CONMEBOL U-20 Libertadores Final 2024: Betancur (COL)

17 March 2024

Boca Juniors – Flamengo
Referee: Carlos Betancur (COL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: David Fuentes (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Mary Blanco (COL)
Fourth Official: Mathias De Armas (URU)
Reserve AR: Pablo Llarena (URU)
VAR: Francisco Gilabert (CHI)
AVAR: Gabriel Ureta (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Cesar Escano (PER)
VAR Supervisor: Carlos Pastorino (URU)

Lannoy sacked by FFF

The head of professional French referees Stephane Lannoy has been sacked by the French Football Federation (FFF) along with his VAR counterpart Sebastien Moreira, according to L’Équipe.

French refereeing has been under the spotlight since the start of the second half of the season, with head of professional refereeing Lannoy not seeing eye to eye with the refereeing technical director Antony Gautier and subject to criticism from several referees unhappy with his participation in a number of training courses. Certain referees have also judged Lannoy to be too close to presidents of certain clubs, as well as guilty of technical errors on his watch, especially when it comes to the utilisation of VAR. Gautier will take over as head of referees on an interim basis until the end of the season, with a further review expected over the summer as there are no obvious candidates for the role currently.

Source: L’Equipe

AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup Final 2024: Dong (CHN)

16 March 2024

Japan – Korea DPR
Referee: Dong Fangyu (CHN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Xie Lijun (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Hintong Supawan (THA)
Fourth Official: Le Thi Ly (VIE)
Reserve AR: Sabreen Al-Abadi (JOR)
Referee Assessor: Maria Rebello (IND)

UEFA primes top young match officials for progress

Over the past week, young referees and assistant referees from seven national associations (Croatia, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden) have been learning at our CORE course, an introductory programme designed for officials who are working towards their international badges. The course offers a range of discussions, seminars and training sessions to help them advance in their careers, providing an intensive 360-degree preparation for elite-level football. Dutch referee Alex Bos, 29, believes the programme will be of huge benefit as he prepares to take the next step in his career. "It's great to go in-depth and work hard on what is our passion," Bos said. "There are so many things that referees must do to help us make the right decisions. We are all at a high level in our own countries, but it's good that we can discuss and develop in this setting and see how things are done in other leagues."

UEFA kicked off the CORE programme in 2010, targeting and developing young and promising match officials to prepare them for the intensity and ever-growing demands of elite-level football. This edition was the 58th such programme, which has helped to prepare more than 1,300 officials for the rigours of UEFA competition. As well as offering practical and technical guidance, CORE helps to create a community among officials and familiarity between groups ahead of joining UEFA's international refereeing list. David Elleray, a former elite referee and now Technical Director at the IFAB, football's lawmakers, has been involved with the UEFA CORE programme since its launch 14 years ago. "We have given you a lot of information and would like you to take some time to absorb that information," he told participants. "CORE is designed to give you ideas which are technical, physical, dietary and mental, which help with preparation and administration, with the addition of some broader lifestyle ideas. The motto of CORE is to learn and enjoy. we hope you have learnt a lot and enjoyed it. CORE is very special to a lot of people and the philosophy, learning and enjoyment are something that will stay with you."

A visit from Szymon Marciniak, who refereed last season's UEFA Champions League final, as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, rounded off an invaluable week for the young cohort. The Pole, who was a student on the first-ever CORE course, offered insights into his career and important advice for the future. "I started here, exactly like you," said the 43-year-old. "Now, I am in a different place, but nothing comes for free. Here at CORE, you get great coaches, great mentors, and when you are here it means you are talented, but nothing is for free. Hard work is also very important, as are the people behind us who gave us all those tools, so listen to those who want to help you." Marciniak's message seemed to leave an impression on the participants, who now return to their domestic leagues ready to implement some of the lessons learnt over the past week. "Szymon is a very, very, very big example and like a hero because of how he has performed and what he achieved," said Bos. "He has a very nice story and we are honoured that he was here. He's very humble, shows us also that he made mistakes and how he tries to avoid it. I was there for an hour without taking a breath, only listening."

Source: UEFA

UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

14 March 2024

Viktoria Plzen – Servette FC
Referee: William Collum SCO (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor SCO
Assistant Referee 2: David McGeachie SCO
Fourth Official: Nicolas Walsh SCO
VAR: David Coote ENG
AVAR: Andrew Dallas SCO
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk EST

Fenerbahçe – Union St. Gilloise
Referee: Nikola Dabanović MNE
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović MNE
Assistant Referee 2: Srdjan Jovanović MNE
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković MNE
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: Fran Jović CRO
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold NOR

PAOK – GNK Dinamo
Referee: Harm Osmers GER
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal GER
Fourth Official: Robert Schröder GER
VAR: Sören Storks GER
AVAR: Benjamin Brand GER
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef NED

ACF Fiorentina – Maccabi Haifa
Referee: Irfan Peljto BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo BIH
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigović BIH
VAR: Juan Martínez Munuera ESP
AVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira POR

Aston Villa – AFC Ajax
Referee: Orel Grinfeld ISR
Assistant Referee 1: Roi Hassan ISR
Assistant Referee 2: Idan Yarkoni ISR
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz ISR
VAR: Ziv Adler ISR
AVAR: Roi Reinshreiber ISR
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez ESP

Club Brugge – Molde FK
Referee: Radu Petrescu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Grigoriu ROU
Fourth Official: Marcel Bîrsan ROU
VAR: Ovidiu Hațegan ROU
AVAR: Sebastian Colțescu ROU
Referee Observer: Manuel Diaz Vega ESP

LOSC Lille – Sturm Graz
Referee: Matej Jug SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali SVN
Fourth Official: David Šmajc SVN
VAR: Nejc Kajtazovič SVN
AVAR: Asmir Sagrkovič SVN
Referee Observer: Rien Koopman NED

Maccabi Tel Aviv – Olympiakos SFP
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Andrea Colombo ITA
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Gianluca Aureliano ITA
Referee Observer: Peter Sippel GER

UEFA Europa League 2023/2024 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

14 March 2024

Villarreal CF – Olympique de Marseille
Referee: Istvan Kovacs ROU (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene ROU
Fourth Official: Andrei Chivulete ROU
VAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
AVAR: Horațiu Feșnic ROU
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB

Rangers FC – SL Benfica
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Peter Kralovič SVK
VAR: Christian Dingert GER
AVAR: Michal Očenaš SVK
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner AUT

West Ham United – SC Freiburg
Referee: Marco Guida ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgio Peretti ITA
Fourth Official: Daniele Chiffi ITA
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
AVAR: Luca Pairetto ITA
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo ESP

Slavia Praha – AC Milan
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist SWE
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck SWE
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Pol van Boekel NED
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere BEL

Liverpool FC – Sparta Praha
Referee: Artur Dias POR
Assistant Referee 1: Paulo Soares POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro POR
Fourth Official: Gustavo Correia POR
VAR: Tiago Martins POR
AVAR: Hugo Miguel POR
Referee Observer: Drago Kos SVN

Brighton & Hove Albion – AS Roma
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Lupp GER
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller GER
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager GER
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Sascha Stegemann GER
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine NIR

Atalanta BC – Sporting CP
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Bekim Zogaj SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni SUI
Fourth Official: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Lionel Tschudi SUI
Referee Observer: Carlos Velasco Carballo ESP

Bayer Leverkusen – Qarabag FK
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley ENG
VAR: Stuart Attwell ENG
AVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen NOR

Ponnet: 85 years of class and top international experience

Former international referee Alexis Ponnet turned 85. To mark the occasion, the Belgium FA posted this story.

Summer 2019. The double glass door of the federation building on the Avenue Houba de Strooper slides open. Across the green mat, an immaculate grey man with movie star allure but no frills in sky blue shirt under dark blue festoon strides into the clinical entrance hall of the famous Glass House. Light beige trousers and cognac-coloured shoes, his now thinning grey hair combed in a line to the left and on his nose rests fine-framed glasses. All class! Alexis -Alex to friends- Ponnet. Paul Newman in front of his undoubtedly numerous admirers. We are in full production for the anniversary book around the 125 years of the RBFA with the theme 'moving heritage'. And the 'éminence grise' among the Belgian referee corps cannot be missing. Like an accomplished mannequin, he poses in front of the rough grey canvas. Eyes on infinity. Looking back on a richly filled career with a satisfied smile.

However beautiful and quasi-flawless this career has been, yet it is often the not-so-pretty images that loom up when one contemplates the man's life. On hearing the name Ponnet, I - and with me many others - spontaneously think back to those images of Monday, 28 February 1983. During the extra time of a match between the military teams of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Ponnet sent Saudi player Jamal Farhan off the pitch with a red card. A few minutes later, when Ponnet had sent off a second Saudi player, Farhan steps back onto the pitch and knocks out our Belgian number one. The footage is shown around the world. Farhan is suspended for life and Ponnet, for whom it was literally a blue Monday, spends a night in hospital.

The charming man from Brussels had a thing for red cards, even if they did not exist in his first match. His first match was one between two Brussels teams, he recalls. "Then I also sent three players to the dressing room," he told Brussels weekly Bruzz in 2010. "There were no cards back then and I just said 'dressing room!' or 'go take a shower!' Still, I didn't think it was anything for me. Fortunately, my father persuaded me and I got addicted to it anyway." What followed was a career with many high peaks and few deep valleys. Strict but fair. On the pitch, he did not tolerate players talking back. If he ever refereed a lesser match, he blamed it on fatigue. For a living, he ran his own print shop where he was often obliged to work through the night to get everything done on time. Yet this did not affect his richly filled career with no fewer than five European finals including the 1987 European Cup final between FC Porto and Jean-Marie Pfaff's Bayern Munich that was knocked out by Algerian Rabah Madjer's wonderful header. In those golden 80s, the Red Devils also had their first glory years and let this play precisely to the disadvantage of our top referees. 

"In 1986, I had a chance to referee the World Cup final, but because the Belgians did so well, I was 'allowed' to go home. If your country makes it to the quarterfinals, you're out as a referee." In any case, it did not prevent him from holding a place within the top 20 internationally renowned referees. The current climate surrounding Belgian refereeing, and Belgian club football as a whole, undoubtedly makes him particularly sad. Fifteen years ago, as chairman of the Pro League ethics committee, he tried to give professional football a better image. Unsuccessfully. But no one will point the finger at him for that. Wishing you a very happy birthday, Alex Ponnet. Come again soon for another photo. I have a feeling that it will not be that different from the previous one, by the way.

Source: RBFA

UEFA Champions League 2023/2024 – Round of 16 (Second Leg, II)

12 March 2024

FC Barcelona – SSC Napoli
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout NED
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Clay Ruperti NED
Referee Observer: Stavros Tritsonis GRE

Arsenal FC – FC Porto
Referee: Clement Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Erwan Finjean FRA
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet FRA
VAR: Jerôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos CRO

13 March 2024
Atletico de Madrid – Inter Milano
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Paweł Raczkowski POL
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Bartosz Frankowski POL
Referee Observer: Neale Barry ENG

Borussia Dortmund – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Daniele Orsato ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Ciro Carbone ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini ITA
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca ITA
VAR: Paolo Valeri ITA
AVAR: Massimiliano Irrati ITA
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz AUT

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 – Third Round (Second Leg)

12-14 March 2024

Palestino – Nacional
Referee: Andres Matonte (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Barreiro (URU)
Fourth Official: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
VAR: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
AVAR: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Ulloa (CHI)
VAR Supervisor: Victor Carrillo (PER)

Colo Colo – Sportivo Trinitense
Referee: Anderson Daronco (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves (BRA)
Fourth Official: Rodrigo Klein (BRA)
VAR: Wagner Reway (BRA)
AVAR: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
VAR Supervisor: Pericles Cortes (BRA)

Red Bull Bragantino – Botafogo
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: John Hinestroza (COL)
VAR: Juan Lara (CHI)
AVAR: John Perdomo (COL)
Referee Assessor: Rodrigo Joia (BRA)
VAR Supervisor: Patricio Polic (CHI)

Nacional – Always Ready
Referee: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Navarro (ARG)
Fourth Official: Andres Merlos (ARG)
VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR: German Delfino (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Larrionda (URU)
VAR Supervisor: Luis Vera (ECU)

Concacaf Champions Cup 2024 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

12-14 March 2024

Columbus Crew – Houston Dynamo
Referee: Oshane Nation (JAM, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Ojay Duhaney (JAM)
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)
VAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)
AVAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)

CF Pachuca – Philadelphia Union
Referee: Bryan Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Assistant Referee 2: William Chow (CRC)
Fourth Official: Selvin Brown (HON)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)

Tigres UANL – Orlando City
Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Henri Pupiro (NCA)
Fourth Official: Said Martinez (HON)
VAR: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
AVAR: Tristley Bassue (SKN)

SV Robinhood – CS Herediano
Referee: Julio Luna (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Emmanuel Aguirre (NCA)
Fourth Official: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)
VAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)
AVAR: Tristley Bassue (SKN)

Inter Miami – Nashville SC
Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Barwegen (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa (CAN)
Fourth Official: Pierre-Luc Lauziere (CAN)
VAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)
AVAR: Guillermo Pacheco (MEX)

Club America – CD Guadalajara
Referee: Mario Escobar (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Ventura (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Humberto Panjoj (GUA)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)

LD Alajuelense – New England Revolution
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bisguerra (MEX)
Fourth Official: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
VAR: Guillermo Pacheco (MEX)
AVAR: Erick Miranda (MEX)

CF Monterrey – FC Cincinnati
Referee: Juan Calderon (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mora (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: William Arrieta (CRC)
Fourth Official: Keylor Herrera (CRC)
VAR: Daneon Parchment (JAM)
AVAR: Tristley Bassue (SKN)