Clattenburg reveals that Oliver had to move his family out of their home after Real Madrid vs Juventus

In the last week, Premier League referee Mike Dean has received death threats through social media leading him to take a week off of refereeing. He sent West Ham's Tomas Soucek off in the dying embers of the match against Fulham, for an alleged intentional elbow on Aleksandar Mitrovic. Former English top referee Mark Clattenburg has admitted that receiving such threats isn't anything new for match officials.

“As a referee, abuse becomes routine. I used to get letters sent to my house. They would be directed to ‘Mark Clattenburg, Gosforth’ and my postie, thinking he was doing me a favour, delivered them. Some of the abuse was vile and, yes, there were threats. ‘I’m going to do this and that to you, your wife, your children…’ I reported it to the police but, given the anonymity of it all, nobody was caught or convicted”, wrote Clattenburg in Daily Mail. “That feels like an old-school way of abusing someone. Now it is even easier for the trolls to get to you, as Mike Dean has discovered. They simply find you - or a family member - on social media and throw vile stuff at you from a faceless account. It’s hurtful. It’s scary. Worst of all, it’s what social media companies are allowing to happen. Can the Premier League do much about it? No. The PGMOL? No. Twitter? Absolutely they can. They let this happen. I still get abuse because I’m head of refereeing for the Football Federation in Greece. Mike is someone I’ve known for about 15 years and he is a great guy - the sort you would want in the trenches with you. He is incredibly experienced and will have been kicking himself about the two overturned red cards. But this makes matters worse. Referees are human. They make mistakes in the heat of the moment. I made plenty myself. But there is a line. Unfortunately with social media, that line is crossed all too often. Michael Oliver had to move his family out of their home after the game in which Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in 2018. It’s wrong, but until social media companies decide to give a damn, the abuse Mike has suffered will not stop”, concluded Clattenburg.

Source: Daily Mail

English referee Dean reports death threats to police and takes weekend off

Premier League referee Mike Dean has notified police after his family received a number of threats, including death threats, and abusive messages. Dean has received criticism for sending off Southampton defender Jan Bednarek last Tuesday and West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek on Saturday. Bednarek's dismissal was overturned on appeal, while Soucek's red card was rescinded on Monday. Referees chief Mike Riley has called the abuse "totally unacceptable". Merseyside Police have said they are "investigating allegations of malicious communications" following a report on Monday relating to social media accounts and enquiries are ongoing.

As one of the most high-profile officials in the game, Dean is used to criticism but feels a line has been crossed by involving his family. Professional Game Match Officials Limited managing director Riley said: "Threats and abuse of this nature are totally unacceptable and we fully support Mike's decision to report these messages his family received to the police. Nobody should be victim of abhorrent messages like this. Online abuse is unacceptable in any walk of life and more needs to be done to tackle the problem."

BBC Sport understands Dean will take charge of Leicester's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Brighton on Wednesday but will not be involved in any of the weekend Premier League fixtures in any capacity at his own request. This is believed to be partly as a result of the recent issues but also he was due a break anyway given the number of games he has been involved in already this season. In both the Bednarek and Soucek dismissals, Dean was asked by VAR to check incidents on the pitchside monitors that he had not initially seen. Czech Republic international Soucek was sent off in stoppage time during the 0-0 Premier League draw after catching Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic in the face with his elbow. Soucek, who is now available to face Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round on Tuesday, pleaded his innocence and Mitrovic told referee Dean his opponent should not be dismissed. Soucek also posted a statement on Twitter, expressing support for Dean and his family. He wrote: "Whatever decisions are made on the pitch should stay on the pitch. I don't like hearing about it interfering with [someone's] personal life and I send Mike Dean and his family my support. There is no place for abuse of any kind. It is in the past and I'm now focused on the rest of the season."

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: "It is completely unacceptable that we are seeing abusive behaviour aimed at players, managers and match officials regularly on social media platforms. Mike and his family have our full support in reporting this to the police. This once again highlights the need for greater proactive intervention from social media companies to stop online abuse and identify offenders."

Source: BBC

Dog shown red card in Serbia

A friendly match between second-tier Serbian clubs Radnički Kragujevac and Kolubara Lazarevac was interrupted four times by a… doggo. Ultimately referee Marko Ivković decided to show the pitch invader a red card.

Although dogs are colorblind and the dog may have though it was just a yellow card, the match was finally able to conclude, with Kolubara winning 3-0. A tweet making the rounds on Reddit said the game had to be abandoned because of the dog. According to a local report from Belgrade, which supplied the brilliant photo above, that was not the case. Radnički and Kolubara will resume league play on February 20. Radnički leads the 18-team Serbian First League, while Kolubara is currently in fourth. The top two teams at the end of the season are promoted to the Serbian SuperLiga.

Source: Sportski Zurnal

FIFA Club World Cup 2020 – Semi-finals

7 February 2021

Palmeiras – Tigres UANL
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Maguette N’Diaye (SEN)
Reserve AR: El Hadji Samba (SEN)
VAR: Kevin Blom (NED)
AVAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)

8 February 2021
Al Ahly – Bayern München
Referee: Abdulla Mohammed (UAE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammed Al-Hammadi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Hasan Al-Mahri (UAE)
Fourth Official: Edina Alves (BRA)
Reserve AR: Neuza Back (BRA)
VAR: Khamis Al Marri (QAT)
AVAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)

FIFA Club World Cup 2020 – Match for Fifth Place

7 February 2021

Ulsan Hyundai – Al Duhail
Referee: Edina Alves (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Neuza Back (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mariana de Almeida (ARG)
Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)
Reserve AR: Humberto Panjoj (GUA)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)

CAF African Nations Championship Final 2020: Waweru (KEN)

7 February 2021

Final

Mali – Morocco
Referee: Peter Waweru (KEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Carine Atezambong (CMR)
Fourth Official: Alioum Alioum (CMR)
VAR: Bamlak Tessema (ETH)
AVAR 1: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)
AVAR 2: Elvis Noupue (CMR)

Match for Third Place
Guinea – Cameroon
Referee: Lahlou Benbraham (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammed Ibrahim (SDN)
Assistant Referee 2: Attia Amsaaed (LBY)
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida (MTN)
VAR: Haythem Guirat (TUN)

FIFA referees to recognize and report match manipulation

In a recent circular to all member association, in addition to traditional information about the distribution of referee-related materials, FIFA reminded international match officials about the strict integrity compliance, including how to recognize and report match manipulation.

“We are pleased to enclose the following materials for distribution to each FIFA official, according to their role:

•3 chest badges (“2021 FIFA Referee”, “2021 FIFA Assistant Referee”, “2021 FIFA Video Match Official”, “2021 FIFA Futsal Referee” or “2021 FIFA Beach Soccer Referee”)

•3 sleeve badges (“FIFA Living Football”)

•1 identity (ID) card (must be signed by the holder to be valid)

•1 FIFA Integrity brochure

•1 pin (“FIFA Referee”, “FIFA Assistant Referee” or “FIFA Video Match Official”)

•1 set of yellow and red cards

•1 toss coin

The new badges must be worn at national and international matches upon receipt. Please note that all referees are required to sign their ID cards, signifying strict compliance with all applicable FIFA regulations, including the FIFA Code of Ethics and the FIFA Code of Conduct. The back of the ID card contains a short statement of integrity along with the email address to report any suspicious or illegal activities. The accompanying FIFA Integrity brochure contains more detailed information on In a recent circular to all member association, in addition to traditional information about the distribution of referee-related materials, FIFA reminded international match officials about the strict integrity compliance, including how to recognize and report match manipulation."

Source: FIFA

Mexican referee claims his firing was racially motivated

A Liga MX referee will have a hearing to protest his recent firing, which he says is racially motivated. Adalid Maganda was officially let go by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) on Tuesday. A statement announcing the decision slammed the referee for poor performance, moonlighting in non-sanctioned matches during the pandemic, and a lack of familiarity with VAR.

Maganda last worked on January 10, calling a Liga MX match between Toluca and Queretaro in which he drew ire from players and fans alike for missing key calls. However, Maganda fired back, accusing Arturo Brizio, Mexico's head of the refereeing committee, of a personal vendetta in which skin color played a part in the decision. "[Brizio] is doing harm to referees in Mexico," Maganda said on Tuesday, in an interview with Futbol Picante on ESPN Deportes. "This man, with all due respect, is not right for this job. He's right for a job on TV [giving referee analysis], but not to lead the committee." Maganda stated he was not given proper training on VAR, claiming that while the FMF offered courses for referees as the technology was rolled out, Brizio never included him on the list of those who should receive the lessons. Though Brizio's video review of Maganda's last match appeared to defend and uphold many of the referee's decisions, he was not selected for any Liga MX matches since then. and he was ultimately fired.

The 36-year-old referee is perhaps best known in Mexico for staging a hunger strike to save his job from a previous firing in 2018. Maganda, who identifies as Afro-Mexican, alleged Brizio had referred to him by his skin color in a meeting with other members of the committee at the time. Following a brief protest outside the FMF offices in Toluca, Maganda was reinstated. "Mr. Brizio is very elitist," Maganda told El Pais in 2018. "He doesn't like short people, or people of color." Though Maganda was brought back into the fold after his hunger strike, he said he was given little opportunity to prove himself, at one point finding himself not selected to work by the committee between March 13 and August 31 of 2020. He said the inactivity drove him to referee an amateur match after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. "What does a referee need? To work so you don't forget the pitch, and that was the last option I had," Maganda said. Though he did not contract the disease from the experience, he was further sanctioned by the FMF, sitting out several more weeks of matches before receiving assignments as a fourth official for various Liga MX games. His assignment as referee of the match between Toluca and Queretaro marked the end of a drought spanning back to March 8, when he was appointed to call Tampico Madero vs. Venados in Mexico's second division, the Liga de Expansion. If he is not reinstated on this occasion, Maganda said he felt Mexico could put hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup at risk. Following the events in 2018, Maganda claimed a contact from FIFA, with instructions to get in contact with them if any other incidents arose from alleged discrimination. He told ESPN on Tuesday he plans to do that if the situation is not resolved in his favor. "If they take away hosting for Mexico, it'll be [Brizio's] fault," Maganda said. "FIFA will do that, for acts of racism."

In response, Arturo Brizio, head of Mexican Football Federation's (FMF) refereeing committee, denied there was any discrimination involved in the firing of Adalid Maganda on Tuesday. A statement by the FMF on Monday before Maganda's official dismissal stated that he was let go for poor performance, moonlighting in non-sanctioned matches during the coronavirus pandemic, and a lack of familiarity with VAR, among other issues. "Absolutely not," Brizio said in an interview with ESPN Deportes on Wednesday when asked if Maganda was unfairly fired. "He accepted the rules and has broken them repeatedly." Maganda has threatened to involve FIFA in the dispute, which Brizio responded by stating: "We're calm and we won't be blackmailed." While Maganda admitted to having officiated a non-sanctioned amateur match in his own interview with ESPN Deportes on Tuesday, he disputed claims about his physical fitness, and accused Brizio of not extending invitations to seminars on how to work with VAR.Brizio has brushed those claims aside, pointing to Maganda's final performance, a January 10 match between Toluca and Queretaro in which the referee stirred up fans with controversial calls, as the final blow. "The match [between Toluca and Queretaro] was very bad, in refereeing terms," Brizio said. However, Brizio's own review of the match only hours after it ended seemed to defend Maganda, siding with the referee on most of the disputed plays. The incident has prompted other experts to weigh in, including former Liga MX referee Paul Delgadillo, who believes Maganda's firing was not racially motivated, but handled badly by Brizio. "My reading is it's not an issue of race, but it's a pathetic way to take on the topic of a referee without a future," Delgadillo told ESPN Mexico. "[The refereeing committee has] no tact to tell them they're not good enough for Liga MX, they don't sit down and talk with them, and that's not just in Adalid's case."

Source: ESPN

FIFA Club World Cup 2020 – Second Round

4 February 2021

Tigres UANL – Ulsan Hyundai
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU, photo) 

Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Fourth Official: Edina Alves (BRA)
Reserve AR: Neuza Back (BRA)
VAR: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI)

Al Duhail – Al Ahly
Referee: Mario Escobar (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Panjoj (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicholas Anderson (JAM)
Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)
Reserve AR: Mariana de Almeida (ARG)
VAR: Drew Fischer (CAN)
AVAR: Kevin Blom (NED)

Nesbitt: Referees are inspiring, passionate and dedicated to the game

As Alajuelense and Deportivo Saprissa from Costa Rica clash today at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto to define the champion of the Concacaf League, Kathryn Nesbitt is preparing to serve as Assistant Referee 2 for the first time in the competition’s final. Kathryn, who last year was named the 2020 MLS Assistant Referee of the Year, became the first woman official to earn this recognition, in any of the five North American men’s professional sports leagues. The assistant referee, who was chosen for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in 2019, has been appointed to multiple Concacaf tournaments including the 2016 and 2020 Concacaf Women's Olympics Qualifiers. Speaking to Concacaf.com, Nesbitt says she is honored to represent the Confederation and being able to officiate men’s and women’s matches.

- How did you start your refereeing career?

- I played football growing up and so did my brother. While watching one of his matches, the referee asked if I would help call out of bounds during the game. Afterwards, he suggested I take the referee course. I did and started refereeing as a summer job when I was 14. It kept me active and involved in the sport.

- Why are you passionate about refereeing?

- I am passionate about football. I very much enjoy the analytical natural of refereeing the game as well as the athleticism and teamwork involved. Refereeing feeds into my desire to improve and my drive to be the best I can.

- What are your expectations for the Concacaf League final?

- I expect this match to be competitive and full of enthusiasm. It will be energic, with a high tempo style of play and will require referees to be prepared and work hard.

- How have you continued preparing to referee during Covid-19?

- Covid-19 has caused many of us to have to change how we train and prepare for refereeing. I continue to train physically outside in my neighborhood and with the limited gym equipment that I have at home. Concacaf has kept us engaged in bi-monthly virtual seminars to discuss clips as a group and continue to learn together. The Confederation has shared weekly clips for us to analyze. This has kept us motivated and prepared for matches. I have also been fortunate to be able to work matches in the United States since July, which has helped me keep sharp.

- What is your biggest dream as a referee?

- My biggest dream is to represent referees and women at the highest level on the best match I can do.

- How has Concacaf helped you develop your career?

- Concacaf has helped me to be exposed to new styles of play, new environments, and to have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of officials. The Refereeing Department has always expected excellence. It has challenged me with different matches and given me the support needed to succeed.

- How would you inspire more girls and women to become referees?

- The refereeing community is an inspiring group of people with passion, dedication, and a love for football. Refereeing has given me the opportunity to travel around the world and meet incredible new people that share my passions. Refereeing isn’t just a hobby; it is an opportunity to gain diverse experiences and expose yourself to new and different environments. It has made me more cultured and appreciative of the important things in life.

- Is there any one characteristic or component that you can recommend to our young females that have led to your success?

- I would recommend always having a high level of preparation. That includes mentally and physically being ready for the next match, seminar, and activity. If your goal is to pass the next level fitness test, then train at an even higher standard so that you are overly prepared. This kind of preparation means dedication, passion, and sacrifices. Take things one at a time and achieve small goals along the way to make your dreams come true.

- What do you enjoy during your free time?

- In my free time I enjoy reading, playing guitar, and spending time with my family and friends.

Source: Concacaf