Rosetti: "VAR has to be an insurance, a parachute for the referee"

Players who make a television-screen gesture with their hands to appeal for a video replay in UEFA competitions will be shown a yellow card, European football's governing body has confirmed.

UEFA has delayed the introduction of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) but has now committed to using them from this month's knockout round of the Champions League, the Europa League final, this summer's Nations League finals, and Euro 2020. Having seen the system being used in leagues throughout Europe and at last summer's World Cup in Russia, UEFA wants its use of VAR to be more consistent and less intrusive, with the final say left with the referee on the pitch. In a media briefing ahead of the UEFA Congress, the confederation's referees’ chief Roberto Rosetti explained that maintaining the referee's authority was a key part of that, which is why he wants a crackdown on players appealing for VAR. "Any player who shows the shape of the TV screen needs to be cautioned," said Rosetti. "And if they surround the referee, there must be disciplinary intervention. We want action in these situations." To illustrate this point, Rosetti showed a video of England defender Harry Maguire clearly gesturing for a video replay after Jordan Henderson was headbutted by a Colombian during the heated last-16 game in Russia. The 51-year-old Italian also explained that UEFA wants to use VAR more sparingly. "We don't want to re-referee the match and destroy the spirit of football with three or four interruptions every match," he said. "There must be clear images for clear interventions." Furthermore, Rosetti wants referees to check all judgement calls on the pitch-side monitor, as opposed to simply taking the VAR's opinion on the matter. "VAR has to be an insurance, a parachute for the referee", he said.

Source: SkySports

Copa Libertadores – Second Round (Second Leg)

12-14 February 2019

Atletico Mineiro – Danubio
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Fourth Official: Facundo Tello (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Enrique Caceres (PAR)

Barcelona – Defensor Sporting
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Bismarks Santiago (COL)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Jaimes (PER)

Independiente Medellin – Palestino
Referee: Juan Soto (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Fourth Official: Marlon Escalante (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Hebert Aguilera (BOL)

Universidad de Chile – Melgar
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Trinidad (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Popovits (URU)
Fourth Official: Andres Matonte (URU)
Referee Assessor: Nilson Moncao (BRA)

Libertad – The Strongest
Referee: Wagner Magalhaes (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson de Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Fourth Official: Luiz de Oliveira (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Angel Sanchez (ARG)

Sao Paulo – Talleres
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Guillermo Guerrero (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Martin Vazquez (URU)

Caracas – Delfin
Referee: Ricardo Marques (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Dewson Freitas (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Juan Lugones (BOL)

Atletico Nacional – Deportivo La Guaira
Referee: Piero Maza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Felipe Gonzalez (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Roberto Perassi (BRA)

Copa Sudamericana – First Round (First Leg, II)

12-14 February 2019

River Plate – Santos
Referee: German Delfino (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Chade (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Lucas Germanotta (ARG)
Fourth Official: Dario Herrera (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Patricio Polic (CHI)

Macara – Guabira
Referee: Rodolpho Toski (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wagner Reway (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Wilson Lamouroux (COL)

Fluminense – Antofagasta
Referee: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zorrilla (PAR)
Fourth Official: Derlis Lopez (PAR)
Referee Assessor: Ricardo Casas (ARG)

Royal Pari – Monagas
Referee: Cristian Garay (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Alejandro Molina (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)

Corinthians – Racing Club
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Victor Raez (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Orue (PER)
Fourth Official: Joel Alarcon (PER)
Referee Assessor: Jose Carpio (ECU)

CONMEBOL U-20 Championship 2019 (Matchday 5)

10 February 2019

Colombia – Uruguay
Referee: Diego Haro (PER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Victor Raez (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Orue (PER)
Fourth Official: Ivo Mendez (BOL)
Reserve AR: Edwar Saavedra (BOL)
Referee Assessor: Hector Baldassi (ARG)

Venezuela – Ecuador
Referee: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Canete (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay (CHI)
Reserve AR: Claudio Urrutia (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Hugo Munoz (CHI)

Brazil – Argentina
Referee: Piero Maza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Joel Alarcon (PER)
Reserve AR: Alejandro Molina (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Claudio Puga (CHI)

CONMEBOL U-20 Championship 2019 (Matchday 4)

7 February 2019

Argentina – Uruguay
Referee: Arnaldo Samaniego (PAR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Canete (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Urrutia (CHI)
Fourth Official: Diego Haro (PER)
Referee Assessor: Claudio Puga (CHI)

Ecuador – Brazil
Referee: Ivo Mendez (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Antelo (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Edwar Saavedra (BOL)
Fourth Official: Joel Alarcon (PER)
Referee Assessor: Oscar Ruiz (COL)

Venezuela – Colombia
Referee: Mario Diaz De Vivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Alejandro Molina (CHI)
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Hector Baldassi (ARG)

Referees train with VAR ahead of approval for Women’s World Cup

Women’s World Cup referees are undergoing training with VARs in matches over the next two weeks, The Associated Press has learned, paving the way for the FIFA council to approve the use of video reviews at the tournament in France. FIFA has faced criticism for not committing to using video assistant referees at the June 7 - July 7 Women’s World Cup just as they were for the men’s tournament for the first time in Russia last year. Amid growing demands for clarity on the deployment of VAR, United States women’s team coach Jill Ellis said it would be “insulting” if female players didn’t have an equal right to have decisions reviewed by video at their biggest tournament. England counterpart Phil Neville has also criticized the standard of refereeing in the women’s game and the lack of technology which could reduce mistakes. 

FIFA only gave the first indication on Monday that it does plan to use the technology in France after the AP discovered previously undisclosed training with VARs was taking place in seminars and matches in Qatar. It ensures the 27 referees and 47 assistant referees will gain the necessary experience that allows FIFA executives at a meeting in Miami in March to approve the use of the technology for the World Cup. “The final decision if VAR will be used at the Women’s World Cup will be taken by the FIFA council,” FIFA told The Associated Press on Monday. The governing body had previously only said a decision about VAR would come “in due time.” FIFA is now ramping up testing with VAR as referees preside over matches with the assistance of technology at the Al Kass International Cup for men’s under-17 teams, including Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, from Monday through Feb. 15 at Qatar’s Aspire Academy. “It’s similar to the men’s preparation,” FIFA said in a statement to the AP after being asked about the gathering of Women’s World Cup referees in Doha. “To have the best preparation the referees will have VAR training and in addition to that they will officiate games of the Al Kass Cup.” It is a rare deployment of female referees at men’s games. Uruguayan official Claudia Umpierrez made the first VAR call of the tournament near Doha to disallow a goal for offside in a game involving Aspire and Moroccan side Raja Club Athletic on Monday evening. “They have a competition, real matches and that’s is the best way to practice,” FIFA said. “VAR is only a part of their preparation. All other refereeing aspects like reading the game, uniformity and consistency in their decisions, positioning etc., are also crucial for their performances.” While the Women’s World Cup referees and their assistants are women, most of the VARs are men, with some having gained experienced at the World Cup in Russia. No domestic women’s competition currently uses VAR. When FIFA in December announced the appointment of referees for the Women’s World Cup, there was no mention of VAR. FIFA appears to be operating on the same timescale to last year when VAR for the men’s World Cup was officially approved at a council meeting in March. The video review calls in Russia were made from FIFA’s International Broadcast Center near Moscow. VARs, four to a game, sat with monitor operators trained to find the best camera angles before feeding decisions back to referees on the pitch in stadiums. Referees can also check replays themselves on pitch-side monitors. Video review can help referees overturn clear errors in game-changing situations. This means incidents involving goals scored, the award of penalty kicks, red cards, and cases of referees showing cards to the wrong player. 

Source: AP

Highest paid referees in the world

The NBA referees are the highest paid professional match officials in the world. The season begins in October and finals are being played in June. NBA referees earn a good salary package, making more money than any other match officials.

Match Officials	Per Match	Playoffs & Finals	Annual Earnings
NBA Professional Referee	$3,500	$5,000	$500,000
NBA Entry Level Referee	$600	$1,000	$250,000
Women's NBA Referee	$425	$800	$180,000

The average annual salaries of professional referees in the North-American top leagues:

NBA (basketball): $375,000

MLB (baseball): $235,000

NHL (hockey): $212,500

NFL (American football): $188,322

Source: TSM Sportz

Copa Libertadores – Second Round (First Leg)

5-7 February 2019

Danubio – Atletico Mineiro
Referee: German Delfino (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximiliano Yesso (ARG)
Fourth Official: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Amelio Andino (PAR)

Melgar – Universidad de Chile
Referee: Anderson Daronco (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guilherme Camilo (BRA)
Fourth Official: Rodolpho Toski (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Carlos Herrera (ECU)

The Strongest – Libertad
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Franklin Congo (ECU)
Referee Assessor: Cesar Escano (PER)

Defensor Sporting – Barcelona
Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Raul Orellana (CHI)
Fourth Official: Cesar Deischler (CHI)
Referee Assessor: Pablo Silva (ARG)

Delfin – Caracas
Referee: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Roldan (COL)
Fourth Official: John Ospina (COL)
Referee Assessor: Ana Oliveira (BRA)

Talleres – Sao Paulo
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: John Leon (COL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Herrera (COL)
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

Palestino – Independiente Medellin
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Coty Carrera (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Raul Lopez (PER)
Fourth Official: Luis Garay (PER)
Referee Assessor: Sergio Cristiano (BRA)

Deportivo La Guaira – Atletico Nacional
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Pablo Gonzalez (ARG)
Fourth Official: Fernando Espinoza (ARG)
Referee Assessor: Candelario Andarcia (VEN)

Copa Sudamericana – First Round (First Leg, I)

5-7 February 2019

Union La Calera – Chapecoense
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Soppi (URU)
Fourth Official: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
Referee Assessor: Rodolfo Otero (ARG)

Botafogo – Defensa y Justicia
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Horacio Ferreiro (URU)
Fourth Official: Andres Matonte (URU)
Referee Assessor: Jorge Osorio (CHI)

Bahia – Liverpool
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Fourth Official: Marlon Escalante (VEN)
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL)

Deportivo Santani – Once Caldas
Referee: Braulio Machado (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kleber Gil (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Danilo Manis (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wagner Magalhaes (BRA)
Referee Assessor: Dario Ubriaco (URU)

UEFA referees primed for spring duty

UEFA’s top European male and female referees have been in training in Lisbon – preparing for the second half of the campaign, as well as for the introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) in the UEFA Champions League. A challenging second half of the season awaits Europe’s top referees – with UEFA confident that the match officials will take an important period for refereeing in their stride. The 122 male and female referees – 46 of them newcomers to the international list - have spent the week in Lisbon at UEFA’s latest annual winter gathering, in preparation for assignments in UEFA’s club and national team competitions over the coming months.

For top European male match officials on the advanced course, the four days in Portugal saw training and fine-tuning work for the imminent introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) in the UEFA Champions League, starting in the Round of 16, which kicks off on 12 February. Last year, VAR was incorporated into the Laws of the Game by football’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), following trials in major competitions. The video assistant referee reviews decisions made by the referee in certain key match situations with the use of video footage and a headset for communication. UEFA’s Executive Committee decided to introduce VAR in UEFA competitions last September, and the committee took a subsequent decision in December for VAR to be deployed from the start of this season’s UEFA Champions League knockout phase. In addition, VAR is to be used at this season's UEFA Europa League final in Baku, the UEFA Nations League Finals in Portugal in June and the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament in Italy in the same month. The referees took part in specific practical training sessions and simulation sessions involving recorded footage of actual matches, practicing reviews in particular. Study sessions on recent incidents in UEFA matches, using video clips, also included discussions on potential VAR situations. “VAR will provide an important help to match officials,” said UEFA’s chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti. “It’s a big step forward for Europe’s referees, and we are ready for the challenge.” In addition to VAR preparation, the referees were encouraged to be decisive and firm in fulfilling their crucial role on the field. Instructions given to them included the need to protect players from serious injury caused by reckless challenges, as well as to safeguard the image of the game by, for example, acting firmly against cases of dissent or mobbing. “We don’t need nice or popular referees,” Rosetti said. “We need strong personalities with a professional attitude, who show courage in taking decisions and act as role models for other referees around Europe”.

The international newcomers received a full briefing into what UEFA expects from them as they start out on their journey. “You should be proud, because this is a very important time for you,” Rosetti told them. “Be yourselves – look for improvement every day, don’t try to copy others, and enjoy this moment.” The new referees were also given wise words of motivation by two officials who have reached the European summit – Germany’s Felix Brych and Switzerland’s Esther Staubli – who advised them in particular about their important role as ambassadors for UEFA and European football. Fitness training was a key item on the agenda in Lisbon, with the newcomers in particular tested in sprint exercises and undertaking the yo-yo intermittent endurance test – the aim being to check their physical condition. “Challenge yourself to make progress – we are there to help you,” UEFA referee fitness expert Werner Helsen told them. During the course, referees were reminded of the need for consistency and uniformity in decision-making. The new officials in particular were informed of the standards that UEFA expects of them as they set on what they hope will be long and successful careers. 

The week ended with an inspirational moment – courtesy of special guest Beatrice Vio, the Italian wheelchair fencer who has won the world, European and Paralympic titles in recent years. The 21-year-old, who at the age of 11 had both legs amputated from the knee, and both arms from the forearms owing to meningitis, was given a standing ovation by the referees for her stirring story of courage and determination to overcome adversity and achieve sporting success. “If you referee, you are doing it because you love it,” she told the officials. “Believe in yourselves, and believe that what you are doing is right.” 

Source: UEFA