Attacked by players, Lebanese referee quits

Lebanese referee Bachir Awasa was glad to have escaped alive after being assaulted by players and staff in a domestic second division match last weekend but the official has decided to quit following the horrid experience. Awasa was kicked and chased around the pitch in Beirut after showing a red card to an Al-Nahda player in Saturday's match against Al-Salam Zgharta.

"From the reaction of the players and the staff I expected to be harmed in a grave way... to be honest I did not expect to get out alive," the referee told Al Jadeed television on Friday. "Usually, whenever we issue a red card we expect a reaction from the player ... and indeed that is what happened. He ran after me and attacked me. "When he tried to hit me I tried to run and then coach Mahmoud Seif Eddine also attacked me and other staff ran after me and things got out of hand and I tried to run from one place to the other".

Lebanese football is already battling a major image crisis after the FA handed out various penalties to 24 players, including life bans for defender Ramez Dayoub and forward Mahmoud El-Ali, following allegations that international and regional games were rigged. Awasa urged the football association to protect the referees, while ruling out reversing his decision to quit. "It's my final decision", he said.

Source: Reuters

UEFA supports referee Cakir over Nani red card

The European football governing body has confirmed that Cuneyt Cakir will remain on their list of officials for the upcoming Champions League matches this season. UEFA has backed referee Cuneyt Cakir following his decision to show Nani a straight red card for a waist-high challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa in the 57th minute. United were leading 1-0 at the time but, reduced to 10 players, eventually lost 2-1 to Real and exited the Champions League on a 3-2 aggregate score.

Referee Cakir will not face any immediate action from UEFA, with the governing body unconcerned by the storm surrounding him and happy to wait for reports into his display from the referee's observer Pierluigi Collina and match delegate Rudolf Zavrl, both of whom were in attendance at Old Trafford. “We have no problem with him. There are no issues for us regarding the sending off. We will wait for the official reports of the match delegate and the referee's observer, as is the procedure. If they raise concerns, then we will act”, a UEFA spokesman said. Asked if Cakir was in any danger of not refereeing again during this season's Champions League, the spokesman added: "He remains on our list of officials".
UEFA confirmed that Nani will receive an automatic one-match European suspension following his red card and that United can appeal against the sanction only after the governing body's disciplinary panel has meet to discuss the issue when, it is possible, the suspension could be raised. “From the report we have received we will not take any action apart from the disciplinary proceedings against Manchester United for the red card of Nani and for post-match media obligations not being fulfilled”. Rio Ferdinand will not be punished by UEFA for sarcastically applauding referee Cuneyt Cakir at Old Trafford, it was announced today. The Manchester United centre-half confronted the Turkish official after his decision to send off Nani. However, having read the referee’s report, the governing body will take no action against Ferdinand. A UEFA spokesman said: “From the report we have received we will not take any action apart from the disciplinary proceedings against Manchester United for the red card of Nani and for post-match media obligations not being fulfilled”.
Cakir, meanwhile, flew back to Istanbul from Manchester on Wednesday morning and is scheduled to recommence refereeing duties in Turkey's Super Lig this weekend.

Source: The Guardian

Poll: This terrible trend of demonising the referee has to stop

The decision to send Nani off in Manchester United’s Champions League defeat to Real Madrid has been described by some as an "aberration". An aberration? Really? Why can’t England teams lose gracefully with dignity and not blame somebody else. Cuneyt Cakir is a highly experienced and top world match official. And yet we can’t accept his decision. I watched him very closely throughout the match. His first half was virtually perfect. For someone with a reputation for chucking around cards, he was in this instance refereeing out of type. There were two deliberate handballs which he chose not to caution and a heavy challenge involving Ryan Giggs as he chased a ball he’d lost on the near touchline. All went unpunished. If he did made a mistake in the first half, it certainly favoured United. Cakir blew quickly when Madrid defender Sergio Ramos jumped with Robin van Persie, nudging the ball into the path of Gonzalo Higuain, who rolled home. Replays suggested there was no foul. It was a very good first half performance.

After the break, there was little in the early exchanges. That changed with Nani. In England we see the "foul" as unintentional, an accident, a player who is watching the ball through the air and merely trying to play it. The FA and their appeals body encourage us to do this buy overturning red cards which would be considered a perfectly acceptable decision in mainland Europe. Carlton Cole and Darron Gibson in the same game earlier this season are such examples. We always come back to "he didn’t mean it". That is irrelevant, you make your intention known by making the challenge. Roy Keane summed it up very well.

Watching as an English observer, I expected to see a yellow card, and was surprised when red was brandished. That prompted me to contact some current top international referees, all of whom felt Cakir was correct. The reason for the difference in view is that those to whom I spoke, and their peers, regularly attend elite referee courses run by UEFA committee, headed by Pierluigi Collina, the much respected former Italian referee. Collina is of the belief that "brutality" must be stamped out of the game, and his words will have been ringing in Cakir’s ears as he waited for Nani to stand up following his challenge. If there was any doubt in the Turkish official’s mind, the fact that Collina was watching inside Old Trafford would have removed that doubt. They are told twice a year at conferences. 
Howard Webb knows he was wrong not to send off Nigel de Jong in the World Cup final three years ago. Nani’s foul was, admittedly, not the same, but there are not degrees of severity. Back to Cakir’s performance, his second mistake - penalising Sergio Ramos being the first - was not seeing Manchester United full back Rafael block a goal-bound effort with his arm. On this occasion, I would have liked his additional assistant, standing only five feet away and on the goal line, to have seen the offence and informed him. After all, the ref can only give what he sees. The offence by Rafael again brings up the question whether it was deliberate or not, as with the debate over Nani. In the Brazilian’s case, he raises his arm to make himself bigger, fully aware the ball could strike it, thus preventing a goal. Real Madrid showed there are still examples of a ball hitting a hand or arm and it being accidental. When Sami Khdeira blocked a cross in the first half inside the area, the home fans roared for a penalty, but with his arms tight against the body, there was no way it could be given.
In summary, the supposedly card happy Cakir showed restraint when the game was forming, followed intrusion and was brave enough to dismiss the home player, fully understanding the fall-out from that decision. He then stayed firm and true to his principles in a very hostile environment. I’ve experienced that hostility, and you just want the ground to swallow you up. But you take yourself away from it, telling yourself "you’ll be off the pitch in a minute, it will be fine". Sometimes it has got so bad, that I’ve been smuggled out of European stadia under blankets because of the strength of feeling against me. But you zone out, you have to. It happened to me during a UEFA Cup match at San Sebastian, in Turkey at Galatasaray, and even at Sunderland. At the Stadium of Light, they were camped around the transport vehicle, so I huddled down at the back of the assessor’s car. How can that be right? How is Cakir getting all that stick, all that grief?

Source: Graham Poll/Daily Mail

UEFA Europa League – Round of 16 (First Leg)

7 March 2013

VfB Stuttgart – Lazio Roma
Referee: Alexandru Tudor (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Nica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurel Onita (ROU)
Additional AR 1: Cristian Balaj (ROU)
Additional AR 2: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Octavian Sovre (ROU)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

Anji – Newcastle
Referee: Istvan Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Istvan Albert (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Mihaly Fabian (HUN)
Fourth Official: Zsolt Szpisjak (HUN)
Referee Observer: Kaj Ostergaard (DEN)

Viktoria Plzen – Fenerbahce
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Andrea De Marco (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Mauro Bergonzi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Massimiliano Grilli (ITA)
Referee Observer: Stefan Ormandjiev (BUL)

Steaua – Chelsea
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averianov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Nikolay Golubev (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Maksim Layushkin (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Aleksei Nikolaev (RUS)
Fourth Official: Dmitry Mosyakin (RUS)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Benfica – Bordeaux
Referee: Alon Yefet (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Danny Krasikow (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Amihay Mozes (ISR)
Additional AR 1: Liran Liany (ISR)
Additional AR 2: Eli Hacmon (ISR)
Fourth Official: Oren Bornshtain (ISR)
Referee Observer: Peter Jones (ENG)

Tottenham – Internazionale
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Javier Aguilar Rodríguez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Fourth Official: Roberto Diaz Del Palomar (ESP)
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

Levante – Rubin Kazan
Referee: Antony Gautier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fredji Harchay (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Fourth Official: Philippe Jeanne (FRA)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

FC Basel – Zenit St. Petersburg
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicola Nicoletti (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Andrea Gervasoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Alessandro Giallattini (ITA)
Referee Observer: Ioannis Tsachilidis (GRE)

CONCACAF Champions League – Quarter-finals (First Leg)

5 March 2013

Houston Dynamo – Santos Laguna
Referee: Roberto Moreno (PAN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Williamson (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Fourth Official: John Pitty (PAN)

6 March 2013
Xelaju – Monterrey
Referee: Silviu Petrescu (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Darren Clark (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Belleau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Paul Ward (CAN)

Tigres – Seattle
Referee: Jeffrey Solis (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Javier Rojas (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Cerdas (CRC)

7 March 2013
Herediano – Los Angeles
Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Garnet Page (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Kedlee Powell (JAM)
Fourth Official: Raymond Bogle (JAM)

Copa Libertadores – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

5 March 2013

Olimpia – Deportivo Lara

Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcio Santiago (BRA)
Fourth Official: Mario De Vivar (PAR)
Referee Observer: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Newells Old Boys – Universidad de Chile
Referee: Paulo Oliveira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pablo Diaz (ARG)
Referee Observer: Juan Loustau (ARG)

Millonarios – San Jose

Referee: Henry Gambetta (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Lopes (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Yupanqui (PER)
Fourth Official: Imer Machado (COL)
Referee Observer: Pablo Montoya (COL)

Gremio – Caracas

Referee: Antonio Arias (PAR)

Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Caceres (PAR)
Fourth Official: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)

Referee Observer: Jose Moccelin (BRA)

Emelec – Deportes Iquique
Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Camargo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Fourth Official: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Referee Observer: Rogger Zambrano (ECU)

6 March 2013
Libertad – Sporting Cristal
Referee: Jose Buitrago (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilson Berrio (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Referee Observer: Manuel Bernal (PAR)

Tigre – Palmeiras
Referee: Omar Ponce (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Alvarado (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Herrera (ECU)
Fourth Official: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Referee Observer: Carlos Coradina (ARG)

Fluminense – Huachipato
Referee: German Delfino (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)
Fourth Official: Pericles Cortez (BRA)
Referee Observer: Aristeu Tavares (BRA)

Tijuana – Corinthinas
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jony Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Cesar Escano (PER)
Fourth Official: Erim Ramirez (MEX)
Referee Observer: Francisco Ramirez (MEX)

Toluca – Barcelona
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Altemir Hausmann (BRA)
Fourth Official: Jorge Rojas (MEX)(MEX)
Referee Observer: Jorge Gasso (MEX)

7 March 2013
Sao Paulo – Arsenal
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Clavijo (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Diaz (COL)
Fourth Official: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Referee Observer: Salvio Fagundes (BRA)

Cerro Porteno – Santa Fe
Referee: Carlo Vera (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Enrique Caceres (PAR)
Referee Observer: Cecilio Bejarano (PAR)

Boca Juniors – Nacional
Referee: Carlos Amarilla (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Hugo Martinez (PAR)
Fourth Official: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
Referee Observer: Abel Gnecco (ARG)

Atletico Mineiro – The Strongest
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Popovits (URU)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Marques (BRA)
Referee Observer: Jose Eugenio (BRA)

UEFA Champions League – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

5 March 2013
Manchester United – Real Madrid 
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Fourth Official: Emre Eyisoy (TUR)
Referee Observer: Pierluigi Collina (ITA)

Borussia Dortmund – Shakhtar Donetsk 
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Roberto Ponis (SVN)
Fourth Official: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Referee Observer: Peter Mikkelsen (DEN)

6 March 2013
Paris St. Germain – Valencia
Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Igor Radojcic (SRB)
Additional AR 1: Danilo Grujic (SRB)
Additional AR 2: Milenko Vukadinovic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Dalibor Djurdjevic (SRB)
Referee Observer: David Elleray (ENG)

Juventus – Celtic 
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: Tolga Ozkalfa (TUR)
Fourth Official: Cem Satman (TUR)
Referee Observer: Zdravko Jokic (SRB)

CONCACAF U-20 Championship Final 2013: Wijngaarde (SUR)

3 March 2013

Final
Mexico – USA
Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde (SUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Warner Castro (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Graeme Browne (SKN)
Fourth Official: Hugo Cruz (CRC)

Match for Third Place
Cuba – El Salvador
Referee: Raul Castro (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Victoria (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Briere (CAN)
Fourth Official: Oscar Reyna (GUA)

Referee Jedidi not suspended after CAN semi-final

After very generously giving Ghana a penalty, ignoring a foul on Pitroipa and unduly dishing out a red card to the Rennes and Burkina Faso striker in the semi-finals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, referee Slim Jedidi has broken his silence. For the first time after his controversial display, the Tunisian referee agreed to discuss this CAN semi-final between Ghana and Burkina Faso, which the latter won on penalty shootout with football365.fr, after emerging from his hideout, where he went with his family to avoid the media.

- Slim Jedidi, with hindsight, how do you analyze your performance in the CAN semi-final?
- I was wrong. What else to say? How to explain? I do not know. God willed that I'm wrong here. On the semi-finals, I was not good, I made several mistakes, and this is undeniable. I frowned; misinterpreted things. Who can say that he has never made a mistake? I am sorry for those who are affected; I would apologize. But today I am trying to move on, to move forward
- Do you understand that there may be a suspicion of corruption around your performance that evening?
- No, I do not really understand. I did not meet or take money from any Ghanaian representatives. It is difficult to see that people do not accept that I could be wrong. For Burkina Faso not to accept, still, I understand, because I think it is never objective when it comes to our country. But also, and especially here in Tunisia, I cannot accept it. I do not read magazines, I do not answer journalists. I retired with my friends and family to try to forget about it.
- Do you accept your suspension imposed by CAF?
- What suspension? It is only rumours; I have not been suspended and I do not think I will be. During the Africa Cup of Nations I refereed tough matches, including the semi-final which was considered very delicate, so it means CAF trusted me. This confidence has not vanished in a game. I was short-listed to officiate at the next World Cup and I stay in competition. That has not changed.

Source: football365.fr

Paradas Romero quits refereeing over Mourinho polemic

Spanish referee Jose Luis Paradas Romero, 40, suddenly announced his early retirement. The match official from Malaga stated that his decision was due to "professional motives". However, a ticking off from the CTA Technical Director, Manuel Diaz Vega, for not sending off Jose Mourinho in the match against Rayo Vallecano could have been the deciding factor, as it was revealed on a Spanish radio station.

Paradas Romero (photo) announced his decision to Sanchez Arminio, president of the CTA, before the match Espanyol – Valladolid, for which he was originally appointed. His decision has resulted in his immediate replacement with Mateu Lahoz. Coincidently, Paradas is the only Spanish referee to have sent off Mourinho on two occasions – against Murcia and Villarreal. The first was in November 2010, in a Copa Del Rey match against Murcia. The second, in March 2012, was in a league match against Villarreal. After that match, when Paradas Romero also sent off Sergio Ramos, Mesut Ozil and Pepe, Real Madrid threatened the referee that he will never referee their team again. In spite of that, Paradas Romero was appointed to referee again Real Madrid on 17 February 2013, in a match against Rayo Vallecano. His decisions during this match have been discussed by Diaz Vega and resulted in the referee’s decision to retire prematurely. Paradas chose not to caution Lass for holding an opponent. The yellow card would have been the second for Lass and would have reduced Rayo to 10 players on the field. On the other hand, he sent off Sergio Ramos in the 17th minute, after showing him two yellow cards in only 50 seconds. Besides those incidents, Diaz Vega criticized him for not sending off Mourinho, when Real Madrid coach angrily protested against the referee’s decision to not show the second yellow card and send off Lass.

Source: El Mundo