FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup 2025 Qualifiers – UEFA (Elite Round)

19-22 March 2025

Group A – Montesilvano (Italy)

Referees
1. Marijana Orešić CRO
2. Alice Vevodova CZE (photo)
3. Florentina Kallaba KOS
4. Mariia Myslovska UKR
Timekeeper
Davide Copat ITA
Referee Observer
Pedro Galan Nieto ESP

Group B – Besancon (France)

Referees
1. Larisa Avramidou CYP
2. Annamaria Tolnay HUN
3. Emilie Aubry SUI
4. Fatma Tursun TUR
Timekeeper
Oceane Ordonez Gomez FRA
Referee Observer
Stefan Weber GER

US FIFA Referee Elfath to lead Morocco’s Refereeing Reform

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has enlisted FIFA referee Ismail Elfath to spearhead a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s refereeing system, FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaa disclosed Tuesday at the federation’s headquarters. Elfath, a prominent Moroccan-American official, will undertake an extensive audit of Morocco’s officiating structure, collaborating with the National Refereeing Department and the Central Refereeing Commission to devise strategic improvements. The Federation unveiled the initiative during a high-level gathering at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Marmora, assembling key stakeholders from the National Refereeing Department, Central Refereeing Commission, and National Professional Football League. Addressing the assembly, Lekjaa shed light on officiating’s vital role in football competitions, acknowledging that refereeing sparks debate globally, with discussions intensifying based on match outcomes. He commended the National Refereeing Department’s ongoing efforts while introducing this new development phase.

Born in Casablanca in 1982 and later moved to the USA at 18, Elfath began his professional refereeing career in 2011 and debuted in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2012. Since becoming a FIFA referee in 2016, he has officiated at several major tournaments, including the 2019 U-20 World Cup, the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. His experience also extends to CONCACAF competitions, where he has refereed multiple Gold Cup matches. Speaking to the press, Elfath pledged to leverage his international expertise and collaborate with Moroccan officials to elevate the national refereeing standards. He outlined plans for a thorough assessment of all aspects of Moroccan refereeing, noting that the country’s football landscape and passionate fan base necessitate high-quality officiating. He also promised to incorporate global best practices into the development strategy. The initiative aims to establish a detailed roadmap for advancing Morocco’s refereeing standards, building upon existing foundations while implementing international benchmarks. The reform comes as the North African country stands on the threshold of hosting two major sporting events – the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Source: Morocco World News

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 1)

21 March 2025
Cyprus – San Marino
Referee: Andris Treimanis LVA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs LVA
Fourth Official: Vitalijs Spasjonnikovs LVA
VAR: Kristaps Ratnieks LVA
AVAR: Tamás Bognár HUN
Referee Assessor: Levan Paniashvili GEO

Poland – Lithuania
Referee: Anastásios Sidirópoulos GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Polychrónis Kostarás GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Lázaros Dimitriádis GRE
Fourth Official: Ioánnis Papadópoulos GRE
VAR: Ángelos Evangélou GRE
AVAR: Athanásios Tzílos GRE
Referee Assessor: Ante Vučemilović-Šimunović CRO

Malta – Finland
Referee: Simone Sozza ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giovanni Baccini ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Davide Imperiale ITA
Fourth Official: Andrea Colombo ITA
VAR: Gianluca Aureliano ITA
AVAR: Rosario Abisso ITA
Referee Assessor: Jan Wegereef NED

Romania – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Marc Nagtegaal NED
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Jeroen Manschot NED
Referee Assessor: Manuel Díaz Vega ESP

England – Albania
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Referee 1: José Naranjo Pérez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
Fourth Official: Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz ESP
VAR: César Soto Grado ESP
AVAR: Valentín Pizarro Gómez ESP
Referee Assessor: Geórgios Bíkas GRE

Andorra – Latvia
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili GEO
Assistant Referee 1: Levan Varamishvili GEO
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgi Elikashvili GEO
Fourth Official: Aleko Aptsiauri GEO
VAR: Giorgi Avazashvili GEO
AVAR: Bakur Ninua GEO
Referee Assessor: Ichko Lozev BUL

22 March 2025
Liechtenstein – North Macedonia
Referee: Mykola Balakin UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Viktor Matyash UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandr Berkut UKR
Fourth Official: Denys Shurman UKR
VAR: Viktor Kopiyevskyy UKR
AVAR: Oleksiy Derevinskyy UKR
Referee Assessor: John Ward IRL

Moldova – Norway
Referee: Matej Jug SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Manuel Vidali SVN
Fourth Official: Novak Simović SRB
VAR: Asmir Sagrkovič SVN
AVAR: Momčilo Marković SRB
Referee Assessor: Edgar Steinborn GER

Montenegro – Gibraltar
Referee: António Nobre POR
Assistant Referee 1: Pedro Ribeiro POR
Assistant Referee 2: Nélson Pereira POR
Fourth Official: Fábio Veríssimo POR
VAR: André Filipe Narciso POR
AVAR: Fábio Melo POR
Referee Assessor: Frank De Bleeckere BEL

Israel – Estonia
Referee: Nikola Dabanović MNE
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović MNE
Assistant Referee 2: Srdjan Jovanović MNE
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković MNE
VAR: Mario Zebec CRO
AVAR: Fran Jović CRO
Referee Assessor: Pascal Garibian FRA

Wales – Kazakhstan
Referee: Donatas Rumšas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radiuš LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Dovydas Sužiedėlis LTU
Fourth Official: Manfredas Lukjančukas LTU
VAR: Donatas Šimėnas LTU
AVAR: Orestas Abramavičius LTU
Referee Assessor: Bernardino González Vázquez ESP

Czechia – Faroe Islands
Referee: Rade Obrenovič SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež SVN
Fourth Official: Martin Matoša SVN
VAR: Daniele Doveri ITA
AVAR: Daniele Paterna ITA
Referee Assessor: Juan Fernández Marín ESP

Concacaf Nations League 2024/2025 – Semi-finals

20 March 2025

USA – Panama
Referee: Oshane Nation JAM (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Wales TRI
Assistant Referee 2: Ojay Duhaney JAM
Fourth Official: Ismael Cornejo SLV
Reserve AR: Karen Diaz MEX
VAR: Daneon Parchment JAM
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty CAY
Referee Assessor: Jose Camargo GUA

Canada – Mexico
Referee: Said Martinez HON
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez HON
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez HON
Fourth Official: Selvin Brown HON
Reserve AR: Humberto Panjoj GUA
VAR: Benjamin Pineda CRC
AVAR: Jesus Montero CRC
Referee Assessor: Leonel Leal CRC

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers – AFC (Round 3, Matchday 7)

20 March 2025

Korea – Oman
Referee: Alireza Faghani AUS (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Shchetinin AUS
Assistant Referee 2: Ashley Beecham AUS
Fourth Official: Koki Nagamine JPN
VAR: Kate Jacewicz AUS
AVAR: Jonathan Barreiro AUS

Uzbekistan – Kyrgyzstan
Referee: Yusuke Araki JPN
Assistant Referee 1: Jun Mihara JP
Assistant Referee 2: Kota Watanabe JPN
Fourth Official: Ryo Tanimoto JPN
VAR: Jumpei Iida JPN
AVAR: Hiroki Kasahara JPN

Iraq – Kuwait
Referee: Ma Ning CHN
Assistant Referee 1: Zhou Fei CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Zhang Cheng CHN
Fourth Official: Zhang Lei CHN
VAR: Fu Ming CHN
AVAR: Jin Jingyuan CHN

Australia – Indonesia
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh JOR
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al-Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Al-Roalle JOR
Fourth Official: Ahmed Al Ali JOR
VAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA
AVAR: Wiwat Jumpaoon THA

Japan – Bahrain
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim QAT
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al-Marri QAT
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh QAT
Fourth Official: Abdulhadi Al-Ruaile QAT
VAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
AVAR: Meshari Al-Shammari QAT

Saudi Arabia – China
Referee: Omar Al-Ali UAE
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Al-Hammadi UAE
Assistant Referee 2: Jasem Al-Ali UAE
Fourth Official: Ahmed Issa UAE
VAR: Mohamed Obaid UAE
AVAR: Yahya Al-Mulla UAE

Iran – UAE
Referee: Ko Hyung-Jin KOR
Assistant Referee 1: Yoon Jae-Yeol KOR
Assistant Referee 2: Park Sang-Jun KOR
Fourth Official: Kim Dae-Yong KOR
VAR: Kim Woo-Sung KOR
AVAR: Choi Hyun-Jae KOR

Qatar – Korea DPR
Referee: Mohanad Sarray IRQ
Assistant Referee 1: Watheq Al-Swaiedi IRQ
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Al-Baghdadi IRQ
Fourth Official: Zaid Mohammed IRQ
VAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri IRQ
AVAR: Ibrahim Al-Dakheel IRQ

Jordan – Palestine
Referee: Shaun Evans AUS
Assistant Referee 1: George Lakrindis AUS
Assistant Referee 2: Owen Goldrick AUS
Fourth Official: Adam Kersey AUS
VAR: Alex King AUS
AVAR: Daniel Elder AUS

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers – CAF (Round 1, Matchday 5)

19-22 March 2025

Mozambique – Uganda

Referee: Pierre Atcho GAB (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Ditsoga GAB
Assistant Referee 2: Carine Fomo CMR
Fourth Official: Cregue Moukagni GAB

Zimbabwe – Benin
Referee: Bamlak Tessema ETH
Assistant Referee 1: Samuel Temesgen ETH
Assistant Referee 2: Tigle Gizaw ETH
Fourth Official: Haileyesus Bazezew ETH

Eswatini – Cameroon
Referee: Lucky Kasalirwe UGA
Assistant Referee 1: Ronald Katenya UGA
Assistant Referee 2: Hakim Mulindwa UGA
Fourth Official: Shamirah Nabadda UGA

Central African Republic – Madagascar
Referee: Adalbert Diouf SEN
Assistant Referee 1: Amadou Ngom SEN
Assistant Referee 2: Mamadou Ngom SEN
Fourth Official: Alioune Sandigui SEN

Cabo Verde – Mauritius
Referee: Daniel Laryea GHA
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Dodoo GHA
Assistant Referee 2: Kwasi Brobbey GHA
Fourth Official: Charles Bulu GHA

Malawi – Namibia
Referee: Jelly Chavani RSA
Assistant Referee 1: Elphas Sitole RSA
Assistant Referee 2: Cledwin Baloyi RSA
Fourth Official: Masixole Bambiso RSA

Comoros – Mali
Referee: Mahmood Ismail SDN
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmed El-Fatih SDN
Assistant Referee 2: Ali Mohamed SDN
Fourth Official: Abdelaziz Ahmed SDN

Liberia – Tunisia
Referee: Clement Kpan CIV
Assistant Referee 1: Koabenan Adiouman CIV
Assistant Referee 2: Kalilou Bamba CIV
Fourth Official: Kouassi Biro CIV

Gambia – Kenya
Referee: Abdou Mefire CMR
Assistant Referee 1: Elvis Noupue CMR
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigue Mpele CMR
Fourth Official: Franck Bito CMR

Libya – Angola
Referee: Lamin Jammeh GAM
Assistant Referee 1: Mustapha Bojang GAM
Assistant Referee 2: Abass Bah GAM
Fourth Official: Omar Sallah GAM

Gabon – Seychelles
Referee: Mehrez Malki TUN
Assistant Referee 1: Wael Hannachi TUN
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed Bakir TUN
Fourth Official: Amir Loucif TUN

Botswana – Algeria
Referee: Ahmed Arajiga TAN
Assistant Referee 1: Kassim Mpanga TAN
Assistant Referee 2: Hamdani Ally TAN
Fourth Official: Nasir Siyah TAN

Equatorial Guinea – Sao Tome and Principe
Referee: Adissa Ligali BEN
Assistant Referee 1: Gbemassiandan Kouton BEN
Assistant Referee 2: Lucien Hontonnou BEN
Fourth Official: Issa Mohamed BEN

Burkina Faso – Djibouti
Referee: Abdel Bouh MTN
Assistant Referee 1: Hamedine Diba MTN
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed Yahia MTN
Fourth Official: Babacar Sarr MTN

Congo DR – South Sudan
Referee: Celso Alvacao MOZ
Assistant Referee 1: Arsenio Marengula MOZ
Assistant Referee 2: Ivanildo Lopes MOZ
Fourth Official: Ailton Carmelino MOZ

Rwanda – Nigeria
Referee: Jalal Jayed MAR
Assistant Referee 1: Mostafa Akarkad MAR
Assistant Referee 2: Hamza Nassiri MAR
Fourth Official: Mustapha Kechaf MAR

South Africa – Lesotho
Referee: Mohamed Guedi DJI
Assistant Referee 1: Liban Abdourazak DJI
Assistant Referee 2: Eleyeh Robleh DJI
Fourth Official: Mahmoud Nasser DJI

Ghana – Chad
Referee: Ahmed Abdulrazg LBY
Assistant Referee 1: Attia Amsaad LBY
Assistant Referee 2: Alayat Munji LBY
Fourth Official: Muhammad El-Mabrouk LBY

Burundi – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Samir Guezzaz MAR
Assistant Referee 1: Lahcen Azgaou MAR
Assistant Referee 2: Abdessamad Abertoune MAR
Fourth Official: Hamza El-Fariq MAR

Ethiopia – Egypt
Referee: Patrice Milazare MRI
Assistant Referee 1: Cauvelet Fabien MRI
Assistant Referee 2: Padayachy Shaji MRI
Fourth Official: Keren Yocette MRI

Guinea – Somalia
Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona MAD
Assistant Referee 1: Souru Phatsoane LES
Assistant Referee 2: Dimbiniaina Andriatianarivelo MAD
Fourth Official: Lebalang Mokete LES

Niger – Morocco
Referee: Omar Artan SOM
Assistant Referee 1: Hamza Abdi SOM
Assistant Referee 2: Bashir Suleiman SOM
Fourth Official: Ahmed Hussein SOM

Togo – Mauritania
Referee: Amin Omar EGY
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
Assistant Referee 2: Sami Halhal EGY
Fourth Official: Mahmoud El-Banna EGY

Sudan – Senegal
Referee: Patrice Mebiame GAB
Assistant Referee 1: Abelmiro Dos Reis STP
Assistant Referee 2: Urbain Ndong GAB
Fourth Official: Auladyo Dos Santos STP

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL (Matchday 13)

20-21 March 2025

Uruguay – Argentina
Referee: Juan Benitez PAR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar PAR
Fourth Official: Carlos Benitez PAR
VAR: Derlis Lopez PAR
AVAR: Jose Cuevas PAR
Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago COL
VAR Supervisor: Pericles Cortes BRA

Brazil – Colombia
Referee: Alexis Herrera VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno VEN
Fourth Official: Angel Arteaga VEN
VAR: Juan Soto VEN
AVAR: Carlos Lopez VEN
Referee Assessor: Dario Ubriaco URU
VAR Supervisor: Patricio Polic CHI

Ecuador – Venezuela
Referee: Ramon Abatti BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Pires BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves BRA
Fourth Official: Rodrigo Pereira BRA
VAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
AVAR: Rodrigo Guarizo BRA
Referee Assessor: Oscar Maldonado BOL
VAR Supervisor: Carlos Pastorino URU

Paraguay – Chile
Referee: Raphael Claus BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Guilherme Camilo BRA
Fourth Official: Rafael Klein BRA
VAR: Daniel Nobre BRA
AVAR: Pablo Gonçalves BRA
Referee Assessor: Hector Baldassi ARG
VAR Supervisor: Cesar Escano PER

Peru – Bolivia
Referee: Yael Falcon ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Del Yesso ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez ARG
Fourth Official: Leandro Rey ARG
VAR: German Delfino ARG
AVAR: Jorge Balino ARG
Referee Assessor: Oswaldo Segura ECU
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Lamouroux COL

UEFA Nations League 2024/2025 – Quarter-finals (First Leg)

20 March 2025

Italy – Germany
Referee: François Letexier FRA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Romain Lissorgue FRA
VAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Bastien Dechepy FRA
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz AUT

Netherlands – Spain
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck SWE
VAR: Christian Dingert GER
AVAR: Johann Pfeifer GER
Referee Observer: Emil Božinovski MKD

Croatia – France
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Rohit Saggi NOR
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Robert Schröder GER
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine NIR

Denmark – Portugal
Referee: Irfan Peljto BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo BIH
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigovic BIH
VAR: Pol van Boekel NED
AVAR: Richard Martens NED
Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís CYP

UEFA Nations League 2024/2025 – Play-Offs (First Leg)

20 March 2025

Ukraine – Belgium
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni SUI
Fourth Official: Lionel Tschudi SUI
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
Referee Observer: Pawel Gil POL

Turkey – Hungary
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Ján Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Peter Královič SVK
VAR: Michal Očenáš SVK
AVAR: Martin Dohál SVK
Referee Observer: William Young SCO

Armenia – Georgia
Referee: Radu Petrescu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Grigoriu ROU
Fourth Official: Andrei Chivulete ROU
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
AVAR: Federico La Penna ITA
Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gómez ESP

Austria – Serbia
Referee: Joao Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Gustavo Correia POR
VAR: Tiago Martins POR
AVAR: Hélder Malheiro POR
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan ARM

Greece – Scotland
Referee: Tobias Stieler GER
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann GER
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Borsch GER
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen GER
VAR: Sören Storks GER
AVAR: Benjamin Cortus GER
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold NOR

Kosovo – Iceland
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Patrick Inia NED
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij NED
VAR: Clay Ruperti NED
AVAR: Erwin Blank NED
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos CRO

Bulgaria – Ireland
Referee: Benoît Bastien FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Aurélien Berthomieu FRA
Fourth Official: Éric Wattellier FRA
VAR: Benoît Millot FRA
AVAR: Jérémie Pignard FRA
Referee Observer: Stávros Tritsónis GRE

Slovakia – Slovenia
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Gianluca Manganiello ITA
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Michael Fabbri ITA
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman NED

Mateu Lahoz admits to error that cost Barcelona La Liga title in 2014

Former referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz has admitted that his controversial decision in the final match of the 2013-14 La Liga season cost Barcelona the title The Valencian official incorrectly ruled out a goal by Lionel Messi in a title-deciding contest against Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou, a mistake he now concedes was wrong. In May 2014, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid faced off in a title-deciding match at a packed Camp Nou. The Blaugrana, second in the table with 86 points, needed a win to become champions, while Atleti, sitting at the top on 89 points, only required a draw. Alexis Sanchez gave Barcelona the lead, but Diego Godin’s equaliser secured a 1-1 draw and handed the title to Los Rojiblancos. However, the game’s most decisive moment came in the 64th minute when Messi found the back of the net to make it 2-1 for Barcelona, only for it to be ruled out for offside. The pass to Messi had come from Dani Alves had come off a deflection from Atletico’s Juanfran, but Mateu Lahoz and his assistant believed it was from Cesc Fabregas, and flagged it for offside. Now, over a decade later, Lahoz, now a pundit for Movistar and COPE, admitted to his error. “I was wrong. Looking back, we now know the ball came off Juanfran,” he acknowledged, as quoted by SPORT. “Barcelona and Atletico arrived at the final match level on almost everything, and that one decision changed everything. From my position, I could not tell,” Lahoz admitted. “I would have bet my twenty fingers – hands and feet – that Cesc touched the ball. The assistant took responsibility, but ultimately, it was my decision.” Barcelona never recovered from that moment, and Atletico held on for the draw and lifted their first league title in 18 years. (Source: Barca News)

Former Sevilla delegate, Cristóbal Soria, has made some controversial statements about a very famous former referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz. "When his European refereeing career ends, due to age, the CTA and RFEF have the power to allow him through an invitation to continue for as many years as he wants" as a referee in Spain. He continues for a first year, and the following year when RFEF and the CTA have the possibility to invite him again, to continue officiating for another year", a change occurs. Cristóbal Soria reveals "as information", how "members of the CTA go from Madrid to Valencia, to his hometown, and sit with him and invite him to leave refereeing". According to Cristóbal Soria, the CTA tells Mateu Lahoz that "we can't allow you to call, among other teams, Kroos by Toni, Modric by Luka, Courtois by Thibaut...". Essentially, the CTA wanted to prevent Mateu from "calling the Madrid players among other teams by their first names" because, according to Cristóbal Soria, Mateu Lahoz called "the players of Athletic Club de Bilbao, Sevilla, and Betis" by their jersey numbers... without even bothering to read the name printed on the jersey. That "information" from Cristóbal Soria, however, doesn't only apply to the white team as the Sevilla commentator points out. Because Antonio Mateu Lahoz became known for remembering the first names of many players he refereed throughout his career... including footballers from FC Barcelona like Messi. There are many images featuring the former Valencian referee in which he can be seen calling "Leo" to the former '10' of FC Barcelona. Be that as it may, it is not the last controversy in which the now former Valencian referee appears as a protagonist. His recent criticisms of the Spanish refereeing system, speaking bluntly about the 'Negreira case', have provoked an immediate reaction from the refereeing community through a striking statement. (Source: Confidencial)