Referees for Champions League Quarterfinals First Legs are revealed

UEFA has appointed their Elite Group match officials Mark Clattenburg (England), Wolfgang Stark (Germany), Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) and Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway) to take control over this week's UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals first legs.

Wolfgang Stark in charge of PSG-Barcelona (c) Süddeutsche.de

(FRA) Paris Saint-Germain	20:45	FC Barcelona (ESP)
02 April 2013, 20:45 CET – Parc des Princes, Paris, France
Referee	Wolfgang Stark (GER)
Assistant Referee 1	Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)
Assistant Referee 2	Mike Pickel (GER)
Additional Assistant Referee 1	Felix Zwayer (GER)
Additional Assistant Referee 2	Guido Winkmann (GER)
Fourth Official	Mark Borsch (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer	Francesco Bianchi (SUI)
UEFA Delegate	Danilo Filacchione (ITA)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer	Michel Lebrun (FRA)

(GER) Bayern München	20:45	Juventus Turin (ITA)
02 April 2013, 20:45 CET – AllianzArena, Munich, Germany
Referee	Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1	Simon Beck (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2	Stephen Child (ENG)
Additional Assistant Referee 1	Mike Dean (ENG)
Additional Assistant Referee 2	Andre Marriner (ENG)
Fourth Official	Darren Cann (ENG)
UEFA Referee Observer	Jozef Marko (SVK)
UEFA Delegate	Michal Listkiewicz (POL)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer	Josef Maier (GER)

(ESP) Real Madrid	20:45	Galatasaray (TUR)
03 April 2013, 20:45 CET – Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Referee	Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1	Kim Thomas Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2	Frank Andås (NOR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1	Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2	Svein-Erik Edvartsen (NOR)
Fourth Official	Sven Erik Midthjell (NOR)
UEFA Referee Observer	Eugen Strigel (GER)
UEFA Delegate	Barry Bright (ENG)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer	Raúl Masso Zambudio (ESP)

(ESP) Málaga CF	20:45	Borussia Dortmund (GER)
03 April 2013, 20:45 CET – La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain
Referee	Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1	Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2	Daniel Wärnmark (SWE)
Additional Assistant Referee 1	Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Additional Assistant Referee 2	Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)
Fourth Official	Stefan Wittberg (SWE)
UEFA Referee Observer	Zdravko Jokić (SRB)
UEFA Delegate	Cornel Cristian Bivolaru (ROU)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer	Manuel Díaz Morales (ESP)

(UEFA) Referee Quiz

Test your knowledge of the Laws of the Game and of the recent UEFA refereeing history! You find the solution word at the bottom!

The referee indicates that there is no additional time. What action should the fourth official take?

W) He indicates "0" on the board.

S) He should inform the match commissioner.

S) He should report it to the appropriate authorities.

W) He should do nothing.

According to Law 10 a goal is scored when the ball has fully crossed the goal line between the posts and below the crossbar unless:

I) The scoring team has infringed the Laws of the Game immediately prior to scoring the goal

A) The goal is scored by a player in his own goal during the taking of a direct free kick.

T) The ball comes from a free kick.

E) Answers I and A are correct.

A defender starts holding an attacker outside the penalty area but stops holding just inside the penalty area. What decision should the referee make?

M) The referee awards a penalty kick.

O) The referee awards a direct free kick as the action of holding started outside the penalty area.

H) The referee awards an indirect free kick inside the penalty area.

C) Play continues.

An attacker with an obvious goal scoring opportunity heads the ball. At this moment his shirt is pulled by an opponent. The referee applies advantage. The ball is passed directly to a team-mate who scores a goal. What decision should the referee make?

U) The referee allows the goal and does not take any disciplinary action.

A) The referee disallows the goal, cautions the opponent for preventing the attacker gaining possession of the ball by holding on to his shirt and awards a direct free kick or penalty kick.

B) The referee allows the goal and cautions the opponent for unsporting behaviour.

Y) The answers A and B are correct.

What action should the referee take if, upon taking a free kick, a player starts to move or gesticulate, in order to distract an opponent?

L) He does not take any action, as long as the player in question keeps at the statutory distance and does not impede the ball being put into play.

D) Awards an indirect free-kick and cautions the player in question for unsporting behaviour.

L) Cautions the player in question for unsporting behaviour.

K) He does not take any action, because the Laws of the Game do not indicate anything regarding this.

How many referees are currently belonging to the highest UEFA referee group, the Elite group?

H) 19 referees.

G) 20 referees.

C) 21 referees.

E) 22 referees.

Which active assistant referee has, according to the amount of matches he was involved in (51), the biggest Champions League experience?

Y) Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)

N) Jesús Calvo Guadamuro (ESP)

T) Bertino Cunha Miranda (POR)

B) Mike Mullarkey (ENG)

Who of the following match officials attended NO UEFA mini-tournament in his career so far (U-17, U-19, U-21)?

M) Craig Thomson (referee SCO)

W) Gregor Rojko (assistant, SVN)

F) Nicola Rizzoli (referee, ITA)

P) Joel De Bruyn (assistant, BEL)

Which nation has to wait for a Champions League final referee for the longest period of time?

I) Italy

G) Germany

S) Spain

E) England

Which two Elite referees celebrate their birthday on the same date?

R) Felix Brych (GER) and William Collum (SCO)

N) Jonas Eriksson (SWE) and Björn Kuipers (NED)

F) Alberto Undiano (ESP) and Howard Webb (ENG)

A) Pavel Královec (CZE) and Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)

Which assistant referee already ran the lines at World Cup 2002 and is still active in Europa League this season?

I) Henrik Sönderby (DEN)

S) Eric Dansault (FRA)

A) Maciej Wierzbowski (POL)

U) Sigurdur Thorleifsson (ISL)

Who of the following UEFA referee committee members never took charge of a European club competition final as an active referee?

L) Jozef Marko (SVK)

N) Bo Karlsson (SWE)

S) Herbert Fandel (GER)

E) Marc Batta (FRA)

In order to read the solution word, please mark/assign the space between the two lines:

_WEMBLEY FINAL_

Guessing the Champions League Quarterfinals Referee Appointments

With the aid of some reliable pieces of information as well as the knowledge of the nominated UEFA referee observers and UEFA delegates, one may attempt to figure out the referee appointments for the eight quarterfinal ties.

2013 Champions League final: Wembley (c) london-attractions.com

02 April 2013, 20:45 CET - Parc des Princes, Paris, France
Paris S.G. - FC Barcelona
UEFA Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)
UEFA Delegate: Danilo Filacchione (ITA)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Michel Lebrun (FRA)

02 April 2013, 20:45 CET - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Bayern München - Juventus Turin
UEFA Referee Observer: Jozef Marko (SVK)*
UEFA Delegate: Michal Listkiewicz (POL)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Josef Maier (GER)

03 April 2013, 20:45 CET - La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain
Málaga CF - Borussia Dortmund
UEFA Referee Observer: Zdravko Jokić (SRB)
UEFA Delegate: Cornel Cristian Bivolaru (ROU)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Manuel Díaz Morales (ESP)

03 April 2013, 20:45 CET - Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid - Galatasaray Istanbul
UEFA Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel (GER)
UEFA Delegate: Barry W. Bright (ENG)
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Raúl Masso Zambudio (ESP)

09 April 2013, 20:45 CET - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany
Borussia Dortmund - Málaga CF
UEFA Referee Observer: Vaclav Krondl (CZE)
UEFA Delegate: tbd
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Günter Risse (GER)

09 April 2013, 20:45 CET - Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi, Istanbul, Turkey
Galatasaray Istanbul - Real Madrid
UEFA Referee Observer: Neale Barry (ENG)
UEFA Delegate: tbd
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: tbd

10 April 2013, 20:45 CET - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
FC Barcelona - Paris S.G.
UEFA Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)*
UEFA Delegate: tbd
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Antonio Uzcudun Gómez (ESP)

10 April 2013, 20:45 CET - Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy
Juventus Turin - Bayern München
UEFA Referee Observer: László Vagner (HUN)
UEFA Delegate: tbd
UEFA Referee Liaison Officer: Fabrizio Malacart (ITA)

Known appointments

According to reliable sources, Dutch official Björn Kuipers has been appointed to take charge of a 2nd leg. Equally, the Spanish football federation has revealed that Carlos Velasco Carballo had been assigned to a 2nd leg as well. Due to the fact that three of the four encounters feature one Spanish side each, there is only Juventus Turin - Bayern München left for Velasco Carballo's Spanish officiating crew.

Referees without K.O. stage appointment

There are eight Elite referees who have not been appointed for a match in the K.O. stage thus far (even though Elite Development Group officials could potentially be involved in the quarterfinals, I leave out this opportunity now). Deducting Kuipers and Velasco Carballo, whose presence is clear, there are hence still six officials left: Martin Atkinson (England), Olegário Benquerença (Portugal), Stéphane Lannoy (France), Pedro Proença (Portugal), Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) and Wolfgang Stark (Germany). It is quite obvious that Proença and Rocchi get a match. Their performances have been overall quite satisfying in their group stage matches which were not only demanding, but also sonorous. Benquerença has not been often deployed by UEFA after his long injury, even though he seems to be fit at the moment, as he handled last week's World Cup qualifier Belgium - FYR Macedonia. If UEFA had wanted, they could have nominated him for a Round of 16 match. They did not do and thus, it is very unlikely that he is going to be one of the eight selected officials for the quarterfinals. Lannoy performed his comeback during the last weeks refereeing at Stamford Bridge in UEFA Europa League and taking control over the World Cup qualifier Israel - Portugal. However, Lannoy did not get any Champions League match so far, also due to injury. It is more probable than in Benquerença's case that he could get a match, but I would still say it's not that probable. 

The situations of Atkinson and Stark are more complicated. Both had one very weak performance each in group stage, after which they disappeared for a while from the big CL stage. While Atkinson was not even appointed in Europa League in 2013, Stark got Lyon - Tottenham and should have given a penalty in the final minutes. Moreover, he missed a foul prior to Romania's 2-2 draw in the World Cup qualifier in Hungary. Apart from that, he had some problems in Bundesliga here and there so that one can dare the thesis that this season is no good one for Stark. It is doubtful that UEFA gives him a match. Furthermore, the only match that would suit to him and his background is Paris Saint-Germain - FC Barcelona, but as he had Dynamo Kyiv - Paris Saint-Germain on matchday 5, also this encounter appears as impossible. Hence I come to the conclusion that only Proença and Rocchi will get a quarterfinal among those officials who have not been appointed for a K.O. stage match so far.

Possible matches for Kuipers, Proença and Rocchi

Based on that, we may speculate which matches fit to Kuipers, Proença and Rocchi respectively. Here, the referee observers and match delegates become helpful and important, as there is the rule that both the observer and the delegate have to come from a different country than the referee.
Gianluca Rocchi took charge of the matches Valencia CF - Lille, FC Barcelona - Celtic and Manchester City - Real Madrid in the group stage. In every match, there was a Spanish team involved. This trend will inevitably continue if he gets a quarterfinal. Due to his questionable penalty and sending-off issued against Real, he was subject to heavy criticism by Real responsibles. So it's rather not to be expected that UEFA appoints him for a leg of the tie Real Madrid - Galatasaray Istanbul. Málaga CF had an Italian referee team in the round of 16, headed by Nicola Rizzoli, so I also would like to exclude their match against Borussia Dortmund from the pool of possible matches Rocchi could be assigned to (another reason is that the second leg observer Vaclav Krondl already observed Rocchi in Manchester at the end of 2012). In the end, there is only one duel left, FC Barcelona - Paris Saint-Germain (the first leg is impossible due to the Italian delegate). If this is true, it would be a huge test, as Kyros Vassaras, a member of the UEFA referee committee, is the appointed observer. The only other reasonable opportunity would be the scenario that Rocchi does not get any Champions League K.O. phase match, but I really doubt that.
Consequently, there are merely two matches remaining for Björn Kuipers. Borussia Dortmund - Málaga CF and Galatasaray Istanbul - Real Madrid. Both observers definitely allow him. We keep that in mind for a moment.
Finally, Pedro Proença could be designated to handle the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain - FC Barcelona. He never refereed a match of one of both teams and was never observed by Switzerland's Francesco Bianchi. I honestly believe that Proença is at the moment one of not many referees who have the ability to cope with a possible "El clásico" in the semifinals. If it comes into existence after the drawing (and assuming that FC Barcelona and Real Madrid qualify at all), he would be excluded from it in the scenario I drew here.

Who else could get a match?
So there are still four officials missing. Beforehand one must emphasize the big questionaire that is connected with the name Cüneyt Çakır. Does UEFA consider him for any further match in Champions League after the controversies in the aftermath of his round of 16 clash? Difficult. I am going to predict the appointments based on the premise that he is not considered. In addition, the performances of Jonas Eriksson and Paolo Tagliavento have been not pretty convincing, at least for my and our observers' taste. I also do not regard Felix Brych, Viktor Kassai, Damir Skomina and Howard Webb as possible quarterfinal officials, as I believe that along with Proença they join the pool of the referees for the last five matches (semifinals + final).
The most striking UEFA referee observer appointment surely is Jozef Marko's for Bayern München - Juventus Turin; whenever a committee member comes, that should have a reason. In this concrete case, many referees are not possible or at least very unprobable for various reasons (they either handled these teams before or are out due to their nationality). I think that Mark Clattenburg of England is a real opportunity for this match. After his Wembley final at Olympic Games 2012 and after a quite good round of 16 match in Porto, he should be ready for his first really big game on the Champions League stage. This would explain Jozef Marko's presence.
What about Scottish officials? Both got important matches in the round of 16, Collum performed well under Pierluigi Collina's eyes and therefore has very realistic chances for a further match. But which one? There is only Málaga CF - Borussia Dortmund left, here one can discuss whether it should be a first or second leg. I would prefer the first leg here. At the same time, Craig Thomson would not get a match in the quarterfinals, although his performance in AC Milan - FC Barcelona was solid, too.
As for the second leg of the German-Spanish duel, there are not many opportunities. Svein Oddvar Moen would be a possible official for this match. However, the observer who will attend Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid (Real Madrid - Galatasaray Istanbul), German Eugen Strigel, normally observes younger and less experienced referees. Therefore I predict that the Norwegian team could rather get Real Madrid - Galatasaray.
Then, who is left for Borussia Dortmund - Málaga CF? Pavel Královec certainly not, because Vaclav Krondl is the observer and comes from the same country. Kuipers could have this match. At this point, it is mere gambling: You can either predict that Kuipers gets this match or the clash in Istanbul. Both is absolutely possible. But if he has the match in Istanbul, then we must take into account the possibility that either Martin Atkinson or Stéphane Lannoy could perhaps yet have a match. Very difficult. Galatasaray Istanbul - Real Madrid needs an experienced official, it however cannot be an Englishman or Scotsman, as English Neale Barry will be the observer. Thus, I dare the prediction that Kuipers goes to Dortmund and Nicola Rizzoli of Italy to Istanbul, not based on specially good performances in the past, but due to his immense and needed experience.

In a nutshell, I issue these predictions:

Paris S.G. - FC Barcelona: Pedro Proença (POR)
Bayern München - Juventus Turin: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Málaga CF - Borussia Dortmund: William Collum (SCO)
Real Madrid - Galatasaray Istanbul: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Borussia Dortmund - Málaga CF: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Galatasaray Istanbul - Real Madrid: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
FC Barcelona - Paris S.G.: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)

Confirmed appointment:

Juventus Turin - Bayern München
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 Clos Gómez (ESP)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Fourth Official: Roberto Díaz Pérez Del Palomar (ESP)


What do you think? What are your ideas, your predictions?

Formidable management follows Stepanenko's horror foul

Danish FIFA referee Kenn Hansen had to deal with a real textbook example of a horror foul. Ukraine's Taras Stepanenko striked down Moldova's Vitalie Bordian, probably unintentionally, but still completely ignoring the danger that aroused from his challenge.

(c) Opsiyonhaber.com

 

Surely, it is one of the clearest red cards one can imagine. The way Hansen handled this incident must be praised and underlined though: Immediately being at the centre of attention, preventing riots by protecting the offender, calming down the rightly outraged Moldovans, at the same time allowing quick medical treatment and then issuing the necessary sending-off make his dealing with this extra-ordinary situation exemplary and worthy to be shown on referee seminars.