Copa Sudamericana 2011 – Round 9

28 September 2011
Liga de Quito – Independiente 

Referee: Liber Prudente (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: William Casavieja (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Changala (URU)
Fourth Official: Alfredo Intriago (ECU)

29 September 2011
Olimpia – Arsenal
Referee: Paulo Oliveira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Dibert Pedrosa (BRA)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)

Botafogo – Independiente Santa Fe
Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Francisco Mondria (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Fourth Official: Marcelo Henrique (BRA)

Godoy Cruz – Universitario
Referee: Antonio Arias (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Fourth Official: Juan Pompei (ARG)

Match abandoned after AR hit with a streamer

Think South American football and one of the first images that will come into your mind is falling ticker tape from the stands. That was established as far back as the Argentinean World Cup in 1978.

Fast forward to the present day: on Wednesday night the Copa Sudamericana match between Nacional and Universidad de Chile was abandoned after a Paraguayan assistant referee was hit in the head with a streamer/cash register roll thrown from the stands. The assistant referee was reportedly carried off a stretcher and referee Antonio Arias (PAR) abandoned the match. Goals in the 11th and 12th minutes had the home side, Nacional, trailing 2-0 at the time of the headshot, so it was most likely the work of a disgruntled fan with an impressively accurate throwing arm.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Moreno jailed for 30 months

Byron Moreno, the referee involved in Italy’s controversial elimination from the 2002 FIFA World Cup, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on heroin-smuggling charges.

He made a successful career for himself as a soccer commentator on television and radio channels in Ecuador after his officiating days came to an end. But a change in his personal circumstances became the motivating force that propelled the 41-year-old to take a gamble on smuggling drugs past US Customs inspectors. "He was in debt. Personal debt. He was just in over his head, and he made a very foolish choice. And now he's going to pay for it," his defense attorney, Michael Padden, said after the hearing in Brooklyn federal court.

Moreno ran into trouble at John F. Kennedy International Airport after arriving on a commercial flight from his native Ecuador. During a routine inspection, he “became visibly nervous” and a customs agent felt “hard objects on the defendant’s stomach, back and both of his legs,” according to a criminal complaint. A strip search revealed that the lumps were 10 clear plastic bags containing more than 10 pounds of heroin, the complaint said.

Before hearing the sentence in federal court in Brooklyn, Byron Moreno apologized to his family and asked for forgiveness. “From the bottom of my heart, I am very sorry,” Moreno said, choking up and wiping away tears. Moreno, 41, had faced a minimum of nearly 3 1/2 years under advisory sentencing guidelines, but his lawyer argued that he deserved a break in part because he had been a model inmate since his arrest in September 2010 — even starting a soccer program at a federal jail in Brooklyn. Byron Moreno is to be deported back to Ecuador after serving his sentence.

Moreno became a hated figure in Italy after making contentious calls in the second-round match of the 2002 World Cup, when the Azzurri lost 2-1 in extra time. He sent off Francesco Totti, giving the Italian a second yellow card for an alleged dive in the penalty area 13 minutes into extra time. A 111th-minute goal by Italy’s Damiano Tommasi that would have advanced the team was disallowed, apparently for offside. South Korea scored the winner in the 117th minute.

Source: The Associated Press

Collina: “Analyzing referees' mistakes is the key”

Pierluigi Collina, regarded by many as the best football referee ever and now retired Italian official, was a guest lecturer in Belgrade at the inaugural Intesa Academy.

"I miss refereeing a lot. I still dream of being able to get out on the pitch with my whistle in a next life, but I know it’s impossible," said Collina with a familiar smile. The Italian is, however, involved in refereeing in a different mode, as a member of the UEFA Referees Committee. "After three years in Italy as the head of the Referees Committee, I was called up by UEFA president Michel Platini. Our team is small, there are only three members. We deal with referee preparation, selection and assigning them to games. My aim, my hope is not to find a new Collina – the best referee in the world – but to create a group of referees who could live up to the task of officiating extremely important and difficult games.

The former top referee commented he is not someone who could discuss the issue whether goal-line technology should be accepted in football. "This is something the international board decides on. Still, in the past three years in the Europa League and two years in the Champions League we have had the additional fourth and fifth referee on the pitch, and it has yielded good results. It is not a question about only goal-line technology, but also the situations in the penalty area like holding, pulling the opponent’s shirt, pushing at corners and set pieces. Analyses have shown that players, when they know someone is watching them from behind, are much more careful and as a result, the number of undetected offences has been drastically reduced. This is why this practice will be used in the forthcoming European Championships." Collina agrees with the suggestion that illegal betting is a painful issue in today’s football. "UEFA is very careful when it comes to it. A special department is in charge of the situation, working together with national associations. If we lose the battle against illegal bookmakers, football is done – it would be the end of it. This is an extremely important issue, a touchy subject and UEFA are taking good care of anything related to betting."

Are today’s professional referees who officiate matches at the top level – such as the Champions League – the future of football? "It doesn’t matter if they are called professional referees. We cannot expect a ref who works until 5pm to go to a training session and do it perfectly, because they are tired from work. When preparing for a match, a referee needs to watch out for details, take notes, do research, look into the laws of the game and prepare himself psychologically for the match. If he or she works until five, then there is no chance they can do it."

Collina admits he made a few mistakes during his days. "I refereed a number of really important matches and I made mistakes. Making mistakes is an integral part of any job. What matters most for a referee is to analyze the mistakes analytically and establish the reasons why they made them so they reduce those situations to a minimum. This is the key."

Source: Blic

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL

11 October 2011

Bolivia – Colombia

Referee: Carlos Amarilla (PAR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Yegros (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Antonio Arias (PAR)

Chile – Peru
Referee: Raul Orosco (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Calderon (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Efrain Castro (BOL)
Fourth Official: Joaquin Antequera (BOL)

Paraguay – Uruguay
Referee: Wilson Seneme (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Braatz (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Altemir Hausmann (BRA)
Fourth Official: Marcelo Henrique (BRA)

Venezuela – Argentina
Referee: Roberto Silvera (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Fourth Official: Dario Ubriaco (URU)

Pan American Games 2011

Mexico, 18-28 October 2011
                                                                                CONCACAF

Referees

1. David Gantar (CAN, photo)
2. Marlon Mejia (SLV)
3. Erick Andino (HON)
4. Ricardo Arellano (MEX)

Assistant Referees

1. Philippe Briere (CAN)
2. Carlos Fernandez (CRC)
3. Douglas Bermudez (SLV)
4. Marcos Quintero (MEX)
5. Rey Mendoza (PAN)
6. Eric Boria (USA)
                                                                                CONMEBOL
Referees
1. Raul Orosco (BOL)
2. Omar Ponce (ECU)

Assistant Referees
1. Efrain Castro (BOL)
2. Christian Lescano (ECU)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL

7 October 2011

Argentina – Chile 

Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Abraham Gonzalez (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Humberto Clavijo (COL)
Fourth Official: Jose Buitrago (COL)

Uruguay – Bolivia

Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Avila (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Cesar Escano (PER)
Fourth Official: Henry Gambetta (PER)

Ecuador – Venezuela
Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Patricio Basualto (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Julio Diaz (CHI)
Fourth Official: Patricio Polic (CHI)

Peru – Paraguay
Referee: Sergio Pezzotta (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Casas (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Fourth Official: Diego Abal (ARG)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (IV)

20 September 2011

Toronto FC – Tauro
Referee: Terry Vaughn (USA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Chris Strickland (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Boria (USA)
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo (USA)

Monterrey – Comunicaciones
Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Charles Morgante (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Corey Rockwell (USA)
Fourth Official: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)

Seattle Sounders – Herediano
Referee: Neil Brizan (TRI)　
Assistant Referee 1: Dion Neil (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Ainsley Rochard (TRI)
Fourth Official: Lee Davis (TRI)

21 September 2011
FC Dallas – Pumas Unam
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ronaldo De la Cruz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Otto Barrios (GUA)

Colorado Rapids – Real Espana
Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde (SUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Louisville (SUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Egberth Paesch (ARU)
Fourth Official: Rudolph Angela (ARU)

Alajuelense – LA Galaxy
Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Keble Williams (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Lloyd Reader (JAM)
Fourth Official: Valdin Legister (JAM)

22 September 2011
Santos Laguna – Metapan 
Referee: David Gantar (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Darren Clark (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Belleau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Silviu Petrescu (CAN)

Motagua – Morelia
Referee: Javier Santos (PUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Antonio Lopez (PUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Keytzell Corrales (NCA)
Fourth Official: Franklin Jarquin (NCA)

UEFA Europa League – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

15 September 2011

Dynamo Kyiv – Stoke City

Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU, photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Sovre (ROU)

Assistant Referee 2: Zoltan Szekely (ROU)

Additional AR1: Alexandru Tudor (ROU)

Additional AR 2: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)

Fourth Official: Sebastian Coltescu (ROU)

PAOK – Tottenham

Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)

Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB)

Assistant Referee 2: Igor Radojcic (SRB)

Additional AR 1: Bosko Jovanetic (SRB)

Additional AR 2: Mileno Vukadinovic (SRB)

Fourth Official: Vlado Glodjovic (SRB)

Shamrock – Rubin

Referee: Zsolt Szabo (HUN)

Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kispal (HUN)

Assistant Referee 2: Zsolt Varga (HUN)

Additional AR 1: Roland Veizer (HUN)

Additional AR 2: Adam Farkas (HUN)

Fourth Official: Szabolcs Szilasi (HUN)

Hannover – Standard

Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)

Assistant Referee 1: Marjan Kirovski (MKD)

Assistant Referee 2: Ljubomir Krstevski (MKD)

Additional AR 1: Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD)

Additional AR 2: Goran Spirkoski (MKD)

Fourth Official: Petar Mantev (MKD)

Kobenhavn – Vorksla

Referee: Stanislav Todorov (BUL)

Assistant Referee 1: Nikolay Angelov (BUL)

Assistant Referee 2: Ventsislav Gavrilov (BUL)

Additional AR 1: Nikolay Yordanov (BUL)

Additional AR 2: Aleksander Kostadinov (BUL)

Fourth Official: Anton Genov (BUL)

Hapoel – Rapid

Referee: Hannes Kaasik (EST)

Assistant Referee 1: Marco Leevand (EST)

Assistant Referee 2: Dmitri Vinogradov (EST)

Additional AR 1: Kristo Tohver (EST)

Additional AR 2: Eiko Saar (EST)

Fourth Official: Mart Martin (EST)

PSV – Legia

Referee: Istvan Vad (HUN)

Assistant Referee 1: Zsolt Szpisjak (HUN)

Assistant Referee 2: Istvan Albert (HUN)

Additional AR 1: Sandor Ando-Szabo (HUN)

Additional AR 2: Adam Nemeth (HUN)

Fourth Official: Zoltan Ivanyi (HUN)

Zurich – Sporting
Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)

Assistant Referee 1: Angelo Boonman (NED)

Assistant Referee 2: Bas van Dongen (NED)

Additional AR 1: Richard Liesveld (NED)

Additional AR 2: Tom van Sichem (NED)

Fourth Official: Jeroen Sanders (NED)

Lazio – Vaslui

Referee: Eric Braamhaar (NED)

Assistant Referee 1: Wilco Loobert (NED)

Assistant Referee 2: Patrick Gerritsen (NED)

Additional AR 1: Serdar Gozobuyuk (NED)

Additional AR 2: Ed Janssen (NED)

Fourth Official: Rogier Honig (NED)

Besiktas – Maccabi

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: Vitaly Meshkov (RUS)

Fourth Official: Stanislav Sukhina (RUS)

Slovan – Athletic

Referee: Alon Yefet (ISR)

Assistant Referee 1: Danny Krasikow (ISR)

Assistant Referee 2: Dvir Simon (ISR)

Additional AR 1: Meir Levi (ISR)

Additional AR 2: Liran Liany (ISR)

Fourth Official: Daniel Natan (ISR)

PSG – Salzburg

Referee: Luca Banti (ITA)

Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)

Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Romagnoli (ITA)

Additional AR 1: Mauro Bergonzi (ITA)

Additional AR 2: Andrea De Marco (ITA)

Fourth Official: Andrea Gervasoni (ITA)

Alkmaar – Malmo

Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)

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: Ante Simunovic (CRO)

Austria Vienna – Metalist

Referee: Michael Dean (ENG)

Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)

Assistant Referee 2: Adam Watts (ENG)

Additional AR 1: Lee Mason (ENG)

Additional AR 2: Kevin Friend (ENG)

Fourth Official: Lee Probert (ENG)

FC Brugge – Maribor

Referee: Firat Aydinus (TUR)

Assistant Referee 1: Serkan Ok (TUR)

Assistant Referee 2: Aleks Tascioglu (TUR)

Additional AR 1: Baris Simsek (TUR)

Additional AR 2: Ozgur Yankaya (TUR)

Fourth Official: Hakan Ceylan (TUR)

Birmingham – Braga

Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)

Assistant Referee 1: Christoph Bornhorst (GER)

Assistant Referee 2: Holger Henschel (GER)

Additional AR 1: Markus Wingenbach (GER)

Additional AR 2: Tobias Welz (GER)

Fourth Official: Markus Schmidt (GER)

Udinese – Rennes

Referee: Cristian Balaj (ROU)

Assistant Referee 1: Ionel Popa (ROU)

Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)

Additional AR 1: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

Additional AR 2: Marius Avram (ROU)

Fourth Official: Augustus Constantin (ROU)

Atletico – Celtic

Referee: Peter Rasmussen (DEN)

Assistant Referee 1: Anders Norrestrand (DEN)

Assistant Referee 2: Hendrik Sonderby (DEN)

Additional AR 1: Lars Christoffersen (DEN)

Additional AR 2: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)

Fourth Official: Michael Svendsen (DEN)

Maccabi – AEK

Referee: Libor Kovarik (CZE)

Assistant Referee 1: Krystof Menkl (CZE)

Assistant Referee 2: Emil Ubias (CZE)

Additional AR 1: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)

Additional AR 2: Roman Hrubes (CZE)

Fourth Official: Radek Prihoda (CZE)

Steaua – Schalke

Referee: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)

Assistant Referee 1: Dimitris Saraidaris (GRE)

Assistant Referee 2: Leonidas Vasileiadis (GRE)

Additional AR 1: Anastasios Kakos (GRE)

Additional AR 2: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)

Fourth Official: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)

Wisla – Odense

Referee: Sascha Kever (SUI)

Assistant Referee 1: Matthias Arnet (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Devis Dettamanti (SUI)

Additional AR 1: Nikolaj Hanni (SUI)

Additional AR 2: Patrick Graf (SUI)

Fourth Official: Adrien Jaccottet (SUI)

Fulham – Twente

Referee: Antonio Damato (ITA)

Assistant Referee 1: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)

Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Iannello (ITA)

Additional AR 1: Christian Brighi (ITA)

Additional AR 2: Gabriele Gava (ITA)

Fourth Official: Domenico Celi (ITA)

Anderlecht – AEK

Referee: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)

Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)

Assistant Referee 2: Luis Marco Martinez (ESP)

Additional AR 1: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes (ESP)

Additional AR 2: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)

Fourth Official: Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)

Sturm – Lokomotiv Moscow

Referee: Bruno Paixao (POR)

Assistant Referee 1: Venancio Tome (POR)

Assistant Referee 2: Sergio Serrao (POR)

Additional AR 1: Bruno Esteves (POR)

Additional AR 2: Paulo Batista (POR)

Fourth Official: Marco Santos (POR)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (III)

13 September 2011
Morelia – LA Galaxy

Referee: Jose Pineda (HON, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Oscar Velasquez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Beltran (HON)
Fourth Official: Hector Rodriguez (HON)

Colorado Rapids – Santos Laguna

Referee: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Williamson (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jaime Smith (PAN)
Fourth Official: Luis Rodriguez (PAN)

Real Espana – Metapan
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ronaldo Dela Cruz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Otto Barrios (GUA)

14 September 2011
FC Dallas – Tauro
Referee: Walter Quesada (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Leonel Leal (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Octavio Jara (CRC)
Cuatro: Hugo Cruz (CRC)

Pumas Unam – Toronto FC
Referee: Raymond Bogle (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Morgan (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Kedlee Powell (JAM)
Fourth Official: Kevin Morrison (JAM)

Herediano – Seattle Sounders
Referee: Jafeth Perea (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Rey Mendoza (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Perryman (PAN)
Fourth Official: Rolando Vidal (PAN)

Comunicaciones – Monterrey
Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Douglas Bermudez (SLV)
Fourth Official: Ruben Medrano (SLV)

15 September 2011
Motagua – Alajuelense
Referee: Paul Delgadillo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Quinteros (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Salvador Rodriguez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Fabricio Morales (MEX)