CONMEBOL Libertadores Futsal 2022

Argentina, 24 September - 3 October 2022

Referees
1. Andres Pena (ARG)

2. Dario Santamaria (ARG, photo)
3. Henry Gutierrez (BOL)
4. Alberto Rios (BOL)
5. Ricardo Messa (BRA)
6. Anelize Schultz (BRA)
7. Christian Espindola (CHI)
8. Rodolfo Vera (CHI)
9. Yuri Garcia (COL)
10. Nilson Norena (COL)
11. Jaime Jativa (ECU)
12. Daniel Villacis (ECU)
13. Astrid Mendoza (PAR)
14. Bill Villalba (PAR)
15. Rolly Rojas (PER)
16. Ulises Ureta (PER)
17. Andres Martinez (URU)
18. Daniel Rodriguez (URU)
19. Junior Patino (VEN)
20. Felix Rumbos (VEN)

Head of Saudi referees to oversee match officials at World Cup 2022

FIFA has selected Uzbek Farhad Abdullah, head of Saudi Arabian Football Federation Referees Department, as a general supervisor of referees for the World Cup 2022, scheduled between November 20 and December 18, a source familiar with the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat.

About the absence of Saudi referees during the World Cups since the participation of former international referee Khalil Al Ghamdi in the 2006 and 2010, Farhad said “there are many steps that should be taken, and we should start with the local league. We must review the local performance before partaking in international games. A referee should manage important and competitive games in his country and gain the trust of the continental union before he leads World Cup games.” Farhad promised nothing about the participation of a Saudi referee in the World Cup 2026, noting that “we are working to ensure the comeback of Saudi referees, and we worked on their return to the local league.” The head of Saudi Arabian Referees Department denied what is being said about the confusion of Saudi referees in major games, and that it’s the reason behind the mistakes they commit during the matches, assuring that Saudi referees are qualified to lead important and competitive games. “We saw Saudi referees leading regional games in AFC contests, the semifinals of the AFC Champions League, and the semifinals of AFC Cup. Our referees are making a significant progress, which is reflected in their selection by the AFC for many games,” he said.

Source Awsat

International Friendly Matches – September 2022

21-27 September 2022

Qatar – Jamaica
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Riedel (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Santino Schreiner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Gerhard Grobelnik (AUT)

Iran – Uruguay
Referee: Walter Altmann (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Staudinger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Gutschi (AUT)
Fourth Official: Alexander Harkam (AUT)

Venezuela – Iceland
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Riedel (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Weiss (AUT)
Fourth Official: Alan Kijas (AUT)

UAE – Paraguay
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Santino Schreiner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Josef Spurny (AUT)

Qatar – Canada
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Julian Weinberger (AUT)

Senegal – Iran
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Sara Telek (AUT)
Fourth Official: Markus Hameter (AUT)

UAE – Venezuela
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Steinacher (AUT)
Fourth Official: Stefan Ebner (AUT)

Qatar – Chile
Referee: Julian Weinberger (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Witschnigg (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Maximilian Kolbitsch (AUT)
Fourth Official: Gerhard Grobelnik (AUT)

Brazil – Ghana
Referee: Mikael Lesage (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alexis Auger (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Valentin Evrard (FRA)
Fourth Official: Guillaume Paradis (FRA)

Cote d’Ivoire – Togo
Referee: Aurelien Petit (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertrand Corcuff (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Djemel Zitouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Antoine Valnet (FRA)

Senegal – Bolivia
Referee: Bastien Dechepy (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Brice Le Tellier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Julien Aube (FRA)
Fourth Official: Gael Angoula (FRA)

Cote d’Ivoire – Guinea
Referee: Thomas Leonard (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bastien Courbet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Jeanne (FRA)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)

Brazil – Tunisia
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelien Drouet (FRA)
Fourth Official: Hakim Ben Salem (FRA)

Tunisia – Comoros
Referee: Gabriel Henry (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Youssef El Hamzaoui (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Felicien Gazon (FRA)
Fourth Official: Julien Reynet (FRA)

Libya – Uganda
Referee: Mehrez Melki (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gamal Saad (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Youssef Jemi (TUN)
Fourth Official: Ibrahim El Din (EGY)

San Marino – Seychelles
Referee: David Smajc (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: David Gabrovec (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandar Kasapovič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Alessandro Vandi (SMR)

Mexico – Paraguay
Referee: Nima Saghafi (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank Anderson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Anderson (USA)
Fourth Official: Daniel Gutierrez (USA)

Australia – New Zealand

Referee: Ryuji Sato (JPN)

Suriname – Nicaragua

Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)

Assistant Referee 1: Joost van Zuilen (NED)

Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)

Fourth Official: Sander van der Eijk (NED)

Japan – USA

Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)

Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Lupp (GER)

Assistant Referee 2: Thorben Siewer (GER)

Fourth Official: Benjamin Cortus (GER)

Japan – Ecuador

Referee: Sascha Stegemann (GER)

Saudi Arabia – Ecuador
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Goran Patak (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Marjan Tomas (CRO)
Fourth Official: Jose Martinez (ESP)

Morocco – Chile
Referee: Martin Dohal (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomas Vorel (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomas Straka (SVK)
Fourth Official: David Lopez (ESP)

Australia – New Zealand
Referee: Ryuji Sato (JPN)

Korea – Costa Rica
Referee: Alex King (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Nathan MacDonald (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Lindsay (AUS)
Fourth Official: Ko Hyung-Jin (KOR)

New Zealand – Australia
Referee: Yusuke Araki (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jun Mihara (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Kota Watanabe (JPN)
Fourth Official: Ryuji Sato (JPN)

Hong Kong – Myanmar
Referee: Jumpei Iida (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Hiroshi Yamauchi (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Takumi Takagi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Sultan Al Hammadi (UAE)

Indonesia – Curaçao
Referee: Abdul Haidi (BRU)
Assistant Referee 1: Faisal Ali (BRU)
Assistant Referee 2: Kilar Ladsavong (LAO)
Fourth Official: Xaypaseth Phongsanit (LAO)

Congo DR – Burkina Faso
Referee: Samir Guezzaz (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Lahcen Azgaou (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdessamad Abertoune (MAR)
Fourth Official: Hamza El Fariq (MAR)

Rwanda – Equatorial Guinea
Referee: Karim Sabry (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustapha Akerkad (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Hamza Nassiri (MAR)
Fourth Official: Tarik Moutamani (MAR)

Egypt – Niger
Referee: Sadok Selmi (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalil Hassani (TUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Aymen Ismail (TUN)
Fourth Official: Youssef Essrairi (TUN)

Algeria – Guinea
Referee: Dahane Beida (MTN)
Assistant Referee 1: Youssef Mahmoud (MTN)
Assistant Referee 2: Hamedine Diba (MTN)
Fourth Official: Lahlou Benbraham (ALG)

South Africa – Sierra Leone
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Diana Chikotesha (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Chiwoyu Sinyangwe (ZAM)
Fourth Official: Thando Ndzandzeka (RSA)

Congo – Madagascar
Referee: Redouane Jiyed (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Lahcen Azgaou (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdessamad Abertoune (MAR)
Fourth Official: Yacine Dakhani (MAR)

Mauritania – Benin
Referee: Mustapha Kechaf (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Yahya Nouali (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Hicham Abbou (MAR)
Fourth Official: Karim Sabry (MAR)

Niger – Liberia
Referee: Ahmed Ghandour (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Wael Shabaan (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Alaa Abdelbaset (EGY)
Fourth Official: Hossam Abdel (EGY)

Argentina – Honduras
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cameron Blanchard (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Megan Mullen (USA)
Fourth Official: Marcos De Oliveira (USA)

Colombia – Guatemala
Referee: Oscar Moncada (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Logan Brown (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cory Richardson (USA)
Fourth Official: Luis Arroyo (USA)

Mexico – Peru
Referee: Bryan Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ian Anderson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Anderson (USA)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)

Grenada – St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Referee: Crystal Sobers (TRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Ainsley Rochard (TRI)
Fourth Official: Cecile Hinds (TRI)

Colombia – Guatemala
Referee: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Logan Brown (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Cory Richardson (USA)
Fourth Official: Luis Arroyo (USA)

Peru – El Salvador
Referee: Benjamín Pineda (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Cory Richardson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Jeremy Kieso (USA)
Fourth Official: Danielle Chesky (USA)

Mexico – Colombia
Referee: Nima Saghafi (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ian Anderson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Anderson (USA)
Fourth Official: Michael Radchuk (USA)

Honduras – Guatemala
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Fourth Official: Elton Garcia (USA)

Jamaica – Argentina
Referee: Marco Ortiz (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Logan Brown (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Corey Rockwell (USA)
Fourth Official: Luis Arroyo (USA)

Uzbekistan – Costa Rica
Referee: Kim Dae-Yong (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Yoon Jae-Yeol (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jang Jong-Pil (KOR)
Fourth Official: Park Se-Jin (KOR)

Ethiopia – Sudan
Referee: Hassan Hagi (SOM)
Assistant Referee 1: Nour Mohamed (SOM)
Assistant Referee 2: Mowlid Ali (SOM)
Fourth Official: Belay Tadesse (ETH)

Brunei – Laos
Referee: Thoriq Alkatiri (IDN)
Assistant Referee 1: Nurhadi Sulchan (IDN)
Assistant Referee 2: Azizul Alimmudin (IDN)
Fourth Official: Yudi Nurcahya (IDN)

UEFA Nations League 2022/2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

22-24 September 2022

League A

France – Austria
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Niklas Nyberg (SWE)
Fourth Official: Fredrik Klitte (SWE)
VAR: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
AVAR: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI)

Poland – Netherlands
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Naranjo Perez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sanchez Rojo (ESP)
Fourth Official: Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes (ESP)
VAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetchea (ESP)
AVAR: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP)
Referee Observer: Michal Benes (CZE)

Belgium – Wales
Referee: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Serkan Olguncan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Erdinç Sezertam (TUR)
Fourth Official: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
VAR: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
AVAR: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Croatia – Denmark
Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
VAR: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
AVAR: Alessandro Lo Cicero (ITA)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Germany – Hungary
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazovic (SVN)

VAR: Matej Jug (SVN)

AVAR: Dragoslav Perič (SVN)

Referee Observer: Michalis Argyrou (CYP) 

Italy – England

Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)

Assistant Referee 1: Diego Barbero Sevilla (ESP) 

Assistant Referee 2: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)

Fourth Official: Isidro Diaz de Mera (ESP)

VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)

AVAR: Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva (ESP)

Referee Observer: Vladimir Petrov (UKR) 

Spain – Switzerland 

Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)

Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)

Assistant Referee 2: Cyril Gringore (FRA)

Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet (FRA) 

VAR: Jerome Brisard (FRA)

AVAR: Thomas Leonard (FRA)

Referee Observer: Nicolae Grigorescu (ROU)

Czech Republic – Portugal

Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)

Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)

Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)

Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)

VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)

AVAR: Katrin Rafalski (GER)

Referee Observer: Rene Temmink (NED) 

League B

Scotland – Ukraine
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Fourth Official: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

Finland – Romania
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (ESP)
Fourth Official: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)

VAR: Xavier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)

AVAR: Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)

Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR) 

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)

Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)

Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)

Fourth Official: Tomasz Musial (POL) 

VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)

AVAR: Piotr Lasyk (POL)

Referee Observer: Alon Yefet (ISR) 

Armenia – Ukraine

Referee: Joao Pinheiro (POR)

Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus (POR)

Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia (POR) 

Fourth Official: Andre Narciso (POR)

VAR: Luis Godinho (POR)

AVAR: Bruno Esteves (POR) 

Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

Slovenia – Norway 

Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL)

Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL) 

Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)

Fourth Official: Lothar D'Hondt (BEL)

VAR: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)

AVAR: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)

Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA) 

Scotland – Ireland 

Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)

Assistant Referee 1: Stephane De Almeida (SUI)

Assistant Referee 2: Bekim Zogaj (SUI)

Fourth Official: Alain Bieri (SUI)

VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)

AVAR: Lukas Fähndrich (SUI)

Referee Observer: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)

Israel – Albania 

Referee: Donatas Rumsas (LTU) 

Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radius (LTU)

Assistant Referee 2: Dovydas Sužiedėlis (LTU) 

Fourth Official: Robertas Valikonis (LTU)

VAR: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)

AVAR: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)

Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA) 

Serbia – Sweden 

Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL) 

Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL) 

Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)

Fourth Official: Nikola Popov (BUL)

VAR: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL)

AVAR: Dragomir Draganov (BUL)

Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE) 

League C

Kazakhstan – Belarus
Referee: Horatiu Fesnic (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Cerei (ROU)
Fourth Official: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Edwin Van De Graaf (NED)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

Slovakia – Azerbaijan
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: David McGeachie (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Francis Connor (SCO)
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson (SCO)
VAR: Peter Bankes (ENG)
AVAR: Neil Davies (ENG)
Referee Observer: Ognjen Valjić (BIH)

Turkey – Luxembourg
Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Fourth Official: Matthias Jöllenbeck (GER)
VAR: Benjamin Brand (GER)
AVAR: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Referee Observer: Ante Vučemilović (CRO)

Lithuania – Faroe Islands
Referee: Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Gylfi Sigurdsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Birkir Sigurdarson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Thorvaldur Arnason (ISL)
VAR: Pascal Müller (GER)
AVAR: Markus Sinn (GER)
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)

Georgia – North Macedonia
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor (SVK)
Fourth Official: Peter Kralović (SVK)

VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)

AVAR: Marco Bresmes (ITA) 

Referee Observer: Bariş Şimşek (TUR)

Bulgaria – Gibraltar

Referee: Pavel Orel (CZE)

Assistant Referee 1: Kamil Hajek (CZE)

Assistant Referee 2: Jan Patak (CZE)

Fourth Official: Jan Petrik (CZE)

VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)

AVAR: Timo Gerach (GER) 

Referee Observer: Juan Fernandez Marin (ESP)

Northern Ireland – Kosovo

Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE) 

Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi (SWE) 

Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist (SWE)

Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck (SWE)

VAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)

AVAR: Ingmar Oostrom (NED)

Referee Observer: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)

Cyprus – Greece

Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)

Assistant Referee 1: Dmitri Zhuk (BLR)

Assistant Referee 2: Oleg Maslyanko (BLR)

Fourth Official: Dzmitry Dzmitryieu (BLR)

VAR: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)

AVAR: Pawel Pskit (POL)

Referee Observer: Stephen Tanner (ENG)

League D

Latvia – Moldova
Referee: Antonio Nobre (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Martins (POR)
Fourth Official: Bruno Costa (POR)
VAR: Hugo Miguel (POR)
AVAR: Miguel Nogueira (POR)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

Liechtenstein – Andorra
Referee: Juxhin Xhaja (ALB)
Assistant Referee 1: Rejdi Avdo (ALB)
Assistant Referee 2: Nertil Bregasi (ALB)
Fourth Official: Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB)
VAR: Luca Pairetto (ITA)
AVAR: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian (FRA)

Estonia – Malta
Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Fourth Official: Christian Dingert (GER)

VAR: Sören Storks (GER)

AVAR: Mike Pickel (GER)

Referee Observer: Zoran Petrović (SRB)

UEFA U-21 Euro 2023 Qualifiers – Play-offs (First Leg)

23 September 2022

Croatia – Denmark
Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgi Elikashvili (GEO)
Assistant Referee 2: Davit Akhvlediani (GEO)
Fourth Official: Irakli Kvirikashvili (GEO)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

Slovakia – Ukraine
Referee: Allard Lindhout (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Rens Bluemink (NED)
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij (NED)
Referee Observer: Peter Sippel (GER)

Iceland – Czech Republic
Referee: Gergő Bogar (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Balazs Szalai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Theodoros Georgiou (HUN)
Fourth Official: Mihaly Kapraly (HUN)
Referee Observer: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)

Ireland – Israel
Referee: Dario Bel (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Kruno Šarić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Janić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Patrik Kolarić (CRO)
Referee Observer: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2022/2023 – Second Round (First Leg)

20-21 September 2022

HB Koge – Juventus FC
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mihaela Țepușă (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad (HUN)
Fourth Official: Cristina Trandafir (ROU)
Referee Observer: Aušra Kance (LTU)

Real Sociedad – Bayern München
Referee: Maria Ferrieri Caputi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Elodie Coppola (FRA)
Fourth Official: Silvia Gasperotti (ITA)
Referee Observer: Antonia Kokotou (GRE)

Rangers LFC – SL Benfica
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Staša Špur (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Paulina Baranowska (POL)
Fourth Official: Jelena Kumer (CRO)
Referee Observer: Maria Villa Gutierrez (ESP)

Arsenal WFC – AFC Ajax
Referee: Frida Klarlund (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Fie Bruun (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Sidsel Dall (DEN)
Fourth Official: Nanna Andersen (DEN)
Referee Observer: Silvia Spinelli (ITA)

SFK Sarajevo – FC Zürich Frauen
Referee: Katarzyna Lisiecka-Sęk (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Katarzyna Wójs (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandra Ulanowska (POL)
Fourth Official: Michalina Diakow (POL)
Referee Observer: Olga Tanschi (MDA)

KuPS Kuopio – St. Pölten Frauen
Referee: Desiree Grundbacher (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Linda Schmid (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Eva Lanz (SUI)
Fourth Official: Deborah Anex (SUI)
Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska (POL)

Zhytlobud Kharkiv – KFF Vllaznia
Referee: Kristina Georgieva (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pavleta Rashkova (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ekaterina Marinova (BUL)
Fourth Official: Lyubima Banova (BUL)
Referee Observer: Kirsi Heikkinen (FIN)

Brann Kvinner – FC Rosengard
Referee: Melis Özçigdem (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mürvet Yavuztürk (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Deybet Gök (TUR)
Fourth Official: Gamze Durmuş (TUR)
Referee Observer: Wendy Toms (ENG)

Rosenborg Kvinner – Real Madrid
Referee: Michele Schmölzer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Susann Küng (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Belinda Brem (SUI)
Fourth Official: Leonora Ismaili (SUI)
Referee Observer: Miroslava Migalova (SVK)

Sparta Praha – AS Roma
Referee: Justina Lavrenovaite-Perez (LTU)
Assistant Referee 1: Ugnė Šmitaite (LTU)
Assistant Referee 2: Irina Pozdejeva (LTU)
Fourth Official: Lina Skladaityte (LTU)
Referee Observer: Teodora Albon (ROU)

Valur Reykjavik – Slavia Praha
Referee: Jelena Pejković (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Gordana Katušić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Karla Šegota (CRO)
Referee Observer: Carolina De Boeck (BEL)

Paris St. Germain – BK Häcken
Referee: Elvıra Nurmustaiına (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Nargıs Magay (KAZ)
Assistant Referee 2: Dınara Idirisova (KAZ)
Fourth Official: Tatıana Sorokopydova (KAZ)
Referee Observer: Snježana Fočić (CRO)

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 Qualifiers (UEFA) – Main Round (Matchday 1)

17-20 September 2022

Czech Republic – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee 1: Nicola Manzione (ITA, photo)
Referee 2: Javier Moreno Reina (ESP)
Third Referee: Dario Pezzuto (ITA)
Timekeeper: Ondrej Cerny (CZE)

Netherlands – Kosovo
Referee 1: Kirill Naishouler (FIN)
Referee 2: Arttu Kyynaeraeinen (FIN)
Third Referee: Paavo Komppa (FIN)
Timekeeper: Jacob Van Dijke (NED)

Poland – Greece
Referee 1: Giulio Colombin (ITA)
Referee 2: Daniele D’Adamo (SMR)
Third Referee: Giovanni Zannola (ITA)
Timekeeper: Grzegorz Wiercioch (POL)

Hungary – Israel
Referee 1: Jan Kresta (CZE)
Referee 2: Filip Nesnera (CZE)
Third Referee: Radim Cep (CZE)
Timekeeper: Gabor Kovacs (HUN)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Armenia
Referee 1: Stefan Vrijens (BEL)
Referee 2: Juan Boelen (BEL)
Third Referee: Jiri Bergs (BEL)
Timekeeper: Farik Keco (BIH)

Slovenia – Montenegro
Referee 1: Damian Grabowski (POL)
Referee 2: Slawomir Steczko (POL)
Third Referee: Monika Czudzinowicz (POL)
Timekeeper: Azra Ahmetovic (SVN)

Futsal Finalissima Final 2022: Rodriguez (URU) & Espindola (CHI)

18 September 2022

Final
Portugal – Spain
Referee 1: Daniel Rodriguez (URU, photo)
Referee 2: Christian Espindola (CHI)
Third Referee: Yuri Garcia (COL)
Timekeeper: Jose Villar (VEN)

Match for Third Place
Argentina – Paraguay
Referee 1: Mario Espichan (PER)
Referee 2: Jonathan Herbas (ECU)
Third Referee: Gean Telles (BRA)
Timekeeper: Daniel Manrique (COL)

Serbian referee changes his mind after watching a video on fan’s phone

A referee who disallowed a goal has changed his mind after a fan who took a video of the shot showed him a replay on a mobile phone when he came over to the sideline. The match official in one of Serbia's lower-tier competitions originally ruled out the goal for offsides after a player for the team in the blue strip headed the ball home from a free kick.

But a hilarious viral video shows the referee studying a clip of the shot that was taken by a spectator dressed in a pink shirt, who leans over the fence to show him the footage. Another man in a black shirt - who is on the field and appears to be connected to the side that had the goal disallowed - argues with the official as he reviews the footage while other spectators join in as they attempt to have the ruling overturned. The referee then takes the phone onto the field, still studying the video, as players from both sides gather to find out if he will reverse his decision. He appears to watch the footage several times before awarding the goal, which sends the blue-clad players into a frenzy as they run away to celebrate. It's unclear whether the competition's rules state that decisions can be overturned based on video evidence - especially when it's been provided by a fan instead of footage shot for television. The hilarious incident is a far cry from the high-pressure, high-stakes use of video assistants in top-flight competitions around the world, including England's Premier League. The EPL reviews broadcast footage using as many angles as possible, all shot in high-resolution and replayed in super slow motion. If the video review assistant (VAR) believes the referee has made an error, they can recommend the ruling be overturned. A recent report stated that the EPL is set to use semi-automated offsides instead of the manually drawn lines the VAR currently works with, after the system was successfully trialled in the Champions League. The new system works by sending an automated alert to the VAR official when a player is offside, using tracking technology and artificial intelligence for instant decisions. (Source: Daily Mail)

Serbian chiefs reportedly didn't take too kindly to the incident from a lower league match going viral around the world - allegedly stripping Stefan Lazovic of his duties. The decision has prompted outrage from fans online - with former Manchester United star Nemanja Matic among those to have offered their support to the axed whistler. Matic, now of Roma, commented on a piece supporting Lazovic with two hands raised emoji - agreeing with the points made. The post by Instagram account ftbl.serbia read: "Support for Stefan Lazovic! Why should only he suffer, why such a rigorous sentence, why a lifetime ban from trial? How is it possible that there is no penalty for the delegate and all other authorities from the responsible FS of that district? How could the match be allowed to be played without one assistant referee?! Who is responsible here? Why does Stefan's spear break? At the end of the day, the fact that he watched the video and changed the decision, just shows that he wanted everything to be fair! He talks about the fact that he was not a slave to his vanity, but he admitted and corrected his mistake. Well, this video went around the world and now millions of people have heard about the "over there" football clubs Popovic and Apollon, as well as the village of Vrnjci! In short, we appeal to the judges' organisation and the competent authorities - now you change the decision! Let the VAR system work for you too and cancel the penalty. Correct the error!” Plenty of other commenters agreed with the post. One wrote: "Punishment for correcting a wrong decision." While a second added: "He always turns out to be an honest man, he didn't harm anyone, he just did the right thing, good for Stefan Lazovic." (Source: The Sun)

Futsal: Indirect free kick for scoring by accidental handball

FIFA recently updated the Futsal Laws of the Game 2022-23, incorporating some futsal-specific changes, while also bringing the Laws in line with some modifications recently made in football.

Law 1 – The Pitch

If a defending-team player moves or overturns their own goal and:

· the ball does not enter or touch the goal, play is stopped and:

- if it was accidental, the match is restarted with a dropped ball;

- if it was deliberate, the match is restarted with an indirect free kick and the offending player must be cautioned.

· the ball touches but does not enter the goal, play is stopped and:

- if it was accidental, the match is restarted with a dropped ball;

- if it was deliberate, the match is restarted with a penalty kick and the offending player must be sent off for denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

· the ball enters the goal (wholly passing over the goal line) between the normal position of the goalposts, with or without touching the goal, a goal is allowed and the offending player must be cautioned if it was deliberate.

Law 5 – The Referees

Video Support

The use of video support (VS) is only permitted when the match/competition organisers have fulfilled all the VS protocol and implementation requirements (as set out by FIFA) and received written permission from FIFA. The referees make use of VS when a team’s head coach (or, in the head coach’s absence, another designated team official) challenges a decision in relation to:

· Goal/no goal

· Penalty kick/no penalty kick

· Direct red cards

· Mistaken identity

In addition, VS can be used at the referees’ discretion when there is a disagreement between the two referees regarding an incident in one of the above-mentioned categories. VS can also be used at the referees’ discretion in the following situations:

· If the chronometer malfunctions

· If the chronometer is incorrectly (re)started/stopped by the timekeeper pursuant to the provisions of Laws 6 and 7

· To verify whether a goal has been scored

· To confirm whether the ball entered the goal before the acoustic signal for the end of a period. VS involves one or more replays of the incident. The referees will review the replay footage directly and the referee will make the final decision. The initial decision does not change unless the replay footage shows that a “clear and obvious error” was committed or a “serious missed incident” occurred.

Law 8 – The Start and Restart of Play

Kick-off Procedure

· The referee tosses a coin and the team that wins the toss decides whether to take the kick-off in the first or second period.

· Unless stated otherwise in the competition regulations, the home team chooses which goal to attack in the first period.

· The team that did not take the kick-off in the first period takes the kick-off to start the second period.

Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct

Direct free kick

A direct free kick is also awarded if a player commits any of the following offences:

· a handball offence that is deliberate and/or involves the hand/arm making the player’s body unnaturally bigger (except for the goalkeeper within their penalty area)

Handling the ball (…)

It is a direct-free-kick offence if a player:

· deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball.

· touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised.

The goalkeeper has the same restrictions on handling the ball as any other player outside the penalty area. If the goalkeeper handles the ball inside their penalty area when not permitted to do so, an indirect free kick is awarded but there is no disciplinary sanction. However, if the offence is playing the ball a second time (with or without the hand/arm) after a restart before it touches another player, the goalkeeper must be sanctioned if the offence stops a promising attack or denies an opponent or the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

Indirect free kick

An indirect free kick is awarded if a player: (…)

· scores in the opponents’ goal:

o directly from their hand/arm (including by the goalkeeper), provided that it is accidental and the hand/arm did not make their body unnaturally bigger;

o immediately after accidentally touching the ball with their hand/arm, provided that the hand/arm did not make their body unnaturally bigger.

If a player does not score immediately after accidentally touching the ball with their hand/arm, play should be continued, provided that the hand/arm did not make the player’s body unnaturally bigger.

Law 12 – DOGSO

If a defending-team player commits an offence without attempting to play the ball (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball, etc.) and the number of attacking players is greater than the number of defending players, this must be considered a DOGSO situation, even if the goal is guarded by the goalkeeper.

Practical Guidelines – Advantage

If the offence was denying the opposing team an obvious goalscoring opportunity, the player is cautioned for unsporting behaviour. If the offence was interfering with or stopping a promising attack, the player is not cautioned (see Law 12 – Advantage). However:

· If the offence was a reckless challenge or a holding offence, the offending player must be cautioned (see the section dedicated to Law 12 below).

· If the offence involved the use of excessive force, the offending player must be sent off.

Practical Guidelines – Handling the ball

If a player scores in the opponents’ goal immediately after accidentally touching the ball with their hand/arm, an indirect free kick is awarded to the opponents. However:

· If a goal is not scored and the hand/arm did not make the player’s body unnaturally bigger, play is to be continued.

· If the ball goes off the pitch over the goal line, a goal clearance is awarded to the opponents. If a player scores a goal after a team-mate has accidentally touched the ball with their hand/arm, including immediately thereafter, the goal is awarded.

Source: FIFA