UEFA Youth League 2019/2020 – Domestic Champions Path, Second Round (Second Leg)

26-27 November 2019

HSK Zrinjski – FC Midtjylland
Referee: Vitali Romanov (UKR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Zhukov (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Korniyko (UKR)
Fourth Official: Haris Kaljanac (BIH)
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

NK Domžale – FC Porto
Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Tryfon Petropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Iordanis Aptosoglou (GRE)
Fourth Official: Mitja Žganec (SVN)
Referee Observer: Darko Ceferin (SVN)

PAOK FC – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Novak Simović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikola Djorovic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Miloš Simovic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Dimitrios Karantonis (GRE)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

Sogndal Fotball – Sheriff Tiraspol
Referee: Ivar Kristjansson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Egill Gudlaugsson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Marius Hansen (NOR)
Referee Observer: Kjell Alseth (NOR)

Apoel FC – Real Zaragoza
Referee: Juxhin Xhaja (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Ilir Tartaraj (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Endrit Veseli (ALB)
Fourth Official: Chrysovalantis Theouli (CYP)
Referee Observer: Michael Argyrou (CYP)

Derby County – IA Akranes
Referee: Tim Marshall (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ryan Kelsey (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Nethery (NIR)
Fourth Official: Martin Coy (ENG)
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines (SCO)

Slovan Bratislava – Rangers FC
Referee: Pavel Orel (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Petr Blažej (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Kamil Hajek (CZE)
Fourth Official: Bálint Kišš (SVK)
Referee Observer: Ladislav Gadosi (SVK)

Maccabi Petah Tikva – Stade Rennais
Referee: Nikolas Neokleous (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Soteriou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Matityahu Yakobov (ISR)
Fourth Official: Aviad Shiloach (ISR)

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2019 – Group Stage (Matches 17-24)

25-26 November 2019

Mexico – Italy
Referee 1: Said Hachim (MAD)
Referee 2: Juan Angeles (DOM, photo)
Referee 3: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Timekeeper: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS)

Japan – Switzerland
Referee 1: Alex Valdiviezo (PER)
Referee 2: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Referee 3: Hugo Pado (SOL)
Timekeeper: Adil Ouchker (MAR)

Tahiti – Uruguay
Referee 1: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Referee 2: Vitali Gomolko (LTU)
Referee 3: Roman Borisov (RUS)
Timekeeper: Raul Gonzalez (ESP)

USA – Paraguay
Referee 1: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Referee 2: Ebrahim Al-Mansory (UAE)
Referee 3: Bakhtiyor Namazov (UZB)
Timekeeper: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)

UAE – Senegal
Referee 1: Raul Gonzalez (ESP)
Referee 2: Sofien Benchabane (FRA)
Referee 3: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Timekeeper: Vitali Gomolko (LTU)

Oman – Portugal
Referee 1: Adil Ouchker (MAR)
Referee 2: Hany Farouk (EGY)
Referee 3: Said Hachim (MAD)
Timekeeper: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)

Russia – Belarus
Referee 1: Gionni Matticoli (ITA)
Referee 2: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS)
Referee 3: Shao Liang (CHN)
Timekeeper: Ivo Moraes (BRA)

Nigeria – Brazil
Referee 1: Gustavo Dominguez (PAR)
Referee 2: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Referee 3: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Timekeeper: Bakhtiyor Namazov (UZB)

UEFA Champions League 2019/2020 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

26-27 November 2019

Atalanta BC – GNK Dinamo
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Vitali Meshkov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Galatasaray – Club Brugge KV
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaš Somolani (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Fourth Official: Filip Glova (SVK)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

Lokomotiv Moskva – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: David Coote (ENG)
VAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR: Lee Betts (ENG)
Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)

Real Madrid – Paris Saint Germain
Referee: Artur Soares Dias(POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulo Santos (POR)
Fourth Official: Fábio Veríssimo (POR)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Hugo Miguel (POR)
Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel (GER)

Crvena Zvezda – Bayern München
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Dennis Higler (NED)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
Referee Observer: Kaj Ostergaard (DEN)

Tottenham Hotspur – Olympiakós FC
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Divan Vilkov BUL)
Fourth Official: Nikola Popov (BUL)
VAR: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
AVAR: Davide Massa (ITA)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

Manchester City – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
VAR: Danny Makkelie (NED)
AVAR: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Medved (SVK)

Juventus FC – Atlético de Madrid
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (ENG)
Fourth Official: Craig Pawson (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR: Paul Tierney (ENG)
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)

FC Zenit – Olympique Lyonnais
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
VAR: Marco Guida (ITA)
AVAR: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

Valencia – Chelsea
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
AVAR: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Referee Observer: Michalis Koukoulakis (GRE)

Liverpool FC – SSC Napoli
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: José Munuera Montero (ESP)
VAR: José Sánchez Martínez (ESP)
AVAR: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)
Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)

KRC Genk – Red Bull Salzburg
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Ville Nevalainen (FIN)
VAR: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
AVAR: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Referee Observer: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU)

FC Barcelona – Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos /(FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Fourth Official: Karim Abed (FRA)
VAR: François Letexier (FRA)
AVAR: Jérôme Brisard (FRA)
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

Slavia Praha – Internazionale Milano
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Musial (POL)
VAR: Pawel Gil (POL)
AVAR: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

RB Leipzig – SL Benfica
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Ángel Nevado Rodríguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Xavier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
VAR: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Teodoro Sobrino Magán (ESP)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Lille OSC – AFC Ajax
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Tobias Stieler (GER)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)

FIFA Club World Cup 2019

Qatar, 12-22 December 2019

AFC
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT, 1987, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT, 1988)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh (QAT, 1988)

VAR: Fu Ming (CHN, 1983)

CAF
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG, 1985)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud Ahmed (EGY, 1984)
Assistant Referee 2: Mokrane Gourari (ALG, 1982)

VAR: Bakary Gassama (GAM, 1979)

CONCACAF
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA, 1982)
Assistant Referee 1: Kyle Atkins (USA, 1986)
Assistant Referee 2: Corey Parker (USA, 1986)

VAR: Alan Kelly (USA, 1975)

CONMEBOL
Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI, 1977)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI, 1977)

VAR: Esteban Ostojich (URU, 1982)

OFC
Support Referee: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH, 1981)

UEFA
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU, 1980)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Sovre (ROU, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU, 1976)

VAR 1: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP, 1982)
VAR 2: Benoît Millot (FRA, 1982)

Hansson: The firefighter, handball and its real impact

For Martin Hansson and his team of officials, the enormity of the failure to spot Thierry Henry's handball in the 2009 World Cup play-off arrived a little over five minutes after reaching the sanctity of the Paris dressing room that fateful November night. Under normal circumstances, the referee observer would be in immediately to address the team, but on that dramatic night in Saint-Denis, there was a noticeable delay. Eventually when the FIFA official did arrive, Hansson was told his team enjoyed a fine night up to the point where William Gallas scored in extra-time, with the extra-time 1-1 draw enough to send Raymond Domenech's side through. The only blemish on the copybook, and it was a significant blot, was the failure to spot Henry's handball in the lead-up to the decisive goal. It shouldn't have stood. "I broke down completely. At that moment everything felt helpless," he admitted in the Swedish documentary Rättskiparen (The Referee) released the following year. And helpless is perhaps the key word. Officials stationed on the goal line had yet to be fully rolled out, while goal line technology and video assistant referees (VAR) were still some years away. FIFA reluctantly backed Hansson. His positioning for the incident was not deemed to be incorrect and he was selected for the 2010 World Cup, but tellingly was never given a game. The Swede would retire as a professional referee in 2013, but it marked the end of his career at the elite level. 

In 2009, the Swedish FA broke new ground by appointing five full-time referees for the first time. Former professional player and now documentary maker Mattias Löw took a particular interest in one of the officials. Martin Hansson had been involved in a couple of controversial moments – death threats courtesy of irate Atletico Madrid fans in 2008 after awarding Liverpool an injury-time penalty to salvage a draw in the Champions League and he was criticized for failing to award Brazil a goal in the 2009 Confederations Cup final when the ball had crossed the line – and Löw decided to follow the 38-year-old for the year. "I almost expected something to happen with Martin," he tells RTE Sport 10 years later. The documentary is revealing. Hansson, who had divorced from his wife in 2008 and saw his kids every second week, outlined what football meant in his life. "I had to choose between family, football and work. Football always comes first," he said. "When you are a referee on this level of football, football controls your life completely." While the positioning of the linesman, rather than where Hansson was standing, was arguably a bigger factor in failing to blow the whistle, the burden of responsibility seemed to lie with the Swede. Certainly the majority of the abuse landed on his front door. In a frank and somber exchange, the documentary shows Hansson speaking to Low the next day to discuss the incident. "The phone call was the dramatic moment of the documentary," Löw says today. "Everything led up to that. His career ended with that match, even if the World Cup appeared to prolong it." 

Damien Duff was among the many on the pitch who saw Henry control the ball by foul means. "He handled it twice, but I saw one of the moments clearly. I didn't need a replay," he says, remembering how the players huddled around team analyst Brian McCarthy's laptop in the dressing-room in disbelief. A bit like France themselves, Hansson's World Cup dream was largely underwhelming. Les Bleus were sent packing at the group stages without winning a game, Hansson was deemed fit to only operate in the capacity as a fourth official. He returned to home and operated in the domestic league before hanging up the whistle. Duff remains philosophical about the subsequent downward spiral in Hansson's career. "That's life," he offers. "That could happen in any job. In football any decision can lead to a crossroads in your career." All of that of course is of little consolation to Hansson, who bowed out as a full-time referee in 2013 to return to be a full-time firefighter in southern Sweden. "He's the perfect firefighter," says Löw. "There was something about him, he was so structured and so organized. He was always ready to throw himself into a challenge. He'd be the kind of person who would save others before he'd save himself. He's a guy you'd want in a situation if you were in trouble." 

Source: RTE

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2019 – Group Stage (Matches 9-16)

23-24 November 2019

USA – Japan
Referee 1: Sofien Benchabane (FRA, photo)
Referee 2: Gionni Matticoli (ITA)
Referee 3: Alex Valdiviezo (PER)
Timekeeper: Aecio Fernandez (URU)

Tahiti – Mexico
Referee 1: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Referee 2: Sergio Gomes (POR)
Referee 3: Vitali Gomolko (LTU)
Timekeeper: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)

Uruguay – Italy
Referee 1: Hany Farouk (EGY)
Referee 2: Ebrahim Al-Mansory (UAE)
Referee 3: Adil Ouchker (MAR)
Timekeeper: Said Hachim (MAD)

Paraguay – Switzerland
Referee 1: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS)
Referee 2: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Referee 3: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Timekeeper: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)

Russia – UAE
Referee 1: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Referee 2: Hugo Pado (SOL)
Referee 3: Gonzalo Carballo (SL)
Timekeeper: Alex Valdiviezo (PER)

Nigeria – Oman
Referee 1: Roman Borisov (RUS)
Referee 2: Raul Gonzalez (ESP)
Referee 3: Gionni Matticoli (ITA)
Timekeeper: Sofien Benchabane (FRA)

Belarus – Senegal
Referee 1: Ivo Moraes (BRA)
Referee 2: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Referee 3: Juan Angeles (DOM)
Timekeeper: Gustavo Dominguez (PAR)

Brazil – Portugal
Referee 1: Shao Liang (CHN)
Referee 2: Bakhtiyor Namazov (UZB)
Referee 3: Ebrahim Al-Mansory (UAE)
Timekeeper: Hany Farouk (EGY)

Former FIFA referee Undiano awarded the Gold Medal for Sports 2019

Former FIFA referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco has been awarded the 2019 Gold Medal for Sports Merit as “the highest representative of refereeing in our community and one of our greatest exponents at national and international level, with an impeccable and exemplary career”.

Undiano Mallenco has been a football referee for 30 years, from the 1989/90 season to this year, 19 of them in the First Division, and a FIFA referee since 2004. In addition, he established three records in his career: the most matches (348) in Primera Division, the youngest referee (26) to ascend to First Division, and the most appointments to “El Clasico” Real Madrid - FC Barcelona. He was also a Spanish representative at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where he refereed three games. Undiano also refereed semi-finals and finals in several UEFA and FIFA competitions, Champions League and Europa League matches, as well as three Copa del Rey finals and three Spanish Super Cups.

Source: Diario de Navarra

UEFA Referee Development Panel 2019-2023

1. Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium, photo)
2. David Elleray (England, photo)
3. Herbert Fandel (Germany)
4. Jose Fontelas Gomes (Portugal)
5. Lutz Fröhlich (Germany)
6. Pascal Garibian (France)
7. Bo Karlsson (Sweden)
8. Nikolai Levnikov (Russia)
9. Jenny Palmqvist (Sweden)
10. Michael Riley (England)
11. Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)
12. Jaap Uilenberg (Netherlands)
13. Kyros Vassaras (Greece)
14. Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2019 – Group Stage (Matches 1-8)

21-22 November 2019

Italy – Tahiti
Referee 1: Ivo Moraes (BRA, photo)
Referee 2: Mariano Romo (ARG)
Referee 3: Suhaimi Mat Hassan (MAS)
Timekeeper: Juan Angeles (DOM)

Swizerland – USA
Referee 1: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Referee 2: Shao Liang (CHN)
Referee 3: Hany Farouk (EGY)
Timekeeper: Ebrahim Al-Mansory (UAE)

Uruguay – Mexico
Referee 1: Bakhtiyor Namazov (UZB)
Referee 2: Hugo Pado (SOL)
Referee 3: Lukasz Ostrowski (POL)
Timekeeper: Sergio Gomes (POR)

Paraguay – Japan
Referee 1: Raul Gonzalez (ESP)
Referee 2: Roman Borisov (RUS)
Referee 3: Sofien Benchabane (FRA)
Timekeeper: Gionni Matticoli (ITA)

Senegal – Russia
Referee 1: Gustavo Dominguez (PAR)
Referee 2: Alex Valdiviezo (PER)
Referee 3: Aecio Fernandez (URU)
Timekeeper: Shao Liang (CHN)

Portugal – Nigeria
Referee 1: Gumercindo Batista (PAN)
Referee 2: Gonzalo Carballo (SLV)
Referee 3: Bakhtiyor Namazov (UZB)
Timekeeper: Hugo Pado (SOL)

Belarus – UAE
Referee 1: Adil Ouchker (MAR)
Referee 2: Said Hachim (MAD)
Referee 3: Ivo Moraes (BRA)
Timekeeper: Mariano Romo (ARG)

Brazil – Oman
Referee 1: Vitali Gomolko (LTU)
Referee 2: Ingilab Mammadov (AZE)
Referee 3: Raul Gonzalez (ESP)
Timekeeper: Roman Borisov (RUS)

Female assistant referees take first steps on road to Women’s Euro 2021

UEFA has given an unprecedented opportunity to Europe’s leading female assistant referees to stake their claim for a place in the team that will run the line at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2021 tournament. The 38 candidates gathered at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon to attend the first-ever FIFA women’s assistant referee course. All have high hopes of figuring among the 24 assistant referees who will be selected for the eagerly-awaited Euro final round, scheduled to take place in England in two summers’ time.

UEFA organised the course not only to kick off assistant referees’ preparations for Euro 2021 – but also to ensure that more European assistants benefit from the experience of colleagues who have already officiated at FIFA Women’s World Cup and UEFA Women’s Euro tournaments. “We asked our member associations to send us female assistant referees who are officiating at matches in the top two domestic men’s divisions in their countries,“ said UEFA refereeing officer Dagmar Damkovà. While we know the experienced assistants, there are still some assistants in Europe whose qualities we need to see at first hand – and if they are officiating in their two top men’s divisions, it obviously means they have certain qualities.” The Nyon course featured sessions dealing with key areas for assistant referees including offside, reading the game, match situations, and concentration and awareness. Participants were also given a thorough insight into the video assistant referee (VAR) system supporting the referee’s decision-making process, which has gradually been introduced in various UEFA competitions this year. “Some people may think that the Women’s Euro is a long way away, but time passes quickly,” said Damkovà. “We want to ensure that both UEFA and the assistants are prepared properly. We’re asking them to work hard, seek constant improvement and prove that they are good enough to be in the Euro team.” Unlike the men’s game, major international women's football matches do not require the ‘trios’ of referees and assistants to represent the same country. “We do not want high-quality female assistant referees to be at a disadvantage because of this”, Damkovà explained. “It gave us another reason to bring some of them to Nyon and involve them in the Euro pathway.”

UEFA's overall refereeing program is placing particular emphasis on female refereeing - part of the organisation's efforts to ensure that women's refereeing keeps pace with the overall progress of women's football. “We want to invest in women’s refereeing,” said UEFA Referees Committee chairman Roberto Rosetti, “and the course for the assistant referees is another very good step for the future.” History was made in August, when French referee Stéphanie Frappart led a team of predominately female officials overseeing the UEFA Super Cup match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC in Istanbul. Frappart was the first female referee to take charge of a major European men's showpiece occasion. Female assistant referees are also being appointed to officiate at UEFA Europa League matches – demonstrating UEFA’s firm belief in the calibre of its female officials. Belgian referee fitness expert Jean-Baptist Bultynck led a fitness session designed for the specific demands of running the line. “There is a clear difference between training for referees and training for assistant referees,” he said. “The main difference for assistant referees concerns short distances, sharpness and speed in the first 5-10 metres, as well as sideways movement. We concentrated in the session on checking the assistants’ sideways movement and sprinting capacity, as well as looking at their decision-making. “The aim is for them to always search for improvement in the lead-up to the Women’s Euro”.

Source: UEFA