Kuipers: “I hope that nobody’s talking about the referee after the final”

As well as the players and the coaches, the Final of the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 will be a big moment for 40-year-old Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers and his refereeing team. Kuipers has been on the FIFA list since 2006 and has since officiated at UEFA EURO 2012 and the recent UEFA Europa League Final between Benfica and Chelsea. He spoke exclusively to FIFA.com about his thoughts on Sunday’s final between Brazil and Spain at the Maracana.
- How are you enjoying the tournament so far?
- Very much. You know, when I received the appointment to go to the FIFA Confederations Cup, it was a great moment. Since I’ve been here, it’s been fantastic. There have been some great matches.
- What about Brazil. What do you think of the country?
- This country is amazing; it’s very big and very interesting. But we haven’t seen a lot of Brazil because we don’t have time to be tourists. Most of the time we’re training and in the afternoon we’re doing match analysis.
- You’ve been named as the referee for the Final. How does that make you feel?
- I’m very happy and proud to be named as the referee for the Final, not only for myself, but for my assistants and the Fourth Official. I’m also happy for the people who have worked with me for the last couple of years to achieve this moment. To reach this level, it takes hard work and we’ve done it.
- What kind of a game do you expect?
- A great, great match! The whole world is waiting for this match, it is Brazil versus Spain, two of the world’s biggest footballing countries. I’m expecting a wonderful game, where fair play and respect for each other is there.
- What do you think of the Maracana?
- It’s huge, it’s fantastic, it’s modern, it breathes football. So, what more do you want when Spain and Brazil are there and you can be a part of it? It’s a dream. The stadium will be full and there will be a fantastic atmosphere.
- What type of preparations do you have before such a big match?
- Of course, this is a big match. Both finalists are great football countries. For every match we prepare. We prepare match analysis, we look at the key players, we look about the style of playing. We look about who makes long passes, who takes corner kicks. So we analyse every single player and we analyse the matches, so we are prepared very well.
- The focus is on you, Bjorn, but you're very much a team. How essential is that?
- Teamwork is for me the most important part of refereeing because, of course I’m responsible and I’m the referee but I can’t do anything without my assistants. We can have 90 minutes of refereeing without any mistakes, and then nobody talks about the referee. But in order to achieve this we have to be prepared. Fortunately, my team has been working together for a long time, so we know each other very well – and that’s very important.
- Goal line technology is quite new. What kind of impact has it had on your work?
- Until now we haven’t had to use it. But we’ve had a very good explanation of the technology. We have a watch and when the ball crosses the line, it vibrates and beeps. This helps the referee in critical situations. It can only help us.
- Your father was a referee as well. Is this job in your blood?
- Yes, I think this job is in my blood. You have to be a personality, you have to manage a game, you have to manage the players and to do this you need to have a background in football; I was a football player – and you need management skills.
- Before this kind of match a player dreams to score a goal, or to do an assist. What’s yours?
- Well, that’s very simple. My dream is that after the final, nobody’s talking about the referee!
 
Source: FIFA

FIFA Confederations Cup Final 2013: Kuipers (NED)

30 June 2013

Final
Brazil – Spain
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Felix Brych (GER)
Reserve AR: Mark Borsch (GER)

Match for Third Place
Uruguay – Italy
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Redouane Achik (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG)
Fourth Official: Yuichi Nishimura (JPN)
Reserve AR: Toru Sagara (JPN)

UEFA Referees Categories 2013 (updated)

Elite
Martin Atkinson (ENG), Olegario Benquerenca (POR), Felix Brych (GER), Cuneyt Cakir (TUR), Mark Clattenburg (ENG), William Collum (SCO), Jonas Eriksson (SWE), Viktor Kassai (HUN), Pavel Kralovec (CZE), Bjorn Kuipers (NED), Stephane Lannoy (FRA), Milorad Mazic (SRB), Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR), Pedro Proenca (POR), Nicola Rizzoli (ITA), Gianluca Rocchi (ITA), Damir Skomina (SVN), Wolfgang Stark (GER), Paolo Tagliavento (ITA), Craig Thomson (SCO), Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP), Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP), Howard Webb (ENG).

Elite Development
Firat Aydinus (TUR), Deniz Aytekin (GER), Ivan Bebek (CRO), David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP), Antony Gautier (FRA), Manuel Grafe (GER), Tom Harald Hagen (NOR), Ovidiu Hategan (ROU), Matej Jug (SVN), Sergei Karasev (RUS), Bas Nijhuis (NED), Daniele Orsato (ITA), Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD), Marijo Strahonja (CRO), Istvan Vad (HUN).

First Category
Cristian Balaj (ROU), Luca Banti (ITA), Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS), Kevin Blom (NED), Serhiy Boiko (UKR), Marcin Borski (POL), Tony Chapron (FRA), Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP), Antonio Damato (ITA), Michael Dean (ENG), Simon Evans (WAL), Fredy Fautrel (FRA), Pawel Gil (POL), Huseyin Gocek (TUR), Duarte Gomes (POR), Serge Gumienny (BEL), Martin Hansson (SWE), Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL), Stefan Johannesson (SWE), Hannes Kaasik (EST), Anastasios Kakos (GRE), Alan Kelly (IRL), Sascha Kever (SUI), Michael Koukoulakis (GRE), Libor Kovarik (CZE), Ivan Kruzliak (SVK), Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR), Liran Liany (ISR), Robert Madden (SCO), Danny Makkelie (NED), Szymon Marciniak (POL), Andre Marriner (ENG), Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP), Gediminas Mazeika (LTU), Florian Meyer (GER), Aleksei Nikolaev (RUS), Michael Oliver (ENG), Robert Schorgenhofer (AUT), Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE), Jorge Sousa (POR), Daniel Stalhammar (SWE), Stephan Studer (SUI), Fernando Teixeira Vitienes (ESP), Stanislav Todorov (BUL), Leontios Trattou (CYP), Alexandru Tudor (ROU), Clement Turpin (FRA), Pol van Boekel (NED), Alon Yefet (ISR), Bulent Yildirim (TUR), Felix Zwayer (GER).

Second Category
Emir Aleckovic (BIH), Sandor Ando-Szabo (HUN), Ievgenii Aranovski (UKR), Marius Avram (ROU), John Beaton (SCO), Alain Bieri (SUI), Tamas Bognar (HUN), Marco Borg (MLT), Ruddy Buquet (FRA), Kevin Clancy (SCO), Mark Courtney (NIR), Andrea De Marco (ITA), Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP), Sebastien Delferiere (BEL), Oleksandr Derdo (UKR), Christian Dingert (GER), Neil Doyle (IRL), Oliver Drachta (AUT), Laurent Duhamel (FRA), Nerijus Dunauskas (LTU), Rene Eisner (AUT), Said Ennjimi (FRA), Aleksei Eskov (RUS), Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP), Mihaly Fabian (HUN), Marco Fritz (GER), Mattias Gestranius (FIN), Vlado Glodjovic (SRB), Serdar Gozubuyuk (NED), Eli Hacmon (ISR), Kenn Hansen (DEN), Arnold Hunter (NIR), Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR), Jakob Kehlet (DEN), Aleksandar Kostadinov (BUL), Istvan Kovacs (ROU), Stephan Klossner (SUI), Artyom Kuchin (KAZ), Maksim Layushkin (RUS), Harald Lechner (AUT), Michael Lerjeus (SWE), Richard Liesveld (NED), Robert Malek (POL), Menashe Masiah (ISR), Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA), Steven McLean (SCO), Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD), Vitaly Meshkov (RUS), Antti Munukka (FIN), Halis Ozkahya (TUR), Marios Panayi (CYP), Lee Probert (ENG), Pavle Radovanovic (MNE), Nicolas Rainville (FRA), Artur Soares Dias (POR), Anar Salmanov (AZE), Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR), Hubert Siejewicz (POL), Ilias Spathas (GRE), Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL), Martin Strombergsson (SWE), Padraigh Sutton (IRL), Anthony Taylor (ENG), Kristo Tohver (EST), Stavros Tritsonis (GRE), Richard Trutz (SVK), Jan Valasek (SVK), Paolo Valeri (ITA), Ognjen Valjic (BIH), Slavko Vincic (SVN), Ante Vucemilovic-Simunovic (CRO), Tobias Welz (GER), Carlos Xistra (POR), Nikolay Yordanov (BUL), Miroslav Zelinka (CZE).

Third Category
Anatoliy Abdula (UKR), Aliyar Aghayev (AZE), Alexandr Aliyev (KAZ), Sascha Amhof (SUI), Ioannis Anastasiou (CYP), Dennis Antamo (FIN), Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA), Petr Ardeleanu (CZE), Thorvaldur Arnason (ISL), Andranik Arsenyan (ARM), Kevin Azzopardi (MLT), Suren Baliyan (ARM), Damir Batinic (CRO), Mauro Bergonzi (ITA), Sven Bindels (LUX), Alexandre Boucaut (BEL), Johnny Casanova (SMR), Lars Christoffersen (DEN), Sebastian Coltescu (ROU), Raymond Crangle (NIR), Nikola Dabanovic (MNE), Sergiu Derenov (MDA), Vasilis Dimitriou (CYP), Vadims Direktorenko (LVA), Svein-Erik Edvartsen (NOR), Jerome Efong Nzolo (BEL), Andreas Ekberg (SWE), Hugo Ferreira Miguel (POR), Aleksander Gauzer (KAZ), Athanassios Giachos (GRE), Orel Grinfeld (ISR), Gerhard Grobelnik (AUT), Danilo Grujic (SRB), Leonardo Guidi (SMR), Tornike Gvantseladze (GEO), Dag Vidar Hafsas (NOR), Markus Hameter (AUT), Nikolaj Hanni (SUI), Tore Hansen (NOR), Alexander Harkam (AUT), Rahim Hasanov (AZE), Thoroddur Hjaltalin (ISL), Adrien Jacottet (SUI), Dejan Jakimovski (MKD), Jari Jarvinen (FIN), Lorenc Jemini (ALB), Michael Johansen (DEN), Gunnar Jonsson (ISL), Enea Jorgji (ALB), Bosko Jovanetic (SRB), Georgi Kabakov (BUL), Mete Kalkavan (TUR), Jovan Kaludjerovic (MNE), Vladimir Kazmenko (RUS), Thorsten Kinhofer (GER), Laurent Kopriwa (LUX), Yaroslav Kozyk (UKR), Peter Kralovic (SVK), Sergei Lapochkin (RUS), Jonathan Lardot (BEL), Bryn David Markham-Jones (WAL), Radek Matejek (CZE), Yuriy Mozharovskyy (UKR), Cesar Muniz Fernandez (ESP), Dumitru Muntean (MDA), Adam Nemeth (HUN), Christos Nicolaides (CYP), Euan Norris (SCO), Andreas Pappas (GRE), Bardhyl Pashaj (ALB), Radu Petrescu (ROU), Elmir Pilav (BIH), Clayton Pisani (MLT), Nikola Popov (BUL), Radek Prihoda (CZE), Igor Pristovnik (CRO), Pawel Raczkowski (POL), Petur Reinert (FAR), Chris Reisch (LUX), Robert Rogers (IRL), Eiko Saar (EST), Alan Sant (MLT), Joao Santos Capela (POR), Marco Santos Ferreira (POR), Igor Satchi (MDA), Dzianis Shcharbakou (BLR), Lasha Silagava (GEO), Baris Simsek (TUR), Sergejus Slyva (LTU), Wim Smet (BEL), Mervyn Smyth (NIR), Daniel Stefanski (POL), Andris Treimanis (LVA), Siarhei Tsynkevich (BLR), Michael Tykgaard (DEN), George Vadachkoria (GEO), Mikhail Vilkov (RUS), Ignasi Villamayor (AND), Anatoliy Vishnichenko (UKR), Vladimir Vnuk (SVK), Domagoj Vuckov (CRO), Milenko Vukadinovic (SRB), Mark Whitby (WAL), Luc Wouters (BEL), Mitja Zganec (SVN), Anatolii Zhabchenko (UKR).

Mazic promoted by UEFA to Elite

Referee Milorad Mazic (SRB, 40, photo) has been promoted by UEFA to the Elite Category. Matej Jug (SVN, 33) and Sergei Karasev (RUS, 34) have been promoted to the Elite Development, while Peter Rasmussen (DEN, 38) retired at the end of the last season. Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE, 34) has been promoted to the First Category, while Mark Courtney (NIR, 41) has been demoted to the Second Category. John Beaton (SCO, 31) and Stephan Klossner (SUI, 32) have been promoted to the Second Category, while Euan Norris (SCO, 36) has been relegated to the Third Category.

Recopa Sudamericana 2013

First Leg, 3 July 2013
Sao Paulo – Corinthians
Referee: Ricardo Marques (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kleber Gil (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pericles Cortez (BRA)

Second Leg, 17 July 2013
Corinthians – Sao Paulo

Referee: Paulo Oliveira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcio Santiago (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)

FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

27 June 2013
Spain – France
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Fourth Official: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

Ghana – USA
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)
Assistant Referee 1: Yaser Tulefat (BHR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ebrahim Saleh (BHR)
Fourth Official: Carlos Vera (ECU)

Korea – Nigeria
Referee: Peter O'Leary (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Hintz (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ravinesh Kumar (FIJ)
Fourth Official: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

Portugal – Cuba
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Clavijo (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Diaz (COL)
Fourth Official: Carlos Vera (ECU)

28 June 2013
Australia – Turkey
Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Camargo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)

El Salvador – Colombia
Referee: Neant Alioum (CMR)
Assistant Referee 1: Evarist Menkouande (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Edibe (NGA)
Fourth Official: Milorad Mazic (SRB)

Greece – Paraguay
Referee: Bakary Gassama (GAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Angesom Ogbamariam (ERI)
Assistant Referee 2: Felicien Kabanda (RWA)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)

Mali – Mexico
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Milorad Mazic (SRB)

29 June 2013
Iraq – Chile
Referee: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Annonier (FRA)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Williams (AUS)

Egypt – England
Referee: Antonio Arias (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Caceres (PAR)
Fourth Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)

Uzbekistan – Uruguay
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabor Eros (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Istvan Albert (HUN)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Williams (AUS)

Croatia – New Zealand
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)
Fourth Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)

FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 – Semi-finals

26 June 2013
Brazil – Uruguay
Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sergio Roman (CHI)
Fourth Official: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Reserve AR: William Torres (SLV)

27 June 2013
Spain – Italy
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Cann (ENG)
Fourth Official: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Reserve AR: Bertino Miranda (POR)

FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

24 June 2013
France – USA
Referee: Carlos Vera (ECU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)
Fourth Official: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)

Cuba – Nigeria
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabor Eros (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Istvan Albert (HUN)
Fourth Official: Sandro Ricci (BRA)

Spain – Ghana
Referee: Benjamin Williams (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Cream (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Hakan Anaz (AUS)
Fourth Official: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)

Portugal – Korea
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Leonel Leal (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Gerson Lopez (GUA)
Fourth Official: Sandro Ricci (BRA)

25 June 2013
Australia – El Salvador
Referee: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Annonier (FRA)

Fourth Official: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)

Mexico – Paraguay
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Fourth Official: Neant Alioum (CMR)


Turkey – Colombia
Referee: Noumandiez Doue (CIV)
Assistant Referee 1: Songuifolo Yeo (CIV)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean-Claude Birumushahu (BDI)
Fourth Official: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)

Mali – Greece
Referee: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Williamson (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Fourth Official: Neant Alioum (CMR)
 

26 June 2013
Chile – England
Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Assistant Referee 1: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Reza Sokhandan (IRN)
Fourth Official: Antonio Arias (PAR)

New Zealand – Uruguay
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Roberto Garcia (MEX)

Iraq – Egypt
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Fourth Official: Antonio Arias (PAR)

Croatia – Uzbekistan
Referee: Víctor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Johnny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Cesar Escano (PER)
Fourth Official: Roberto Garcia (MEX)

Irmatov admitted his technical error

The referee who awarded Italy a goal after first whistling for a penalty in the Confederations Cup match against Brazil has admitted he made a mistake, FIFA said on Sunday. Referee Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan blew his whistle to award Italy a penalty kick. A second later, as play continued, Giorgio Chiellini scored. Irmatov was seen pointing at the penalty mark, but then giving a goal. "He has admitted he made a mistake", said FIFA spokesman Pekka Odriozola.
Ravshan Irmatov, a widely respected referee, had been expected to have a chance to referee the Confederations Cup final next Sunday, but is now expected to be sent home along with his assistants, who also made two key errors in Saturday's game. Chiellini's goal brought the score to 3-2 to Brazil, but Brazil won the match 4-2. Odriozola said Irmatov had not made any excuses about his mistake, but had explained it by saying "while I was whistling for a penalty, out of the corner of my eye I saw the goal and I thought advantage should be played and awarded the goal".
In prestigious tournaments, refereeing teams rarely get the chance to make more than one major mistake. At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, English referee Graham Poll was sent home after showing three yellow cards to a Croatian defender, while compatriot Howard Webb was sent home when one of his assistants made an error at the Euro 2008. Webb recovered to referee the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa.
Irmatov, having blown for a penalty, stopped play and should only have restarted it with a penalty kick. Allowing play to continue, even for half a second or so, was a "technical error,'' Odriozola said. If the referee had waited for a moment, the delay would have allowed him to let play develop and give the goal by playing an advantage. Instead, he blew for the penalty, but then gave the goal, enraging Brazil's players. The mistake was compounded by each assistant, Abduxamidullo Rasulov from Uzbekistan and Bakhadyr Kochkarov of Kyrgyzstan, failing to signal offside for two Brazilian goals. Both mistakes were close, but should have been spotted. For some match officials, the mistakes raise the question of whether referees and assistants who officiate in less competitive leagues - like those in countries like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan - should be appointed to such high-octane matches.


Source: Sports Illustrated

FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

22 June 2013
Italy – Brazil
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Bakhadyr Kochkarov (KGZ)
Fourth Official: Yuichi Nishimura (JPN)
Reserve AR: Toru Sagara (JPN)

Japan – Mexico

Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Howard Webb (ENG)
Reserve AR: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)

UEFA Women’s Euro 2013

UEFA Women's Euro 2013 is just around the corner and the tournament referees and assistants have been this week at UEFA to receive last-minute instructions and recommendations, and fine-tune their preparations for the finals in Sweden between 10 and 28 July. UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina and UEFA Referees Committee members Bo Karlsson and Dagmar Damkova – the latter a former leading referee herself – were present in Nyon to give the match officials advice and recommendations, as well as experienced encouragement to stand them in good stead at the final round. "This is the last time the referees will meet before the EURO," Damkova told UEFA.com, "and this is the right time to give instructions, review topics we have already addressed and remind the referees about issues such as consistency. The workshop has also helped to motivate and refresh them for the job ahead. We are showing them that we are here for them." This week's workshop looked at many of the elements that the referees and assistants will need to be alert to and follow, to ensure high-quality performances in Sweden. These include changes to the Laws of the Game regarding offside, handball-related decisions, control and awareness of what is happening on the field, and the crucial teamwork and communication between referees and their assistants. "The biggest issue nowadays is offside. This will be the first event after the changes have come into force – it will be the first test for the girls," Damkova explained. "Handball is also a crucial topic and has been for a long while, as there can be different opinions about each situation. We are showing them the things they need to take into consideration and which must influence their final decisions." In addition, the delegates undertook fitness training at the Colovray Stadium opposite UEFA's headquarters, supervised by the UEFA referee fitness and training team led by Belgian expert Werner Helsen. The referees and assistants were also weighed during the workshop – another indicator of just how seriously UEFA is preparing its women match officials for life at the elite level. "Demands are getting higher and higher," said Damkova, "because nowadays the referees are not just match officials, but athletes as well. Nowadays they almost need the same care as football players." The female referees have welcomed UEFA's attention and approach as a vital step forward. "The UEFA Referees Committee wants to show that we care about women's referees," Damkova emphasised, "and we must not divide men's and women's refereeing, because areas such as offside and handball are the same for both. So the instructions are the same. Both the men's and women's referees appreciated the UEFA course in Rome because they were able to share ideas and experiences." Damkova gave words of encouragement to the referees and assistants as they now look towards July. "They will be working as a team on and off the pitch, in the hotel and at training sessions," she said. "They must trust in their knowledge and ability, and believe they can do it. They are at the top level, they must be self-confident – but they must not forget to enjoy the experience as well". (Source: UEFA)
Referees
1. Kirsi Heikkinen (FIN) 26/09/1978
2. Bibiana Steinhaus (GER) 24/03/1979
3. Katalin Kulcsar (HUN) 07/12/1984
4. Silvia Spinelli (ITA) 29/10/1970
5. Teodora Albon (ROU) 02/12/1977
6. Cristina Dorcioman (ROU) 07/08/1974
7. Jenny Palmqvist (SWE) 02/11/1969
8. Esther Staubli (SUI) 03/10/1979
9. Kateryna Monzul (UKR) 05/07/1981

Assistant Referees
1. Lucie Ratajova (CZE) 02/12/1979
2. Sian Massey (ENG) 05/10/1985
3. Tonja Paavola (FIN) 25/03/1977
4. Marina Wozniak (GER) 07/09/1979
5. Judit Kulcsar (HUN) 27/04/1980
6. Romina Santuari (ITA) 14/03/1974
7. Hege Steinlund (NOR) 23/12/1969
8. Petruta Iugulescu (ROU) 20/09/1979
9. Maria Sukenikova (SVK) 16/11/1975
10. Maria Villa Gutierrez (ESP) 14/05/1973
11. Helen Karo (SWE) 01/11/1974
12. Natalia Rachynska (UKR) 14/08/1970

Fourth Officials
1. Carina Vitulano (ITA) 22/07/1975
2. Esther Azzopardi Farrugia (MLT) 12/12/1981
3. Monika Mularczyk (POL) 28/06/1980

FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

21 June 2013
France – Ghana
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Clavijo (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Diaz (COL)
Fourth Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)

Cuba – Korea

Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Viktor Kassai (HUN)

USA – Spain

Referee: Bakary Gassama (GAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Angesom Ogbamariam (ERI)
Assistant Referee 2: Felicien Kabanda (RWA)
Fourth Official: Noumandiez Doue (CIV)

Nigeria – Portugal

Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Johnny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Cesar Escano (PER)
Fourth Official: Alberto Undiano (ESP)

22 June 2013
Colombia – Australia

Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjevic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

Turkey – El Salvador

Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)
Fourth Official: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)

Mexico – Greece

Referee: Peter O'Leary (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Hintz (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Ravinesh Kumar (FIJ)
Fourth Official: Benjamin Williams (AUS)

Paraguay – Mali

Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR)
Assistant Referee 1: Yaser Tulefat (BHR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ebrahim Saleh (BHR)
Fourth Official: Damir Skomina (SVN)

23 June 2013
Chile – Egypt

Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Fourth Official: Wilmar Roldan (COL)

New Zealand – Uzbekistan

Referee: Antonio Arias (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Caceres (PAR)
Fourth Official: Bakary Gassama (GAM)

England – Iraq

Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Camargo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Fourth Official: Victor Carrillo (PER)

Uruguay – Croatia

Referee: Neant Alioum (CMR)
Assistant Referee 1: Evarist Menkouande (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Edibe (NGA)
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani (IRN)

FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

19 June 2013
Brazil – Mexico
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Cann (ENG)
Fourth Official: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Reserve AR: Carlos Astroza (CHI)


Italy – Spain
Referee: Diego Abal (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Reserve AR: William Torres (SLV)

20 June 2013
Spain – Tahiti

Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Redouane Achik (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG)
Fourth Official: Felix Brych (GER)
Reserve AR: Stefan Lupp (GER)

Nigeria – Uruguay

Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Fourth Official: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Reserve AR: Bertino Miranda (POR)

Jug's perfect month

Matej Jug recently became a father again and on Tuesday the Slovenian will referee the Under-21 final in Israel – no surprise that he "will remember June 2013 forever". It is a time of major responsibility for Slovenian referee Matej Jug.
The 32-year-old has been tasked with handling Tuesday's UEFA European U-21 Championship final between Italy and Spain in Jerusalem, soon after celebrating the birth of his second son Miha. Jug told UEFA.com that the support of his family, and of countryman and UEFA Euro 2012 colleague Damir Skomina, is a "big motivation" for him.
- Congratulations on your appointment – how did you feel on hearing the news?

- Of course, it's great news, I'm delighted. It's a great honour for a referee to be at the final and of course, on the other side, a very big responsibility. Also, it is very important that the family supports you on your way [to these achievements] and my family does that a lot. In the last few days we have had a second child so that is one more special event for me: I will remember June 2013 forever. These things give you the motivation to be even better.
- How have you and your team enjoyed this tournament, and what challenges has it presented to you?

- Nowadays it's very important to have a very good team [of officials] because there must be cooperation between us, both on and off the pitch. So we try to find out positive and negative points, watch the clips of match situations, and analyse the teams in order to do our best on the field. Now it's important to prepare well for the final – football nowadays is at a very high level so we look at the teams in a tactical and technical way in order to try and be at our best.
- How important have your experiences been in UEFA matches and as part of Damir Skomina's team at UEFA Euro 2012?

- Of course, I have done some matches in the UEFA Europa League but I think this tournament is the biggest one after EURO. It's a very important step in my career and it will help me reach the next level – I'm very proud of being at this tournament. I can say that I learned a lot from Damir, he's one of the best referees at the moment. He gives me a lot of advice and also at Euro, it was a big tournament and an excellent experience for me. Damir has congratulated me [since the appointment] and was very happy there is a Slovenian referee who will officiate in the final.
- You have previously refereed a domestic cup final. How do you prepare for a big game?

- For me, every match is the same, whether it is played at a high or a low level. I go through the same routine so it is important to have your own style and your own preparation for a match.

Source: UEFA

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – AFC

18 June 2013

Australia – Iraq
Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Reza Sokhandan (IRN)
Fourth Official: Saeid Mozaffari (IRN)

Uzbekistan – Qatar
Referee: Peter Green (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Brad Hobson (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohd Mat Daud (MAS)
Fourth Official: Nagor Noor (MAS)

Jordan – Oman
Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Ilyasov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Mamur Saidkasimov (UZB)
Fourth Official: Vladislav Tseytlin (UZB)

Korea – Iran
Referee: Tan Hai (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mu Yuxin (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Huo Weiming (CHN)
Fourth Official: Ma Ning (CHN)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONCACAF

18 June 2013

USA – Honduras
Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde (SUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ramon Louisville (SUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Briere (CAN)
Fourth Official: Javier Santos (PUR)

Costa Rica – Panama
Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Garnet Page (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Dion Neil (TRI)
Fourth Official: David Gantar (CAN)

UEFA U-21 Euro Final 2013: Jug (SVN)

18 June 2013

Italy – Spain
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Halis Ozkahya (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Fourth Official: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

15 June 2013
Brazil – Japan
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Trigo (POR)
Fourth Official: Felix Brych (GER)

Reserve AR: Mark Borsch (GER)

16 June 2013
Mexico – Italy

Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sergio Roman (CHI)
Fourth Official: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG)
Reserve AR: Redouane Achik (MAR)

Spain – Uruguay
Referee: Yuchi Nishimura (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Toru Sagara (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Toshiyuki Nagi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Reserve AR: Sander van Roekel (NED)

17 June 2013
Nigeria – Tahiti

Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Fourth Official: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)

Reserve AR: Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (UZB)

UEFA U-21 Euro 2013 – Semi-finals

15 June 2013

Norway – Spain
Referee: Serhiy Boiko (UKR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Sebastien Delferiere (BEL)
Additional AR 2: Ilias Spathas (GRE)
Fourth Official: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)

Italy – Netherlands
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Additional AR 1: Kenn Hansen (DEN)
Additional AR 2: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)

Fourth Official: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CAF

14-16 June 2013

Congo DR – Cameroon
Referee: Badara DIATTA (SEN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Djibril CAMARA (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: El Hadji SAMBA (SEN)
Fourth official: Maguette NDIAYE (SEN)

Libya – Togo
Referee: Mohamed BENOUZA (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud BITAM (ALG)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed BECHIRENE (ALG)
Fourth official: Mohamed BICHARI (ALG)

Botswana – Central Africa
Referee: Juste ZIO (BFA)
Assistant Referee 1: Seydou TIAMA (BFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Max TOE (BFA)
Fourth official: Oumarou OUEDRAOGO (BFA)

Zambia – Sudan
Referee: Eric OTOGO-CASTANE (GAB)
Assistant Referee 1: Theophile VINGA (GAB)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean ENGONE (GAB)
Fourth official: Yves ROPONAT (GAB)

Congo – Burkina Faso
Referee: Rainhold SHIKONGO (NAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Benedictus NASHENDA (NAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Matheus KANYANGA (NAM)
Fourth official: Jonas SHONGEDI (NAM)

Uganda – Angola
Referee: Redouane JIYED (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdelaziz EL MEHRAJI (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed LAHMIDI (MAR)
Fourth official: Hicham TIAZI (MAR)

Liberia – Senegal
Referee: Davies OMWENO (KEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter SABATIA (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gilbert CHERUIYOT (KEN)
Fourth official: Moses OSANO (KEN)

Cape Verde – Sierra Leone
Referee: Anthony RAPHAEL (MWI)
Assistant Referee 1: Jones CHIMEZA (MWI)
Assistant Referee 2: Clemence KANDUKU (MWI)
Fourth official: Dennis NGULUWE (MWI)

Morocco – Gambia
Referee: El Fadil MOHAMED (SDN)
Assistant Referee 1: Waleed AHMED (SDN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammed HAMID (SDN)
Fourth official: Mutaz KHAIRALLA (SDN)

Tanzania – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Mehdi ABID (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hamza HAMMOU (ALG)
Assistant Referee 2: Bouabdallah OMARI (ALG)
Fourth official: Sofiane BOUSSETER (ALG)

Lesotho – Ghana
Referee: Thierry NKURUNZIZA (BDI)
Assistant Referee 1: Ramadhan NIJIMBERE (BDI)
Assistant Referee 2: Herve KAKUNZE (BDI)
Fourth official: Eric GASINZIGWA (BDI)

Mozambique – Egypt
Referee: Janny SIKAZWE (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno TEMBO (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Kabwe CHANSA (ZAM)
Fourth official: Wisdom CHEWE (ZAM)

Rwanda – Algeria
Referee: Yakhouba KEITA (GUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sidiki SIDIBE (GUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Aboubacar DOUMBOUYA (GUI)
Fourth official: Ahmed TOURE (GUI)

Ethiopia – South Africa
Referee: Mohamed FAROUK (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Ayman DEGAISH (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Tahssen ABO (EGY)
Fourth official: Mahmoud AHMED (EGY)

Equatorial Guinea – Tunisia
Referee: Bernard CAMILLE (SEY)
Assistant Referee 1: Hensley PETROUSSE (SEY)
Assistant Referee 2: Eldrick ADELAIDE (SEY)
Fourth official: Jean-Claude LABROSSE (SEY)

Mali – Benin
Referee: Bouchaib EL AHRACH (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Youssef MABROUK (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Bouazza ROUANI (MAR)
Fourth official: Noureddine EL JAAFARI (MAR)

Guinea – Zimbabwe
Referee: Hamada NAMPIANDRAZA (MAD)
Assistant Referee 1: Velomanana JINORO (MAD)
Assistant Referee 2: Pierre ANDRIVOAVONJY (MAD)
Fourth official: Abdoul KANOSO (MAD)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – UEFA

11 June 2013

Denmark – Armenia
Referee: Aleksei Nikolaev (RUS, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleg Tselovalnikov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitry Mosyakin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Mikhail Vilkov (RUS)

Sweden – Faroe Islands
Referee: Nikolai Yordanov (BUL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivan Valchev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Veselin Dobriyanov (BUL)
Fourth Official: Stanislav Todorov (BUL)

Belarus – Finland

Referee: Libor Kovarik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Krystof Mencl (CZE)

Assistant Referee 2: Jiri Molacek (CZE)
Fourth Official: Radek Matejek (CZE)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL

11 June 2013

Colombia – Peru
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Matos (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Referee Observer: Bomer Fierro (ECU)

Ecuador – Argentina
Referee: Enrique Caceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodney Aquino (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Referee Observer: Pablo Pozo (CHI)

Venezuela – Uruguay
Referee: Paulo Oliveira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Altemir Hausmann (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kleber Gil (BRA)

Fourth Official: Francisco Nascimento (BRA)
Referee Observer: Otalvaro Polanco (COL)

Chile – Bolivia
Referee: Dario Ubriaco (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran (URU)

Fourth Official: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Referee Observer: Antonio Pereira (BRA)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONCACAF

11 June 2013

USA – Panama
Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Camargo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jose Penaloza (MEX)

Mexico – Costa Rica

Referee Mark Geiger (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Hurd (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN)
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo (USA)

Honduras – Jamaica

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

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CAF

12 June 2013

Malawi – Kenya
Referee: Ali Adelaid (COM, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Suliman Amaldine (COM)
Assistant Referee 2: Abd Nanfoundine (COM)
Fourth Official: Noiret Bacari (COM)

Namibia – Nigeria
Referee: Mensur Maeruf (ERI)
Assistant Referee 1: Berhe Tesfagiorghis (ERI)
Assistant Referee 2: Hassan Egueh (DJI)
Fourth Official: Luelseghed Ghebremichael (ERI)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – AFC

11 June 2013

Iraq – Japan
Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (UZB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Ilyasov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Mamur Saidkasimov (UZB)
Fourth Official: Vladislav Tseytlin (UZB)

Korea – Uzbekistan

Referee: Minoru Tojo (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Hideo Nishio (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Shinji Ochi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Yudai Yamamoto (JPN)

Australia – Jordan

Referee: Abdul Bashir (SIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Yew Mun Tang (SIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jeffrey Gek (SIN)
Fourth Official: Muhammad Jahari (SIN)

Iran – Lebanon

Referee: Masaaki Toma (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Haruhiro Otsuka (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Akane Yagi (JPN)
Fourth Official: Jumpei Iida (JPN)

UEFA U-21 Euro 2013 – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

11 June 2013
Norway – Italy
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Additional AR 1: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Additional AR 2: Ilias Spathas (GRE)
Fourth Official: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Referee Observer: Dani Koren (ISR)

Israel – England
Referee: Serhiy Boiko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitry Zhuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Additional AR 1: Sebastien Delferiere (BEL)
Additional AR 2: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Fourth Official: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

12 June 2013
Spain – Netherlands
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Kenn Hansen (DEN)
Additional AR 2: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Fourth Official: Danny Krasikow (ISR)

Referee Observer: Vladimir Sajn (SVN)

Russia – Germany

Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Halis Ozkahya (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Fourth Official: Nissan Davidy (ISR)

Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

UEFA U-21 Euro 2013 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

8 June 2013
Italy – Israel
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Additional AR 2: Ilias Spathas (GRE)
Fourth Official: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

England – Norway
Referee: Serhiy Boiko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitry Zhuk (BLR)
Additional AR 1: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Additional AR 2: Halis Ozkahya (TUR)
Fourth Official: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Sajn (SVN)

9 June 2013
Netherlands – Russia
Referee: Antony Gautier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Additional AR 1: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Additional AR 2: Sebastien Delferiere (BEL)
Fourth Official: Nissan Davidy (ISR)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

Germany – Spain
Referee: Pawel Gil (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Kenn Hansen (DEN)
Additional AR 2: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Fourth Official: Danny Krasikow (ISR)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Sajn (SVN)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – UEFA

7 June 2013

Portugal – Russia
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Fourth Official: Slavko Vincic (SVN)

Belgium – Serbia
Referee: Stephane Lannoy (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Annonier (FRA)
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)

Czech Republic – Italy
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR)
Fourth Official: Svein Erik Edvartsen (NOR)

Austria – Sweden
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Fourth Official: Mauro Bergonzi (ITA)

Croatia – Scotland
Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Calvo Guadamuro (ESP)
Fourth Official: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)

Montenegro – Ukraine
Referee: Manuel Grafe (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Guido Kleve (GER)
Fourth Official: Florian Meyer (GER)

Armenia – Malta
Referee: Arnold Hunter (NIR)
Assistant Referee 1: Eamonn Shanks (NIR)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Storey (NIR)
Fourth Official: Mark Courtney (NIR)

Ireland – Faroe Islands
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Marko Hänninen (FIN)
Fourth Official: Dennis Antamo (FIN)

Switzerland – Cyprus
Referee: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Fourth Official: Luca Banti (ITA)

Albania – Norway
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: William Conquer (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Cryans (SCO)
Fourth Official: Robert Madden (SCO)

Iceland – Slovenia
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Detlef Scheppe (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Mike Pickel (GER)
Fourth Official: Christian Dingert (GER)

Azerbaijan – Luxembourg
Referee: Mihaly Fabian (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Istvan Albert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Berettyan (HUN)
Fourth Official: Sandor Ando-Szabo (HUB)

Latvia – Bosnia
Referee: Michael Dean (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Fourth Official: Martin Atkinson (ENG)

Lithuania – Greece
Referee: Olegario Benquerenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Santos (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Joao Santos (POR)
Fourth Official: Manuel De Sousa (POR)

Liechtenstein – Slovakia
Referee: Martin Strombergsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Henrik Andren (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Martin Hansson (SWE)

Moldova – Poland
Referee: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Victoriano Diaz Casado (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magan (ESP)
Fourth Official: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)


Finland – Belarus
Referee: Eli Hacmon (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Shabtai Nahmias (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dvir Shimon (ISR)
Fourth Official: Menashe Masiah (ISR)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONMEBOL

7 June 2013

Bolivia – Venezuela
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)
Fourth Official: Diego Ceballos (ARG)
Referee Observer: Manuel Yupanqui (PER)

Paraguay – Chile
Referee: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcio Santiago (BRA)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Marques (BRA)
Referee Observer: Abel Gnecco (ARG)

Argentina – Colombia
Referee: Marlon Escalante (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Fourth Official: Jose Argote (VEN)
Referee Observer: Luis Nieves (URU)

Peru – Ecuador
Referee: Marcelo Henrique (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Fabricio Vilarinho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pericles Cortez (BRA)
Referee Observer: Hebert Aguilera (BOL)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CAF

7-9 June 2013

Morocco – Tanzania
Referee: Daniel BENNETT (RSA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Zakhele SIWELA (RSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marwa RANGE (KEN)
Fourth official: Lwandile MFIKI (RSA)

Zimbabwe – Egypt
Referee: Bakary GASSAMA (GAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Angesom OGBAMARIAM (ERI)
Assistant Referee 2: Felicien KABANDA (RWA)
Fourth official: Bakary CAMARA (GAM)

Libya – Congo DR
Referee: Joshua BONDO (BOT)
Assistant Referee 1: Meshack MEDUPI (BOT)
Assistant Referee 2: Moemedi MONAKWANE (BOT)
Fourth official: Lekgotla JOHANNES (BOT)

Sudan – Ghana
Referee: Ousmane FALL (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Moussa DIAKHATE (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Serigne TOURE (SEN)
Fourth official: Malang DIEDHIOU (SEN)

Botswana – Ethiopia
Referee: Denis BATTE (UGA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark SSONKO (UGA)
Assistant Referee 2: Balikoowa NGOBI (UGA)
Fourth official: Ali KALYANGO (UGA)

Central Africa – South Africa
Referee: William AGBOVI (GHA)
Assistant Referee 1: Malik SALIFU (GHA)
Assistant Referee 2: David LARYEA (GHA)

Fourth official: Thomas NUNOO (GHA)

Zambia – Lesotho
Referee: Ali LEMGHAIFRY (MTN)
Assistant Referee 1: Abderahmane WARR (MTN)
Assistant Referee 2: El Hassane DIA (MTN)
Fourth official: Amadou THIAM (MTN)

Gabon – Congo
Referee: Ghead GRISHA (EGY)
Assistant Referee 1: Sherif HASSAN (EGY)
Assistant Referee 2: Tamer DORRY (EGY)
Fourth official: Mahmoud AHMED (EGY)

Angola – Senegal
Referee: Bernard CAMILLE (SEY)
Assistant Referee 1: Hensley PETROUSSE (SEY)
Assistant Referee 2: Gilbert LISTA (SEY)
Fourth official: Nelson FRED (SEY)

Uganda – Liberia
Referee: Adam CORDIER (CHA)
Assistant Referee 1: Issa YAYA (CHA)
Assistant Referee 2: Joel MBAIDEMADJI (CHA)
Fourth official: Biani IDRISS (CHA)

Sierra Leone – Tunisia
Referee: Eric OTOGO-CASTANE (GAB)
Assistant Referee 1: Theophile VINGA (GAB)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean ENGONE (GAB)
Fourth official: Yves ROPONAT (GAB)

Cape Verde – Equatorial Guinea
Referee: Helder MARTINS DE CARVALHO (ANG)
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson DOS SANTOS (ANG)
Assistant Referee 2: Julio DA SILVA (ANG)
Fourth official: Antonio MUACHIHUISSA (ANG)

Gambia – Cote D’Ivoire
Referee: Janny SIKAZWE (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno TEMBO (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Kabwe CHANSA (ZAM)
Fourth official: Wellington KAOMA (ZAM)

Niger – Burkina Faso
Referee: Tessema BAMLAK (ETH)
Assistant Referee 1: Kindie MUSSIE (ETH)
Assistant Referee 2: Kinfe YILMA (ETH)
Fourth official: Haileyesus BAZEZEW (ETH)

Togo – Cameroon
Referee: Rajindraparsad SEECHURN (MRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Balkrishna BOOTUN (MRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Vivian VALLY (MRI)
Fourth official: Ganesh CHUTOOREE (MRI)

Benin – Algeria
Referee: Neant ALIOUM (CMR)
Assistant Referee 1: Evarist MENKOUANDE (CMR)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter EDIBE (NGA)
Fourth official: Antoine EFFA (CMR)

Guinea – Mozambique
Referee: Kouame NDRI (CIV)
Assistant Referee 1: Moussa BAYERE (CIV)
Assistant Referee 2: Marius TAN (CIV)
Fourth official: Bienvenu SINKO (CIV)


Mali – Rwanda
Referee: Med KORDI (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Bechir HASSANI (TUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Anouar HMILA (TUN)
Fourth official: Nasrallah JAOUADI (TUN)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONCACAF

7 June 2013

Costa Rica – Honduras
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gerson Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Hermenerito Leal (GUA)
Fourth Official: Oscar Reyna (GUA)

Panama – Mexico
Referee: Walter Quesada (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Leonel Leal (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Octavio Jara (CRC)
Fourth Official: Jeffrey Solis (CRC)

Jamaica – USA
Referee: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Williamson (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Fourth Official: John Pitti (PAN)

UEFA U-21 Euro 2013 – Group Stage (Matchday 1)

5 June 2013
Israel – Norway
Referee: Pawel Gil (POL, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Vencel Toth (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivo Kolev (BUL)
Additional AR 1: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Additional AR 2: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Fourth Official: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

England – Italy

Referee: Antony Gautier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Additional AR 1: Sebastien Delferiere (BEL)
Additional AR 2: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Fourth Official: Dmitry Zhuk (BLR) 

Referee Observer: Vladimir Sajn (SVN)

6 June 2013
Spain – Russia
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Johann Gudmundsson (ISL)
Additional AR 1: Ilias Spathas (GRE)
Additional AR 2: Halis Ozkahya (TUR)
Fourth Official: Nissan Davidy (ISR)
Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

Netherlands – Germany
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitry Zhuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA)
Additional AR 1: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Additional AR 2: Kenn Hansen (DEN)
Fourth Official: Danny Krasikow (ISR)
Referee Observer: Hugh Dallas (SCO)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CAF

5 June 2013

Kenya – Nigeria
Referee: Noumandiez Doue (CIV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Songuifolo Yeo (CIV)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean Birumushahu (BDI)
Fourth Official: Denis Dembele (CIV)

Malawi – Namibia
Referee: Koman Coulibaly (MLI)
Assistant Referee 1: Balla Diarra (MLI)
Assistant Referee 2: Nouhoum Bamba (MLI)
Fourth Official: Ousmane Karembe (MLI)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – CONCACAF

4 June 2013

Jamaica – Mexico
Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Fourth Official: Elmer Bonilla (SLV)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers – AFC

4 June 2013

Japan – Australia

Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Yaser Tulefat (BHR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ebrahim Saleh (BHR)
Fourth official: Ali Abdulnabi (BHR)

Lebanon – Korea

Referee: Benjamin Williams (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Cream (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Hakan Anaz (AUS)
Fourth official: Christopher Beath (AUS)

Oman – Iraq

Referee: Kim Dong Jin (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jeong Hae Sang (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Yang Byoung Eun (KOR)
Fourth official: Kim Jonghyeok (KOR)

Qatar – Iran

Referee: Abdul Bashir (SIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Yew Mun Tang (SIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jeffrey Gek (SIN)
Fourth official: Mohd Bin Yaacob (MAS)