Changes at Copa America Centenario

The 58 participating referees were selected from within CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. The team includes 18 referees, 34 assistant referees and six reserve officials. The selection process was overseen by each confederation’s respective referee committees. As a pre-requisite to officiate this tournament, each referee was required to pass the FIFA fitness test.  “The magnitude of Copa America Centenario requires the highest caliber referees from within the continent”, said CONCACAF Director of Refereeing Brian Hall. “It is a unique honor for officials from both confederations to officiate this tournament in unison, while ensuring this once-in-a-lifetime competition offers fans and players world-class quality football. The pre-tournament referee seminar has been a great opportunity to prepare the referees mentally for an intense and competitive championship”. The fitness tests (Yo-Yo/Ariet) took place in Chicago under the direction of FIFA fitness instructors Silvio Aguinaga (PAR), Eric Samayoa (GUA), Cristian Rosen (ARG) and Alan Brown (CRC). The referees also attended a seminar on various topics, including: modifications of the Laws of the Game, offside, analysis and discussion of game situations, fouls, handball, reading the game, technical refereeing, tactical fouls, teamwork. The CONMEBOL Referees Committee announced the replacement of assistant referee Juan Macias from Ecuador (visa issues) with his compatriot Byron Romero. On the CONCACAF list, Daniel Williamson (Panama) will miss the tournament due to fitness problems. The selected officials will be based in Chicago throughout the tournament and will travel to assigned games across the United States. Game assignments will be announced prior to each match. (Source: ca2016.com)

CONMEBOL

Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG)

Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)

Assistant Referee 2: Ariel Scime (ARG)

Referee: Gery Vargas (BOL)

Assistant Referee 1: Javier Bustillos (BOL)

Assistant Referee 2: Juan Montano (BOL)

Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA)

Assistant Referee 1: Kleber Gil (BRA)

Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)

Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI)

Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI)

Assistant Referee 2: Christian Schiemann (CHI)

Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)

Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)

Assistant Referee 2: Wilmar Navarro (COL)

Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)

Assistant Referee 1: Luis Vera (ECU)

Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)

Referee: Enrique Caceres (PAR)

Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardoso (PAR)

Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)

Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)

Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Yupanqui (PER)

Assistant Referee 2: Coty Carrera (PER)

Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)

Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)

Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU)

Referee: Jose Argote (VEN)

Assistant Referee 1: Luis Murillo (VEN)

Assistant Referee 2: Luis Sanchez (VEN)

Reserve Referees

1. Wilton Sampaio (BRA)

2. Wilson Lamouroux (COL)

3. Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)

Reserve Assistant Referees

1. Gustavo Rossi (ARG)

2. Dario Gaona (PAR)

3. Alexander Leon (COL)

CONCACAF

Referee: Ricardo Montero (CRC)

Assistant Referee 1: Octavio Jara (CRC)

Assistant Referee 2: Juan Mora (CRC)

Referee: Yadel Martinez (CUB)

Assistant Referee 1: Hiran Dopico (CUB)

Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)

Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)

Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zumba (SLV)

Assistant Referee 2: William Torres (SLV)

Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX)

Assistant Referee 1: Jose Camargo (MEX)

Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morin (MEX)

Referee: John Pitti (PAN)

Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Victoria (PAN)

Assistant Referee 2: TBD

Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)

Assistant Referee 1: Charles Morgante (USA)

Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN)

Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)

Assistant Referee 1: Peter Manikowski (USA)

Assistant Referee 2: Corey Rockwell (USA)

Standby Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)

Standby AR: Corey Parker (USA)

Euro 2016: AR Wilczek replaced by Mokrusch

UEFA has made a third change in the refereeing team for Euro 2016. Czech assistant referee Martin Wilczek, 46, was initially one of the oldest match officials selected for this European Championship, along with Michael Mullarkey (England). At the referee seminar held in France, Wilczek (photo) failed the fitness test and UEFA replaced him with the standby AR Tomas Mokrusch. Martin Wilczek was one of four assistants that accompanied referee Pavel Kralovec in their preparation for Euro 2016. The other assistant referee is Slovak Roman Slysko, while the additional assistant referees are Czech Michal Patak and Petr Ardeleanu.
Kralovec will be the first Czech referee appointed to the European Championship since Vaclav Krondl in 1996. The last Czech representative in the men's top event was assistant referee Evzen Amler at the FIFA World Cup 2002, while Dagmar Damkova refereed the 2008 Olympic final, UEFA Women's Euro 2009 final and 2011 UEFA Women's Champions League final.

Source: Sport.cz

Clattenburg: "Looking at details, trends and tactics"

As England's Mark Clattenburg walks out with his team of officials at Stadio San Siro on Saturday, his advice and achievements can inspire a new generation of referees. Honoured to be taking charge of the UEFA Champions League showpiece match between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid just seven days after refereeing the FA Cup final at Wembley, he says his rise is evidence that the time invested in preparing for optimum performance on the pitch delivers results.

UEFA.com: How did you find out that you and your team would be in charge of the UEFA Champions League final?

Mark Clattenburg: I was on my way for the fortnightly gathering with the referees at St George's Park when I got the call from [UEFA's chief refereeing officer] Pierluigi Collina; when he calls you know it's important. It took a while for it to sink in – he had to spell it out a little bit for me.

UEFA.com: Did you aim to be refereeing in finals at the start of this season?

Clattenburg: At the start of each season we set ourselves goals that are achievable; the domestic cup final was certainly one. In the Champions League, the aim was to do as many games as possible as well as possible – after doing a semi-final, I really didn't expect to get the final as well, but obviously I'm very proud.

UEFA.com: What has been the key to success for you and your team this season?

Clattenburg: We have excellent support from UEFA's refereeing officers with great guidance as to how to improve performances on and off the field. I'm looking a lot at the finer detail of the matches now – at trends and tactics – and this shows that if you work hard, you can get excellent results.

UEFA.com: Have you watched the final from two years ago as part of your preparations?

Clattenburg: I've watched it two or three times so far and I've also spoken to Björn Kuipers [who refereed that match] about all the things that go around the final, to be as well prepared as possible. I've also made sure to watch both meetings between the clubs in the league this year as one of the coaches has changed since 2014, so that gives us as much information as possible to share with the team.

UEFA.com: The teams say that they prepare like any other game. Do you?

Clattenburg: We do and my job as the 'manager' of the refereeing team, if you like, is to make sure that everyone stays calm and that we support each other during the match. For all of us, it's a huge honour but now we want to make sure that the 90 minutes, or 120 minutes, goes as well as it possibly can.

UEFA.com: Howard Webb refereed this final six years ago. Do you feel that you, like him, can become a role model for young referees in England now?

Clattenburg: I hope so. It certainly shows that if you have the inspiration and follow your dreams, that you have the opportunity to do something special by refereeing a game in the most important club competition of all.

Source: UEFA

Assistant Referee seminar for FIFA World Cup 2018 (AFC, CAF, OFC)

The second FIFA seminar for prospective assistant referees for the 2018 FIFA World Cup takes place in Agadir (Morocco), from 23-27 May 2016.

AFC

Assistant Referees (FWC 2018)
1. Taleb Al Marri (QAT, 1988)
2. Saoud Al Maqaleh (QAT, 1988)
3. Abdulah Al Shalwai (KSA, 1975)
4. Mohammed Al Abakry (KSA, 1980)
5. Reza Sokhandan (IRN, 1974)
6. Mohammadreza Mansouri (IRN, 1978)
7. Abduxamidullo Rasulov (UZB, 1976)
8. Jakhongir Saidov (UZB, 1979)
9. Mohamed Al-Hammadi (EAU, 1984)
10. Hasan Al-Mahri (EAU, 1978)
11. Toru Sagara (JPN, 1976, photo)
12. Hiroshi Yamauchi (JPN, 1979)
13. Yaser Abdulla (BHR, 1974)
14. Ebrahim Saleh (BHR, 1974)

CAF

Assistant Referees (FWC 2018)
1. Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG, 1981)
2. Anouar Hmila (TUN, 1974)
3. Evarist Menkouande (CMR, 1974)
4. Elvis Noupue (CMR, 1983)
5. Zakhele Siwela (RSA, 1982)
6. Theogene Ndagijimana (RWA, 1978)
7. Djibril Camara (SEN, 1983)
8. El Hadji Samba (SEN, 1979)
9. Jean Birumushahu (BDI, 1972)
10. Marwa Range (KEN, 1977)
11. Redouane Achik (MAR, 1972)
12. Waleed Ahmed (SDN, 1974)
13. Jerson Dos Santos (ANG, 1983)
14. Berhe Tesfagiorghis (ERI, 1975)

OFC

Assistant Referees (FWC 2018)
1. Simon Lount (NZL, 1981)
2. Tevita Makasini (TGA, 1976)
3. Ravenish Kumar (FIJ, 1982)
4. Philippe Revel (TAH, 1982)

The UEFA course is scheduled for September 2016 and participants will be announced later.

AAR Banti withdraws from Euro 2016

Last month, Russian AR Anton Averianov failed the fitness tests and was replaced by Nikolai Golubev. Now, with only two weeks left before the competition, UEFA was forced to make another change in the refereeing team selected for Euro 2016. Initially appointed as an additional assistant referee, Luca Banti (photo) had to withdraw from Euro 2016 due to unexpected reasons concerning his personal life. He will be replaced by Daniele Orsato. (Source: AIA)

Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA, 1971)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (ITA, 1973)
Additional AR1: Antonio Damato (ITA, 1972)
Additional AR2: Daniele Orsato (ITA, 1975)

International Friendly Matches

May – June 2016

England – Turkey
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Mike Pickel (GER)
Fourth Official: Daniel Siebert (GER)

Hungary – Côte d'Ivoire
Referee: Vlado Glodjović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Vladimir Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Vladimir Čadjenović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB) 

Serbia – Cyprus
Referee: Pavle Radovanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Danijel Dević (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Milutin Djukić (MNE)
Fourth Official: Nenad Djokić (SRB) 

Romania – Congo
Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Andrea Gervasoni (ITA)

Nigeria – Mali
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: François Letexier (FRA)

Azerbaijan – Andorra
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Markus Hameter (AUT)

Croatia – Moldova
Referee: Ognjen Valjić (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Ante Vučemilović-Šimunović (CRO)

Northern Ireland – Belarus
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Child (ENG)
Fourth Official: Craig Pawson (ENG)

Ireland – Netherlands
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee: Rui Barbosa (POR)
Assistant Referee: Alvaro Mesquita (POR)
Fourth Official: Robert Harvey (IRL)

England – Australia
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Kevin Blom (NED)

Malta – Czech Republic
Referee: Dominik Ouschan (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Matthias Winsauer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Staudinger (AUT)
Fourth Official: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT)

Slovakia – Georgia
Referee: Oliver Drachta (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Kühr (AUT)
Fourth Official: Alexander Harkam (AUT)

Albania – Qatar
Referee: Alexander Harkam (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Witschnigg (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Harald Lechner (AUT)

Azerbaijan – Macedonia
Referee: Markus Hameter (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Roland Braunschmidt (AUT)
Fourth Official: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)

Germany – Slovakia
Referee: Serge Gumienny (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jimmy Cremers (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Bart Vertenten (BEL)

Italy – Scotland
Referee: Alan Sant (MLT)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Camilleri (MLT)
Assistant Referee 2: William Debattista (MLT)
Fourth Official: Roberto Vella (MLT)

Turkey – Montenegro
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Holger Henschel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Seidel (GER)
Fourth Official: Alper Ulusoy (TUR)

France – Cameroon
Referee: Simon Lee Evans (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Philip Thomas (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Roberts (WAL)
Fourth Official: Bryn Markham-Jones (WAL)

Sweden – Slovenia
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Henrik Larsen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sorensen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Anders Poulsen (DEN)

Austria – Malta
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Antti Munukka (FIN)

Ireland – Belarus
Referee: Dejan Jakimovski (MKD)
Assistant Referee: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Assistant Referee: Nikola Karakolev (MKD)
Fourth Official: Padraigh Sutton (IRL)

Poland – Netherlands
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Ondřej Pelikán (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Paták (CZE)
Fourth Official: Daniel Stefański (POL)

Russia – Czech Republic
Referee: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Matthias Winsauer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)

Spain – South Korea
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Staudinger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Alexander Harkam (AUT)

Gabon – Mauritania
Referee: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Javier Aguilar Rodriguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Miguel Martinez Munuera (ESP)

Kosovo – Faroe Islands
Referee: Alexandre Boucaut (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Godelaine (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Ponsar (BEL)
Fourth Official: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)

France – Scotland
Referee: Sébastien Delferière (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny (BEL)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Laforge (BEL)

Norway – Iceland
Referee: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Stevenson (SCO)

England – Portugal
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Davide Massa (ITA)

Macedonia – Iran
Referee: Neil Doyle (IRL)
Assistant Referee: Robert Clarke (IRL)
Assistant Referee: Mark Gavin (IRL)
Fourth Official: Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD)

Switzerland – Moldova
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Martínez Munuera (ESP)

Austria – Netherlands
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magán (ESP)
Fourth Official: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)

Belgium – Norway
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Seidel (GER)
Fourth Official: Daniel Siebert (GER)

Russia – Serbia
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Laurent Stien (FRA)
Fourth Official: Eric Danizan (FRA)

Slovenia – Turkey
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA) 

Italy – Finland
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rob van de Ven (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Charles Schaap (NED)
Fourth Official: Davide Massa (ITA)

Iceland – Liechtenstein
Referee: Marcin Borski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafał Rostkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL)

Poland – Lithuania
Referee: Filip Glova (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomas Vorel (Slovakia)
Assistant Referee 2: Michal Tomcík (SVK)
Fourth Official: Boris Marhefka (SVK)

Canada – Uzbekistan
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Kühr (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Roland Riedel (AUT)
Fourth Official: Oliver Drachta (AUT)

Spain – Georgia
Referee: Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Gylfi Sigurdsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Gunnar Gunnarsson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)

Portugal – Estonia
Referee: Bart Vertenten (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jimmy Cremers (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Karel Rocker (BEL) 
Fourth Official: João Capela (POR)

Belgium – Finland
Referee: Hugo Miguel (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Ferreira (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Nuno Pereira (POR)
Fourth Official: Fábio Veríssimo (POR)

Slovakia – Northern Ireland
Referee: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Artene (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Grigoriu (ROU)

Switzerland – Belgium
Referee: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Fourth Official: Sascha Amhof (SUI)

Serbia – Israel
Referee: Sebastian Colțescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Cerei (ROU)

Luxembourg – Nigeria
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Child (ENG)
Fourth Official: Laurent Kopriwa (LUX)

Estonia – Andorra
Referee: Sergėjus Slyva (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytautas Šimkus (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ingrida Siliūnienė (LTU)
Fourth Official: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)

Estonia – Latvia
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vytautas Šimkus (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ingrida Siliūnienė (LTU)
Fourth Official: Sergėjus Slyva (LTU)

Romania – Ukraine
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)

Spain – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Stephan Klossner (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Remy Zgraggen (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean-Yves Wicht (SUI)
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer (SUI)

Portugal – Norway
Referee: Padraig Sutton (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Dermot Broughton (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Allen Lynch (IRL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Xistra (POR)

Germany – Hungary
Referee: Martin Strombergsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Per Brogevik (SWE) 
Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)

Albania – Ukraine
Referee: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Fourth Official: Andrea Gervasoni (ITA)

Sweden – Wales
Referee: Tobias Welz (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Holger Henschel (GER)
Fourth Official: Christian Dingert (GER)

Romania – Georgia
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Barbosa (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Soares (POR)
Fourth Official: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)

Azerbaijan – Canada
Referee: Sascha Amhof (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane Almeida (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Vital Jobin (SUI)
Fourth Official: Adrien Jaccottet (SUI)

Japan – Bulgaria
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Konrad Sapela (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Michał Obukowicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Yudai Yamamoto (JPN)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Denmark
Referee: Benjamin Williams (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: David Walsh (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: George Lakrindis (AUS)
Fourth Official: Jarred Gillett (AUS)

UEFA U-17 Euro Final 2016: Ardeleanu (CZE)

Petr Ardeleanu has been selected to referee the UEFA European U-17 Championship final on Saturday, saying: "I had goosebumps when told because it was a surprise." A little over two weeks after overseeing the opening fixture of the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Petr Ardeleanu will return to Baku's 8km Stadium on Saturday to referee the final between Portugal and Spain. The 35-year-old from Tachov – a town in the west of the Czech Republic close to the German border – will lead a team featuring assistant referees Balázs Buzás (Hungary) and Ceyhun Sesigüzel (Turkey), and fourth official Gunnar Jarl Jónsson (Iceland). Ardeleanu has been the man in the middle for three games in Azerbaijan, including the matchday one meeting of Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He describes his first final tournament as "amazing". "It's a good experience for all of the referees," he told UEFA.com. "[Being chosen for] the final is unbelievable; I had goosebumps when told because it was a surprise. There are good referees here, good guys, so I've been really lucky. It can happen only once in a lifetime." The title decider will be Ardeleanu's 21st UEFA assignment of what has been his busiest campaign since joining the international list in January 2013. It is a season that started with a UEFA Europa League qualifier in Belfast on 2 July and one that will culminate in a trip to France for UEFA Euro 2016, where he will be an additional assistant referee under the Czech Republic's premier official, Pavel Královec. Ardeleanu acknowledges that emulating his compatriot will, if at all, be a gradual process. "Every referee wants to reach the top, but it's a case of taking things step by step and it may happen eventually," he said. "You must do a good job and have a little bit of luck." Ardeleanu and his colleagues have been convening with the tournament's referee observers and UEFA Referee Coordinator Nikolai Levnikov after every match. Fourth official at the weekend for the last-eight tie involving Germany and Belgium, Ardeleanu most recently handled Spain's decisive Group D contest with Italy, while in October he was in charge of two of La Roja's qualifying round matches in Riga. Such familiarity with one of the finalists can only help. "You know who their important players are, the leaders, and you can communicate with them," explained Ardeleanu, a regular presence in the Czech top flight. "Some of the players recognise you and are aware of what to expect from you, and vice-versa. I have also watched two of Portugal's games and seen clips from some of their other matches". (Source: UEFA)

21 May 2016
Portugal – Spain
Referee: Petr Ardeleanu (CZE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Balazs Buzas (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Ceyhun Sesigüzel (TUR)
Fourth Official: Gunnar Jonsson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

Osses retires early to become chairman of Chilean referees

If anyone was wondering why Enrique Osses, one of the best referees in South America, was not appointed to either Copa America Centenario or the Olympic Football Tournament, here is the answer. He retired early from active refereeing to become the new chairman of the Chilean Referees Committee. Osses, 42, refereed at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was pre-selected by FIFA for the next World Cup in Russia.

Strong personality, distant with players and coaches, he managed to stand out. 2012 was the year that marked his career. He was chosen by CONMEBOL as the best referee of South America and was appointed to both continental finals: Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. Before, he had refereed at the South American U-20 Championships 2007 and 2009. At national teams’ level, the highlight of his career was being selected to officiate at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Osses refereed two matches: Japan - Ivory Coast in Group C and Costa Rica - Italy in group D. In addition, he was fourth official at the match Iran - Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, his most important match was the semi-final of the Confederations Cup 2013 between Brazil and Uruguay (2-1).

In 2005, Osses sent off 21 players in 16 league games. During a 2005 match that faced San Felipe against Union Espanola, the latter's goalkeeper Ignacio Gonzalez received his second yellow card and consequently a red card. Upset by this, Gonzalez brought Osses to the ground after hitting him in the face. Afterwards, the player was held in police custody for two hours. He was banned for 22 matches, which he did not serve because he left the team, to play in Argentina. Two years later, he had to suspend the derby between Universidad de Chile and Colo Colo after 67 minutes due to major incidents. The following year, a match between Colo Colo and UC ended with four UC players sent-off. Colo Colo won 3-1 and Fernando Carvallo, the UC coach, demanded sanctions for Osses. At the end of the Apertura 2011, he refereed again the UC players, but his most controversial situation occurred in the following year, between U and O'Higgins, when Osses awarded a penalty kick against Guillermo Marino. After that match, Osses was declared persona non grata in Rancagua and, even today, is being accused by rival fans that he favoured the university team. In 2013, Nacional of Uruguay and Barcelona of Ecuador met for the Copa Libertadores. Osses did not send off Uruguayan Alejandro Lembo, who had been booked twice. He only did it four minutes later, when he was warned by his assistant. Finally, in the 2015 Copa America, he achieved notoriety by sending off Brazilian Neymar and Colombian Bacca. The star of Barcelona received a four-game suspension and did not play again in the tournament.

Enrique Osses replaced Pablo Pozo, another former World Cup (2010) referee, who led the Referees Committee in Chile for the last 4 years. “I am happy to have been chairing the commission for so long. It was a very friendly way out. They chose a trustworthy person. I have a friendship with Enrique (Osses) and I had already talked to him. I can only wish him the best of luck”, said Pozo. Osses will decide whether he will continue with Patricio Basualto and Guido Aros or nominates other contributors.

Source: La Tercera

Copa Libertadores – Quarter-finals (Second Leg)

18 May 2016
Atletico Mineiro – Sao Paulo
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Horacio Ferreiro (URU)
Fourth Official: Oscar Rojas (URU)
Referee Observer: Juliano Lobato (BRA)

19 May 2016
Boca Juniors – Nacional
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guilherme Dias (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)
Referee Observer: Miguel Scime (ARG)

Atletico Nacional – Rosario Central
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Fourth Official: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Referee Observer: Dember Perdomo (COL)

24 May 2016
Pumas Unam – Independiente del Valle
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Braulio Cornejo (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Raez (PER)
Fourth Official: Henry Gambetta (PER)
Referee Observer: Gilberto Alcala (MEX)

UEFA U-17 Euro 2016 – Semi-finals

18 May 2016 

Germany – Spain

Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Georgi Todorov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ceyhun Sesiguzel (TUR)
Fourth Official: Ville Nevalainen (FIN)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Portugal – Netherlands
Referee: Peter Kralović (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Balázs Buzás (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Gunnar Jónsson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Asim Khudiyev (AZE)