El Clasico referee report by Negreira

After the first evidence of the refereeing reports given to Barcelona in El Caso Negreira emerged last week, Libertad Digital have released another report on referee Carlos Delgado Ferreiro.
The report in question was ahead of El Clasico in 2012, which finished 2-2, with a goal each from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The report consists of three pages and was put together by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira himself. The report details how Delgado will have “prepared the control of the match well” and applies advantage where possible. It also explains that it’s best to go to the ground “in order to make sure that he recognises the fouls”, however that he is likely to punish dives. “The worst physically in the class”, is also a description of Delgado, who retired two years later. “He struggles to pick up the rhythm of the game and will spend the first ten minutes in the middle of the pitch.” Barcelona maintains their innocence over El Caso Negreira, insisting that all is about the board. The charges were recently accepted into the court process this week, and the club, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell are all facing charges of “continuous corruption” as things stand.

CAF Champions League 2022/2023 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

17-18 March 2023

Coton Sport – Al Ahly
Referee: Peter Waweru (KEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gilbert Cheruiyot (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Samuel Kuria (KEN)
Fourth Official: Dickens Mimisa (KEN)

Vita Club – Wydad AC

Referee: Boubou Traore (MLI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sidiki Sidibe (GUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Modibo Samake (MLI)
Fourth Official: Ousmane Diakate (MLI)

JS Kabylie – Petro de Luanda
Referee: Dahane Beida (MTN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Youssouf (MTN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bouna Ndiaye
Fourth Official: Babacar Sarr (MTN)

Al Hilal – Mamelodi Sundowns
Referee: Sadok Selmi (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Khalil Hassani (TUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed Bakir (TUN)
Fourth Official: Mehrez Melki (TUN)

Vipers – Raja CA
Referee: Mohamed Athoumani (COM)
Assistant Referee 1: Soulaimane Amaldine (COM)
Assistant Referee 2: Dimbiniaina Andriatianarivelo (MAD)
Fourth Official: Soulaimane Ansudane (COM)

Simba – Horoya
Referee: Mohamed Adel (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmed Hossam (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Hany Abd El-Fattah (EGY)
Fourth Official: Mohamed Maarouf (EGY)

Al Merrikh – ES Tunis
Referee: Ahmad Heeralall (MRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Baje Babajee (MRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jeff Pithia (MRI)
Fourth Official: Ganesh Chutooree (MRI)

Belouizdad – Zamalek
Referee: Ibrahim Mutaz (LBY)
Assistant Referee 1: Attia Amsaaed (LBY)
Assistant Referee 2: Wahed Al Jaahawe (LBY)
Fourth Official: Abdulwahid Huraywidah (LBY)

Negreira’s referee reports paid by FC Barcelona revealed

FC Barcelona paid €7.3 million for at least 17 years to Enríquez Negreira (from 2001 to 2018) for ‘shoddy’ reports; this is what the information revealed by Libertad Digital has shown. The company has had access to various reports in which the superficial analysis is the most striking aspect, as well as the spelling and grammatical mistakes. The reports have appeared in a sweep of the house of an ex-member of the Barça sporting commission, Josep Contreras, who died in December of 2022. Contreras directed a commission of the payments from Barça to Negreira’s son for the referee reports through the company Tresep. In the documents published, the lack of a thorough analysis (just 2-3 pages) is clear, with a poor quality of writing and a confusing level of usability. For these reports, Negreira pocketed €400,000 a year.
One of the reports revealed is that of Ignacio Iglesias Vilanueva, a current VAR in Spain. It concerns the match between FC Barcelona and RCD Mallorca on the 11 November 2012. In the document, the referee and his assistants are analysed, with specific data regarding the games refereed with FC Barcelona and their opponent, followed by the following section ‘personal profile’: “Physically very well prepared, he follow the game closely and arrives at the areas easily, which allows him to almost always make the correct decision in quick plays. He is more doubtful in terms of shirt pulling at corners, which is something that happens to everyone.” Nacho (Iglesias Villanueva) is a very technical and disciplined referee, which leads him to always caution in terms of the rule book (handballs, elbows, tackles from behind, not allowing quick free kicks, etc.) He is one of the few referees who has changed his mind regarding a throw-in, as he gave it too early. Given his level of calmness and honesty, he will caution or send off all the players who deserve it. He is brave and normally takes decisions very convincingly, which is why he always cautions with fairness. He doesn’t have a huge personality or level of charisma, but his security and his prudence allow him to have efficient games. He has a high level of confidence in himself which is positive, but in turn, he does not defend the decisions of his assistants as if they were his own. He will listen regarding fouls but not yellow cards. When the assistants are not being listened to, they tend to restrict their contribution to the referee, which is why it may seem easy for them to not participate if they are not very convinced regarding their own decision. Over what we have seen this season, with regards to the offsides, the assistant number 2 is correct more often than the referee on the bench. He will not hesitate to stop play if a goalkeeper is injured or a player that is offside. He transmits calmness but as and when is needed he can take control, he shows a strong personality and is very decisive in making the players keep quiet. He does not like diving, although he will not risk cautioning a player is he is convinced that the intention was not to trick the referee. He is reasonable can be spoken to him in a polite way. He does not allow protests when they are unjustified or a lack of respect (with bad gestures). He takes decisions with a lot of security, with a high level of confidence in himself. It must be considered that next week the referees in both the first and second division have a technical meeting in Madrid and will analyse their performances, which normally means they show themselves to be strict with the demands of the Committee. As always happens, they will work to avoid issues.”

Source: AS

AFC U-20 Asian Cup Final 2023: Nasaruddin (MAS)

18 March 2023

Uzbekistan – Iraq
Referee: Muhammad Bin Nasaruddin (MAS)
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmad Al-Rashdi (UAE)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamad Bin Khalil (MAS)
Fourth Official: Yahya Al-Mulla (UAE)
Reserve AR: Faisal Al-Shammari (QAT)
Referee Assessor: Ali Al-Traifi (KSA)

Bolivian referees suspended after 132-minute match

Bolivia’s football federation suspended six match officials after they added 42 minutes in a professional national league match. Palmaflor beat Blooming 3-2 on Monday in a match that was later revised by the country’s refereeing commission. The 132-minute clash took place under heavy rains in the city of Chapare, in the South American country’s heartland. Referee Julio Gutierrez added the time due to a prolonged video review of Palmaflor’s second goal and a brawl that followed two red cards for the visitors. The commission made the decision to suspend the officials late on Tuesday. Blooming said on Twitter that the match officials put its players under heavy risk of injury due to “excessive added time.” Palmaflor’s top sports executive is Bolivia’s former President Evo Morales, who said on social media his team had won the match despite “suspicious officials.” Morales governed Bolivia between 2006-2019. The club rose to the country’s top-flight division this year.

Source: AP

UEFA Europa League 2022/2023 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

16 March 2023

Fenerbahce – Sevilla FC
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
AVAR: David Coote (ENG)
Referee Observer: Martin Ingvarsson (SWE)

SC Freiburg – Juventus FC
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED)
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij (NED)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega (ESP)

Real Betis – Manchester United
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
VAR: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
AVAR: Daniele Doveri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

Feyenoord – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Angel Nevado Rodriguez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Iker De Francisco Grijalba (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Munuera Montero (ESP)
VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
AVAR: Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer (GER)

Union St. Gilloise – Union Berlin
Referee: Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Inigo Prieto Lopez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes (ESP)
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Ferencvarosi TC – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Paulo Soares (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Ribeiro (POR)
Fourth Official: Antonio Nobre (POR)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
AVAR: Luis Godinho (POR)
Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)

Arsenal FC – Sporting CP
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR: Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva (ESP)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Real Sociedad – AS Roma
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic (ROU)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Sören Storks (GER)
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller (AUT)

UEFA Europa Conference League 2022/23 – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

15-16 March 2023

Istanbul Başakşehir – KAA Gent
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurelien Berthomieu (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jeremie Pignard (FRA)
VAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
AVAR: Stephanie Frappart (FRA)
Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)

Sivasspor – ACF Fiorentina
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 2: Srdjan Jovanovic (MNE)
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković (MNE)
VAR: Harm Osmers (GER)
AVAR: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

Djurgardens IF – Lech Poznan
Referee: Duje Strukan (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Zobenica (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alen Jakšić (CRO)
Fourth Official: Igor Pajac (CRO)
VAR: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
AVAR: Fran Jović (CRO)
Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)

Slovan Bratislava – FC Basel
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Skytte (DEN)
Fourth Official: Morten Krogh (DEN)
VAR: Christopher Kavanagh (ENG)
AVAR: Darren England (ENG)
Referee Observer: Itchko Lozev (BUL)

West Ham – AEK Larnaca
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Radoslav Gidzhenov (BUL)
VAR: Fedayi San (SUI)
AVAR: Lionel Tschudi (SUI)
Referee Observer: David Malcom (NIR)

Alkmaar – Lazio
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali (SVN)
Fourth Official: Asmir Sagrković (SVN)
VAR: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
AVAR: Nejc Kajtazovič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Orasson (ISL)

OGC Nice – FC Sheriff
Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Lothar D’Hondt (BEL)
VAR: Nathan Verboomen (BEL)
AVAR: Bram Van Driesche (BEL)
Referee Observer: Drago Kos (SVN)

Villarreal CF – RSC Anderlecht
Referee: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giovanni Baccini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Rosario Abisso (ITA)
VAR: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
AVAR: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Michalis Argyrou (CYP)

Former Spanish referee chief Sanchez Arminio accused of embezzlement

The former head of Spanish referees, Victoriano Sanchez Arminio, will have to testify as a defendant for alleged embezzlement, as part of an investigation into the former leadership of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Spain's main criminal court ordered the judge in charge of the investigation to hear Sanchez Arminio, who was president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) between 1993 and 2019, as well as the former secretary general, Raul Masso, as defendants. The court's order, made public on Tuesday, also calls for the former president of the RFEF, Angel Maria Villar, to testify again as a defendant in the case. This investigation is prior to and runs parallel to what is known as the "Negreira case", in which payments from La Liga team Barcelona to companies belonging to the former CTA vice-president, Jose Maria Enrique Negreira, are being investigated. The Audiencia Nacional gave this order to judge Alejandro Abascal, after partially upholding an appeal by La Liga against the magistrate's decision not to summon Sanchez Arminio and Masso, after they had already testified as witnesses. According to the prosecutor's office, which supported La Liga's appeal, expert reports show an accounting mismatch of almost 8.0 million euros ($8.57 million). This discrepancy leads to the suspicion that these funds paid by La Liga for refereeing fees "have not been used for their intended purpose." The case is part of the investigation launched in the summer of 2017, known as "Operation Soule", in which former RFEF president Villar was charged. Villar, chief of the RFEF for 29 years, is suspected of having created a network through which he allegedly used Spanish national team matches to benefit his son Gorka's company. He also allegedly used the RFEF to grant benefits to presidents of regional federations "in whose sphere he was not assured of support", according to an order by Judge Pedraz, who was then the investigating judge in the case.

Source: The Score

UEFA Champions League 2022/2023 – Round of 16 (Second Leg, II)

14 March 2023
FC Porto – Inter Milano
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Fourth Official: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
AVAR: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Referee Observer: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)

Manchester City – RB Leipzig
Referee: Slavko Vinčič (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
VAR: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
AVAR: Nejc Kajtazović (SVN)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

15 March 2023
SSC Napoli – Eintracht Frankfurt
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Lee Betts (ENG)
Fourth Official: Robert Jones (ENG)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
AVAR: Jeroen Manschot (NED)
Referee Observer: Lucilio Batista (POR)

Real Madrid – Liverpool FC
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Fourth Official: Sven Jablonski (GER)
VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

Ex-referee Iturralde Gonzalez reveals he was pressured by Real Madrid

On Sunday night, former referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez made scandalous revelations on the Spanish radio show Cadena SER. The Basque said that Florentino Perez tried to lock him in a room and put pressure on him to ask him to referee Real Madrid in the same manner as Barcelona. It was during the 2010-11 season after a match against Deportivo La Coruna.
The former referee's confession stems from his criticism of Real Madrid TV for the campaign launched against another former referee, Clos Gomez. "It is the modus operandi of this television station," he explained. "Since they are journalists, who called me to a separate room? Investigate it.” Iturralde continued: "He is from Real Madrid. I asked him if he was joking and told him that our conversation is over. He wanted to bring me in a room alone, but I said no. I told him not to do that. Half an hour later, the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) knew about it. I brought it to their attention, because it seemed serious to me; but there was nothing else to it. It hasn't happened to me on any other time; no president has brought me in a separate room,” Iturralde concluded. “I care about the facts. The one who brought me in a separate room was Florentino Perez. I don't have to hide it. There is a report filed at the CTA, because I brought it to their attention, so they can see what pressure is."