Neymar: A great honour for me to play alongside Messi, Xavi and Iniesta

Brazilian striker Neymar these days are filled with emotions, says the South American press.
Football left Santos and next season will defend the colors of FC Barcelona.

«Not yet fully understand, that means going to the best team in the world. A great honour for me to play alongside Messi, Xavi and Iniesta,fabregas,pedro as well as with all other players of FC Barcelona,» - Neymar said.
To recap, the new star of Brazilian football, and claimed Real Madrid. Royal Club offers the player the best financial terms, but he leaned in favor of the Catalans.

Vilanova insists on purchasing Thiago Silva

 Head coach of FC Barcelona Tito Vilanova continues to search for a central defender.
Steering blue-pomegranate really wanted to tap into the Paris Saint-Germain Thiago Silva.

 He said the Club's leadership that if it acquired the Brazilian player, the team nobody else wanted. Vilanova said that with the acquisition of new star of Brazilian football, and Thiago Silva, the blue-pomegranate will be at full strength for next season. He understood that the acquisition of a player from PSG is a very difficult task, but continues to insist on purchasing the player.

Cristiano Ronaldo: With Bale own words, adaptation is good

Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo attacking a hat-trick in the match of the first round of the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League against Galatasaray Istanbul, Welsh winger commented on the game Gareth Bale, who in this game came on as a substitute in the second half.

«We are just getting to know him, slowly gets used to Bale. It is only the beginning, because some time was without practice. With his own words, adaptation is good,» - said the Portuguese forward.

Ribery: It was a great game

French winger of Bayern Franck Ribery was pleased with the play of his team in winning the match of the first round of the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League against CSKA Moscow.

«Well, that scored three points and never missed. It was a great game. They sought high pressure, but we scored the first goal. It may be a little earlier scored the second goal. Bayern played with desire and heart. As for me personally, the game was good,» - said Ribery.

Antonio Conte: Copenhagen played at a level higher than I expected

Head coach of Juventus Antonio Conte admitted that he did not expect the Copenhagen a level of football that the Danish team showed in the first half, the match of the first round of the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League. The meeting ended in a draw, 1:1.

«Sit and realize that emotions are worse than a year ago, after a game with FC Nordsjælland. Juventus could easily win 5:1 or 6:1, but the game's goalkeeper who made a lot of saves, significantly complicated our lives. In the first half, Copenhagen played at a level higher than I expected, and this determined the outcome of the match,» - said the expert.

Adriano Galliani: Mario behave better and was on the field and off it

Vice President of AC Milan Adriano Galliani commented on the behavior of the command striker Mario Balotelli, who in his past teams often had problems with discipline and behavior beyond the football field.
«He feels great,

 

Adriano Galliani

 he's happy with everything. I don't want to talk alls the time about his behavior, but it seems to me, Mario behaved better and was on the field and off it. This is due to the fact that he plays now in the team that suffers from childhood. It is a matter of, best AC milan

Jose Mourinho: Mata needs to adapt to the game that we want to show

Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho told why Spanish midfielder player Juan Mata gets little playing time this season. So far only played three Mat matches Chelsea this season after spending on the field about 150 minutes.

«There are things that I can't talk to you. Mata played from the first minutes of the match with Everton, and you can analyze his game. He played against FC Basel 1893, having appeared on the field, not in order to save the game as Demba Ba and John Obi Mikel. Mata came out when we won with a score 1:0, and had specific tasks. He needs to adapt to the game that we want to show. My number 10 at the moment is the Oscar. And if someone says that Chelsea's best player since the beginning of the season is not Oscar, I don't agree with him,» - Mourinho said.
The match Chelsea- Basel, held on 18 September, in the first round of the group stage of the Champions League 2013, Mourinho's men defeat - 1:2.

Craig Thomson appointed for 2013 FIFA U17 WC Final

According to the Scottish FA, Craig Alexander Thomson has been appointed for the final match of the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup, to be played between Nigeria and Mexico at  Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on 8 November 2013. He will be assisted by his countrymen Derek Rose and Alan Mulvanny.

Craig Thomson will handle the final game of U17 WC (c) scottishfa.co.uk

A FIFA referee since 2003, this year Thomson joined his second FIFA U17 WC, after the experience made in 2007 in South Korea.  Prior to this final appointment, he had officiated two matches in the competition: Uruguay - Ivory Coast in the group stage, and Morocco - Ivory Coast (full African clash) in the Round of 16.
Norbert Hauata from Tahiti  has received the honor to act as fourth official, while the reserve assistant referee will be Mark Rule from New Zealand.


08 November 2013, 17:00 CET (Abu Dhabi)
Mexico - Nigeria
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Derek Rose (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Fourth Official: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
Reserve AR: Mark Rule (NZL)


At the same time, Badara Diatta from Senegal has been appointed by FIFA for the third place match, to be played between Sweden and Argentina. He will be assisted by his regular assistants Djibril Camara and El Hadjii Samba. To complete the officiating crew, Pavel Královec  will work as fourth official, while Martin Wilczek  as reserve assistant referee (both from Czech Republic).


08 November 2013, 14:00 CET (Abu Dhabi)
Sweden - Argentina
Referee: Badara Diatta (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Djibril Camara (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: El Hadji Samba (SEN)
Fourth Official: Pavel Královec (CZE)
Reserve AR: Martin Wilczek (CZE)

Felix Brych and Jonas Eriksson to handle Intercontinental Play-Off 2nd legs

German Felix Brych and Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson have been assigned by FIFA to oversee the second legs of the World Cup Play-Offs between New Zealand and Mexico and Uruguay and Jordan respectively.

After the first leg played in Estadio Azteca that will be controlled by Viktor Kassai, it will be Germany's Felix Brych who will have the honour to take charge of the second leg in Wellington, New Zealand. He will be accompanied by Mark Borsch and Stefan Lupp as assistant referees and by Marco Fritz as fourth official. Russian Nikolay Levnikov will be the referee observer.
For the doctor in law from Munich, it will be his second play-off of his career, having handled the match between Ireland and France in Dublin in 2009.

Meanwhile, Eriksson will be assisted by Mathias Klasenius and Daniel Wärnmark on the sidelines, while Stefan Johannesson has been nominated to control the benches as fourth official. Greek Kyros Vassaras will observe and assess the referee team. The match will be kicked-off at 21 November 2013 at midnight of CET.

The first leg will be handled by Norway's Svein Oddvar Moen, so that two Scandinavians have been assigned for this high-profile and potentially intense duel. Massimo Busacca, who made this appointment, knows this stadium in Montevideo best himself: he handled Uruguay's World Cup qualification versus Costa Rica four years ago.

20 November 2013, 07:00 CET
Westpac Stadium, Wellington (NZL)
New Zealand - Mexico
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Fourth Official: Marco Fritz (GER)
Referee Observer: Nikolay Levnikov (RUS)

21 November 2013, 00:00 CET

Estadio Centenario, Montevideo (URU) 

Uruguay - Jordan

Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)

Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)

Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE)

Fourth Official: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)

Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

source: Árbitro Internacional

UEFA Europa League 2013/14 - Referee Appointments - MD4

UEFA has revealed all the officials appointed for the Matchday 4 of 2013-14 UEFA Europa League. Among others, two referees will make their debut in this phase of the competition: Italian Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni  and Ruddy Buquet from France.

Antti Munukka, observed by Kyros Vassaras in Dnipro - Paços Ferreira(c) palloliitto.fi

Group D, 7 November 2013, 18:00 CET
Stadium: Centralniy Stadion, Kazan (RUS)
Rubin - Wigan
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Orkun Aktaş (TUR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Halis Özkahya (TUR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Süleyman Abay (TUR)
Fourth Official: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Juan Antonio Fernandez Marin (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: Velid Imamović  (BIH)

Group A, 7 November 2013, 18:00 CET
Stadium: Kuban, Krasnodar (RUS)
Kuban - Swansea
 Referee: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Alain Hoxha (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthias Winsauer (AUT)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Harald Lechner (AUT)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Rene Eisner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Andreas Witschnigg (AUT)
UEFA Referee Observer: Lassin Isaksen  (FRO)
UEFA Delegate: Targo Kaldoja  (EST)

Group A, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Arena St Gallen, St Gallen (SUI)
St Gallen - Valencia
 Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitri Zhuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrei Getikov (BLR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Denis Scherbakov (BLR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Sergei Tsinkevich (BLR)
Fourth Official: Vitali Malyutin (BLR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel  (GER)
UEFA Delegate: Tugomir Frajman  (SVN)

Group B, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia (BUL)
Ludogorets - Chornomorets Odesa
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Flink (SWE)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)
Fourth Official: Magnus Sjöblom (SWE)
UEFA Referee Observer: Neale Barry  (ENG)
UEFA Delegate: Irakli Nakaidze  (GEO)

Group B, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: PSV Stadion, Eindhoven (NED)
PSV - Dinamo Zagreb
Referee: Cristian Balaj (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Alexandru Dan Tudor (ROU)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: István Kovács (ROU)
Fourth Official: Octavian Sovre (ROU)
UEFA Referee Observer: Robert Jeurissen  (BEL)
UEFA Delegate: David Roger Griffiths  (WAL)

Group C, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Sport og Event Park Esbjerg, Esbjerg (DEN)
Esbjerg - Elfsborg
Referee: Serhiy Boiko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Korniyko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Volodymyr Volodin (UKR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Yevhen Aranovskiy (UKR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
Fourth Official: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)
UEFA Delegate: Leonid Kaloshin  (RUS)

Group C, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liege (BEL)
Standard Liège - Salzsburg
Referee: Aleksei Nikolaev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleg Tselovalnikov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitri Mosyakin (RUS)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Mikhail Vilkov (RUS)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Sergei Lapochkin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Aleksei Lebedev (RUS)
UEFA Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan  (ARM)
UEFA Delegate: Andreas Akkelides  (CYP)

Group D, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Stadion Ljudski vrt, Maribor (SVN)
Maribor - Zulte Wagerem
Referee: Libor Kovařik (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Krystof Mencl (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Jiří Moláček (CZE)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Radek Příhoda (CZE)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Michal Paták (CZE)
Fourth Official: Patrik Filipek (CZE)
UEFA Referee Observer: Dušan Krchnak  (SVK)
UEFA Delegate: George Fantaros  (CYP)

Group E, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Dnipro Arena, Dnipropetrovsk (UKR)
Dnipro - Paços Ferreira
Referee: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matti Heininen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Dennis Antamo (FIN)
Fourth Official: Jukka Honkanen (FIN)
UEFA Referee Observer:  Kyros Vassaras (GRE)
UEFA Delegate: Yauheni Tratsiuk  (BLR)

Group E, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca (ROU)
Pandurii - Fiorentina
Referee: Tasos Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Christos Akrivos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Damianos Efthimiadis (GRE)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Ilias Spathas (GRE)
Fourth Official: Dimitrios Gagas (GRE)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jean Lemmer (LUX)
UEFA Delegate: José Luis López Serrano  (ESP)

Group F, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: GSP Stadium, Nicosia (CYP)
APOEL - Bordeaux
Referee: Sébastien Delferiere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Yves De Neve (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Frederick Stalport (BEL)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Jonathan Lardot (BEL)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Christof Dierick (BEL)
Fourth Official: Danny Huens (BEL)
UEFA Referee Observer: David R. Elleray  (ENG)
UEFA Delegate: Ghenadie Scurtul  (MDA)

Group F, 7 November 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Bloomfield, Tel Aviv (ISR)
M. Tel-Aviv - Eintracht Frankfurt
Referee: Serge Gumienny (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank Bleyen (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kristof Meers (BEL)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Luc Wouters (BEL)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Alexandre Boucaut (BEL)
Fourth Official: Jimmy Cremers (BEL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Gylfi Thor Orrason  (ISL)
UEFA Delegate: Jevgenijs Milevskis  (LVA)

Group G, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna (AUT)
Rapid Wien - Genk
Referee: Fırat Aydınus (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Serkan Ok (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Alek Tascioglu (TUR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Tolga Özkalfa (TUR)
Fourth Official: Çem Satman (TUR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Rodger Gifford  (WAL)
UEFA Delegate: Thomas Weyhing  (GER)

Group G, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Arena Thun, Thun (SUI)
Thun - Dinamo Kiyv
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Dansault (FRA)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Olivier Thual (FRA)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Benoit Bastien (FRA)
Fourth Official: Fredji Harchay (FRA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Nikolay Levnikov  (RUS)
UEFA Delegate: Peter Lundström  (FIN)

Group H, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville (ESP)
Sevilla - Liberec 
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Paweł Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Additional Assistant  Referee 1: Paweł Raczkowski (POL)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Musiał (POL)
Fourth Official: Radosław Siejka (POL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Nuno Castro  (POR)
UEFA Delegate: Ilja Kaenzig  (SUI)

Group H, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: António Coimbra Da Mota, Estoril (POR)
Estoril - Freiburg 
 Referee: Marcin Borski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafal Rostkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Mucha (POL)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Stefanski (POL)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Fourth Official:  Krzysztof Myrmus  (POL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)  
UEFA Delegate: Svein Johannessen  (NOR)

Group I, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Kantrida, Rijeka (CRO)
Rijeka - Lyon  
Referee: Alon Yefet (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: Danny Krasikow (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Nissan Davidy (ISR)
Additional Assistant Referee  1: Orel Grinfeld (ISR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Ziv Adler (ISR)
Fourth Official: Dvir Shimon (ISR)  
 UEFA Referee Observer: Sergey Zuev  (RUS)
UEFA Delegate: Michael Kirchner  (GER)

Group I, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimaraes (POR)
Guimarães - Betis
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Carmine Russo (ITA)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Domenico Celi (ITA)
Fourth Official: Nicola Nicoletti (ITA) 
 UEFA Referee Observer: Peter Mikkelsen (DEN)
UEFA Delegate: Lucien Kayser  (LUX)

Group J, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw (POL)
Legia - Trabzonspor
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Laurent Stien (FRA)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Fourth Official: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González  (ESP)
UEFA Delegate: Dusan Tittel  (SVK)

Group J, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico, Rome (ITA)
Lazio - Apollon
Referee: Bobby Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Stevenson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: David Mcgeachie (SCO)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Steven McLean (SCO)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Brian Colvin (SCO)
Fourth Official: Alastair Mather (SCO) 
 UEFA Referee Observer: Jørn West Larsen  (DEN)
UEFA Delegate: Ariel Kenneth Scheiman  (ISR)

Group K, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Alfheim, Tromso (NOR)
Tromsø - Anji
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Davie Goossens (NED)
Assistant  Referee 2: Bas van Dongen (NED)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Kevin Blom (NED)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Kamphuis Jochem (NED)
Fourth Official: Charles Schaap (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski  (POL)
UEFA Delegate: Sergei Ilyich  (BLR)

Group K, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: White Hart Lane, London (ENG)
Tottenham - Sheriff
Referee: Kenn Hansen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Lars Rix (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: David Vang Andersen (DEN)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Jens Maae (DEN)
Fourth Official: Daniel R. Nørgaard (DEN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis  (CYP)
UEFA Delegate: Karl-Erik Nilsson  (SWE)
 
Group L, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: AZ Stadion, Alkmaar (NED)
AZ - Shakhter
Referee: Martin Hansson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Wittberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Henrik Andren (SWE)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Pandžić (SWE)
Fourth Official: Fredrik Nilsson (SWE)
UEFA Referee Observer: Michael Argyrou (CYP)
UEFA Delegate: Peadar Ryan (IRL)

Group L, 7 November 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Itztadion Kiryat Eliezer, Haifa (ISR)
M. Haifa - PAOK
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christoph Bornhorst (GER)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Siebert (GER)
Fourth Official: Stefan Lupp (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Sándor Piller  (HUN)
UEFA Delegate: Christian Kofoed  (DEN)

UEFA Champions League 2013/14 - Referee Appointments - MD4 (Wednesday)

These are the referee appointments for the Wednesday matches of UEFA Champions League matchday 3, featuring Björn Kuipers and Milorad Mažić (SRB) for the two most relevant ties of this matchday.

(ENG) CHELSEA FC			SCHALKE 04 (GER)
Wednesday, 06 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Stamford Bridge, London (ENG) Group E
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR) Assistant Referee 1: Kim Thomas Haglund (NOR) Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andås (NOR) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Svein-Erik Edvartsen (NOR) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Ola Hobber Nilsen (NOR) Fourth Official: Leif Erik Opland (NOR) UEFA Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA) UEFA Delegate: Andrey Medintsev (BUL) Blog Referee Observer: Chefren (ITA)

(SUI) FC BASEL			STEAUA (ROU)
Wednesday, 06 November 2013, 20:45 CET, St. Jakob-Park, Basel (SUI) Group E
Referee: Olegário Benquerença (POR) Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Santos (POR) Assistant Referee 2: Rui Tavares (POR) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Manuel De Sousa (POR) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Artur Soares Dias (POR) Fourth Official: João Santos (POR) UEFA Referee Observer: Manuel López Fernández (ESP) UEFA Delegate: Benny Jacobsen (DEN) Blog Referee Observer: Nur (ENG)

(GER) BORUSSIA DORTMUND			ARSENAL FC (ENG)
Wednesday, 06 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Westfalenstadion, Dortmund (GER) Group F
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED) Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED) Assistant Referee 2: Erwin E. J. Zeinstra (NED) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Pol van Boekel (NED) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Richard Liesveld (NED) Fourth Official: Angelo Boonman (NED) UEFA Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE) UEFA Delegate: Dag Steinar Vestlund (NOR) Blog Referee Observer: Edward (GRE)

(ITA) SSC NAPOLI			OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE (FRA)
Wednesday, 06 November 2013, 20:45 CET, San Paolo, Naples (ITA) Group F
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS) Assistant Referee 1: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS) Assistant Referee 2: Anton Averianov (RUS) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Maksim Layushkin (RUS) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Vitaly Meshkov (RUS) Fourth Official: Nikolay Golubev (RUS) UEFA Referee Observer: Wilfried Heitmann (GER) UEFA Delegate: Danijel Jošt (SVN) Blog Referee Observer: Nur H. (ENG)

(RUS) ZENIT ST PETERSBURG			FC PORTO (POR)
Wednesday, 06 November 2013, 18:00 CET, Petrovskiy Stadion, St Petersburg (RUS) Group G
Referee: Tom Harald Hagen (NOR) Assistant Referee 1: Dag-Roger Nebben (NOR) Assistant Referee 2: Jan Erik Engan (NOR) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Dag Vidar Hafsås (NOR) Fourth Official: Sven Erik Midthjell (NOR) UEFA Referee Observer: Christos Skapoullis (CYP) UEFA Delegate: Teuvo Holopainen (FIN) Blog Referee Observer: Niclas (GER)

(ESP) ATLÉTICO MADRID			AUSTRIA WIEN (AUT)
Wednesday, 06 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid (ESP) Group G
Referee: István Vad (HUN) Assistant Referee 1: István Albert (HUN) Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Tóth (HUN) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Tamás Bognar (HUN) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Mihaly Fabián (HUN) Fourth Official:  László Viszokai (HUN) UEFA Referee Observer: Alan Freeland (SCO) UEFA Delegate: Jacob Erel (ISR) Blog Referee Observer: Niclas (GER)

(NED) AJAX AMSTERDAM			CELTIC GLASGOW (SCO)
Wednesday, 06 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam (NED) Group H
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER) Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER) Assistant Referee 2: Markus Häcker (GER) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Tobias Welz (GER) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Bastian Dankert (GER) Fourth Official:  Holger Henschel (GER) UEFA Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST) UEFA Delegate: Luca Zorzi (SUI) Blog Referee Observer: Chefren (ITA)

(ESP) FC BARCELONA			AC MILAN (ITA)
Wednesday, 06 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Camp Nou, Barcelona (ESP) Group H
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB) Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristić (SRB) Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjević (SRB) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Grujić (SRB) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Miodrag Gogić (SRB) Fourth Official: Milan Minić (SRB) UEFA Referee Observer: Vlado Sajn (SVN) UEFA Delegate: Janis Mežeckis (LVA)  Blog Referee Observer: Nikos (ENG)

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2013 Semifinals - Referee Appointments

Thanks to Árbitro Internacional, the referee appointments for the semifinals of FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2013 in UA Emirates are already known. Italian Gianluca Rocchi will take charge of the sonorous Argentina - Mexico clash that was handled twice by his countryman Roberto Rosetti (Confed Cup 2005 and World Cup 2010), while Brazilian Heber Lopes has been assigned for the other match between Sweden and Nigeria.

05 November 2013, 14:00 CET (Abu Dhabi)
Argentina - Mexico
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Fourth Official: Khalil Al Ghamdi (KSA)
Reserve AR: Badr Al Shumrani (KSA)

05 November 2013, 17:00 CET (Dubai)
Sweden - Nigeria
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha De Matos (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
Reserve AR: Tevita Makasini (TGA)

Be Honest as a Referee

As often stressed in this blog, referees are humans and may make mistakes like players are doing as well. Sometimes, referees might have an immediate feeling and impression about whether there decision has been right or wrong. The best recipe is to forget about that and to not even allow such a process of doubts in order to not be influenced by it in any way. Things are different though when referees are advised to change their mind by their assistant referees. Florian Meyer has experienced that last Friday.

In the 42nd minute in the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart, an away team forward entered the penalty area and was allegedly touched and fouled by a Dortmund defender (Großkreutz). Meyer whistled, hesitated and then started to point to the spot. He was surrounded by players from both teams and then decided to correct his own decision. No penalty, no simulation! (You can watch this video starting at match minute 41:20).

In a post-match interview, Meyer stated: "I have whistled too early. My referee team have then informed me that it had not been a penalty from their point of view. I have never done something like that, but it was the correct decision". De facto, it was AR2 Christoph Bornhorst (FIFA) who advised Meyer to change his mind. One may well doubt whether this potential challenge happened in his area of responsibility or vicinity, but in the end, the decision was indeed correct. Stuttgart manager Bobic ironically commented: "This assistant must have the eyes of an eagle." 

Of course this situation should be avoided, but in fact such scenarios are inevitable. They can and will happen, like they happened to Antony Gautier in a EL match this season.

Finally Meyer correctly re-started the match with a dropped ball as featured by the Laws of the Game. He still found the time and had the courage to explain his decision to the furious Stuttgart players. And this should be the essence of this post:
If your assistants are sure that you have made a clear mistake, change your mind. Law 5 allows that. Don't stick to your original decision being clearly told that it had been wrong. Be honest enough to admit your humaneness to the players (and on the highest level, also to the supporters). Doing that is a strength and may help you to increase the respect you are savouring from that. And if then the final decision is even correct, what do you want more?

UEFA Champions League 2013/14 - Referee Appointments - MD4 (Tuesday)

UEFA Referee Committee have appointed six Elite Group officials, one Elite Development Group and one First Group referee who will take charge of Tuesday's matches in UEFA Champions League matchday 3.

(ESP) REAL SOCIEDAD			MANCHESTER UTD.
Tuesday, 05 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Anoeta, San Sebastián (ESP) Group A
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA) Assistant Referee 1: Renato Faverani (ITA) Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Stefani (ITA) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Andrea De Marco (ITA) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Paolo Valeri (ITA) Fourth Official: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA) UEFA Referee Observer: Michel Vautrot (FRA) UEFA Delegate: Gunther De Saedeleer (BEL) Blog Referee Observer: Niclas (GER)

(UKR) SHAKHTAR DONETSK			BAYER LEVERKUSEN (GER)
Tuesday, 05 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Donbass Arena, Donetsk (UKR) Group A
Referee: William Collum (SCO) Assistant Referee 1: Martin Cryans (SCO) Assistant Referee 2: William Conquer (SCO) Additional Assistant Referee 1: John Beaton (SCO) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Clancy (SCO) Fourth Official: Graham Chambers (SCO) UEFA Referee Observer: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE) UEFA Delegate: Ivan Borissov Lekov (BUL) Blog Referee Observer: Nur H. (ENG)

(ITA) JUVENTUS			REAL MADRID (ESP)
Tuesday, 05 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Juventus Stadium, Turin (ITA) Group B
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG) Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG) Assistant Referee 2: Darren Cann (ENG) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Anthony Taylor (ENG) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Michael Jones (ENG) Fourth Official: Jake Collin (ENG) UEFA Referee Observer: Paul Allaerts (BEL) UEFA Delegate: Pierino Lardi (SUI) Blog Referee Observer: Edward (GRE)

(DEN) FC KØBENHAVN			GALATASARAY (TUR)
Tuesday, 05 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Parken Stadion, Copenhagen (DEN) Group B
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG) Assistant Referee 1: Peter Kirkup (ENG) Assistant Referee 2: Simon Long (ENG) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Andre Marriner (ENG) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Friend (ENG) Fourth Official: Stuart Burt (ENG) UEFA Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR) UEFA Delegate: Dennis Cruise (IRL) Blog Referee Observer: Niclas (GER)

(GRE) OLYMPIACOS			SL BENFICA (POR)
Tuesday, 05 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Georgios Karaiskakis, Piraeus (GRE) Group C
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN) Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Ul (SVN) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Ponis (SVN) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Dragoslav Perič (SVN) Fourth Official: Primož Arhar (SVN) UEFA Referee Observer: Michael Riley (ENG) UEFA Delegate: Wolfgang Thierrichter (AUT) Blog Referee Observer: Chefren (ITA)

(FRA) PARIS SG			RSC ANDERLECHT (BEL)
Tuesday, 05 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Parc des Princes, Paris (FRA) Group C
Referee: Marijo Strahonja (CRO) Assistant Referee 1: Siniša Premužaj (CRO) Assistant Referee 2: Igor Krmar (CRO) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Ante Vučemilović-Šimunović Jr. (CRO) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Igor Pristovnik (CRO) Fourth Official: Ivica Modrić (CRO) UEFA Referee Observer: Charles Agius (MLT) UEFA Delegate: Markus Stenger (GER) Blog Referee Observer: Philipp (GER)

(ENG) MANCHESTER CITY			CSKA MOSKVA (RUS)
Tuesday, 05 November 2013, 20:45 CET, City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester (ENG) Group D
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP) Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP) Assistant Referee 2: Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez (ESP) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP) Fourth Official: Roberto Díaz Pérez Del Palomar (ESP)   UEFA Referee Observer: Donald McVicar (SCO) UEFA Delegate: Isak Mikladal (FRO) Blog Referee Observer: Philipp (GER)

(CZE) VIKTORIA PLZEN			FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN (GER)
Tuesday, 05 November 2013, 20:45 CET, Štruncovy Sady Stadión, Plzen (CZE) Group D
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP) Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devis (ESP) Assistant Referee 2: Javier Aguilar Rodríguez (ESP) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP) Additional Assistant Referee 2: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP) Fourth Official: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP) UEFA Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED) UEFA Delegate: Milovan Djukanović (MNE) Blog Referee Observer: Chefren (ITA)