UEFA Referees - Promotions and Demotions 2011/2012

Men

Promoted from Elite Development to Elite: Mark Clattenburg (ENG), Paolo Tagliavento (ITA).
Retired from Elite: Massimo Busacca (SUI), Frank De Bleeckere (BEL).
Demoted from Elite to First Category: Laurent Duhamel (FRA), Alexei Nikolaev (RUS).
Promoted from First Category to Elite Development: Marijo Strahonja (CRO), Peter Rasmussen (DEN), David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP), Daniele Orsato (ITA), Alexandar Stavrev (MKD), Bas Nijhuis (NED), Tom Harald Hagen (NOR), Marcin Borski (POL), Milorad Mazic (SRB), Markus Strombergsson (SWE), Firat Aydinus (TUR).
Demoted from Elite Development to First Category: Serge Gumienny (BEL), Stefan Johannesson (SWE).
Promoted from Second Category to First Category: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP), Deniz Aytekin (GER), Sergey Karasev (RUS).
Demoted from First Category to Second Category: Knut Kircher (GER), Michael Weiner (GER), Alexandru Deaconu (ROU).
Promoted from Third Category to Second Category: Rene Eisner (AUT), Sebastien Delferiere (BEL), Miroslav Zelinka (CZE), Kenn Hansen (DEN), Jakob Kehlet (DEN), Kristo Tohver (EST), Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE), Ilias Spathas (GRE), Neil Doyle (IRL), Eli Hacmon (ISR), Danny Makkelie (NED), Szymon Marciniak (POL), Istvan Kovacs (ROU), Alexei Eskov (RUS), Robert Madden (SCO), Vlado Glodovic (SRB), Ivan Kruzliak (SVK), Slavko Vincic (SVN), Martin Strombergsson (SWE), Ievgenii Aranovskyi (UKR), Sergii Boiko (UKR).
Demoted from Second Category to Third Category: Radek Matejek (CZE), Anders Hermansen (DEN), Veaceslav Banari (MDA), Huw Jones (WAL).
New FIFA Referees promoted directly to Second Category: Michael Oliver (ENG), Marco Fritz (GER), Felix Zwayer (GER).

Women

Retired from Elite: Dagmar Damkova (CZE).

Demoted from Elite to First Category: Cristina Babadac-Ionescu (ROU).
Promoted from First Category to Elite Development: Jana Adamkova (CZE), Katalin Kulcsar (HUN), Carina Vitulano (ITA).
Promoted from Second Category to First Category: Sofia Karagiorgi (CYP), Amy Fearn-Rayner (ENG), Elia Martinez (ESP), Severine Zinck (FRA), Riem Hussein (GER), Rhona Daly (IRL), Anastasia Pustovoitova (RUS), Morag Pirie (SCO), Pernilla Larsson (SWE), Dilan Gokcek (TUR).
Promoted from Third Category to Second Category: Dimitrina Milkova (BUL), Stephanie Frappart (FRA), Linn Andersson (SWE).
Demoted from Second Category to Third Category: Donka Zheleva-Terzieva (BUL), Olga Tanschi (MDA).

Busacca: “We must give referees all they need”

Massimo Busacca was a referee for 22 years and officiated at more than 100 top-level international matches, with the 2009 UEFA Champions League final among his most notable. The 42-year-old finished his active career this summer to become the Head of FIFA’s Referees Department. FIFA.com spoke with him about this past year and some of the hot topics in refereeing.

- Massimo, you have switched sides this year, from an active international referee to be the Head of FIFA’s Referees Department. What were the main reasons for the change?
- What I did for many years on the pitch now gives me a good opportunity to do the same outside the pitch as well. It’s a great opportunity to try to give what I learned in these years to the elite referees that are coming in the future for our big competitions. It’s not a change, I still continue to live and breathe football every day, but now I do that more from the outside than the inside.
- Do you miss being on the pitch?
- Oh yes, of course I miss it. It’s like a player, when he finishes playing. I miss it a lot, but on the other hand, it’s good because you are still involved, still hungry and can explain better to the referees what they need to do.
- How have your first months at FIFA been? Can you explain to us what your role is?
- FIFA is for referees what the national teams are for the players. And I want to be the coach of this national team. We must be like a football team, must live and breathe football every day. My priority is to create this group of elite referees, and we want to work in a professional way. We want to improve them like players are improving day-by-day through training sessions. As players play for their clubs, referees officiate in their national league. Players are then called for the national teams and this is the case with referees who are called to officiate at FIFA tournaments. For this, you obviously need a structure around the world, and that’s why we create a group of instructors. We give a clear message how they have to follow the referees and assure the qualities. This group has to find the best referees to officiate in our competitions.
- The best referees will be at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. Can you explain to us the process for selection and training? Has it already started?
- We already started with the Club World Cup in Japan and selected referees to have a look at their qualities and to see if they were ready to be candidates for 2014. Next year will be crucial. We will create a list of elite referees but the list will be open until the end. So everyone can come in or go out, if he is not fit or doesn’t work in a proper way. This message will be given to all referees and all associations.
- The FIFA President mentioned the fact that referees for the World Cup in 2014 would all be professionals. Do you think professionalisation is the key for refereeing?
- Like a player, a referee should train every day. We cannot accept anymore a situation where associations do not give the same structure and opportunity to prepare referees. They need a coach or a physical trainer during the week. We need to make sure that they are working properly and live and breathe football every day. Otherwise performance will be just luck. You need to give the referees all they need to prepare themselves. This is professionalism! Professionalism is not just about money. How many teams spend a lot of money but are not winning? The associations are responsible for their referees; they have to do a lot for them. Once referees come to our tournaments, we cannot change them in a one-week course.
- We hear a lot about the Referee Assistance Programme. Can you explain to us how it is helping referees to be more efficient?
- We are investing a lot of money in the development of referees. There are courses almost every day around the world. What they are doing in development is what we will be doing in the competition. It’s crucial. We have to be sure that our structures around the world are working towards our directions.
- In Germany, referee Babak Rafati tried to commit suicide and claimed the raising pressure for referees. How can they be helped to cope with this pressure?
- Pressure is everywhere. Today, if you are on a high level in any job, you have pressure. Of course in refereeing it can be more, because a lot of money is involved and one wrong decision can change a lot. But we have to live with that. If I look back to my own career, I was not happy when I took a wrong decision. But I was always thinking that I have to forget immediately, to be ready for the next game. I have a lot of solidarity with Rafati. I can imagine what could have happened. Maybe he didn’t have a good season and he gave refereeing a too high priority. That’s a mistake sometimes. If this goes wrong, then you ask yourself what you are doing.
- Together with Peter Mikkelsen, you are part of the Task Force 2014 and bring the views of the referees. One of the topics discussed was the ‘triple punishment’ of penalty, red card and suspension. What’s the latest status on this?
- The group is in agreement that this triple punishment is too much. We want to find a logical agreement. Only if there is a clear handball on the goalline, or a clear situation where a goal would be scored, then it’s going to be a penalty and a red card. Otherwise, it’s a penalty and a yellow card. This proposal will go to IFAB.
- Another hot topic is the use of video technology. What is your position on that matter?
- Big players can make mistakes. We don’t give them a replay or another chance to score a clear opportunity. I don’t think it’s the case for referees either, to go and watch what happened. So I’m against video replays. But in goalline technology, we are almost there and I’m convinced that something very soon will arrive, to reduce or to eliminate this problem on the line. The final decision is still with a human being. It’s important to let referees make mistakes as players do as well. We have to change the mentality. Even with professional referees, we won’t eliminate mistakes. The most important target is to work in a tactical way and to understand football. We don’t want to create a robot. Situations and decisions come from feelings.
- Another approach is the one being tested by UEFA, having five referees in European competitions. You have been part of this experiment yourself.
- We have been doing this for two or three years now but it’s not the right moment to give conclusions. It’s important to see it during a big competition like UEFA Euro 2012. It’s a good approach, but there is still something missing. We need to have referees with quality. We should not think that two additional referees’ assistants outside can help the referees without this quality. They must be at the same level as the referee. You have to take a lot of important decisions in an important game in a few seconds. We have to see next year if the assistant referees are ready to help the referee in crucial matches.
- You have been a referee at high-level matches including the UEFA Champions League final and the FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final at South Africa 2009. How can you bring in your experience in the development of referees?
- I am sure that I can give my experience. I had the opportunity at the Club World Cup in Japan, where I tried to be the coach. I want to give them my experience from 22 years of refereeing in 12 international competitions. The most important target is to work in a tactical way and to understand football. We don’t want to create a robot. Situations and decisions come from feelings. We need to know the laws of the game, but the interpretations are important, as this comes from the personality. We want to let the referee keep his personality.
- If you have a Christmas wish, what would it be in regards to refereeing?
- We have to improve respect - not only for refereeing, but also in our society. Everybody can make a mistake. Respect is important. Respect for yourself and respect for others.

Source: FIFA

Ex-World Cup referee Lu Jun admits taking bribes for match-fixing

The long-awaited trial over soccer corruption continued into its third day. Lu Jun, China's most famous referee, who once officiated World Cup and Olympic Games and was dubbed "the golden whistle", stood trial in an intermediate court in Dandong, Northeast China's Liaoning province, facing charges of bribery-taking and match-fixing. Lu admitted he fixed seven matches for four clubs and took 810,000 yuan ($128,000) between 1999 and 2003, but he argued that the money he received was not the reward for being partial during matches, according to CCTV. Shanghai Shenhua alledgedly paid 5.5-million yuan to fix a match with another Shanghai club. Lu shared 700,000 of the money with Zhang Jianqiang, the former head of the CFA Referees Committee. "After about two weeks, I cannot remember the exact date, I went to the association and then he gave me the money. They put it in one of those paper bags with CFA logos: 350,000 yuan in cash". He has returned the money after the national governing body of the sport pledged to crack down on match cheating. Yi Shenghua, a Beijing-based lawyer, said Lu will face different charges and punishment if the prosecutors fail to prove that the money is a kickback for match fixing. During the two-and-a-half-hour hearing on Wednesday, the former "golden whistle" wept when prosecutors mentioned his early success as a referee who "started to officiate key matches in his early 30s", CCTV said.

The latest admission comes after another well-known referee, Huang Junjie, has admitted taking bribes to fix matches in China, including a friendly involving Manchester United in 2007, according to a state media report. Standing trial in northeastern Liaoning province, Huang Junjie confessed on Tuesday that he had received bribes of nearly 1.6 million yuan ($252,100) between 2005 and 2009, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Huang Junjie used to be one of the best Chinese FIFA referees. The bribes were from six domestic clubs and involved two international matches, a friendly between Manchester United and Shenzhen FC which the English side won 6-0 and another between Sydney FC and Shanghai Shenhua in 2009, Xinhua said. Apart from taking bribes to officiate in favour of clubs, Huang also took money from his colleague Zhou Weixin and helped him with gambling. During an exhibition match between English Premier League giants Manchester United and China's Shenzhen FC in Macao Stadium in 2007, Huang met Zhou's request to let Shenzhen FC win toss-up for the kick-off and received $100,000 (Hong Kong) as a reward afterwards. In 2009, Huang helped Zhou win in gambling again during a friendly between China's Shanghai Shenhua and Australian side Sydney FC. And this time the reward was 100,000 yuan. Huang was taken away by the police in March 2010, and Zhou was also arrested at the same time. Huang and Zhou were both charged with taking bribes as non-state staff with Zhou facing an additional count of bribing civil servants.

Lu, Huang and Zhou are among some 60 national soccer players, referees, coaches and other officials accused of involvement in match-fixing and gambling scandals in a national clampdown in late 2009.

Source: Reuters / Xinhua

Collina: "A big achievement, a big responsibility"

Twelve referees currently feel immense pride at having been chosen to take charge of games at the UEFA Euro 2012 final tournament in Poland and Ukraine next summer – but now comes the hard work that will culminate in them officiating at some of the biggest matches in their careers. On Tuesday, UEFA announced the 12 referees who will handle games at the eagerly anticipated final round between 8 June and 1 July 2012. The choice of the team was made by UEFA's Referees Committee – itself made up of experienced former international referees – after months of monitoring and observing candidates for this blue-riband event.

"We first identified the number of referees that we considered necessary for this competition and we thought that 12 referees was the right number," said Pierluigi Collina, the former Italian referee who is now UEFA's chief refereeing officer. "We also decided to guarantee the maximum possible flexibility by having 12 referees from 12 different countries. Then, early this season, we identified a very restricted number of potential candidates. They were followed through the last six months of performances and now we have finalised the list." Collina outlined the qualities needed to referee in a Euro final tournament. "The 12 are all referees from the elite group, so they are the top referees in Europe. They have all refereed UEFA Champions League matches during the past two seasons. What they can guarantee are two main elements – quality and experience. And only one referee, Howard Webb, was at UEFA Euro 2008. So there has been significant turnover."
Various courses and training events are lined up for the 12 referees as the clock ticks down to UEFA Euro 2012. "Basically, the referees selected will follow the normal preparation that UEFA has for the elite referees," Collina explained. "We will have a winter course in Turkey at the end of January and beginning of February, before the referees start the UEFA competitions again in mid-February. "The referees will then attend a workshop in Warsaw at the end of April and beginning of May. From now until June, a fitness coach will monitor their preparation in a specific way. For example, we have some referees who have a winter break and others who don't. This is something to be considered. It means that your preparation has to be different, and the fitness coach will create personalised training programmes for the referees from now until the end of the domestic competitions." Recovery and preparation will then be crucial in the period between the end of domestic competitions and the start of UEFA Euro 2012. "Domestic competitions normally finish around mid-May, and we will have three weeks between the end of the domestic competitions and Euro 2012," said Collina. "It's important for the referees to recover after a long season, but they also need to be ready for the Euro. The three weeks will see specific programmes for that period. The referees will also be followed regularly by members of the UEFA Referees Committee."
UEFA Euro 2012 will be notable for continuing the experiment with additional assistant referees, who stand on the goal line to watch for penalty area incidents, in particular. This will be unprecedented at a Euro tournament and follows a decision by football's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The additional assistants will form a quintet with the referee and the two 'normal' assistant referees, and all five will come from the same country. "We will also be working on team preparation with the quintets, so we will create a team of five based on quality and on teamwork," said Collina. "We will be working together with them from now until the Euro to create a solid team." Collina, a veteran of the biggest football matches on the planet, including major tournament finals, also has several words of wisdom for the 12 Euro referees. "They have to be proud of themselves – it's a big achievement, but they also have a big responsibility because they have to be 100% prepared and ready to comply with this commitment. They now have a few days to be happy – and a longer time to prepare themselves for the competition."

Source: UEFA

Referees for Euro 2012

The UEFA Referees Committee, meeting in Nyon today, has appointed the 12 referees to handle the 31 matches at next year's UEFA Euro 2012 final tournament in Poland and Ukraine. For the first time in the history of the UEFA European Championship, the referees will have added support thanks to a decision by football's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), to allow the continuation of the experiment in the use of additional assistant referees. The full referee teams will be announced in due course.

UEFA Euro 2012 referees:
1. Cuneyt Cakir (TUR, 1976)
2. Jonas Eriksson (SWE, 1974)
3. Viktor Kassai (HUN, 1975, photo)
4. Bjorn Kuipers (NED, 1973)
5. Stephane Lannoy (FRA, 1969)
6. Pedro Proenca Oliveira (POR, 1970)
7. Nicola Rizzoli (ITA, 1971)
8. Damir Skomina (SVN, 1976)
9. Wolfgang Stark (GER, 1969)
10. Craig Thomson (SCO, 1972)
11. Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP, 1971)
12. Howard Webb (ENG, 1971)

In addition, 4 fourth officials who will only act in this specific function have been appointed:
1. Marcin Borski (POL, 1973)
2. Tom Harald Hagen (NOR, 1978)
3. Pavel Kralovec (CZE, 1977)
4. Viktor Shvetsov (UKR, 1969)

The preparations of the referees for UEFA Euro 2012 will include various courses and training activities, including:
• 30 January to 2 February 2012 – UEFA's winter annual course during which the referees will receive technical instructions as well as physical training plans to follow until the final tournament.
• 30 April to 3 May 2012 – Referees' preparatory workshop in Warsaw. The referee quintets will train together in their team base camp. They will also undergo fitness tests and review the application of the technical instructions they have received.
• 4 June 2012 – The referee teams will arrive in Warsaw for the final tournament.

Source: UEFA

French AR accused of racism

The president of France's Professional Football League (LFP), Frederic Thiriez, has called for an investigation into claims Auxerre's Kamel Chafni was racially abused by a linesman. Chafni, a Morocco international, was sent off following an altercation with the assistant referee, Johann Perruaux, in the 55th minute of Auxerre's 1-0 loss at Brest in the French top flight on Saturday. The midfielder had to be restrained by his team-mates, as well as players from Brest, and as he left the pitch, following a delay of five minutes, he told television cameras he had been the victim of racist abuse. Moroccan Chafni claimed assistant referee Johann Perruaux told him “get lost, Arab”. Chafni reported it to referee Tony Chapron, but was booked and then sent off. "There is a foul that is not sanctioned, I got to the assistant referee to tell him it's not normal. He answers: 'get lost, Arab’. I go to the centre referee and I tell him what happened and he gives me a yellow card. I tell him it is unacceptable and he shows me a red card", Chafni told L'Equipe. Bourgoin also claimed that players from Brest had verified Chafni's version of events, but Chapron later insisted that there had been no racist remarks made by Perruaux. "I refute any accusation concerning these words. I know him too well for him to have said these words", said Chapron.

Johann Perruaux, the assistant referee accused by Auxerre's Moroccan international Kamel Chafni of racially abusing him, denied the allegation on Monday. Perruaux said in a statement sent to AFP that while he had reacted in a lively fashion when confronted by Chafni during the Ligue 1 match between Auxerre and Brest on Saturday he had not resorted to racial abuse. "I formally deny all claims that I made racist remarks," said Perruaux. "Even if I reacted strongly, following the remarks made by M. Chafni and his aggressive attitude towards me, I formally deny all allegations of racist abuse. I am at the disposition of the judicial authorities that M. Chafni has indicated he will go to, and have all the evidence necessary in my possession," added Perruaux, who was referring to the earpieces the officials wear and which records exchanges between individuals. Perruaux said that he too was looking to take legal action. "I have asked my advisors to do all that is necessary so that a complaint for defamation can be filed," he said. "I will make no further comment on this affair but I will obviously give all the explanations concerning the incident to the sports commissions who have been assembled to consider it”, said Perruaux.
After two days, Auxerre midfielder Kamel Chafni and assistant referee Johann Perruaux have settled their dispute over alleged racist remarks made by the official in a Ligue 1 game last weekend. "They had a telephone conversation. Mr. Perruaux has confirmed that, after Mr. Chafni had contested (a decision), he told him: 'Get lost.' That he regretted this reaction. That he did not racially abuse Mr. Chafni in any way. Mr. Chafni has accepted to consider this statement as true", a joint statement by Chafni and Perruaux read on Auxerre's web site.

Source: Reuters / SkyNews

Croatian ex-FIFA referee arrested in bribery investigation

Croatian anti-graft police have arrested two senior officials of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) on suspicion of taking bribes and rigging matches. HNS vice-president and former international referee Zeljko Siric was arrested together with the head of the association's referees committee, Stjepan Djedovic. They had also their cars and houses searched. Local media reported that the two officials were detained after taking 30,000 euro ($40,000) in bribes from an undercover agent to fix Croatia's first division matches.

Zeljko Siric was regarded as one of the best Croatian referees and was often appointed to officiate games between local arch-rivals Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split. The Croatian Football Federation dismissed the entire National Referees Committee and mandated the Executive Committee with appointing a new committee as soon as possible.
Croatia launched a probe into suspicious games in late 2009 after receiving information from German police. The country's anti-graft prosecutor last December charged 19 Croat and two Slovenian nationals suspected of being involved in fixing first division football matches. They were accused of promising money to club players, coaches and officials to fix results and influence matches. Most of them pleaded guilty and received fines or jail terms.

Source: Yahoo Sport

FIFA Club World Cup Final 2011: Irmatov (UZB)

Ravshan Irmatov (UZB) emerged on the international scene in 2010, when he impressed everyone through his excellent performances at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Although it was his first World Cup, after the opening match he became a very serious candidate for the final, but ended-up being appointed for a quarter-final and the semi-final Netherlands – Uruguay. On Sunday, he will be refereeing his second FIFA Club World Cup final, Barcelona – Santos, after he did Manchester United – LDU Quito in 2008. “I am very happy and it is a great honour to be appointed for the final match of the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2011. It is every referee's dream to officiate the final of any FIFA competition and I look forward to performing to the best of my ability. I also thank FIFA for their trust and confidence in appointing me to officiate such an important match", said Irmatov. He was voted the best Asian referee four times in a row (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) and refereed the AFC Asian Cup final Australia – Japan in 2011, as well as the AFC Champions League final Urawa - Sepahan in 2007. He also participated in one FIFA U-20 World Cup (2007) and three FIFA U-20 World Cups (2003, 2007, 2009).

Final
18 December 2011
FC Barcelona – Santos FC
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Bakhadyr Kocharov (KGZ)
Fourth Official: Yuichi Nishimura (JPN)
Fifth Official: Toru Sagara (JPN)

Match for third place
18 December 2011
Kashiwa Reysol – Al Saad
Referee: Noumandiez Doue (CIV)
Assistant Referee 1: Songuifolo Yeo (CIV)
Assistant Referee 2: Djibril Camara (SEN)
Fourth Official: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Fifth Official: Renato Faverani (ITA)

Marco Rodriguez – 13 red cards in Mexican Finals

In the second leg of the Mexican Apertura 2011 Final between Tigers and Santos, FIFA referee Marco Rodriguez issued 3 straight red cards and 7 yellow cards. In min. 56, Rodriguez showed two yellow cards simultaneously, one for Hector Mancilla and one for Carlos Morales.

Former FIFA World Cup Final referee, Edgardo Codesal, felt that the Mexican soccer tends to demonize Marco Rodriguez. Although he considered that Oswaldo Sanchez only warranted a caution, not the red card, Codesal felt that this was the only big mistake of Rodriguez: "It was only a reckless foul by Oswaldo Sanchez, who tackled with his feet forward, but it seemed that he was looking sideways and did not see the opposing player". At the same time, he criticized the lack of seriousness showed by Marco Rodriguez. "I think it is an absolute farce to show two yellow cards simultaneously, one in each hand… well that is characteristic of Rodriguez, who want to be different, to be the protagonist of the match, which is different than my concept of what the personality of a serious referee should be, but that did not influence the final outcome", said Codesal.
Another former FIFA World Cup referee, Arturo Brizio, considered that Marco Rodriguez could have resolved the situation with other resources. "The teaching graphics and photos show how the referee must show the card, one by one, not by showing them simultaneously", he said. Brizio recalled that Rodriguez had 3 finals where he had to send off 3 players, but he should have done it without showing off: "I think that the instructors need to sit down with Marco and talk to him, read him the book and try to orient and redirect his career. At times, Rodriguez seems to be a reliable referee and then suddenly…"
By sending off 3 players (Sanchez, Baloy and Jimenez) in the 2011 final Tigers – Santos, Marco Rodriguez evened its own record of Apertura 2005 (with 3 red cards as well: Serafín, Perez, Gonzalez) and stayed at one of the Apertura 2003, when he sent off 4 players (Sancho, Rergis, Soares, Huiqui). The other referees who sent off players in the Mexican finals were Benito Archundia and Arturo Brizio, with 2 red cards each in the 1997 finals.

Mexican finals refereed by Rodriguez
Apertura 2002 Necaxa – America (red card: Montes)
Clausura 2003 Morelia – Monterrey
Apertura 2003 Tigres – Pachuca (red cards: Sancho, Rergis, Soares, Huiqui)
Clausura 2005 Tecos – America (red card: Marcon)
Apertura 2005 Monterrey – Toluca (red cards: Serafin, Perez, Gonzalez)
Clausura 2007 Pachuca – America
Clausura 2008 Cruz Azul – Santos
Apertura 2009 Cruz Azul – Monterrey
Bicentenario 2010 Santos – Toluca (red card: De la Torre)
Apertura 2010 Santos – Monterrey
Clausura 2011 Pumas – Morelia
Apertura 2011 Tigres – Santos (red cards: Sanchez, Baloy, Jimenez)

Source: Medio Tiempo / Adelante Valle

UEFA Europa League – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

14 December 2011

Anderlecht – Lokomotiv Moscow

Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrovic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgic (CRO)
Additional AR 1: Domagoj Vuckov (CRO)
Additional AR 2: Goran Gabrilo (CRO)
Fourth Official: Andrej Burilo (CRO)

Zurich – Vaslui

Referee: Maksim Layushkin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleg Tselovalnikov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Anton Averianov (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Vladimir Kazmenko (RUS)
Fourth Official: Eduard Maliy (RUS)

Lazio – Sporting
Referee: Michael Dean (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Watts (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Lee Mason (ENG)
Fourth Official: Lee Probert (ENG)

Dynamo Kyiv – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Daniel Stalhammar (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Martinsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Flink (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Michael Lerjeus (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Bojan Pandzic (SWE)
Fourth Official: Martin Hansson (SWE)

Besiktas – Stoke
Referee: Marcin Borski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafal Rostkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Additional AR 1: Dawid Piasecki (POL)
Additional AR 2: Daniel Stefanski (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Garbowski (POL)

Slovan – Salzburg
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Henrik Andren (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Martin Strombergsson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Tobias Mattsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Johan Hamlin (SWE)

PSG – Athletic
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Kogej (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Davor Drecnik (SVN)
Fourth Official: Mitja Zganec (SVN)

Maccabi Haifa – Schalke
Referee: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emmanuel Boisdenghien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fredji Harchay (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Olivier Thual (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Fourth Official: Sebastien Moreira (FRA)

Steaua – AEK Larnaca
Referee: Said Ennjimi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Dansault (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Wilfried Bien (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)
Fourth Official: Bartolomeu Varela (FRA)

Wisla – Twente
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikolai Golubev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Viacheslav Semenov (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Aleksei Eskov (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Stanislav Sukhina (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)

Fulham – Odense
Referee: Alon Yefet (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Shabtai Nahmias (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Amihay Mozes (ISR)
Additional AR 1: Eli Hacmon (ISR)
Additional AR 2: Eitan Tabrizi (ISR)
Fourth Official: Liran Wachsberger (ISR)

Sturm – AEK
Referee: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Adrian Vidan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Additional AR 1: Cristian Balaj (ROU)
Additional AR 2: Augustus Constantin (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Coltescu (ROU)

15 December 2011

PAOK – Rubin
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Romagnoli (ITA) 
Additional AR 1: Gabriele Gava (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Christian Brighi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Carmine Russo (ITA)

Shamrock – Tottenham
Referee: Stephan Studer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuel Navarro (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Additional AR 1: Alain Bieri (SUI)
Additional AR 2: Nikolaj Hanni (SUI)
Fourth Official: Ludovic Gremaud (SUI)

Hannover – Vorksla
Referee: Leontios Trattou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Soteriou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Charalambos Charalambous (CYP)
Additional AR 1: Marios Panayi (CYP)
Additional AR 2: Marios Stamatis (CYP)
Fourth Official: Charalambos Skapoullis (CYP)

Kobenhavn – Standard
Referee: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Emre Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Orkun Aktas (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Suleyman Abay (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Ozgur Yankaya (TUR)
Fourth Official: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)

Hapoel Tel Aviv – Legia
Referee: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Norbert Schwab (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Armin Eder (AUT)
Additional AR 1: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Additional AR 2: Rene Eisner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Gerhard Grobelnik (AUT)

PSV – Rapid
Referee: Simon Lee Evans (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Edward King (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Philip Thomas (WAL)
Additional AR 1: Dean John (WAL)
Additional AR 2: Kevin Morgan (WAL)
Fourth Official: Mark Whitby (WAL)

Udinese – Celtic
Referee: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Dimitrios Saraidaris (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Leonidas Vasileiadis (GRE)
Additional AR 1: Anastasios Kakos (GRE)
Additional AR 2: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ilias Spathas (GRE)

Alkmaar – Metalist
Referee: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Javier Aguilar Rodriguez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Marco Martinez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Jose Paradas Romero (ESP)
Fourth Official: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)

Austria Vienna – Malmo
Referee: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matti Heininen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Additional AR 1: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Additional AR 2: Dennis Antamo (FIN)
Fourth Official: Petteri Kari (FIN)

FC Brugge – Braga
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Ljubomir Krstevski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Marjan Kirovski (MKD)
Additional AR 1: Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD)
Additional AR 2: Goran Spirkoski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dejan Jakimovski (MKD)

Birmingham – Maribor
Referee: Sascha Kever (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Matthias Arnet (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Francesco Buragina (SUI)
Additional AR 1: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI)
Additional AR 2: Daniel Wermelinger (SUI)
Fourth Official: Stephan Klossner (SUI)

Atletico – Rennes
Referee: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Gunnar Gunnarsson (ISL)
Additional AR 1: Magnus Thorisson (ISL)
Additional AR 2: Thoroddur Hjaltalin (ISL)
Fourth Official: Erlendur Eiriksson (ISL)