UEFA Women’s Champions League 2024/25 – Quarter-finals (First Leg)

18 March 2025 

Real Madrid – Arsenal WFC
Referee: Frida Klarlund DEN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Fie Bruun DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Daniela Göttlinger GER
Fourth Official: Riem Hussein GER
VAR: Alen Borošak SVN
AVAR: Katrin Rafalski GER
Referee Observer: Petra Pavlíkova SVK

Bayern Munchen – Olympique Lyonnais
Referee: Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Eliana Fernández González ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Ainhoa Fernández Ruiz AND
Fourth Official: Marta Huerta De Aza ESP
VAR: Juan Martínez Munuera ESP
AVAR: Judit Romano García ESP
Referee Observer: Dilan Gökçek Işcan TUR

19 March 2025
VfL Wolfsburg – FC Barcelona
Referee: Ivana Projkovska MKD 

Assistant Referee 1: Staša Špur SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Heini Hyvönen FIN
Fourth Official: Alina Peşu ROU
VAR: Momčilo Marković SRB
AVAR: Jelena Cvetković SRB
Referee Observer: Gitte Holm DEN

Manchester City – Chelsea FC
Referee: Désirée Grundbacher SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Linda Schmidt SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Amina Gutschi AUT
Fourth Official: Stéphanie Frappart FRA
VAR: Willy Delajod FRA
AVAR: Victoria Beyer FRA
Referee Observer: Aušra Kance LTU

Israeli Berman to be first transgender to referee an international match

An Israeli transgender referee will make history on Monday by taking charge of an international match, a landmark moment approached with “immense pride” and “deep humility” to advance the cause of the LGBT+ community. According to UEFA, when 30-year-old Sapir Berman officiates the Women’s Under-17 Euro qualifier between Northern Ireland and Montenegro in Belfast, it will be a first for European football. Multiple reports have said this will also be a first for international soccer.

“It’s an overwhelming feeling — immense pride, indescribable excitement — but more than anything, it’s an opportunity to continue doing what I love, in the world that shaped me and where I grew up,” the 14-year refereeing veteran told AFP in a statement. “I step into this moment with deep humility and excitement, hoping to do my very best, to represent my country, to stand for my sisters in the LGBTQ+ community, and to show that every dream is possible.” Berman said the breakthrough moment is also deeply symbolic for the teenage girls who will be playing this week. When young players see diversity on the field, it helps make inclusion normal, and it sends a strong message that what really matters is talent and commitment,” the referee added.

England’s Lucy Clark became the first transgender woman in the world to referee a match in 2018, in the semi-professional English league, but has never officiated internationally. Berman has been refereeing matches in the Israeli Men’s Premier League for 14 years. Since 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed federations to establish their own criteria to avoid potential “disproportionate advantages” for transgender athletes. World Rugby has excluded transgender players from women’s competitions due to the “excessive risk of injury” in the contact sport. The International Shooting Federation, meanwhile, have concluded that there is “no advantage” linked to male hormones in competitions.

Source: TOI

CONMEBOL U-20 Libertadores Final 2025: Ortega (COL)

16 March 2025

Flamengo – Palmeiras
Referee: Carlos Ortega COL (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Aguirre COL
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Padilla COL
Fourth Official: Fernando Vejar CHI
Reserve AR: Carlos Poblete CHI
VAR: Augusto Menendez PER
AVAR: Diego Jaimes PER
Referee Assessor: Miguel Nievas URU
VAR Supervisor: Barbra Bastias CHI

Referee Marciniak reveals the truth about Madrid penalty shootout drama

Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, who officiated the second leg of the Champions League clash between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, has shared details about one of the most debated moments of the match. The fixture ended with Real Madrid securing their place in the quarter-finals, but a major talking point emerged when Julian Alvarez’s penalty was disallowed. The incident sparked widespread discussion, and Marciniak has now revealed what went on behind the scenes.

During the game, Alvarez stepped up to take the penalty, but the goal was ruled out after a review. The reason? The Argentine striker unintentionally made contact with the ball twice when striking it. Marciniak explained that he was the one who initially suspected the double touch and informed the VAR officials about it. He was almost certain that Alvarez had made two contacts with the ball, prompting the video assistant referees to analyse the footage carefully. “I was the one who informed the VAR referees that there was a 99% chance that Alvarez touched the ball twice, and they checked it thoroughly,” he said. There had been rumours suggesting that Real Madrid players had pressured the referee to check the decision, but Marciniak dismissed these claims outright. “It is absolutely false that Mbappe told me anything about the two touches.” The Polish official also admitted that this was a rare situation in football. In all his years as a referee, he had never encountered such an incident. However, he emphasised that players are fully aware of the rules and that the decision was made according to the official regulations. “To be honest, I’ve never faced a situation like this in my refereeing career,” he confessed, although insisting that “the players know the rules.” (Source: Yahoo Sports)

To clear up any confusion surrounding the incident, UEFA later released a video along with an official statement. The footage showed that Alvarez’s standing foot had made slight contact with the ball just before he struck it, leading to a violation of the rules. “Atlético de Madrid enquired with UEFA over the incident, which led to the disallowance of the kick from the penalty mark taken by Julián Alvarez at the end of yesterday’s UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid. Although minimal, the player made contact with the ball using his standing foot before kicking it, as shown in the attached video clip. Under the current rule (Laws of the Game, Law 14.1), the VAR had to call the referee signalling that the goal should be disallowed. UEFA will enter discussions with FIFA and IFAB to determine whether the rule should be reviewed in cases where a double touch is clearly unintentional.” (Source: UEFA)

UEFA Europa Conference League 2024/25 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

13 March 2025

Cercle Brugge – Jagiellonia Bialystok
Referee: Morten Krogh DEN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Rasmussen DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Steffen Bramsen DEN
Fourth Official: Jacob Karlsen DEN
VAR: Jonas Hansen DEN
AVAR: Jakob Kehlet DEN
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili GEO

FC Lugano – NK Celje
Referee: Andris Treimanis LVA
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasennikovs LVA
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Golubevs LVA
VAR: Kristaps Ratnieks LVA
AVAR: Vitalijs Spasjoņņikovs LVA
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller AUT

Rapid Wien – Borac Banja Luka
Referee: Allard Lindhout NED
Assistant Referee 1: Rogier Honig NED
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder NED
Fourth Official: Sander van der Eijk NED
VAR: Clay Ruperti NED
AVAR: Ingmar Oostrom NED
Referee Observer: Joao Ferreira POR

Djurgardens IF – Pafos FC
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Riedel AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Santino Schreiner AUT
Fourth Official: Walter Altmann AUT
VAR: Alan Kijas AUT
AVAR: Manuel Schuttengruber AUT
Referee Observer: Cüneyt Çakir TUR

Vitoria SC – Real Betis
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Patrick Inia NED
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij NED
VAR: Jeroen Manschot NED
AVAR: Richard Martens NED
Referee Observer: Vladimir Petrov UKR

Fiorentina – Panathinaikos
Referee: John Beaton SCO
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel McFarlane SCO
Assistant Referee 2: David McGeachie SCO
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson SCO
VAR: Andrew Dallas SCO
AVAR: Steven McLean SCO
Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere BEL

Legia Warszawa – FK Molde
Referee: Matej Jug SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali SVN
Fourth Official: Martin Matoša SVN
VAR: Asmir Sagrković SVN
AVAR: Dragoslav Perič SVN
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz AUT

Chelsea FC – FC Copenhagen
Referee: Radu Petrescu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Grigoriu ROU
Fourth Official: Andrei Chivulete ROU
VAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
AVAR: Marcel Birsan ROU
Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gómez ESP

UEFA Europa League 2024/2025 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

13 March 2025

Lazio – Viktoria Plzen
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Marc Nagtegaal NED
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Erwin Blank NED
Referee Observer: Drago Kos SVN

Olympiacos – Bodo Glimt
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz GER
Fourth Official: Matthias Jöllenbeck GER
VAR: Sören Storks GER
AVAR: Robert Schröder GER
Referee Observer: Jorn-West Larsen DEN

Eintracht Frankfurt – AFC Ajax
Referee: Irfan Peljto BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo BIH
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigovic BIH
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista POR

Athletic Club – AS Roma
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pages FRA
Fourth Official: Mathieu Vernice FRA
VAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Fedayi San SUI
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman NED

Tottenham Hotspurs – AZ Alkmaar
Referee: Joao Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Joao Gonçalves POR
VAR: Tiago Martins POR
AVAR: Bastian Dankert GER
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu ROU

Manchester United – Real Sociedad
Referee: Benoît Bastien FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Aurélien Berthomieu FRA
Fourth Official: Jérémie Pignard FRA
VAR: Willy Delajod FRA
AVAR: Benoît Millot FRA
Referee Observer: Lutz-Michael Fröhlich GER

Olympique Lyonnais – FCSB
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Sam Barrott ENG
VAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
AVAR: Michael Salisbury ENG
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB

Rangers FC – Fenerbahce SK
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Rohit Saggi NOR
VAR: Pol van Boekel NED
AVAR: Christian Dingert GER
Referee Observer: Martin Hansson SWE

UEFA Champions League 2024/2025 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

11 March 2025

Liverpool FC – Paris St. Germain
Referee: István Kovács ROU (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic ROU
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen NOR

FC Barcelona – SL Benfica
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Stéphanie Frappart FRA
VAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers NED

Inter Milano – Feyenoord Rotterdam
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Peter Kralović SVK
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Benjamin Brand GER
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav BIH

Bayer Leverkusen – Bayern Munchen
Referee: Slavko Vinčić SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: Matej Jug SVN
VAR: Alen Borošak SVN
AVAR: Rob Dieperink NED
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega ESP

12 March 2025
Atletico de Madrid – Real Madrid
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Pawel Raczkowski POL
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Bastian Dankert GER
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras GRE

LOSC Lille – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni SUI
Fourth Official: Lionel Tschudi SUI
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Pol van Boekel NED
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner AUT

Aston Villa – Club Brugge
Referee: Daniel Siebert GER
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Foltyn GER
Assistant Referee 2: Lasse Koslowski GER
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager GER
VAR: Christian Dingert GER
AVAR: Benjamin Brand GER
Referee Observer: Domenico Messina ITA

 
Arsenal FC – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Rade Obrenović SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež SVN
Fourth Official: David Šmajc SVN
VAR: Alen Borošak SVN
AVAR: Tiago Martins POR
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec FRA

Proença elected FPF President

Pedro Proença has been elected as the new Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) president for a four-year term. Proença, 54, is a former referee who in 2012 became the first referee to officiate the finals of both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA EURO in the same year. He was elected president of Liga Portugal (the Portuguese Professional Football League) in 2015, also serving as president of the European Leagues.

"This is a victory for the entire football community: players, coaches, referees, managers, medical staff, clubs, professional football, professional associations, district and regional associations, and fans," Proença said. "Together we will turn Portuguese football even stronger." Proença succeeds Fernando Gomes, who steps down after leading FPF over a 14-year spell in which Portugal achieved unprecedented success with their national teams, with the men winning UEFA EURO 2016 and the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019, the women's team reaching the finals of the EURO and the World Cup for the first time and the men's futsal team winning the EURO twice and the World Cup. "I wish Pedro Proença the best of luck for the term he will hold until 2028. This is a moment, I know, of great honour and enormous responsibility," said Gomes. "I congratulate the new president and his board, as well as the other elected social bodies, and I hope they are successful."

Source: UEFA

UEFA Europa Conference League 2024/25 – Round of 16 (First Leg)

6 March 2025

Real Betis – Vitoria SC
Referee: Nikola Dabanović MNE (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović MNE
Assistant Referee 2: Srdjan Jovanović MNE
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković MNE
VAR: Clay Ruperti NED
AVAR: Erwin Blank NED
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB

 

Panathinaikos – Fiorentina
Referee: Erik Lambrechts BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Jo de Weirdt BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny BEL
Fourth Official: Wim Smet BEL
VAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL
AVAR: Jan Boterberg BEL
Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian FRA

FK Molde – Legia Warszawa
Referee: Horațiu Feșnic ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Cerei ROU
Fourth Official: Szabolcs Kovacs ROU
VAR: Ovidiu Haţegan ROU
AVAR: Sorin Costreie ROU
Referee Observer: Martin Atkinson ENG

FC Copenhagen – Chelsea FC
Referee: Georgi Kabakov BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Venev BUL
Fourth Official: Radoslav Gidzhenov BUL
VAR: Dragomir Draganov BUL
AVAR: Vasimir El-Hatib BUL
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef NED

Jagiellonia Bialystok – Cercle Brugge
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Polychronis Kostaras GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Lazaros Dimitriadis GRE
Fourth Official: Alexandros Tsakalidis GRE
VAR: Angelos Evangelou GRE
AVAR: Stefanos Koumparakis GRE
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold NOR

NK Celje – FC Lugano
Referee: António Nobre POR
Assistant Referee 1: Pedro Ribeiro POR
Assistant Referee 2: Nelson Pereira POR
Fourth Official: Fabio Verissimo POR
VAR: Helder Malheiro POR
AVAR: André Narciso POR
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer LUX

Borac Baja Luka – Rapid Wien
Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Erwan Finjean FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Brice Le Tellier FRA
Fourth Official: Romain Lissorgue FRA
VAR: Bastien Dechepy FRA
AVAR: Eric Wattellier FRA
Referee Observer: Itchko Lozev BUL

Pafos FC – Djugardens IF
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili GEO
Assistant Referee 1: Levan Varamishvili GEO
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgi Elikashvili GEO
Fourth Official: Giorgi Avazashvili GEO
VAR: Luca Pairetto ITA
AVAR: Aleko Aptsiauri GEO
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk EST

UEFA Europa League 2024/2025 – Round of 16 (First Leg)

6 March 2025

Real Sociedad – Manchester United
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Peter Kralović SVK
VAR: Pol van Boekel NED
AVAR: Michal Očenáš SVK
Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli ITA

AZ Alkmaar – Tottenham Hotspurs
Referee: Rade Obrenovič SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: David Šmajc SVN
VAR: Alen Borošak SVN
AVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Referee Observer: Juan Fernández Marín ESP

FCSB – Olympique Lyonnais
Referee: Tobias Stieler GER
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann GER
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Borsch GER
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers GER
VAR: Sören Storks GER
AVAR: Robert Schröder GER
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov ISR

Fenerbahce SK – Rangers FC
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Referee 1: José Naranjo Perez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Fourth Official: José Munuera Montero ESP
VAR: César Soto Grado ESP
AVAR: Valentín Pizarro Gómez ESP
Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi SMR

Viktoria Plzen – Lazio
Referee: Donatas Rumšas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radiuš LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Dovydas Sužiedėlis LTU
Fourth Official: Manfredas Lukjančukas LTU
VAR: Benjamin Brand GER
AVAR: Donatas Šimenas LTU
Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG

Bodo Glimt – Olympiakos
Referee: Mykola Balakin UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Berkut UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Dmytro Zaporozhenko UKR
Fourth Official: Vitaliy Romanov UKR
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Viktor Kopiievskyi UKR
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski POL

AFC Ajax – Eintracht Frankfurt
Referee: Simone Sozza ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giovanni Baccini ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Davide Imperiale ITA
Fourth Official: Andrea Colombo ITA
VAR: Daniele Chiffi ITA
AVAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP

AS Roma – Athletic Club
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni SUI
Fourth Official: Lionel Tschudi SUI
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Bastian Dankert GER
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson SWE