Skomina: Pleasure and honour

"A pleasure and a big honour" is how Slovenian match official Damir Skomina has described his appointment to take charge of tonight's UEFA Super Cup contest in Monaco. Slovenian referee continues to make excellent refereeing progress, with tonight's UEFA Super Cup contest between Chelsea FC and Club Atletico de Madrid at Monaco's Stade Louis II the latest addition to a top-notch career CV. Damir Skomina, his assistants Primoz Arhar and Matej Zunic, fourth official Bojan Ul and additional assistant referees Matej Jug and Slavko Vincic, are looking forward to the showpiece occasion which heralds the start of the 2012/13 European club competition season.
The 36-year-old from Koper, on the Slovenian coast near the Italian border, has been an international referee since 2003. He served as fourth official at two youth finals, beginning with the 2003 UEFA European Under-17 Championship showpiece between Portugal and Spain in Viseu and then exercising his duties at the U19 decider between England and France in Belfast in 2005. Since then, he has gradually risen up the ladder, numbering the 2007 UEFA European U21 Championship final, various UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League encounters, and three matches at this summer's UEFA Euro 2012 tournament among his key assignments. Last season, Skomina took charge of one UEFA Champions League play-off game, three group stage matches, one fixture in the round of 16 and the second leg of the quarter-final between Chelsea and SL Benfica. He also officiated in two UEFA Europa League encounters, including the second leg of the semi-final between Valencia CF and Atletico. His UEFA Euro 2012 assignments were the group games between the Netherlands and Denmark, Sweden and England, as well as Germany's quarter-final with Greece.
"It's a pleasure and a big honour for me," Skomina told UEFA.com after the announcement of his UEFA Super Cup appointment. "It's one of the highlights of my career, I'm very proud." Skomina commenced refereeing in 1992 as a 16-year-old. "At the time I played football, but because of some health problems the doctors told me that it would be better to stop. When I was about 22, they told me I could play again but it was too late – I stayed as a referee!" If Skomina refereed to remain loyal to football, he says he had no concrete goals to climb the refereeing ladder – yet it soon became apparent that his qualities were such that international recognition would beckon. "The most important thing for me is that I'm in good shape," Skomina said ahead of tonight's big match. "Psychologically, it's very important for me to be focused, to be able to be calm for the whole 90 minutes, so that I'm ready in my mind to take a decision. It's important for the referees to have the match in their hands all the time."
Skomina and his team will prepare in their own usual way for the game in Monaco. "We try to stay as relaxed as possible when we're in our dressing room – we have a choice of music which we like." Gathering mental strength through mutual motivation has Skomina and company fully focused on the task to come. "It's essential that our minds are clear," he explained. The UEFA Super Cup is the latest step on a fine refereeing path for Damir Skomina, but he is keeping his feet firmly and modestly on the ground. "I must say that I only go year by year, I don't have any long projects," he said. "I just try to focus on the next match and try not to think too much about the longer future – because we never know what may happen."

Source: UEFA

UEFA Super Cup 2012: Skomina (SVN)

Slovenian referee Damir Skomina will take charge of Friday's UEFA Super Cup match between Chelsea FC and Club Atletico de Madrid at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, with kick-off at 20:45CET. The 36-year-old will be accompanied by Primoz Arhar and Matej Zunic, the assistant referees, with Bojan Ul acting as fourth official. Matej Jug and Slavko Vincic complete the team as additional assistant referees.
Skomina has been an international referee since 2003 and has officiated at 75 UEFA matches in his refereeing career. Last season in the UEFA Champions League, Skomina handled one play-off game, three group stage matches, one fixture in the round of 16 and the quarter-final between Chelsea and SL Benfica. He was also assigned two UEFA Europa League games, including the semi-final between Valencia CF and Atletico. This summer, Skomina refereed the UEFA Euro 2012 group matches between Netherlands and Denmark, Sweden and England, as well as Germany's quarter-final against Greece.

31 August 2012
Chelsea London – Atletico Madrid

Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Slavko Vincic (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Matej Jug (SVN)
Fourth Official: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2012 – Quarter-finals

30 August 2012
Nigeria – Mexico
Referee: Abirami Apbai (SIN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Cui Yongmei (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lee Seul Gi (KOR)
Fourth Official: Qin Liang (CHN)
Reserve AR: Fang Yan (CHN)

Japan – Korea
Referee: Teodora Albon (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Angela Kyriakou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Ana Marques (BRA)
Reserve AR: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)

31 August 2012
Korea DPR – USA
Referee: Silvia Spinelli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Karine Vives Solana (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Fourth Official: Fusako Kajiyama (JPN)
Reserve AR: Natalie Aspinall (ENG)

Germany – Norway
Referee: Margaret Domka (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kimberly Moreira (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Emperatriz Ayala (SLV)
Fourth Official: Dianne Ferreira-James (GUY)
Reserve AR: Marisol Salazar (GUA)

UEFA Europa League – Play-offs

Second Leg, 29-30 August 2012

Dinamo Moskva – VfB Stuttgart
Referee: Firat Aydinus (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Serkan Ok (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleks Tascioglu (TUR)
Fourth Official: Baris Simsek (TUR)
Referee Observer: Jozef Marko (SVK)

Levante – Motherwell
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Christophe Capelli (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Fourth Official: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)
Referee Observer: Peter Mikkelsen (DEN)

Dnipropetrovsk – Slovan Liberec
Referee: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Bolingas Trigo (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Santos (POR)
Fourth Official: Marco Santos Ferreira (POR)
Referee Observer: Yury Dupanau (BLR)

Dila – Maritimo
Referee: Anastassios Kakos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Christos Akrivos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Dimitrios Tatsis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ilias Spathas (GRE)
Referee Observer: Amit Klein (ISR)

Heerenveen – Molde
Referee: Stanislav Todorov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ventsislav Gavrilov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Valchev (BUL)
Fourth Official: Nikolay Yordanov (BUL)
Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)

Apoel – Neftci Baku
Referee: Said Ennjimi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emmanuel Boisdenghien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Huseyin Ocak (FRA)
Fourth Official: Lionel Jaffredo (FRA)
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)

HJK Helsinki – Athletic Club
Referee: Alan Kelly (IRL)
Assistant Referee 1: Damien MacGraith (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Allen Lynch (IRL)
Fourth Official: Tomas Connolly (IRL)
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Hapoel Tel Aviv – Dudelange
Referee: Hannes Kaasik (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Hannes Reinvald (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Silver Koiv (EST)
Fourth Official: Jaan Roos (EST)
Referee Observer: Aleksei Spirin (RUS)

Sparta Praha – Feyernoord
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrovic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgic (CRO)
Fourth Official: Domagoj Vuckov (CRO)
Referee Observer: Slawomir Stempniewski (POL)

CSKA Moskva – AIK Solna
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Zoltan Szekely (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Octavian Sovre (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Coltescu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Rene Temmink (NED)

Rosenborg – Legia
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabiano Preti (ITA)
Fourth Official: Sebastiano Peruzzo (ITA)
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

PSV Eindhoven – Zeta
Referee: Menashe Masiah (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Nissan Davidy (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abed Alramili (ISR)
Fourth Official: Liran Wachsberger (ISR)
Referee Observer: Stefan Ormandjiev (BUL)

Steaua – Ekranas
Referee: Tony Asumaa (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Marko Hanninen (FIN)
Fourth Official: Jari Jarvinen (FIN)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Vitkovic (CRO)

Young Boys – Midtjylland
Referee: Alexandru Tudor (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Nica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurel Onita (ROU)
Fourth Official: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Metalist – Dinamo Bucuresti
Referee: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Emre Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Orkun Aktas (TUR)
Fourth Official: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

KRC Genk – Luzern
Referee: Michael Dean (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Jake Collin (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Michael Jones (ENG)
Referee Observer: Milovan Nikolic (SVN)

Viktoria Plzen – Lokeren
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Magnus Sjoblom (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Flink (SWE)
Fourth Official: Michael Lerjeus (SWE)
Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)

Girondins Bordeaux – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Child (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Beck (ENG)
Fourth Official: Jonathan Moss (ENG)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

FC Brugge – Debrecen
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Detlef Scheppe (GER)
Fourth Official: Peter Sippel (GER)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

Olympique Marseille – Sheriff
Referee: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 1: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Gunnar Sverrir Gunnarsson (ISL)
Fourth Official: Magnus Thorisson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Tulinger (CZE)

Videoton – Trabzonspor
Referee: Martin Hansson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Nilsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Henrik Andren (SWE)
Fourth Official: Bojan Pandzic (SWE)
Referee Observer: John Ward (IRL)

Partizan – Tromso
Referee: Serge Gumienny (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Vromans (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Bleyen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Luc Wouters (BEL)
Referee Observer: Patrick Kelly (IRL)

Internazionale – Vaslui
Referee: Manuel De Sousa (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Rui Tavares (POR)
Fourth Official: Vasco Santos (POR)
Referee Observer: Kyros Georgiou (CYP)

Hannover – Slask Wroclaw
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averianov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Kazhmenko (RUS)
Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

Rapid Wien – PAOK
Referee: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Javier Aguilar Rodriguez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Marco Martinez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez (ESP)
UEFA Referee Observer: Martin Iseli (SUI)

Twente – Bursaspor
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Luca Maggiani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Andrea Romeo (ITA)
Referee Observer: Robert Jeurissen (BEL)

Lazio Roma – Mura
Referee: Leontios Trattou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Soteriou (CYP)
Assistant Referee 2: Charalambos Charalambous (CYP)
Fourth Official: Marios Tsaggaris (CYP)
Referee Observer: Leif Sundell (SWE)

AZ Alkmaar – Anzhi Makhachkala
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR)
Fourth Official: Tore Hansen (NOR)
Referee Observer: Fritz Stuchlik (AUT)

Newcastle – Atromitos  
Referee: Stephan Studer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean-Yves Wicht (SUI)
Fourth Official: Daniel Wermelinger (SUI)
Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

Liverpool – Hearts
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikolay Golubev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Vyacheslav Semenov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Aleksei Eskov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Adrian Casha (MLT)

Sporting – Horsens
Referee: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Zurbrugg (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Fernandez (SUI)
Fourth Official: Patrick Graf (SUI)
Referee Observer: Michel Piraux (BEL)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

28-30 August 2012

Toronto – Santos
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ronaldo Dela Cruz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Jeffrey Solis (CRC)

Esteli – Alajuelense
Referee: Armando Castro (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Melvyn Cruz (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Fourth Official: Hector Rodriguez (HON)

Chivas – Connection
Referee: David Gantar (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Joe Fletcher (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Belleau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Silviu Petrescu (CAN)

LA Galaxy – PR Islanders
Referee: Jafeth Perea (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jaime Smith (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Benigno Paneso (PAN)
Fourth Official: Rolando Vidal (PAN)

Municipal – Monterrey

Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Douglas Bermudez (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Geovany Garcia (SLV)
Fourth Official: Edenilson Ventura (SLV)


Tauro – Herediano
Referee: Marco Brea (CUB)
Assistant Referee 1: Hiran Dopico (CUB)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Rodriguez (CUB)
Fourth Official: David Rubalcaba (CUB)

Caledonia – Seattle

Referee: Javier Santos (PUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Antonio Lopez (PUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jairo Morales (PUR)
Fourth Official: William Andreson (PUR)

Olimpia – Houston

Referee: Marco Rodriguez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcos Quintero (MEX)
Fourth Official: Fabricio Morales (MEX)

UEFA Champions League – Play-offs

Second Leg, 28-29 August 2012

Anderlecht – AEL Limasol

Referee: Marcin Borski (POL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafal Rostkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Additional AR 1: Dawid Piasecki (POL)
Additional AR 2: Daniel Stefanski (POL)
Fourth Official: Maciej Wierzbowski (POL)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

Hapoel Kiryat – Bate Borisov

Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabor Eros (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gyorgy Ring (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Mihaly Fabian (HUN)
Fourth Official: Robert Kispal (HUN)
Referee Observer: Manuel Lopez Fernandez (ESP)

Maribor – Dinamo Zagreb

Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Calvo Guadamuro (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Cesar Muniz Fernandez (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Fernandez Miranda (ESP)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

Udinese – Braga

Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional AR 1: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Additional AR 2: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Fourth Official: Berry Simons (NED)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Panathinaikos – Malaga

Referee: Tom Harald Hagen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dag-Roger Nebben (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Magnus Lundberg (NOR)
Additional AR 1: Espen Berntsen (NOR)
Additional AR 2: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Geir Age Holen (NOR)
Referee Observer: Johannes Reijgwaart (NED)

Dynamo Kyiv – Borussia Monchengladbach
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Derek Rose (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alasdair Ross (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Steven McLean (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Fourth Official: Graham Chambers (SCO)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

Celtic – Helsingborg

Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Fourth Official: Roberto Perez Del Palomar (ESP)
Referee Observer: Ilkka Koho (FIN)

Fenerbahce – Spartak Moskva

Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Additional AR 1: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Additional AR 2: Guido Winkmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Markus Hacker (GER)
Referee Observer: Stefano Farina (ITA)

OSC Lille – Kobenhavn

Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Wilczek (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Antonin Kordula (CZE)
Additional AR 1: Radek Prihoda (CZE)
Additional AR 2: Michal Patak (CZE)
Fourth Official: Patrik Filipek (CZE)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

CFR Cluj – FC Basel
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Mauro Bergonzi (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Andrea De Marco (ITA)
Fourth Official: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Referee Observer: Jorn West Larsen (DEN)

Copa Sudamericana – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

28 August 2012
Olimpia – Emelec
Referee: Leandro Vuaden (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Braatz (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Joia (BRA)
Fourth Official: Ulises Mereles (PAR)

Envigado – Liverpool
Referee: Juan Soto (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Yanez (VEN)
Fourth Official: Luis Sanchez (COL)

Cobreloa – Barcelona
Referee: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Yegros (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Hugo Martinez (PAR)
Fourth Official: Claudio Puga (CHI)

29 August 2012
Liga de Loja – Nacional
Referee: Georges Buckley (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Hurtado (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Braulio Cornejo (PER)
Fourth Official: Daniel Salazar (ECU)

Independiente – Boca Juniors
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Casas (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Fourth Official: Patricio Loustau (ARG)

Mineros de Guyana – Cerro Porteno
Referee: Jose Buitrago (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Rivas (COL)
Fourth Official: Mayker Gomez (VEN)

Universidad Catolica – Deportes Tolima
Referee: Liber Prudente (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Costa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Popovits (URU)
Fourth Official: Jorge Osorio (CHI)

30 August 2012
Deportivo Quito – Aurora
Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Julio Diaz (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sergio Roman (CHI)

Fourth Official: Diego Lara (ECU)

Tigre – Argentinos Juniors
Referee: German Delfino (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gustavo Esquivel (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ernesto Uziga (ARG)

Fourth Official: Saul Laverni (ARG)

Racing Club – Santa Fe
Referee: Sergio Pezzotta (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)

Fourth Official: Diego Abal (ARG)

Guarani – Millonarios
Referee: Raul Orosco (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Efrain Castro (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Arol Valda (BOL)

Fourth Official: Antonio Arias (PAR)

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 17-24)

26 August 2012
Mexico – New Zealand

Referee: Teodora Albon (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Angela Kyriakou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Fadouma Dia (SEN)

Italy – Nigeria
Referee: Qin Liang (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Cui Yongmei (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Fang Yang (CHN)
Fourth Official: Ana Marques (BRA)


Korea – Brazil
Referee: Christine Baitinger (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Natalie Aspinall (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Sian Massey (ENG)
Fourth Official: Silvia Spinelli (ITA)

Switzerland – Japan
Referee: Margaret Domka (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kimberly Moreira (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Marisol Salazar (GUA)
Fourth Official: Lucila Venegas (MEX)

27 August 2012
USA – Germany
Referee: Abirami Apbai (SIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Seul Gi (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Thi Thuy Kieu (VIE)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)

China – Ghana
Referee: Dianne Ferreira-James (GUY),
Assistant Referee 1: Emperatriz Ayala (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Elizabeth Cuff (CUB)
Fourth Official: Silvia Spinelli (ITA)

Norway – Argentina
Referee: Nami Sato (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Emi Chiba (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Praphaiphit Tarik (THA)
Fourth Official: Fusako Kajiyama (JPN)

Canada – Korea DPR
Referee: Pernilla Larsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodak (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Sukenikova (SVK)
Fourth Official: Lucila Venegas (MEX)

Shield steps down as Australia’s Director of Referees

Mark Shield has stepped down as Football Federation Australia's Director of Referees to take up a business role in Queensland. Shield began refereeing when he was only 12-years-old and then became one of the youngest referees selected by FIFA for a World Cup, at 29. He refereed one match, Belgium – Tunisia, at the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan and two games, Iran – Angola and Tunisia – Saudi Arabia, at his second FIFA World Cup, four years later in Germany. He also refereed the 2006 AFC Champions League final, Al Karama – Jeonbuk, the 2007 AFC Asian Cup final, Iraq – Saudi Arabia, as well as three consecutive A-League finals (2006, 2007, 2008). In spite of his very successful career, Shield suddenly retired from refereeing in 2008, due to personal reasons. At 35, he would have been age-eligible for three more World Cups!
In September 2011, Football Federation Australia appointed Mark Shield as the new national Director of Refereeing, giving him responsibility for coaching and development of referees as well as appointment of referees to national competitions including the A-League. After only one year, Shield announced that he would not be renewing his contract after being offered a CEO role in another industry and will be stepping down next month. In his tenure as FFA Director of Referees, Shield was responsible for a restructuring of the FFA Referees Department, implementation of the three year Referees Strategic Plan and introducing of the Possibles/Probables Candidate Program, which will help regenerate Australia’s refereeing panels. He also pioneered a new policy of open discussion of refereeing decisions in the Hyundai A-League. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with FFA,” said Shield. “The education and development of referees in Australia is something that I am very passionate about. This was a decision made for my family and my career; however I will never be too far from football.”
Head of Hyundai A-League, Damien de Bohun, said while losing such an important member of the Hyundai A-League team is a loss, the pair will continue to work together in the short term to identify a new referees chief to continue the programs that have been put in place. “Mark enjoyed a fabulous career as a FIFA referee and has continued to make a significant contribution to the game in his administration role,” said de Bohun. “He earned the respect of referees and stakeholders with his intelligent approach to referee development. We will work together over the coming weeks to ensure that the right candidate is selected to continue Mark’s excellent work in the referees department and ensure a smooth transition occurs. I wish Mark all the best in his new position and I am sure that he will remain involved with the sport for a long time to come.” Mark Shield will this weekend take the Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League referees through their paces at the Australian Institute of Sport with media invited to attend the Friday afternoon session from 3pm. He will commence his new position at the end of September.

Source: FFA

Strombergsson has quit international refereeing

After Euro 2012, where he acted as an additional assistant referee, Markus Strombergsson suddenly disappeared from Sweden’s FIFA List and from the UEFA Referees Elite Development List. It was recently revealed that Strombersson has quit international refereeing for personal reasons, but apparently he will continue to referee domestically in Sweden.
Born in 1975, Markus Strombergsson became referee in 1996 and got his FIFA badge in 2006. His recent international retirement appeared to be very surprising, taking into account his important appointments within the last two years. At the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Columbia, he refereed 3 matches, including the round of 16 game Argentina – Egypt, when Strombergsson awarded 3 penalty kicks and 10 yellow cards. Last year, he was also assigned his first UEFA Champions League match, Bayern Munchen – Villarreal, which was followed by his appointment as an additional assistant referee in Eriksson’s team at Euro 2012.
In 2010 and 2011, Markus Strombergsson was voted the best Swedish referee. At only 37, he now joins the list of FIFA referees prematurely retired from international refereeing due to other commitments: Mark Shield (AUS, 35), Tammy Ogston (AUS, 38), Michael Hester (NZL, 39), Oscar Ruiz (COL, 42), Thomas Einwaller (AUT, 34).

UEFA Europa League – Play-offs

First Leg, 22-23 August 2012

VfB Stuttgart – Dinamo Moskva

Referee: William Collum (SCO, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Cryans (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: William Conquer (SCO)
Fourth Official: Alan Muir (SCO)
Referee Observer: Kaj Ostergaard (DEN)

Anzhi Makhachkala – AZ Alkmaar

Referee: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Dimitrios Saraidaris (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Damianos Efthimiadis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)
Referee Observer: Juan Fernandez Marin (ESP)

Neftci PFK – Apoel
Referee: Robert Malek (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Maciej Wierzbowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Tomasz Wajda (POL)
Referee Observer: Sergei Zuev (RUS)

Atromitos – Newcastle
Referee: Alon Yefet (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Amihay Mozes (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dvir Shimon (ISR)
Fourth Official: Asaf Kenan (ISR)
Referee Observer: Gudmunder Jonsson (ISL)

Tromso – Partizan
Referee: Robert Schorgenhofer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Alain Hoxha (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthias Winsauer (AUT)
Fourth Official: Rene Eisner (AUT)
Referee Observer: Oguz Sarvan (TUR)

Vaslui – Inter

Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Patrick Langkamp (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicky Siebert (NED)
Fourth Official: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Referee Observer: Zdravko Jokic (SRB)

Hearts – Liverpool

Referee: Florian Meyer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Holger Henschel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Willenborg (GER)
Fourth Official: Gunter Perl (GER)
Referee Observer: Jan Fasung (SVK)

Athletic Bilbao – HJK Helsinki

Referee: Bulent Yildirim (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Cem Satman (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Erdinc Sezertam (TUR)
Fourth Official: Koray Gencerler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)

Maritimo – Dila
Referee: Libor Kovarik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Krystof Mencl (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jiri Molacek (CZE)
Fourth Official: Tomas Kocourek (CZE)
Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

Molde – Heerenveen
Referee: Cristian Balaj (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Fourth Official: Istvan Kovacs (ROU)
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn (GER)

Debrecen – FC Brugge

Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Kogej (SVN)
Fourth Official: Davor Drecnik (SVN)
Referee Observer: Jean Lemmer (LUX)

Sheriff – Olympique Marseille

Referee: Sascha Kever (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Raffael Zeder (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Devis Dettamanti (SUI)
Fourth Official: Alain Bieri (SUI)
Referee Observer: Paul Allaerts (BEL)

Trabzonspor – Videoton
Referee: Euan Norris (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Graham Chambers (SCO)
Fourth Official: Brian Colvin (SCO)
Referee Observer: Vaclav Krondl (CZE)

FC Midtjylland – Young Boys

Referee: Maksim Layushkin (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksei Lebedev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexey Vorontsov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Alexander Egorov (RUS)
Referee Observer: Dusan Krchnak (SVK)

Slask Wroclaw – Hannover

Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Massimiliano Grilli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Antonio Giannoccaro (ITA)
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)

Dinamo Bucuresti – Metalist

Referee: Pawel Gil (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Piotr Sadczuk (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Hubert Siejewicz (POL)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

AC Horsens – Sporting

Referee: Antony Gautier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Annonier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Jeanne (FRA)
Fourth Official: Benoit Millot (FRA)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Dudelange – Hapoel Tel Aviv

Referee: Tommy Skjerven (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Geir Age Holen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sven Erik Midthjell (NOR)
Fourth Official: Svein-Erik Edvartsen (NOR)
Referee Observer: Muharrem Askoy (TUR)

Feyernoord – Sparta Praha
Referee: Peter Rasmussen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Henrik Sonderby (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Niels Hoeg (DEN)
Fourth Official: Lars Christoffersen (DEN)
Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

Motherwell – Levante

Referee: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matti Heininen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Fourth Official: Dennis Antamo (FIN)
Referee Observer: Christos Skapoullis (CYP)

Crvena Zvezda – Bordeaux
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Diaz Del Palomar (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Fernandez Miranda (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jose Paradas Romero (ESP)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

Lokeren – Viktoria

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jon Nunez Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Alfonso Alvarez Izquierdo (ESP)
Referee Observer: Laszlo Vagner (HUN)

Mura – Lazio

Referee: Mark Courtney (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Paul Munn (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Thomas Fairfield (NIR)
Fourth Official: Raymond Crangle (NIR)
Referee Observer: Cornelis Bakker (NED)

AIK Solna – CSKA Moskva

Referee: Kevin Blom (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilco Lobbert (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Davie Goossens (NED)
Fourth Official: Dennis Higler (NED)
Referee Observer: Ryszard Wojcik (POL)

Legia – Rosenborg

Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Marjan Kirovski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Fourth Official: Goran Spirkoski (MKD)
Referee Observer: Horst Brummeier (AUT)

Buraspor – Twente
Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Canelo Prieto (ESP)
Fourth Official: Pedro Perez Montero (ESP)
Referee Observer: Eugen Striegel (GER)

Ekranas – Steaua

Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrei Hetsikau (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitry Zhuk (BLR)
Fourth Official: Dzianis Shcharbakou (BLR)
Referee Observer: Alan Freeland (SCO)

Slovan Liberec – Dnipropetrovsk

Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Angelo Boonman (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Rob van den Ven (NED)
Fourth Official: Serdar Gozubuyuk (NED)
Referee Observer: Nicolae Grigorescu (ROU)

PAOK – Rapid Wien

Referee: Andre Marriner (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Long (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Fourth Official: Jonathan Moss (ENG)
Referee Observer: Charles Agius (MLT)

Luzern – KRC Genk
Referee: Antonio Damato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicola Nicoletti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Giulio Dobosz (ITA)
Fourth Official: Domenico Celi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Bernardino Gonzalez Vazquez (ESP)

FK Zeta – PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Aleksei Nikolaev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Vitaly Drozdov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitry Mosyakin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Eduard Maliy (RUS)
Referee Observer: Rodger Gifford (WAL)

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 9-16)

22 August 2012
Japan – New Zealand

Referee: Silvia Spinelli (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Karine Vives Solana (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Fourth Official: Teodora Albon (ROU)

Mexico – Switzerland

Referee: Ana Marques (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Luzmila Gonzalez (COL)
Fourth Official: Margaret Domka (USA)

Brazil – Nigeria

Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Eveline Bolli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Ella De Vries (BEL)
Fourth Official: Fusako Kajiyama (JPN)

Italy – Korea
Referee: Lucila Venegas (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Lixy Enriquez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Fusako Kajiyama (JPN)

23 August 2012
Korea DPR – Argentina

Referee: Fadouma Dia (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mana Dzodope (TOG)
Assistant Referee 2: Souad Oulhaj (MAR)
Fourth Official: Christine Baitinger (GER)

Norway – Canada

Referee: Qin Liang (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Cui Yongmei (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Fang Yan (CHN)
Fourth Official: Abirami Apbai (SIN)

USA – China

Referee: Pernilla Larsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodak (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Sukenikova (SVK)
Fourth Official: Dianne Ferreira-James (GUY)

Ghana – Germany

Referee: Nami Sato (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Emi Chiba (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Praphaiphit Tarik (THA)
Fourth Official: Dianne Ferreira-James (GUY)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

21-23 August 2012

Xelaju MC – CD Guadalajara
Referee: Jeffrey Solis (CRC, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavio Jara (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Fernandez (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Cerdas (CRC)

Santos Laguna – CD Aguila

Referee: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kermit Quisenberry (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: George Gansner (USA)
Fourth Official: Mark Geiger (USA)

Real Salt Lake – Tauro FC

Referee: Oscar Reyna (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Lemus (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Diaz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Juan Guerra (GUA)

Caledonia AIA – CD Marathon

Referee: Kevin Morrison (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Keble Williams (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Kedlee Powell (JAM)
Fourth Official: Raymond Bogle (JAM)

LD Alajuelense – Tigres UANL

Referee: Elmer Bonilla (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Fourth Official: Joel Aguilar (SLV)

CD Fas – Houston Dynamo

Referee: Marco Brea (CUB)
Assistant Referee 1: Hiran Dopico (CUB)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Rodrigues (CUB)
Fourth Official: David Rubalcaba (CUB)

Chorrillo – CSD Municipal

Referee: Baldomero Toledo (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Manikowski (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Anderson (USA)
Fourth Official: Terry Vaughn (USA)

LA Galaxy – Isidro Metapan

Referee: Jose Penaloza (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Victor Calderon (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alejandro Ayala (MEX)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Arellano (MEX)

UEFA Champions League – Play-offs

First Leg, 21-22 August 2012

Helsingborg – Celtic
Referee: Olegario Benquerença (POR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Joao Santos (POR)
Additional AR 1: Artur Soares (POR)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Xistra (POR)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Santos (POR)
Referee Observer: Peter Mikkelsen (DEN)

Spartak Moskva – Fenerbahce
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Michael Jones (ENG)
Fourth Official: Stephen Child (ENG)
Referee Observer: Andreas Schluchter (SUI)

Monchengladbach – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Trigo (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Venancio Tome (POR)
Additional AR 1: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Additional AR 2: Joao Capela (POR)
Fourth Official: Rui Tavares (POR)
Referee Observer: Kaj Natri (FIN)

Kobenhavn – OSC Lille

Referee: Marijo Strahonja (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Sinisa Premuzaj (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Igor Krmar (CRO)
Additional AR 1: Igor Pristovnik (CRO)
Additional AR 2: Ante Vucemilovic-Simunovic (CRO)
Fourth Official: Goran Pataki (CRO)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Basel – CFR Cluj
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Martin Strombergsson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Tobias Mattsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Stefan Wittberg (SWE)
Referee Observer: Wilfried Heitmann (GER)

Bate – Hapoel Kiryat
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Cann (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Kevin Friend (ENG)
Fourth Official: Simon Beck (ENG)
Referee Observer: Zoran Petrovic (SRB)

AEL Limasol – Anderlecht

Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Igor Radojcic (SRB)
Additional AR 1: Milenko Vukadinovic (SRB)
Additional AR 2: Miodrag Gogic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Jovanovic (SRB)
Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG)

Dinamo Zagreb – NK Maribor
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Suleyman Abay (TUR)
Fourth Official: Orkun Aktas (TUR)
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)

Braga – Udinese

Referee: Wolfgang Stark (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Mike Pickel (GER)
Additional AR 1: Marco Fritz (GER)
Additional AR 2: Tobias Welz (GER)
Fourth Official: Guido Kleve (GER)
Referee Observer: Miroslav Liba (CZE)


Malaga – Panathinaikos
Referee: Tony Chapron (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredji Harchay (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Huseyin Ocak (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Said Ennjimi (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Olivier Thual (FRA)
Fourth Official: Emmanuel Boisdenghien (FRA)
Referee Observer: Alan Snoddy (NIR)

Copa Sudamericana – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

21 August 2012
Sao Pablo – Bahia
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Altemir Hausmann (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Berkenbrock (BRA)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Marques (BRA)

San Martin – Emelec
Referee: Patricio Polic (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Maturana (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Barraza (CHI)
Fourth Official: Henry Gambetta (PER)

22 August 2012
Boca Juniors – Independiente
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Diego Abal (ARG)

Coritiba – Gremio
Referee: Wilson Seneme (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Fourth Official: Francisco Nascimento (BRA)

Botafogo – Palmeiras
Referee: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcio Santiago (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabricio Silva (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pericles Cortes (BRA)

23 August 2012
Leon Huanuco – Deportivo Quito
Referee: Antonio Arias (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Caceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dario Gaono (PAR)
Fourth Official: Miguel Santivanez (PER)

Figueirense – Goianiense
Referee: Marcelo Henrique (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Braatz (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Joia (BRA)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Marques (BRA)

Colon Santa Fe – Racing
Referee: Pablo Lunati (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gustavo Esquivel (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ernesto Uziga (ARG)
Fourth Official: Saul Laverni (ARG)

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 1-8)

19 August 2012
Japan – Mexico
Referee: Christine Baitinger (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Natalie Aspinall (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Sian Massey (ENG)
Fourth Official: Silvia Spinelli (ITA)

New Zealand – Switzerland
Referee: Abirami Apbai (SIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Seul Gi (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Thi Thuy Kieu (VIE)
Fourth Official: Qin Liang (CHN)

Brazil – Italy

Referee: Margaret Domka (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emperatriz Ayala (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Elizabeth Cuff (CUB)
Fourth Official: Fadouma Dia (SEN)

Nigeria – Korea

Referee: Dianne Ferreira-James (GUY)
Assistant Referee 1: Kimberly Moreira (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Marisol Salazar (GUA)
Fourth Official: Fadouma Dia (SEN)

20 August 2012

Korea DPR – Norway
Referee: Lucila Venegas (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Lixy Enriquez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Nami Sato (JPN)

Argentina – Canada

Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Eveline Bolli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Ella De Vries (BEL)
Fourth Official: Pernilla Larsson (SWE)

Ghana – USA

Referee: Teodora Albon (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Angela Kyriakou (CYP)
Fourth Official: Fusako Kajiyama (JPN)

Germany – China

Referee: Ana Marques (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mariana De Almeida (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Luzmila Gonzalez (COL)
Fourth Official: Fusako Kajiyama (JPN)

Recopa Sudamericana 2012

First Leg, 22 August 2012

Universidad de Chile – Santos
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Casas (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Fourth Official: German Delfino (ARG)

PGMOL: “Wrongly booking innocent players is inevitable"

English Premier League referees have recently been told to take a tough line against cheats even at the risk of fingering an innocent victim. Guidelines say a referee “must be prepared to accept that he may occasionally punish a player when no simulation has occurred". Wrongly booking a suspect/innocent player is inevitable “occasionally”, according to advice handed out to English officials at a pre-season conference. But they are urged to be “strong” in a continuing campaign against what former top international referee and current UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina (photo) once called “a cancer in football”.
Referees accept it is becoming ever harder to detect a deliberate dive when there has been little or no contact from an opponent. “Players have become skilled at disguising their intentional actions and, therefore, it is difficult to differentiate from a fair or foul challenge,” says a communique from Professional Game Match Officials. But the guidelines stress that - “in order to reduce the number” of cheating incidents - a referee “must be prepared to accept that he may occasionally punish a player when no simulation has occurred because such decisions are difficult to make”. The PGMOL advice to officials adds: “However, referees need to be strong, positive and confident... and take the appropriate action”. Officials have also been reminded to caution players who wave imaginary yellow cards in an attempt to get an opponent punished.

Source: Mirror

International Friendly Matches

14-15 August 2012

Sweden – Brazil
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN, photo)

Germany – Argentina
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)

France – Uruguay
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)

Italy – England
Referee: Sascha Kever (SUI)

Belgium – Netherlands
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)

Ukraine – Czech Republic

Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)

Serbia – Ireland

Referee: Alexandru Tudor (ROU)

Croatia – Switzerland

Referee: Antonio Damato (ITA)

Denmark – Slovakia
Referee: Daniel Stalhammar (SWE)

Scotland – Australia

Referee: Tom Harald Hagen (NOR)

Russia – Ivory Coast
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)

Portugal – Panama
Referee: Cesar Muniz Fernandez (ESP)

San Marino – Malta
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)

Hungary – Israel
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)

Norway – Greece
Referee: Alan Kelly (IRL)

Austria – Turkey

Referee: Jan Valasek (AUT)

Slovenia – Romania
Referee: Emir Aleckovic (BIH)

Albania – Moldova
Referee: Yunus Yildirim (TUR)

Estonia – Poland
Referee: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR)

Macedonia – Lithuania
Referee: Halis Ozkahya (TUR)

Wales – Bosnia
Referee: Marco Borg (MLT)

Armenia – Belarus
Referee: Davit Kharitonashvili (GEO)

Bulgaria – Cyprus
Referee: Christopher Lautier (MLT)

Liechtenstein – Andorra
Referee: Stephan Klossner (SUI)

Azerbaijan – Bahrain
Referee: Georgi Vadachkoria (GEO)

Puerto Rico – Spain
Referee: Javier Santos (PUR)


Guatemala – El Salvador
Referee: Terry Vaughn (USA)

Mexico – USA

Referee: Walter Quesada (CRC)

Canada – Costa Rica

Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)