Irish Alan Kelly to become MLS Referee

The following news was provided by the football platform "backpage football" and its author James Clancy: one of the best UEFA First Group referee will leave us. Alan Kelly has decided to become referee in the United States of America.

 

Following more than 350 matches and 14 years as a League of Ireland referee, Alan Kelly has decided to bring his whistling skills to Major League Soccer in the United States.

Kelly took up refereeing in 1994 and joined the Cork Branch of the Irish Soccer Referees Society (ISRS). He refereed in local leagues including the Munster Senior League.

He joined the League of Ireland Referees Panel in 1999 while participating in the first FAI Referee’s School of Excellence.

In 2000 he was selected to referee the League of Ireland Cup Final between Derry City and Limerick City which was the first of four senior domestic Cup finals he refereed.

He refereed his first FAI Cup Final in 2003 when Longford Town beat St Patricks Athletic at Lansdowne Road and became one of only a handful of Irish referees to referee multiple FAI Cup Finals when he took charge of the game between Sporting Fingal and Sligo Rovers in 2009 at Tallaght Stadium.

The 38 year-old has been rising up the UEFA and FIFA ranks for many years now and has been on FIFA’s list of official referees since 2002.

In recent years Kelly has refereed Europa League games, Champions League group stage matches and some international qualifiers for both the World Cup and European Championships, as well as weekly League of Ireland ties.

According to the Irish Daily Star, the Corkman’s potential income will now increase dramatically. A League of Ireland referee earns €150 per game, while MLS match fees can rise to as high as $1,100 (or €810). He will officiate his final game in Ireland this weekend when Sligo Rovers face Shamrock Rovers in an FAI Cup semi-final.

Whilst working as a referee, Kelly has previously worked as a personal trainer/fitness instructor/gym manager in his native Cork but is likely to focus now on refereeing in a full time capacity.

His grandfather and father were both League of Ireland referees and Kelly has stated in the past that they were both the biggest influences on his career.

Back in 2006, Kelly handed out five red cards in the space of ten minutes to Russian players during an U-21 play-off second-leg between Denmark and the Russians. Kelly states that the spotlight shone on him in the aftermath of that game was “very unpleasant. All of the red cards I awarded were correct though.”

Kelly has stated that the highlights of his career so far are:  “The Champions League games were a major high for me: Cluj v Basel, Leverkusen v Genk, but the Real Madrid game at the Bernabeu will always stand out. It doesn’t really get any bigger than that in terms of club teams. It was a fantastic experience and one that, if I never refereed again, I would look back on for the rest of my life.

“The Spain v Argentina game (back in 2009) is also a career highlight. Coming face-to-face with one of my heroes, Diego Maradona. Even to say that, is something that is surreal.”

source: Backpage Football

World Cup Qualifiers - October Appointments in CAF, CONCACAF & CONMEBOL

These are the confirmed referee appointments for all confederations outside of UEFA. In CAF, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL zone, it is the final and therefore vital last qualifier matchday.

CAF (Africa):

12 October 2013, 16:00 LT
Stade du 4 aout, Ouagadougou (BFA)
Burkina Faso - Algeria 
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos (ANG)
Assistant Referee 2: Arsénio Marengula (MOZ)
Fourth Official: Joshua Bondo (BOT)

12 October 2013, 17:00 LT
Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Abidjan (CIV)
Côte d'Ivoire - Senegal
Referee: Rajindraparsad Seechurn (MRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Balkrishna Bootun (MRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Vivian Vally (MRI)
Fourth Official: Ganesh Chutooree (MRI)

13 October 2013, 16:00 LT
Addis Abeba Stadium, Addis Abeba (ETH)
Ethiopia - Nigeria
Referee: Néant Alioum (CMR)*
Assistant Referee 1: Evarist Menkouande (CMR)*
Assistant Referee 2: Yanoussa Moussa (CMR)
Fourth Official: Henry Mouandjo (CMR)

13 October 2013, 18:00 LT
Stade Olympique de Radès, Rades (TUN)
Tunisia - Cameroun
Referee: Koman Coulibaly (MLI)
Assistant Referee 1: Balla Diarra (MLI)
Assistant Referee 2: Aboubacar Doumbouya (GUI)
Fourth Official: Ousmane Karembe (MLI)
Referee Observer: Zeli Sinko (CIV)
Match Delegates: Anthony Baffoe (GHA), René Eberle (SUI)

15 October 2013, 16:00 LT
Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi (GHA)
Ghana - Egypt
Referee: Bouchaib El Ahrach (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Yussif Mabrouk (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohamed El Ahmady (MAR)
Fourth Official: Redouane Jiyed (MAR)


CONCACAF (North- and Central America and the Caribbeans): 

11 October 2013, 15:00 LT
Estadio Olimpico, San Pedro Sula (HON)
Honduras - Costa Rica
Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)*
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Boria (USA)*
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Morgan (JAM)*
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo (USA)

11 October 2013, 17:36 LT
Livestrong Sporting Park, Kansas City (USA)
USA - Jamaica
Referee: Elmer Arturo Bonilla (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Hermenerito Leal (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ronaldo De La Cruz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Sandy Vasquez (DOM)

11 October 2013, 20:30 LT
Estadio Azteca, Ciudad de México (MEX)
Mexico - Panama
Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)*
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres Mejía (SLV)*
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Francisco Zumba (SLV)*
Fourth Official: Marlon Mejía (SLV) 

15 October 2013, 19:30 LT
Estadio Nacional, San José (CRC)
Costa Rica - Mexico
Referee: Walter López Castellanos (GUA)* **
Assistant Referee 1: Gersón López Castellanos (GUA)* **
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Brière (CAN)
Fourth Official: Javier Santos (PUR)

15 October 2013, 20:30 LT
Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City (PAN)
Panama - USA
Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Garnet Page (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Kedlee Powell (JAM)
Fourth Official: Jeffrey Solis Calderón (CRC)

15 October 2013, 20:30 LT
Independence Park, Kingston (JAM)
Jamaica - Honduras
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)*
Assistant Referee 1: Sean Mark Hurd (USA)*
Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN)*
Fourth Official: Silviu Petrescu (CAN)

** Walter López replaces Enrico Wijngaarde (SUR), Gersón López replaces Ramon Louisville (SUR)


CONMEBOL (South America):

11 October 2013, 16:00 LT
Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa, Quito (ECU)
Ecuador - Uruguay
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)*
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson De Carvalho (BRA)*
Assistant Referee 2: Fabricio Vilarinho Da Silva (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
Referee Observer: Carlos Coradina (ARG)

11 October 2013, 16:00 LT
Metropolitano Roberto Melendez, Barranquilla (COL)
Colombia - Chile
Referee: Paulo César De Oliveira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Altemir Hausmann (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kleber Lucio Gil (BRA)
Fourth Official: Wilson Seneme (BRA)
Referee Observer: Ernesto Filippi (URU)

11 October 2013, 16:30 LT
Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo, San Cristobal (VEN)
Venezuela - Paraguay
Referee: Víctor Carrillo (PER)*
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)*
Assistant Referee 2: César Escano (PER)*
Fourth Official: Diego Haro (PER)
Referee Observer: Hebert Aguilera (BOL)

11 October 2013, 20:00 LT
El Monumental, Buenos Aires (ARG)
Argentina - Peru
Referee: Carlos Vera (ECU)*
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)*
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU)*
Fourth Official: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)
Referee Observer: Gastón Castro (CHI)

15 October 2013, 20:30 LT
Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago De Chile (CHI)
Chile - Ecuador
Referee: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcio Eustáquio Santiago (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pericles Cortez (BRA)
Referee Observer: Juan Bernabe (PAR)

15 October 2013, 20:30 LT
Defensores del Chaco, Asunción (PAR)
Paraguay - Colombia
Referee: Diego Abal (ARG)*
Assistant Referee 1: Hernán Maidana (ARG)*
Assistant Referee 2: Ernesto Uziga (ARG)
Fourth Official: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Referee Observer: Gilberto Higaldo (PER)

15 October 2013, 21:15 LT
Estadio Nacional, Lima (PER)
Peru - Bolivia
Referee: Enrique Cacéres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zorilla (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
Fourth Official: Mario Díaz de Vivar (PAR)
Referee Observer: Adrián Gómez (VEN)

15 October 2013, 21:30 LT
Centenario, Montevideo (URU)
Uruguay - Argentina
Referee: Marcelo Henrique (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Joia Pereira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabio Pereira (BRA)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Marques (BRA)
Referee Observer: Rogger Zambrano (ECU)


* Pre-selected for World Cup 2014

World Cup Qualifiers - Referee Appointments for 11 October 2013 (UEFA zone)

This is the first package of referee appointments for next week's FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifiers in UEFA zone played on 11 October. The appointments for 15 October will follow in due course.

Group A

18:00 CET, Maksimir, Zagreb (CRO)
Croatia - Belgium
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG)*
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)*
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Cann (ENG)*
Fourth Official: Mike Leslie Dean (ENG)

19:45 CET, City Stadium, Cardiff (WAL)
Wales - FYROM
Referee: Suren Baliyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 1: Mesrop Ghazaryan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 2: Vanik Simonyan (ARM)
Fourth Official: George Vadachkoria (GEO)


Group B

19:00 CET, Republican Stadium, Yerevan (ARM)
Armenia - Bulgaria
Referee: Felix Brych (GER)*
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)*
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)*
Fourth Official: Tobias Welz (GER)

19:30 CET,  Ta'Qali National Stadium, Ta'Qali (MLT)
Malta - Czech Republic
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Primož Arhar (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Marko Stančin (SVN)
Fourth Official: Mitja Žganeč (SVN)
Referee Observer: Athanassios Briakos (GRE)

20:15 CET, Parken Stadium, Copenhagen (DEN)
Denmark - Italy
Referee: Stéphane Lannoy (FRA)*
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Cano (FRA)*
Assistant Referee 2: Michaël Annonier (FRA)*
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)


Group C

18:00 CET, Torsvollur, Torshavn (FRO)
Faroe Islands - Kazakhstan
Referee: Dumitru Muntean (MDA)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleg Molceanov (MDA)
Assistant Referee 2: Vitalii Gorbatov (MDA)
Fourth Official: Sergiu Derenov (MDA)

20:45 CET, Rhein-Energie Stadion, Köln (GER)
Germany - Ireland
Referee: Serge Gumienny (BEL)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank Bleyen (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kristof Meers (BEL)
Fourth Official: Luc Wouters (BEL)

20:45 CET, Friends Arena, Solna (SWE)
Sweden - Austria
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)*
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)*
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR)*
Fourth Official: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR)


Group D

20:30 CET, Amsterdam ArenA (NED)
Netherlands - Hungary
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Jake Collin (ENG)
Fourth Official: Andre Marriner (ENG)

20:30 CET,  Estadio Comunal de Aixovall, Andorra La Vella (AND)
Andorra - Romania
Referee: Stephan Klossner (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Johannes Vogel (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Remy Zgraggen (SUI)
Fourth Official: Nikolaj Hänni (SUI)

21:30 CET,  A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn (EST)
Estonia - Turkey
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)*
Assistant Referee 1: Andrea Stefani (ITA)*
Assistant Referee 2: Renato Faverani (ITA)*
Fourth Official: Luca Banti (ITA)


Group E

18:45 CET, Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik (ISL)
Iceland - Cyprus
Referee: István Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: István Albert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Zsolt Attila Szpisjak (HUN)
Fourth Official: Tamás Bognar (HUN)

20:30 CET,  Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana (ALB)
Albania - Switzerland
Referee: Pedro Proença (POR)*
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)*
Assistant Referee 2: Tiago Trigo (POR)*
Fourth Official: Duarte Gomes (POR)

20:45 CET,  Ljudski VRT, Maribor (SVN)
Slovenia - Norway
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)*
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)*
Assistant Referee 2: Pau Cebrián Devis (ESP)
Fourth Official: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)


Group F

20:30 CET,  Josy-Barthel, Luxembourg (LUX)
Luxembourg - Russia
Referee: Stephan Studer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sladan Josipović (SUI)
Fourth Official: Alain Bieri (SUI)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

20:45 CET,  José Alvalade, Lisbon (POR)
Portugal - Israel
Referee: Tom Harald Hagen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dag-Roger Nebben (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Erik Engan (NOR)
Fourth Official: Dag Vidar Hafsås (NOR)

21:00 CET, Bakcell Arena, Baku (AZE)
Azerbaijan - Northern Ireland
Referee: Andrea De Marco (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Mauro Bergonzi (ITA)
Referee Observer: Adrian Casha (MLT)


Group G

18:30 CET, LFF Stadium, Vilnius (LTU)
Lithuania - Latvia
Referee: Petur Reinert (FRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Regin Egholm (FRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Jan A Lidarenda (FRO)
Fourth Official: Thoroddur Hjaltalin (ISL)

20:00 CET, Bilino Polje, Zenica (BIH)
Bosnia-Herzegovina - Liechtenstein
Referee: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Angelo Boonman (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Berry Simons (NED)
Fourth Official: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)

21:45 CET,  Georgios Karaisakis Stadium, Piraeus (GRE)
Greece - Slovakia
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Häcker (GER)
Fourth Official: Florian Meyer (GER)


Group H

19:00 CET, Zimbru, Chisinau (MDA)
Moldova - San Marino
Referee: Ignasi Villamayor Rozados (AND)
Assistant Referee 1: Laudino López (AND)
Assistant Referee 2: Rui Miquel Maciel (AND)
Fourth Official: Radu Marian Petrescu (ROU)
Referee Observer: Ferenc Székely (HUN)

20:00 CET, Wembley Stadium, London (ENG)
England - Montenegro
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)*
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)*
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez Del Palomar (ESP)*
Fourth Official: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)

21:00 CET, Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv (UKR)
Ukraine - Poland
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)*
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)*
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE)*
Fourth Official: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)


Group I

22:00 CET, Son Moix, Palma De Mallorca (ESP)
Spain - Belarus
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rob van de Ven (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Charles John Schaap (NED)
Fourth Official: Danny Makkelie (NED)


* Pre-selected for World Cup 2014

Review of Penalty Area Decisions at CL / EL Matchday 2

As a plus to our observer reports published during the next days and weeks, the following video clips highlight a couple of controversial decisions concerning the penalty area having been taken - or not having been taken - at the second matchday of UEFA Champions League and Europa League. A short judgment is given underneath every video.

(c) ZIMBIO

Blue #19 tackles White #28 in a reckless manner. The referee correctly cautions him for unsporting behaviour (tackle) and awards a free-kick following an advice from AR1 who is perfectly positioned to recognize that the contact has happened just outside the penalty area.

White #23 handles the ball in the penalty area. His arm moves towards the ball, as the slow-motion shows. However, this happens completely undeliberately. The pace of the situation is extremely high and the ball only reaches the hand due to an unexpected deflection. Therefore the hand position and movement must be considered as natural and player-typical. No Penalty Kick is the correct decision.

White #22 executes a volley shot onto the goal which is blocked by Blue #8. The ball touches #8's slightly outstretched arms, which is in an unnatural position. Considering the thus creates an enlargement of the body surface, the referee should award a penalty kick for deliberate handball. AAR2 is unable to support the referee as another blue defender is obstructing his line of sight. The referee should find a better positioning and should avoid to be in movement while the contact happens.

White #19 is approaching the goalkeeper when being challenged by Blue #17 with a sliding tackle. Even though this tackle is executed with low intensity, Blue #17 does not touch the ball and recklessly fouls his opponent in the penalty area. AAR1 had a good angle to detect that. The referee should award a penalty kick.

Blue #29 is executing a shot on goal which is blocked by White #7's left arm. Even though the distance is small and even though the defender turns away and thus cannot totally see the ball coming, his arms are in an unnatural position and significantly enlarges the player's body surface given the instructions issued by UEFA with regard to a similar occasion having happened last season (Pavel Královec in ManCity - Dortmund). Therefore this decision is acceptable and can be supported.

Dark Blue #17 executes a pass into the penalty area which is blocked by a widely outstretched arm of the white defender. Thus the defender significantly enlarges his body surface. To a certain extent, he even moves his arm towards the ball. He hence acts in a careless way which makes this handball deliberate in the sense of the Laws of the Game. Players should be advised to offer strikers no opportunity to "provoke" such a type of handball. They must behave in a more clever way and avoid such a clear enlargement of the body surface. The referee should award a penalty kick in that case.

 

Both situations were discussed and assessed by the community during the past days. 85% of the voters have expressed their preference to see either both incidents whistled as a foul (penalty kick) or ignored (no penalty kick). This underlines the missing consistency applied by the referee and his AAR2. In both cases, no penalty kick should be awarded in the opinion of the blog. In the first occasion, the white-red defender obviously grabs his black-red opponent who however falls too easily. This pulling or pushing is customary and is not considered as enough for a penalty. In the last incident, the defender indeed pulls his opponent's shirt but is fouled by him at the same time, too. AAR2 should advise the referee to allow play to go on as a decision that is most compatible with common sense. Also here, this blog wants to remind referees of a sufficient match preparation to identify some players' typical behaviour in certain incidents and to react to it properly.

And now, have your say!

P.S.: Many other decisions have been taken at the last matchday. Many of them have been taken correctly and would deserve more attention. However, this would cross some limits so that this is only an essence of the most significant situations.

Rizzoli and Webb as ambassadors for UEFA's Anti-Racism-Campaign

In the latest UEFA video message in terms of their Respect Campaign, two high-profile Elite referees are among those protagonists who say "No to Racism". Italian CL 2013 final referee Nicola Rizzoli and World Cup final referee Howard Webb of England are explaining the steps referees are instructed to take as soon as racist incidents occur during matches at UEFA level.

If the referee becomes aware of serious racist behaviour, or is informed of it by the fourth official, he will, as a first step, halt the match and ask for an announcement to be made over the public address system requesting the public immediately stop such racist conduct. As a second step, if the racist behaviour does not cease once the game has restarted, the referee will suspend play for a reasonable period of time, for example five to ten minutes, and request the teams go to the dressing rooms. A further announcement will be made over the public address system to the public.

As a third and final step, if the racist behaviour persists, the referee will definitively abandon the match.

Penalty Kick Situations in Ajax - Milan

The so far most controversial situation of the second Champions League matchday happened in Amsterdam last night. Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson or more likely his AAR Markus Strömbergsson awarded a penalty kick in favour of Milan's Mario Balotelli in the final minute of stoppage time.

It was not the only controversy between Ajax defender van der Hoorn and Balotelli.
Therefore please give your opinion and judgment on the following two clips.

UEFA Europa League - Referee Appointments - MD2

UEFA has appointed the following referees to lead their teams into Thursday's Europa League matches. Three committee members and further remarkable referee observers ensure that this matchday will be quite interesting from the UEFA refereeing perspective.

Group G, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna (AUT)
Rapid Wien - Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Mike Dean (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Jake Collin (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett (ENG)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Lee Probert (ENG)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Friend (ENG)
Fourth Official: Stuart Burt (ENG)
UEFA Referee Observer: Dani Koren (ISR)
UEFA Delegate: Gudmundur Petursson (ISL)

Group G, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: KRC Genk Arena, Genk (BEL)
KRC Genk - FC Thun
Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Alasdair Ross (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Stevenson (SCO)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Euan Norris (SCO)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Alan Muir (SCO)
Fourth Official: David McGeachie (SCO)
UEFA Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)
UEFA Delegate: Rotem Kamer (ISR)
Blog Referee Observer: Niclas (GER)

Group H, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Sevilla (ESP)
Sevilla CF - SC Freiburg
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Nikolay Golubev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Vyacheslav Semenov (RUS)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Mikhail Vilkov (RUS)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Aleksei Lebedev (RUS)
UEFA Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)
UEFA Delegate: William Campbell (NIR)

Group H, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: U Nisy, Liberec (CZE)
Slovan Liberec - Estoril Praia
Referee: Kenn Hansen (DEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jakob Bille (DEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Lars Rix (DEN)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)
Fourth Official: David Vang Andersen (DEN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)
UEFA Delegate: Nils Fisketjonn (NOR)

Group I, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Kantrida, Rijeka (CRO)
Rijeka - Betis Sevilla
Referee: Serhiy Boiko (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Volodymyr Volodin (UKR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Yevhen Aranovskiy (UKR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Anatoliy Abdula (UKR)
Fourth Official: Serhiy Bekker (UKR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Alain Hamer (LUX)
UEFA Delegate: Dane Jošt (SVN)

Group I, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Stade de Gerland, Lyon (FRA)
Olympique Lyon - Guimarães
Referee: Florian Meyer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Holger Henschel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Christoph Bornhorst (GER)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Guido Winkmann (GER)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Robert Hartmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Mike Pickel (GER)
UEFA Referee Observer: Gudmunder Jónsson (ISL)
UEFA Delegate: Pertti Alaja (FIN)

Group J, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadyumu, Trabzon (TUR)
Trabzonspor - Lazio Roma
Referee: Martin Hansson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Nilsson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Flink (SWE)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Michael Lerjeus (SWE)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE)
Fourth Official: Stefan Wittberg (SWE)
UEFA Referee Observer: Raymond Ellingham (WAL)
UEFA Delegate: Graham Hover (ENG)

Group J, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw (POL)
Legia Warsaw - Apollon
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren England (ENG)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Jonathan Moss (ENG)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Fourth Official: Simon Long (ENG)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold (NOR)
UEFA Delegate: Pat Quigley (IRL)

Group K, 03 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Stadium: Saturn, Ramenskoye (RUS)
Anji - Tottenham
Referee: Bülent Yıldırım (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Serkan Gençerler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ekrem Kan (TUR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Barış Şimşek (TUR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Mustafa Ilker Coskun (TUR)
Fourth Official: Kemal Yilmaz (TUR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)
UEFA Delegate: Zvi Rosen (ISR)

Group K, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: Alfheim, Tromso (NOR)
Tromsø - Sheriff
Referee: Simon Lee Evans (WAL)
Assistant Referee 1: Philip Thomas (WAL)
Assistant Referee 2: Gareth Wyn Jones (WAL)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Mark Whitby (WAL)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: John Dean (WAL)
Fourth Official: Edward King (WAL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Dragutin Karlo Poljak (CRO)
UEFA Delegate: Charles Schaack (LUX)

Group L, 03 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Stadium: Astana Arena, Astana (KAZ)
Shakhter Karagandy - Maccabi Haifa
Referee: István Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: István Albert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Zsolt Attila Szpisjak (HUN)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Sándor Szabo (HUN)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Zsolt Szabó (HUN)
Fourth Official: László Viszokai (HUN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jānis Mežeckis (LVA)
UEFA Delegate: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Group L, 03 October 2013, 19:00 CET
Stadium: AZ Stadion, Alkmaar (NED)
AZ Alkmaar - PAOK
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Massimiliano Grilli (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicola Nicoletti (ITA)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Domenico Celi (ITA)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Carmine Russo (ITA)
Fourth Official: Marco Barbirati (ITA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Peter Jones (ENG)
UEFA Delegate: Michal Listkiewicz (POL)

Group A, 03 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Stadium: Kuban, Krasnodar (RUS)
Kuban Krasnodar - Valencia CF
Referee: Marijo Strahonja (CRO, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sinisa Premuzaj (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: Jozef Marko (SVK)
UEFA Delegate: Léon Schelings (BEL)
Blog Referee Observer: Edward (GRE)

Group A, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Swansea Stadium, Swansea (WAL)
Swansea City - St Gallen
Referee: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Trigo (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Venâncio Raposo Tomé (POR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: João Capela (POR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Hugo Miguel (POR)
Fourth Official: António Godinho (POR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen (NOR)
UEFA Delegate: Gerhard Sager (SWE)

Group B, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia (BUL)
Ludogorets - Dinamo Zagreb
Referee: Stephan Studer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Jean-Yves Wicht (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Alain Bieri (SUI)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Adrien Jaccottet (SUI)
Fourth Official: Johannes Vogel (SUI)
UEFA Referee Observer: Kaj Natri (FIN)
UEFA Delegate: Wolfgang Thierrichter (AUT)

Group B, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Chornomorets, Odessa (UKR)
Chornomorets Odesa - PSV Eindhoven
Referee: Liran Liany (ISR)
Assistant Referee 1: David Elias Biton (ISR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oren Bornshtain (ISR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Menashe Masiah (ISR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Ziv Adler (ISR)
Fourth Official: Dvir Shimon (ISR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz (AUT)
UEFA Delegate: Artur Azaryan (ARM)
Blog Referee Observer: Nur H. (ENG)

Group C, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Borås Arena, Boras (SWE)
IF Elfsborg - Standard Liège
Referee: Tony Chapron (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guillaume Débart (FRA)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Olivier Thual (FRA)
Fourth Official: Stephan Luzi (FRA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)
UEFA Delegate: Ísak Mikladal (FRO)

Group C, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Sport of Event Part Esbjerg, Esbjerg (DEN)
Esbjerg - RB Salzburg
Referee: Manuel De Sousa (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Rui Barbosa Tavares (POR)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Marco Ferreira (POR)
Fourth Official: Nuno Tomás Pereira (POR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jean Lemmer (LUX)
UEFA Delegate: Styrbjörn Oskarsson (FIN)

Group D, 03 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Stadium: Centralniy Stadion, Kazan (RUS)
Rubin Kazan - Zulte Wagerem
Referee: Kristo Tohver (EST)
Assistant Referee 1: Hannes Reinvald (EST)
Assistant Referee 2: Jaanus Mutli (EST)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Eiko Saar (EST)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Roomer Tarajev (EST)
Fourth Official: Silver Koiv (EST)
UEFA Referee Observer: Charles Agius (MLT)
UEFA Delegate: Benny Jacobsen (DEN)

Group D, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Wigan Stadium, Wigan (ENG)
Wigan Athletic - NK Maribor
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD)
Assistant Referee 1: Marjan Kirovski (MKD)
Assistant Referee 2: Dejan Kostadinov (MKD)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Dimitar Meckarovski (MKD)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Goran Spirkoski (MKD)
Fourth Official: Dejan Nedelkoski (MKD)
UEFA Referee Observer: Johannes Reijgwaart (NED)
UEFA Delegate: Dag Steinar Vestlund (NOR)
Blog Referee Observer: Chefren (ITA)

Group E, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Estádio Afonso Henriques, Guimaraes (POR)
Paços de Ferreira - Pandurii
Referee: Aleksei Nikolaev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Oleg Tselovalnikov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitry Mosyakin (RUS)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Vladimir Kazmenko (RUS)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandr Egorov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
UEFA Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)
UEFA Delegate: Zoran Cvrk (CRO)

Group E, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Dnipro Arena, Dnipropetrovsk (UKR)
Dnipro - Fiorentina
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Fourth Official: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Nikolay Levnikov (RUS)
UEFA Delegate: Milovan Djukanović (MNE)
Blog Referee Observer: Dino (CRO)

Group F, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt/Main (GER)
APOEL - Eintracht Frankfurt
Referee: Alexandru Tudor (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Nica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurel Onita (ROU)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Ovidiu Alin Hategan (ROU)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Pavel Cristian Balaj (ROU)
Fourth Official: Octavian Sovre (ROU)
UEFA Referee Observer: Tomasz Mikulski (POL)
UEFA Delegate: Sergio Di Cesare (ITA)

Group F, 03 October 2013, 21:05 CET
Stadium: Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux (FRA)
Girondins Bordeaux - Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Referee: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Dimitrios Saraidaris (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Christos Baltas (GRE)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Anastassios Kakos (GRE)
Fourth Official: Lazaros Dimitriadis (GRE)
UEFA Referee Observer: Rene Temmink (NED)
UEFA Delegate: Sándor Berzi (HUN)