vásquez CHI
Fourth Official: Emikar Calderas VEN
VAR: Stefani Escobar VEN
AVAR: Migdalia Rodríguez VEN

Defensa y Justicia – Universidad Catolica
Referee: José Mendez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Cañete PAR
Assistant Referee 2: José Villagra PAR
Fourth Official: Dilio Rodríguez BOL
VAR: Fernando López PAR
AVAR: Nadia Weiler PAR

Fluminense – Union Espanola
Referee: Yael Falcón ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Del Yesso ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodríguez ARG
Fourth Official: Carlos Gariano ARG
VAR: Pablo Dovalo ARG
AVAR: Fernando Espinoza ARG

Cruzeiro – Palestino
Referee: Kevin Ortega PER
Assistant Referee 1: Jesús Sánchez PER
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Atoche PER
Fourth Official: Edwin Ordóñez PER
VAR: Diego Haro PER
AVAR: Alejandro Villanueva PER

Cerro Largo – Vitoria
Referee: Joel Alarcón PER
Assistant Referee 1: Alberth Alarcón PER
Assistant Referee 2: Leonar Soto PER
Fourth Official: Daniel Ureta PER
VAR: Michael Espinoza PER
AVAR: Diego Jaimes PER

America de Cali – Huracan
Referee: Cristian Garay CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Rocha CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Poblete CHI
Fourth Official: Diego Flores CHI
VAR: Miguel Araos CHI
AVAR: Mathias Riquelme CHI

Racing – Corinthians
Referee: José Cabero CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Sandoval CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Venegas CHI
Fourth Official: Daniel Ureta CHI
VAR: Francisco Gilabert CHI
AVAR: Wladimir Muñoz CHI

Independiente – Guarani
Referee: Flávio Souza BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Pires BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Imazu BRA
Fourth Official: Matheus Candacan BRA
VAR: Rodrigo D’Alonso BRA
AVAR: Diego Pombo BRA

Atletico Mineiro – Caracas
Referee: José Burgos URU
Assistant Referee 1: Martín Soppi URU
Assistant Referee 2: Andrés Nievas URU
Fourth Official: Gabriel Mendoza BOL
VAR: Christian Ferreyra URU
AVAR: Richard Trinidad URU

Cienciano – Deportes Iquique
Referee: David Ojeda PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Onieva PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Nancy Fernandez PAR
Fourth Official: Zulma Quiñónez PAR
VAR: Leodan González URU
AVAR: Antonio García URU

Once Caldas – San Jose
Referee: Augusto Aragón ECU
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Baren ECU
Assistant Referee 2: Mauricio Lozada ECU
Fourth Official: Susana Corella ECU
VAR: Gabriel González ECU
AVAR: Roddy Zambrano ECU

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2025 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

13-15 May 2025

Deportivo Tachira – Central Cordoba
Referee: Mathias de Armas URU (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Agustín Berisso URU
Assistant Referee 2: Héctor Bergalo URU
Fourth Official: Hernán Heras URU
VAR: Diego Dunajec URU
AVAR: Jonathan Fuentes URU

Fortaleza – Atletico Bucaramanga
Referee: Derlis López PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldívar PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Britos PAR
Fourth Official: Derlis Benítez PAR
VAR: Mario Díaz de Vivar PAR
AVAR: Esteban Testta PAR

Universidad de Chile – Carabobo
Referee: Bryan Loayza ECU
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano ECU
Assistant Referee 2: David Vacacela ECU
Fourth Official: Robert Cabrera ECU
VAR: Jefferson Macías ECU
AVAR: Dennys Guerrero ECU

Sporting Cristal – Cerro Porteno
Referee: Facundo Tello ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade ARG
Fourth Official: Nazareno Arasa ARG
VAR: Hernán Mastrangelo ARG
AVAR: Nicolás Lamolina ARG

Atletico Nacional – Bahia
Referee: Dário Herrera ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Navarro ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Pablo Acevedo ARG
Fourth Official: Luis Lobo ARG
VAR: Jorge Baliño ARG
AVAR: Lucas Novelli ARG

Penarol – Olimpia
Referee: Wilmar Roldán COL
Assistant Referee 1: John León COL
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastián Vela COL
Fourth Official: José Ortiz COL
VAR: Leonard Mosquera COL
AVAR: Keiner Jiménez COL

Velez Sarsfield – San Antonio
Referee: Alexis Herrera VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Tulio Moreno VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Lubin Torrealba VEN
Fourth Official: Jesús Valenzuela VEN
VAR: Juan Lara CHI
AVAR: Edson Cisternas CHI

Botafogo – Estudiantes
Referee: Juan Benítez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Julio Aranda PAR
Fourth Official: Blas Romero PAR
VAR: Ulises Méreles PAR
AVAR: José Cuevas PAR

Sao Paulo – Libertad
Referee: Carlos Betancur COL
Assistant Referee 1: John Gallego COL
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Aguirre COL
Fourth Official: María Daza COL
VAR: Nicolás Gallo COL
AVAR: Yadir Acuña COL

Racing – Colo Colo
Referee: Gustavo Tejera URU
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro URU
Assistant Referee 2: Horacio Ferreiro URU
Fourth Official: Nadia Fuques URU
VAR: Andrés Cunha URU
AVAR: Santiago Fernández URU

Universitario – Barcelona
Referee: Andres Matonte URU
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolás Taran URU
Assistant Referee 2: Pablo Larenas URU
Fourth Official: Alberto Feres URU
VAR: Leodan González URU
AVAR: Antonio García URU

Nacional – Internacional
Referee: Piero Maza CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Alejandro Molina CHI
Fourth Official: Guillermo Guerrero ECU
VAR: Carlos Orbe ECU
AVAR: Byron Romero ECU

Palmeiras – Bolivar
Referee: Maximiliano Ramirez ARG
Assistant Referee 1: José Savorani ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Mamani ARG
Fourth Official: Laura Fortunato ARG
VAR: Germán Delfino ARG
AVAR: Mariana de Almeida ARG

Talleres – Alianza Lima
Referee: Gery Vargas BOL
Assistant Referee 1: José Antelo BOL
Assistant Referee 2: Edwin Saavedra BOL
Fourth Official: Javier Revollo BOL
VAR: Álvaro Campos BOL
AVAR: Gaad Florez BOL

Flamengo – Liga de Quito
Referee: Andres Rojas COL
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Roldán COL
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Blanco COL
Fourth Official: Diego Ulloa COL
VAR: Heider Castro COL
AVAR: Mauricio Perez COL

River Plate – Independiente Del Valle
Referee: Jesús Valenzuela VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Tulio Moreno VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Lubin Torrealba VEN
Fourth Official: Alexis Herrera VEN
VAR: Juan Lara CHI
AVAR: Edson Cisternas CHI

FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 – Candidate Referee Seminar (UEFA)

Herzogenaurach (Germany), 5 - 9 May 2025

Referees

1. Emanuela Rusta ALB (photo) 

2. Hristiyana Guteva BUL
3. Ivana Martinčić CRO
4. Frida Klarlund DEN
5. Abigail Byrne ENG
6. Marta Huerta De Aza ESP
7. Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP
8. Stéphanie Frappart FRA
9. Eleni Antoniou GRE
10. Katalin Kulcsar HUN
11. Maria Ferrieri Caputi ITA
12. Silvia Gasperotti ITA
13. Ivana Projkovska MKD
14. Shona Shukrula NED
15. Ewa Augustyn POL
16. Catarina Campos POR
17. Iuliana Demetrescu ROU
18. Alina Peşu ROU
19. Désirée Grundbacher SUI
20. Tess Olofsson SWE

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final 2025: Fernandez (URU) & Botallico (ITA)

11 May 2025

Final
Belarus – Brazil
Referee 1: Aecio Fernandez URU (photo)
Referee 2: Saverio Botallico ITA
Third Official: Steven Siave MRI
Fourth Official: Gonzalo Carballo SLV
Timekeeper: Sergio Soares POR

Match for Third Place
Senegal – Portugal
Referee 1: Mariano Romo ARG
Referee 2: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy TAH
Third Official: Nayim Kosimov UZB
Fourth Official: Jorge Tunon PAN
Timekeeper: Vladimir Tashkov BUL

Elizondo to instruct Mexican referees

The Referees Committee chose Horacio Elizondo to improve the refereeing of Liga MX. He began his career in a top league like Argentina, spent 20 years being a referee, has his YouTube channel to analyze refereeing and is the second referee who had the courage to send off Zinedine Zidane in a FIFA World Cup. Elizondo will be the next instructor of referees of the Mexican Football Federation, who has chosen the former international to try to put order in the Referees Committee after the controversies of the last semesters.

Horacio Elizondo was born in Buenos Aires, studied to be a professor of Physical Education and at the age of 20 made the decision to be a professional referee without knowing that his character and discipline would lead him to referee First Division games and later the World Cup final. In fact, it was due to a handball game, when he was a student, that the idea of becoming a professional referee came to life for the first time. Elizondo told the press people of the Costa Rica Football Federation how he was told first time that he could be a referee. “When I was in the faculty studying Physical Education one of the subjects was handball, the teacher teaches us the rules of the game and then leads us to do a practice between colleagues to see if we had understood. It was my turn to do 10 minutes of practice and when we finished, he called me and asked me if I had ever thought that I could be a referee. I asked him why and he said, "I saw with your teammates that you tie them all up, your best friend Alberto went to the first one who caused issues and told him that he would not allow any protest". I didn't notice it and then he said "We need referees in our association".

After his debut in Argentine football as a professional referee, the competitions were gradually coming. That's how he led World Cups, intercontinental tournaments, and Olympic Games. In fact, he became the first referee to lead the start and final of the same World Cup. He had 22 years of experience when he came the opportunity to referee the opening of the 2006 World Cup Germany between Germany and Costa Rica and then he also took charge of the Final between France and Italy. That was the final in which Zinedine Zidane became so upset with the Materazzi that he gave him a header in his chest and was sent off. The French midfielder had to leave the game, and his team ended up losing the final. That decision was thanks to the fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo, who told him about Zidane's headbutt, because the Argentine referee did not see the action. “I went to my AR and told him something that very few people know: "I want you focused because you should have seen that". Then I turned around, put the hand in my pocket, pulled the red card and Zidane was out", said Elizondo.

After retiring from the field, Elizondo's work has not stopped. Thanks to his extensive experience, he was called by the Football Federation of Costa Rica to work with the referees of the Central American country and from 2025 he will be with the Mexican Federation because Juan Manuel Herrero, director of the Referees Committee, has decided to hire him as the new instructor of the Mexican referees.

Source: Medio Tiempo

UEFA U-19 Euro 2025

Romania, 13 – 26 June 2025

Referees
1. Lothar D'Hondt BEL
2. Antoni Bandić BIH
3. Menelaos Antoniou CYP
4. Javier Alberola Rojas ESP (photo)
5. Robert Hennessy IRL
6. Andrea Colombo ITA

Assistant Referees
1. Michael Obritzberger AUT
2. Romain Devillers BEL
3. Stefan Tešanović BIH
4. Petar Mitrev BUL
5. Iraklis Komodromos CYP
6. Alfredo Rodriguez Moreno ESP
7. Christopher Campbell IRL
8. Marco Ceccon ITA

Fourth Officials
1. Dalibor Černý CZE 

2. Bence Csonka HUN

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2025 – Semi-finals

10 May 2025

Portugal – Brazil
Referee 1: Lukasz Ostrowski POL (photo)
Referee 2: Micke Palomino PER
Third Official: Nayim Kosimov UZB
Fourth Official: Steven Siave MRI
Timekeeper: Matthieu Dor FRA

Belarus – Senegal
Referee 1: Yuichi Hatano JPN
Referee 2: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi UAE
Third Official: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy TAH
Fourth Official: Gonzalo Carballo SLV 

Timekeeper: Alejandro Ojaos Valera ESP

UEFA U-17 Euro 2025

Albania, 19 May - 1 June 2025

Referees
1. Patrik Kolarić CRO (photo)
2. Mikkel Redder DEN
3. Oliver Reitala FIN
4. Joey Kooij NED
5. Lukasz Kuzma POL
6. Oleksiy Derevinskyy UKR

Assistant Referees
1. Luka Pajić CRO
2. Martin Markus DEN
3. Olli Jantunen FIN
4. Dyon Fikkert NED
5. Marek Arys POL
6. Christopher Rae SCO
7. Guillaume Maire SUI
8. Oleksiy Myronov UKR

Fourth Officials
1. Florian Lata ALB
2. Kamal Umudlu AZE

Ramos Rizo to lead Guatemalan refereeing

After a 20-year career as a referee analyst for ESPN, Felipe Ramos Rizo, leaves television and will take on a new challenge in his career: the direction of Guatemalan refereeing and will travel to the Central American country at the end of the month to be officially presented to the Guatemala Football Federation. Ramos Rizo, with extensive experience in refereeing, takes the position left by his compatriot Jose Camargo in March and was contacted directly by Gerardo Paiz, president of the Guatemalan Football Federation, so an agreement was reached between the two parties. A few hours after making his departure from ESPN public, Felipe Ramos Rizo shared details about the new project he will be assuming in Guatemala. “I agree to go to Guatemala to take the direction of refereeing because I find myself able to work and develop the change of the structure of refereeing in Guatemala. I'm happy for that, I'll have the opportunity to do something I wanted for many years, I'm going to get to work. The conditions that exist are the right ones to work in Guatemala”, said Ramos Rizo.

In the opinion of the former international referee, who officiated at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan, two of his main challenges in Guatemala will be the introduction of video refereeing (VAR) and improving the fitness of the referees. “In Guatemala there will be VAR. In a few days I will take a course at FIFA with the issue of VAR that we hope we can incorporate in the upcoming tournament. We are going to try to make the mistakes minimal, preparing the referees and we have to work for that. With video, group and personal sessions, on the field. It's not just a question of Guatemala; it's seen everywhere. I am concerned and we need to improve and work on positioning and fitness. We must have 100% athletes, because today’s football requires the referee to run between 12-13 kilometers per game, so we need athletes. If we work well on the fitness, we'll improve many aspects”. He also referred to the top referees that Guatemala currently has and that they have earned a position at the international level. In his opinion, Mario Escobar fights for the first place at the Concacaf level. “I mentioned that Mario Escobar is fighting for number one with Cesar Ramos because Mario has great results at the Concacaf level. Having Escobar as an example for the other referees of what can be achieved in the referee career, for me is a high honor. The only thing we have left is to continue supporting them and working together. We have two good referees at international level, and they are the example of what can be achieved by being disciplined and committed”.

Finally, Felipe Ramos Rizo indicated that his contract with the Guatemala Football Federation is for the next five years and sent a message to the Guatemalan referees who will soon be under his responsibility. “All I'm telling you is to end the season in the best shape. Make your best physical, mental and use all your referee resources to finish the season. Then I promise you that there will be a lot of work and a lot of follow-ups for young referees. We need to improve some issues, but I am telling them not to stop preparing on fitness because there will be a lot of work that will give us good results on the field. The effort and discipline are something we are going to demand and expect a lot of work from me”.

Source: ESPN

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2025 – Quarter-finals

8 May 2025

Belarus – Iran
Referee 1: Sergio Soares POR (photo)
Referee 2: Nayim Kosimov UZB
Third Official: Yuichi Hatano JPN
Fourth Official: Özcan Sultanoglu TUR
Timekeeper: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy TAH

Portugal – Japan
Referee 1: Vladimir Tashkov BUL
Referee 2: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi UAE
Third Official: Fallah Al Balushi OMA
Fourth Official: Saverio Bottalico ITA
Timekeeper: Matthieu Dor FRA

Senegal – Italy
Referee 1: Mariano Romo ARG
Referee 2: Aecio Fernandez URU
Third Official: Alejandro Ojaos Valera ESP
Fourth Official: Jorge Gomez COL
Timekeeper: Micke Palomino PER

Brazil – Spain
Referee 1: Gonzalo Carballo SLV
Referee 2: Jorge Tunon PAN
Third Official: Hamdi Bchir TUN
Fourth Official: Steven Siave MRI
Timekeeper: Lukasz Ostrowski POL

PGMOL: More money from clubs?

This has been a difficult year for referees, with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta recently hitting out over a lack of consistency in officiating. It is an issue that has been a case throughout the season, with Bournemouth striker Evanilson recently wrongly sent off against Man United by Peter Bankes. That issue was then emphasised further when Bankes failed to send off Wolves full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri against Man City for what many saw to be a more dangerous challenge. But in spite of those problems, it appears Premier League sides may soon be facing even greater financial demands from the referees body which is currently run by Howard Webb.

According to a recent report from The Telegraph, it is expected that Webb will announce that PGMOL made a financial loss of £900,000 last year. That may have been influenced by the introduction of new technology into the Premier League, such as VAR and semi-automated offside. As a result, it is suggested that top-flight clubs in England will have to increase their budgets if they want to maintain a high standard of officiating. Hackett though, does not believe that clubs ought to be agreeing to such demands in the circumstances. After being asked by Football Insider what he made of those updates on the situation at the PGMOL, the former referee said: “I’ve got a lot to say on this! You talk to professional players, and I had the opportunity of talking to people like Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse many years ago. They talked about their maximum wage of £7 a week, and part of that discussion was asking me how much did I get for a cup final as a referee. The answer was in 1981 I got £35. So ’81, it’s a long time ago. In that period – to give a bit of background – when I went into Europe to referee big games in Europe, Real Madrid, Barcelona, whatever. You didn’t get a match fee, you did it almost for the love which is remarkable isn’t it. You got a day allowance of a small amount of money to pay for food, travel – travel was paid for by them, hotel was paid for by them. There was one occasion where I had to referee a match – Stuttgart vs Feyenoord – and I had to be back for a board meeting and the outcome is to do that I had to spend two grand chartering an aircraft to bring me back home for that board meeting. This is not like a bad luck story, this is about commitment that referees used to give to the game. I lost a couple of jobs because of refereeing. The outcome of that is when I retired from refereeing, I started lobbying the chairman of the Premier League on the basis that we needed to go to professional referees. I helped write the paper, I didn’t submit but I read it, contributed to it. That was submitted and as a result the PGMOL was formed. The first manager was Philip Don, I was the development manager. Then I took over from him a couple of years later, and then in round about 2007 I retired to become referee ambassador for the Premier League. The reason I’m doing this is to talk about what we achieved because at that time, there was Graham Poll, Mark Halsey, Mark Clattenburg, Howard Webb, Graham Barber. So, we had a minimum of ten strong-personality referees delivering good performances. The turnover in 2007 when I left was £5.6million. And we had a £95,000 profit. The cost of sales was £5.5million. Then Mike Riley took over in 2008, and it went to £6million. So now we go eight years later, we’re looking at a turnover in 2019 of £20.3million. In 2020, it goes to £22million, in 2023 that figure goes to £33million with a loss after tax of £1.8million, and the latest results that have been posted – these are available in companies house, in detail. If we look at the current report of 2024 that was issued on companies house on 3 May, the turnover was £39million. So, in a period of 17 years it’s gone from £5million to almost £40million, and of course if recording a £900,000 loss. So he’s not actually saying they’re going to make a loss, they have made a loss. I think it’s deplorable, it’s unacceptable. I think that there needs to be a very clear root and branch review of the PGMOL organisation. If I were the clubs I wouldn’t give them one penny more, I’d be asking for something back. Now, the argument that’s often put forward is clubs are really wealthy, they’ve got bags of money, and it might be that you’ve got two or three players in a club that are earning this amount of money. That’s not the point, it’s not the point! The point is we went to professional referees to deliver better performances. What I’ve seen with the PGMOL is a lack of control in its expenditure, a lack of performance delivery at the coal-face and whilst they will continue to say that refereeing standards are improving, I would say that based on 50 years involvement in refereeing, with no chip on my shoulder, that that’s not the case. It’s just not the case! In my period of time in office – and I’m going back – I can tell you on average we had one major error every weekend. So, in ten games we had one major error. We had a staff of less than, I think ten people really, and now you’re getting to figures which are just over the top, too many administrators. I don’t worry about what referees earn, I want them to earn the maximum amount. But within this structure it’s like fat cats and no control of finance. What amazes is it’s got a board of directors and I cannot [believe] how a board of directors are allowing PGMOL to run into a loss situation. Now I know what we’ve done is, in that period of time, we’ve got Goal Line Technology, we’ve got VAR, I understand all that we’ve not got a semi automated [offside] system that’s coming in. But those are assets that can be amortised in a business and costed over a period of time. When I saw the figures I was gobsmacked. It’s gone up £6million in one year. £6million and he’s asking for more. So, I think it asks all sorts of questions: Who’s paying? Who’s getting the money? Where is it being spent? what are the returns on that investment?”

Source: Football Insider

UEFA Europa Conference League 2024/25 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

8 May 2025

AC Fiorentina – Real Betis
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Mohammed Al-Hakim SWE
VAR: Pol van Boekel NED
AVAR: Clay Ruperti NED
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos CRO

Chelsea FC – Djurgardens IF
Referee: Joao Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Luís Godinho POR
VAR: Tiago Martins POR
AVAR: Andre Narciso POR
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen NOR

UEFA Europa League 2024/2025 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

8 May 2025

Bodo Glimt – Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marchetti ITA
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Michael Fabbri ITA
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson SWE

Manchester United – Athletic Club
Referee: Daniel Siebert GER
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel GER
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn GER
Fourth Official: Tobias Stieler GER
VAR: Christian Dingert GER
AVAR: Sören Storks GER
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras GRE

UEFA Champions League 2024/2025 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

6 May 2025

Inter Milano – FC Barcelona
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Pawel Raczkowski POL
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Pol van Boekel NED
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine NIR

7 May 2025
Paris St. Germain – Arsenal FC
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz GER
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers GER
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Benjamin Brand GER
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista POR

UEFA Referee Talent and Mentor 2024-2025

Men: Andrea Colombo (ITA, photo), John Brooks (ENG), Javier Alberola Rojas (ESP), Sander van der Eijk (NED), Jasper Vergoote (BEL), Alessandro Dudic (SUI), Jakob Sundberg (DEN), Joonas Jaanovits (EST), Mohammed Al-Emara (FIN), Vasilis Fotias (GRE).

Women: Fabienne Michel (GER), Caroline Lanssens (BEL), Michalina Diakow (POL), Miriama Bočková (SVK).

AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025

China, 6-17 May 2025

Referees
1. Liang Qingyun CHN

2. Zhu Xin CHN
3. Wahyu Wicaksono IDN
4. Gelareh Nazemi IRN (photo)
5. Zahra Rahimi IRN
6. Fathi Zari IRN
7. Saito Kana JPN
8. Hiruma Kumi JPN
9. Mari Yamamoto JPN
10. Moon Dae-Sung KOR
11. Nour Chaito LBN
12. Nurul Janah MAS
13. Muhamad Jamaluddin MAS
14. Maryam Al-Hadhrami OMA
15. Reem Al-Bishi KSA
16. Lee Po-Fu TPE
17. Panadda Khotsenaphattra THA
18. Najat Al-Blooshi UAE
19. Nikita Afinogenov UZB
20. Huynh Nguyen VIE

Referee Assessors
1. Nurdin Bukuev KGZ
2. Tomohiro Kozaki JPN
3. Badrul Bin Kalam MAS
4. Vadim Baratov TKM

CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2025 – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

6-8 May 2025

Nacional Potosi – Guarani
Referee: Yender Herrera VEN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Ponte VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Martinez VEN
Fourth Official: Alexis Herrera VEN
VAR: Angel Arteaga VEN
AVAR: Reyes Soto VEN
Referee Assessor: Oscar Maldonado BOL
VAR Supervisor: Juan Cardellino URU

Vitoria – Defensa y Justicia
Referee: Francisco Gilabert CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Poblete CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Leslie Vazquez CHI
Fourth Official: Christian Aleman BOL
VAR: Mathias Riquelme CHI
AVAR: Edson Cisternas CHI
Referee Assessor: Regildenia Moura BRA
VAR Supervisor: Luis Vera ECU

Sportivo Luqueno – Godoy Cruz
Referee: Bryan Loayza ECU
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Baren ECU
Assistant Referee 2: Mauricio Lozada ECU
Fourth Official: Guillermo Guerrero ECU
VAR: Gabriel Gonzalez ECU
AVAR: Byron Romero ECU
Referee Assessor: Juan Zorrilla PAR
VAR Supervisor: Roberto Silvera URU

Boston River – Independiente
Referee: John Ospina COL
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Ortiz COL
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Padilla COL
Fourth Official: Edwin Ordonez PER
VAR: Heider Castro COL
AVAR: Mauricio Perez COL
Referee Assessor: Marcelo de Leon URU
VAR Supervisor: Victor Carrillo PER

Corinthians – America de Cali
Referee: Juan Benitez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Villagra PAR
Fourth Official: David Ojeda PAR
VAR: Ulises Mereles PAR
AVAR: Jose Cuevas PAR
Referee Assessor: Cleidy Riveiro BRA
VAR Supervisor: Ricardo Casas ARG

Melgar – Lanus
Referee: Carlos Ortega COL
Assistant Referee 1: John Gallego COL
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Aguirre COL
Fourth Official: Paula Fernandez COL
VAR: Luis Picon COL
AVAR: Mary Blanco COL
Referee Assessor: Jorge Jaimes PER
VAR Supervisor: Jorge Mercado PAR

Academia Puerto Cabello – Vasco da Gama
Referee: Jose Mendez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldivar PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Britos PAR
Fourth Official: Carlos Benitez PAR
VAR: Franklin Congo ECU
AVAR: Roddy Zambrano ECU
Referee Assessor: Candelario Andarcia VEN
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Lamouroux COL

Union de Santa Fe – Palestino
Referee: Derlis Lopez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Canete PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Nadia Weiler PAR
Fourth Official: Derlis Benitez PAR
VAR: Zulma Quinonez PAR
AVAR: Luis Onieva PAR
Referee Assessor: Sabrina Lois ARG
VAR Supervisor: Pericles Cortes BRA

Cerro Largo – Universidad Catolica
Referee: Ivo Mendez BOL
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Tapia BOL
Assistant Referee 2: Ruben Flores BOL
Fourth Official: Gabriel Mendoza BOL
VAR: Jorge Justiniano BOL
AVAR: Juan Garcia BOL
Referee Assessor: Fernando Falce URU
VAR Supervisor: Emerson de Carvalho BRA

Atletico Grau – Gremio
Referee: Jose Burgos URU
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran URU
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Barreiro URU
Fourth Official: Andres Matonte URU
VAR: Andres Cunha URU
AVAR: Santiago Fernandez URU
Referee Assessor: Silvia Reyes PER
VAR Supervisor: Oswaldo Segura ECU

Mushuc Runa – Cruzeiro
Referee: Roberto Perez PER
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Orue PER
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Jaimes PER
Fourth Official: Daniel Ureta PER
VAR: Michael Espinoza PER
AVAR: Elizabeth Tintaya PER
Referee Assessor: Jose Lara ECU
VAR Supervisor: Sebastian Restrepo COL

Deportes Iquique – Atletico Mineiro
Referee: Leandro Rey ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Navarro ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Gisela Trucco ARG
Fourth Official: Carlos Gariano ARG
VAR: Jorge Balino ARG
AVAR: Laura Fortunato ARG
Referee Assessor: Carlos Ulloa CHI
VAR Supervisor: Sandra Zambrano ECU

Racing – Huracan
Referee: Augusto Menendez PER
Assistant Referee 1: Alberth Alarcon PER
Assistant Referee 2: Leonar Soto PER
Fourth Official: Edwin Ordonez PER
VAR: Milagros Arruela PER
AVAR: Alejandro Villanueva PER
Referee Assessor: Marcelo de Leon URU
VAR Supervisor: Emerson de Carvalho BRA

GV San Jose – Fluminense
Referee: Alexis Herrera VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Ponte VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Martinez VEN
Fourth Official: Yender Herrera VEN
VAR: Angel Arteaga VEN
AVAR: Reyes Soto VEN
Referee Assessor: Pedro Saucedo BOL
VAR Supervisor: Juan Cardellino URU

Once Caldas – Union Espanola
Referee: Kevin Ortega PER
Assistant Referee 1: Jesus Sanchez PER
Assistant Referee 2: Enrique Pinto PER
Fourth Official: Jordi Espinoza PER
VAR: Diego Haro PER
AVAR: Joel Alarcon PER
Referee Assessor: Luzmila Gonzalez COL
VAR Supervisor: Rodney Aquino PAR

Cienciano – Caracas
Referee: Alex Cajas ECU
Assistant Referee 1: Dennys Guerrero ECU
Assistant Referee 2: Viviana Segura ECU
Fourth Official: Juan Andrade ECU
VAR: Luis Quiroz ECU
AVAR: Susana Corella ECU
Referee Assessor: Jorge Jaimes PER
VAR Supervisor: Marcelo Rogerio BRA

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2025 – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

6-8 May 2025

Alianza Lima – Sao Paulo

Referee: Andres Matonte URU (photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran URU

Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Barreiro URU

Fourth Official: Jose Burgos URU

VAR: Andres Cunha URU

AVAR: Santiago Fernandez URU

Referee Assessor: Henry Gambetta PER

VAR Supervisor: Oswaldo Segura ECU

Carabobo – Botafogo
Referee: Carlos Benitez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldivar PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Britos PAR
Fourth Official: Jose Mendez PAR
VAR: Franklin Congo ECU
AVAR: Roddy Zambrano ECU
Referee Assessor: Marlon Escalante VEN
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Lamouroux COL

Atletico Bucaramanga – Racing
Referee: Augusto Aragon ECU
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano ECU
Assistant Referee 2: Danny Avila ECU
Fourth Official: Yerson Zambrano ECU
VAR: Jefferson Macias ECU
AVAR: Roberto Sanchez ECU
Referee Assessor: Abraham Gonzalez COL
VAR Supervisor: Rodney Aquino PAR

Fortaleza – Colo Colo
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela VE
Assistant Referee 1: Tulio Moreno VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Erizon Nieto VEN
Fourth Official: Alejandro Velazquez VEN
VAR: Antonio Garcia URU
AVAR: Agustin Berisso URU
Referee Assessor: Hilton Moutinho BRA
VAR Supervisor: Cesar Escano PER

San Antonio – Penarol
Referee: Cristian Garay CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Alejandro Molina CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Sandoval CHI
Fourth Official: Dione Rissios CHI
VAR: Carlos Orbe ECU
AVAR: Monica Amboya ECU
Referee Assessor: Juan Lugones BOL
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Avila ECU

Deportivo Tachira – LDU Quito
Referee: Gery Vargas BOL
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Antelo BOL
Assistant Referee 2: Edwar Saavedra BOL
Fourth Official: Dilio Rodriguez BOL
VAR: Wilfredo Campos BOL
AVAR: Ariel Guizada BOL
Referee Assessor: Jairo Romero VEN
VAR Supervisor: Marcio Santiago BRA

Bahia – Nacional
Referee: Yael Falcon ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Pablo Gonzalez ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Rainieri ARG
Fourth Official: Sebastian Zunino ARG
VAR: Nicolas Lamolina ARG
AVAR: German Delfino ARG
Referee Assessor: Regildenia Moura BRA
VAR Supervisor: Luis Vera ECU

Cerro Porteno – Palmeiras
Referee: Piero Maza CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Rocha CHI
Fourth Official: Jose Cabero CHI
VAR: Juan Lara CHI
AVAR: Miguel Araos CHI
Referee Assessor: Manuel Bernal PAR
VAR Supervisor: Roberto Silvera URU

Universidad de Chile – Estudiantes de La Plata
Referee: Andres Rojas COL
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman COL
Assistant Referee 2: Mayra Sanchez COL
Fourth Official: Jose Ortiz COL
VAR: Keiner Jimenez COL
AVAR: Yadir Acuna COL
Referee Assessor: Christian Schiemann CHI
VAR Supervisor: Victor Martinez PAR

Central Cordoba – Flamengo
Referee: Felipe Gonzalez CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Retamal CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Marcia Castillo CHI
Fourth Official: Diego Flores CHI
VAR: Benjamin Saravia CHI
AVAR: Nicolas Millas CHI
Referee Assessor: Hector Baldassi ARG
VAR Supervisor: Carlos Pastorino URU

Sporting Cristal – Bolivar
Referee: Carlos Betancur COL
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Roldan COL
Assistant Referee 2: Jenny Torres COL
Fourth Official: Jenny Arias COL
VAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
AVAR: Nataly Arteaga COL
Referee Assessor: Cesar Mongrut PER
VAR Supervisor: Angel Sanchez ARG

Talleres – Libertad
Referee: Gustavo Tejera URU
Assistant Referee 1: Pablo Llarena URU
Assistant Referee 2: Mathias Muniz URU
Fourth Official: Nadia Fuques URU
VAR: Christian Ferreyra URU
AVAR: Horacio Ferreiro URU
Referee Assessor: Hector Baldassi ARG
VAR Supervisor: Pericles Cortes BRA

Barcelona – River Plate
Referee: Wilmar Roldan COL
Assistant Referee 1: John Leon COL
Assistant Referee 2: David Fuentes COL
Fourth Official: Diego Ulloa COL
VAR: Leonard Mosquera COL
AVAR: Sebastian Vela COL
Referee Assessor: Jose Carpio ECU
VAR Supervisor: Patricio Polic CHI

Velez Sarsfield – Olimpia
Referee: Raphael Claus BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires BRA
Fourth Official: Rodrigo Pereira BRA
VAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
AVAR: Rodrigo D’Alonso BRA
Referee Assessor: Sergio Viola ARG
VAR Supervisor: Victor Carrillo PER

Atletico Nacional – Internacional
Referee: Facundo Tello ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Savorani ARG
Fourth Official: Sebastian Martinez ARG
VAR: Hector Paletta ARG
AVAR: Lucas Novelli ARG
Referee Assessor: Juan Corozo COL
VAR Supervisor: Claudio Rios CHI

Universitario – Independiente Del Valle
Referee: Paulo Zanovelli BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nailton Sousa BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Luanderson Lima BRA
Fourth Official: Bruno Arleu BRA
VAR: Daniel Nobre BRA
AVAR: Rodrigo Guarizo BRA
Referee Assessor: Henry Gambetta PER
VAR Supervisor: Angel Sanchez ARG

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 17-24)

5 May 2025

Japan – Seychelles
Referee 1: Saverio Bottalico ITA (photo)
Referee 2: Matthieu Dor FRA
Third Official: Juan Angeles DOM
Fourth Official: Vitalij Gomolko LTU
Timekeeper: Vladimir Tashkov BUL

Iran – Portugal
Referee 1: Mariano Romo ARG
Referee 2: Aecio Fernandez URU
Third Official: Gonzalo Carballo SLV
Fourth Official: Jorge Tunon PAN
Timekeeper: Hamdi Bchir TUN

Spain – Chile
Referee 1: Jorge Tunon PAN
Referee 2: Gonzalo Carballo SLV
Third Official: Nayim Kosimov UZB
Fourth Official: Hamdi Bchir TUN
Timekeeper: Fallah Al Balushi OMA

Belarus – Guatemala
Referee 1: Steven Siave MRI
Referee 2: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy TAH
Third Official: Nayim Kosimov UZB
Fourth Official: Micke Palomino PER
Timekeeper: Jorge Gomez COL

6 May 2025
El Salvador – Italy
Referee 1: Nayim Kosimov UZB
Referee 2: Yuichi Hatano JPN
Third Official: Mariano Romo ARG
Fourth Official: Aecio Fernandez URU
Timekeeper: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy TAH

Senegal – Chile
Referee 1: Vladimir Tashkov BUL
Referee 2: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi UAE
Third Official: Vitalij Gomolko LTU
Fourth Official: Sergio Soares POR
Timekeeper: Saverio Bottalico ITA

Oman – Brazil
Referee 1: Juan Angeles DOM
Referee 2: Özcan Sultanoglu TUR
Third Official: Jorge Tunon PAN
Fourth Official: Matthieu Dor FRA
Timekeeper: Lukasz Ostrowski POL

Tahiti – Spain
Referee 1: Jorge Gomez COL
Referee 2: Hamdi Bchir TUN
Third Official: Steven Siave MRI
Fourth Official: Micke Palomino PER 

Timekeeper: Fallah Al Balushi OMA

Referee Webb substituted due to head injury on Premier League debut

Referee David Webb suffered a head injury and was replaced following a delay of several minutes during the first half of Leicester City's Premier League game against Southampton on Saturday. Webb, refereeing his first Premier League match at the age of 49, was struck in the face by the shoulder of Leicester forward Jordan Ayew and fell to the pitch. While Webb was lying on the pitch, Vardy crouched beside him and blew the whistle that was still in the stricken referee's hand. Vardy then walked away from Webb as the seriousness of the referee's injury prompted concern among players who called for medical treatment to help the official. "I saw Southampton breaking down the left and with the ref down I thought I'll blow his whistle to stop the game," Vardy told BBC Sport.

After five minutes of treatment on the pitch, Webb appeared unsteady as he returned to his feet but was able to walk off the pitch before heading to the dressing room for further treatment. He was replaced by fourth official Sam Barrott, who restarted the game between the two already-relegated teams after the 11-minute delay. "I felt sorry for the ref," Leicester head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy told a pos-tmatch news conference. "He hit a brick wall called Jordan Ayew, and that 's not easy. Vardy blew the whistle to help him out. I hope he's OK. We had to wait for 12 minutes, warm up and then start again, but I have not seen a body check like that for a long time."

Source: ESPN

UEFA Futsal Champions League Final 2025: Veselič (SVN) & Grabowski (POL)

Le Mans, 4 May 2025

Palma – Kairat Almaty
Referee 1: Dejan Veselič SVN (photo)
Referee 2: Damian Grabowski POL
Third Official: Ondřej Černý CZE
Reserve AR: Grigori Ošomkov EST
Timekeeper: Daniel Matkovic SUI
Referee Observer: Ivan Novak CRO

Concacaf Women’s Futsal Championship Final 2025: Araya (CRC) & Pahia (USA)

4 May 2025

Panama – Canada
Referee 1: Yeraldin Araya (CRC, photo)
Referee 2: Krystin Pahia (USA)
Third Referee: Kimberly Valverde (CRC)
Timekeeper: Andrea Davila (GUA)
Reserve AR: Anthony Terborg (SUR)
Referee Assessor: Victorino Rodriguez (SLV)

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 9-16)

3 May 2025

Paraguay – Iran
Referee 1: Vladimir Tashkov BUL (photo)
Referee 2: Saverio Bottalico ITA
Third Official: Matthieu Dor FRA
Fourth Official: Jorge Tunon PAN
Timekeeper: Ramadhani Ndayisaba BDI

Japan – Belarus

Referee 1: Hamdi Bchir TUN

Referee 2: Steven Siave MRI

Third Official: Micke Palomino PER

Fourth Official: Jorge Gomez COL

Timekeeper: Gonzalo Carballo SLV

Seychelles – Guatemala
Referee 1: Fallah Al Balushi OMA
Referee 2: Alejandro Ojaos Valera ESP
Third Official: Sergio Soares POR
Fourth Official: Mariano Romo ARG
Timekeeper: Vitalij Gomolko LTU

Mauritania – Portugal
Referee 1: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy TAH
Referee 2: Nayim Kosimov UZB
Third Official: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi UAE
Fourth Official: Aecio Fernandez URU
Timekeeper: Yuichi Hatano JPN

4 May 2025
Oman – El Salvador
Referee 1: Sergio Soares POR
Referee 2: Özcan Sultanoglu TUR
Third Official: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy TAH
Fourth Official: Alejandro Ojaos Valera ESP
Timekeeper: Aecio Fernandez URU

Tahiti – Senegal
Referee 1: Vitalij Gomolko LTU
Referee 2: Yuichi Hatano JPN
Third Official: Juan Angeles DOM
Fourth Official: Saverio Bottalico ITA
Timekeeper: Mariano Romo ARG

Brazil – Italy
Referee 1: Lukasz Ostrowski POL
Referee 2: Micke Palomino PER
Third Official: Vladimir Tashkov BUL
Fourth Official: Jorge Gomez COL
Timekeeper: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi UAE

Paraguay – Mauritania
Referee 1: Alejandro Ojaos Valera ESP
Referee 2: Fallah Al Balushi OMA
Third Official: Lukasz Ostrowski POL
Fourth Official: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi UAE 

Timekeeper: Özcan Sultanoglu TUR

Concacaf Women’s Futsal Championship 2025 – Semi-finals

3 May 2025

Mexico – Canada

Referee 1: Matthew Rodman (USA, photo)

Referee 2: Colin Abel (GUY)

Third Referee: Hector Santos (PUR)

Timekeeper: Diego Suarez (DOM)

Reserve AR: Ramon Mejia (NCA)

Referee Assessor: Jeisson Penaloza (CRC)

Costa Rica – Panama
Referee 1: Roberto Cux (GUA)
Referee 2: Julio Pascual (CUB)
Third Referee: Mynor Quintana (GUA)
Timekeeper: Manuel Barrera (SLV)
Reserve AR: Yordanka Pouyoux (CUB)
Referee Assessor: Wilson Matute (HON)

AFC Champions League Elite Final 2025: Al-Jassim (QAT)

3 May 2025

Al Ahli – Kawasaki Frontale
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim QAT (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al-Marri QAT
Assistant Referee 2: Ramzan Al-Naemi QAT
Fourth Official: Ahmad Al-Ali KUW
Reserve AR: Abdulhadi Al-Anezi KUW
VAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
AVAR: Fu Ming CHN
Referee Assessor: Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh MAS

UEFA Futsal Champions League 2024/2025 – Semi-finals

Le Mans, 2 May 2025

Kairat Almaty – Cartagena Costa Calid
Referee 1: Nicola Manzione ITA (photo)
Referee 2: Daniel Matkovic SUI
Third Official: Dejan Veselič SV
Timekeeper: David Nissen DEN
Referee Observer: Ivan Novak CRO

Sporting CP – Palma
Referee 1: Ondřej Černy CZE
Referee 2: Grigori Ošomkov EST
Third Official: Damian Grabowski POL
Timekeeper: Dominykas Norkus LTU
Referee Observer: Ivan Novak CRO

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 1-8)

1 May 2025

Guatemala – Japan
Referee 1: Ozcan Sultanoglu TUR (photo)
Referee 2: Lukasz Ostrowski POL
Third Official: Saverio Bottalico ITA
Fourth Official: Sergio Soares POR
Timekeeper: Aurélien Planchais-Godefroy TAH

Mauritania – Iran
Referee 1: Vitalij Gomolko LTU
Referee 2: Alejandro Ojaos Valera ESP
Third Official: Micke Palomino PER
Fourth Official: Vladimir Tashkov BUL
Timekeeper: Matthieu Dor FRA

Seychelles – Belarus
Referee 1: Gonzalo Carballo SLV
Referee 2: Jorge Tunon PAN
Third Official: Jorge Gomez COL
Fourth Official: Fallah Al Balushi OMA
Timekeeper: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi UAE

Portugal – Paraguay
Referee 1: Yuchi Hatano JPN
Referee 2: Juan Angeles DOM
Third Official: Hamdi Bchir TUN
Fourth Official: Nayim Kosimov UZB
Timekeeper: Steven Siave MRI

2 May 2025
Italy – Oman
Referee 1: Mariano Romo ARG
Referee 2: Jorge Gomez COL
Third Official: Jorge Tunon PAN
Fourth Official: Steven Siave MRI
Timekeeper: Juan Angeles DOM

Chile – Tahiti
Referee 1: Ramadhani Ndayisaba BDI
Referee 2: Sergio Soares POR
Third Official: Fallah Al Balushi OMA
Fourth Official: Ozcan Sultanoglu TUR
Timekeeper: Saverio Bottalico ITA

Brazil – El Salvador
Referee 1: Ibrahim Al-Raeesi UAE
Referee 2: Matthieu Dor FRA
Third Official: Vitalij Gomolko LTU
Fourth Official: Lukasz Ostrowski POL
Timekeeper: Alejandro Ojaos Valera ESP

Spain – Senegal
Referee 1: Aecio Fernandez URU
Referee 2: Micke Palomino PER
Third Official: Yuchi Hatano JPN
Fourth Official: Gonzalo Carballo SLV
Timekeeper: Nayim Kosimov UZB

UEFA Europa Conference League 2024/25 – Semi-finals (First Leg)

1 May 2025

Real Betis – AC Fiorentina
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Christopher Kavanagh ENG
VAR: Jarred Gillett AUS
AVAR: Michael Salisbury ENG
Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov UKR

Djurgardens IF – Chelsea FC
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni SUI
Fourth Official: Urs Schnyder SUI
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Lionel Tschudi SUI
Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP

UEFA Europa League 2024/2025 – Semi-finals (First Leg)

1 May 2025

Athletic Club – Manchester United
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Morten Krogh DEN
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
AVAR: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB

Tottenham Hotspur – Bodo Glimt
Referee: José Sánchez Martínez ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Iñigo Prieto López ESP
Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernández Hernández ESP
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: César Soto Grado ESP
Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli ITA

Concacaf Champions Cup 2025 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

30 April 2025

Inter Miami – Vancouver Whitecaps
Referee: Said Martinez HON (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez HON
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez HON
Fourth Official: Adonai Escobedo MEX
VAR: Benjamin Pineda CRC
AVAR: Oscar Macias MEX

1 May 2025
Cruz Azul – Tigres UANL
Referee: Drew Fischer CAN
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Barwegen CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa CAN
Fourth Official: Tori Penso USA
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic USA
AVAR: Daneon Parchment JAM

AFC Champions League Elite 2025 – Semi-finals

29 April 2025

Al Hilal SFC – Al Ahli
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh JOR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al-Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed Al-Hamadi UAE
Fourth Official: Omar Al-Ali UAE
Reserve AR: Ahmed Al-Rashedi UAE
VAR: Fu Ming CHN
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari SIN
Referee Assessor: Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh MAS

30 April 2025
Al Nassr – Kawasaki Frontale
Referee: Alireza Faghani AUS
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin AUS
Assistant Referee 2: Park Kyun-Yong KOR
Fourth Official: Kim Jong-Hyeok KOR
Reserve AR: Mohamad Tan MAS
VAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari SIN
AVAR: Nazmi Bin Nasaruddin MAS
Referee Assessor: Valentin Kovalenko UZB

UEFA Champions League 2024/2025 – Semi-finals (First Leg)

29 April 2025

Arsenal FC – Paris St. Germain
Referee: Slavko Vinčić SVN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: Matej Jug SVN
VAR: Alen Borošak SVN
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski POL

30 April 2025
FC Barcelona – Inter Milano
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: François Letexier FRA
VAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu ROU

Rudiger throws ice at the referee in the Copa del Rey final

Antonio Rudiger faces a possible multi-game suspension after appearing to throw ice at the referee and shouting aggressively while being held back by Real Madrid teammates late in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on Saturday. Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea also handed out red cards to Jude Bellingham and Lucas Vázquez for protesting in the waning moments of Barcelona’s 3-2 win.

De Burgos wrote in his match report that Rudiger “threw an object from the technical area that didn’t reach me. After being shown the red card, he had to be held back by various members of the coaching staff, while he showed an aggressive attitude.” The referee’s report also details how Vazquez, who had been substituted off in the 55th minute, was dismissed “for protesting one of our decisions, entering several metres onto the playing surface, and making gestures of disconformity.” Bellingham, who completed the full 120 minutes, was sent off after the match. “He came towards us with an aggressive attitude, having to be held back by his teammates,” De Burgos Bengoechea’s report added.

The day before the final De Burgos denounced a campaign to discredit him by Real Madrid’s official club television. The referee for the Copa del Rey final got emotional on Friday when he described the verbal abuse his child suffers because of criticism his profession receives from soccer’s top clubs - in his case led by Real Madrid. Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea expressed his anguish to reporters after Madrid’s club-owned television station aired a video supposedly documenting his bias against the club. “To see your son come from school crying because some kids have said his dad is a crook is very hard to take,” De Burgos said as he choked up. “What I do is tell my son that his father is honorable. I make mistakes, like any athlete, but I am honorable,” he said. “I want my son to be proud of his father and of the refereeing profession. … Nobody has the right to submit my colleagues to what they are dealing with.”

De Burgos spoke along with video assistant referee Pablo González Fuertes at the now customary pre-Copa del Rey press conference for the referee crew, a rare moment for referees to be questioned by the press. González Fuertes supported his fellow referee and launched a warning that Spain’s referees were going to take unspecified actions to curtail attacks on their honor. “Do not have the least doubt that we are going to have to start taking more serious measures,” González Fuertes said, without giving details. He added that he was worried that the verbal hate referees receive from players and as well on social media could have real-world consequences. “One day we will have a real problem, and we will all hold our heads and condemn what happened, but who will be held responsible for the situation?”

Source: AP

CAF Women’s Futsal Africa Cup of Nations 2025

Morocco, 22-30 April 2025

Referees

1. Warda Chanai (ALG)

2. Malika Chihaoui (ALG)
3. Jose Katchingavisa (ANG)
4. Ahmed Gamal (EGY)
5. Ahmed Hamdi (EGY)
6. Mariette Aguie (CIV)
7. Ali Al-Ayat (LBY)
8. Khalid Hnich (MAR, photo)
9. Said El-Haoud (MAR)
10. Ndubuisi Ukah (NGA)
11. Elhadji Dieme (SEN)
12. Sipho Mahlangu (RSA)
13. Abdelakram El-Hentati (TUN)

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2024/25 – Semi-finals (Second Leg)

27 April 2025

Chelsea FC – FC Barcelona
Referee: Tess Olofsson SWE (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Almira Spahić SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Monica Lokkeberg NOR
Fourth Official: Frida Klarlund DEN
VAR: Tiago Martins POR
AVAR: Helder Malheiro POR
Referee Observer: Ivana Vlaić BIH

Olympique Lyonnais – Arsenal WFC 

Referee: Maria Ferrieri Caputi ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Franca Overtoom NED
Fourth Official: Silvia Gasperotti ITA
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
AVAR: Jelena Cvetković SRB
Referee Observer: Sofia Karagiorgi CYP