UEFA Champions League 2013/14 - Referee Appointments - MD3 (Tuesday)

These are the referee appointments made by UEFA's referee committee for the eight Champions League matches played on Tuesday. Among others, Felix Brych has been assigned to take charge of the clash between AC Milan and FC Barcelona, while Viktor Kassai will attend Schalke 04 - Chelsea FC being observed by Vaclav Krondl for the second time within 3 weeks.

(GER) FC SCHALKE 04			CHELSEA FC (ENG)
Tuesday, 22 October 2013, 20:45 CET, Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen (GER) Group E
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN) Assistant Referee 1: György Ring (HUN) Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Tóth (HUN) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Sándor Andó-Szabo (HUN) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Zsolt Szabó (HUN) Fourth Official: Robert Kispál (HUN) UEFA Referee Observer: Vaclav Krondl (CZE) UEFA Delegate: Jean-François Crucke (BEL) Blog Referee Observer: Chefren (ITA)

(ROU) STEAUA			FC BASEL (SUI)
Tuesday, 22 October 2013, 20:45 CET, National Arena, Bucharest (ROU) Group E
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN) Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunič (SVN) Assistant Referee 2: Roland Brandner (AUT) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Slavko Vinčić (SVN) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Dejan Balažić (SVN) Fourth Official: Jure Praprotnik (SVN) UEFA Referee Observer: Domenico Messina (ITA) UEFA Delegate: Jozef De Ryck (BEL) Blog Referee Observer: Johnny (SRB)

(ENG) ARSENAL FC			BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER)
Tuesday, 22 October 2013, 20:45 CET, Emirates Stadium, London (ENG) Group F
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: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE) UEFA Referee Observer: Oguz Sarvan (TUR) UEFA Delegate: Nebojša Ivković (SRB) Blog Referee Observer: Chefren (ITA)

(FRA) OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE			SSC NAPOLI (ITA)
Tuesday, 22 October 2013, 20:45 CET, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (FRA) Group F
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR) Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR) Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Bariš Šimšek (TUR) Fourth Official: Emre Eyisoy (TUR) UEFA Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR) UEFA Delegate: Rudolf Repka (CZE) Blog Referee Observer: Niclas (GER)

(POR) FC PORTO			ZENIT ST PETERSBURG (RUS)
Tuesday, 22 October 2013, 20:45 CET, Estádio do Dragão, Porto (POR) Group G
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA) Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA) Assistant Referee 2: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni (ITA) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Paolo Valeri (ITA) Fourth Official: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA) UEFA Referee Observer: Manuel Díaz Vega (ESP) UEFA Delegate: Petr Fousek (CZE) Blog Referee Observer: Nur H. (ENG)

(AUT) AUSTRIA WIEN			ATLÉTICO MADRID (ESP)
Tuesday, 22 October 2013, 20:45 CET, Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna (AUT) Group G
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA) Assistant Referee 1: Andrea Stefani (ITA) Assistant Referee 2: Renato Faverani (ITA) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Luca Banti (ITA) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Andrea De Marco (ITA) Fourth Official: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA) UEFA Referee Observer: Patrick Kelly (IRL) UEFA Delegate: Sándor Berzi (HUN) Blog Referee Observer: Nur H. (ENG)

(SCO) CELTIC GLASGOW			AJAX AMSTERDAM (NED)
Tuesday, 22 October 2013, 20:45 CET, Celtic Park, Glasgow (SCO) Group H
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO) Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrović (CRO) Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgić (CRO) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Domagoj Vučkov (CRO) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Goran Gabrilo (CRO) Fourth Official: Dalibor Conjar (CRO) UEFA Referee Observer: Vítor Melo Pereira (POR) UEFA Delegate: Patrick Wattebled (FRA) Blog Referee Observer: Niclas (GER)

(ITA) AC MILAN			FC BARCELONA (ESP)
Tuesday, 22 October 2013, 20:45 CET, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan (ITA) Group H
Referee: Felix Brych (GER) Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER) Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER) Additional Assistant Referee 1: Tobias Welz (GER) Additional Assistant Referee 2: Guido Winkmann (GER) Fourth Official: Tobias Christ (GER) UEFA Referee Observer: Horst Brummeier (AUT) UEFA Delegate: Adonis Procopiou (CYP) Blog Referee Observer: Edward (GRE)

Felix Brych conned by hole in the goalnet

Certain incidents only happen once in twenty years and as a referee, you very likely experience them never in your entire career. Such an incident has happened in yesterday's Bundesliga match between 1899 Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen when pre-selected World Cup referee Felix Brych became the victim of a sudden hole in the goalnet leading to a phantom goal scored by Stefan Kießling.

It was the 70th minute. A Leverkusen midfielder executed a usual corner kick into the centre of the penalty area where Kießling awaited a forceful header that reached the exterior net of Hoffenheim's goal. The ball missed the goal post by a few centimetres. Suddenly, the ball was in the goal. Germany's Referee of the Year 2013 Brych moved towards the midfield indicating "goal". Kießling first reacted in a disappointed way that his header had not reached its target but was then surrounded by his celebrating teammates. No Hoffenheim player realized the situation and easily accepted the decision. Before the kick-off - the last chance for Brych to change his decision - Kießling talked to him and, reading his lips, told him "I believe it reached the exterior net.". Brych showed no body tension, turned pale, confused and unsure but decided to blow the whistle for the kick-off. Later on, substitute players recognized what had happened and presented the hole in the net to the referee, who was totally helpless and, compliant with the circumstances and the Laws of the Game, powerless. Perhaps it was only a coincidence that Brych awarded a wrong penalty kick to the home side after that - the contact even happened outside the penalty area. Having blown the final whistle after the fifth minute of added time, the refereeing team swiftly left the field of play and seemed to exactly know what has happened. Replays have proven that AR2 Stefan Lupp had checked the goalnet before the second half, but did not control the area where the hole occurred.

Brych immediately had the guts to speak to the press - what should be respected - and declared the following in conversation with Sky Sport (record on German):

Online recording software >>

Dr. Felix Brych, thank you for coming. How did you experience the 70th minute of play?

Brych: "I had small doubts, but the players' reactions were unequivocally clear. There was not any sign that it could have been an irregular goal. And then I allowed the goal."

You had a small dialogue with Stefan Kießling at the midfield circle though. What was the content?

Brych: "In general, it was a pretty surreal situation, because I had doubts, because there was not any contra. And then I have exchanged my doubts with Stefan Kießling - I don't remember the exact words. But nobody has told me - he did not either - that it wasn't a goal. For me it is of course no nice situation either, allowing a goal which wasn't a goal."

Were not your assistant referees able to support you?

Brych: "No, the assistant on the side of the goal could not see that at all and from the midfield line there was not any advice either. From the benches, there was no sign. As said, the ball was in the goal, perhaps with doubts, but for everybody on the pitch it was a regular goal."

Until what moment you could have decided to correct your decision?

Brych: "Until the re-start of play, i.e. the kick-off."

When were you sure that it was no goal?

Brych: "I don't know that exactly, how things developed after that. Now I know it."

Without any doubt, those who are favouring the launch of video evidences in football, are on the march now being fed with new arguments. Among them, there is the former World's Best Referee Dr. Markus Merk who has been supporting this technology for a while. He told Sky Sport that such a device only deployed for such situations could make the game better and solve such problems. Furthermore, he emphasized that nobody had been at fault in Hoffenheim, neither the referees, nor the players.

And he is right. Such a mistake is human. Blackouts happen, specially in such surreal cases. Referees are no perfect robots and can fail in surreal moments. It can happen to everyone. What Brych needs now is a strong DFB and UEFA referee committee who back him in the probably most difficult part of his career. As predicted, there are many signs that indicate his appointment for Real Madrid - Juventus Turin as part of next week's UEFA Champions League matchday 3. A good performance in such a match could be the best recipe to recover from that. This naturally does not put the fact that it was a huge error under a veil.

At the same time, it is not the time for opportunists who try to use the chance to promote the, in my opinion, completely wrong video device in football. Curiosities like this one belong to football and yesterday it was one of the best European referees who was the victim of destiny.

1899 Hoffenheim have already lodged a complaint and aspire a replay match. Brych is surely the last one who would have something against it and as a lawyer by profession, he probably knows that from the legal side this might be possible.

FIFA Under-17 World Cup - Matchday 2 - Referee Appointments

Thanks to Árbitro Internacional, the referee appointments for the second matchday of FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2013 are partly unveiled. Craig Thomson of Scotland gets his first match in form of a FIFA tournament for many years when Uruguay and Côte d'Ivoire meet each other at Ras Al-Khaimah.

Matchday 2

Group A, Match 13 (Abu Dhabi)
20 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Slovakia - Honduras
Referee: Abdulrahman Mohammed (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Yaser Marad (KUW)
Fourth Official: Khalil Al Ghamdi (KSA)

Group A, Match 15 (Abu Dhabi)
20 October 2013, 18:00 CET
UA Emirates - Brazil
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Child (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Beck (ENG)
Fourth Official: Jair Marrufo (USA)

Group B, Match 14 (Ras Al-Khaimah)
20 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Uruguay - Côte d'Ivoire
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Derek Rose (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alan Mulvanny (SCO)
Fourth Official: Bamlak Tessema Weseya (ETH)

Group B, Match 16 (Ras Al-Khaimah)
20 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Italy - New Zealand
Referee: Elmer Arturo Bonilla (SLV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavio Jara (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Hermenerito Leal (GUA)
Fourth Official: Hugo Cruz Alvarado (CRC)

Group C, Match 17 (Fujairah)
21 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Croatia - Panama
Referee: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Rule (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tevita Makasini (TGA)
Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)

Group C, Match 19 (Fujairah)
21 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Uzbekistan - Morocco
Referee: Raúl Orosco (BOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Efraín Castro (BOL)
Assistant Referee 2: Arol Valda (BOL)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Mohamed (UAE)

Group D, Match 18 (Sharjah)
21 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Tunisia - Russia
Referee: Kim Dong-Jin (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Hae Sang Jeong (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Byoung Eun Yang (KOR)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)

Group D, Match 20 (Sharjah)
21 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Japan - Venezuela
Referee: Badara Diatta (SEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Djibril Camara (SEN)
Assistant Referee 2: El Hadji Malick Samba (SEN)
Fourth Official: Kenn Hansen (DEN)

Group E, Match 21 (Dubai)
21 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Canada - Iran
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha De Matos (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)

Group E, Match 23 (Dubai)
21 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Argentina - Austria
Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Boria (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Morgan (JAM)
Fourth Official: Kenn Hansen (DEN)

Group F, Match 22 (Al Ain City)
21 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Mexico - Iraq
Referee: Slim Jedidi (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Bechir Hassani (TUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Anouar Hmila (TUN)
Fourth Official: Bamlak Tessema Weseya (ETH)

Group F, Match 24 (Al Ain City)
21 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Sweden - Nigeria
Referee: Néstor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Pablo Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Bonfá (ARG)
Fourth Official: Hugo Cruz Alvarado (CRC)

FIFA Under-17 World Cup - Matchday 1 - Referee Appointments

These are the referee appointments for the first matchday of FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2013.

Matchday 1

Group A, Match 1 (Abu Dhabi)
17 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Brazil - Slovakia
Referee: Marco Rodríguez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcos Quintero (MEX)
Fourth Official: Abdulrahman Mohammed (QAT)

Group A, Match 3 (Abu Dhabi)
17 October 2013, 18:00 CET
UA Emirates - Honduras
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Fourth Official: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)

Group B, Match 2 (Ras Al-Khaimah)
17 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Uruguay - New Zealand
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Mike Pickel (GER)
Fourth Official: Kenn Hansen (DEN)

Group B, Match 4 (Ras Al-Khaimah)
18 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Côte d'Ivoire - Italy
Referee: Néstor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Pablo Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Bonfá (ARG)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)

Group C, Match 5 (Fujairah)
18 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Croatia - Morocco
Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Boria (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Morgan (JAM)
Fourth Official: Hugo Cruz Alvarado (CRC)

Group C, Match 7 (Fujairah)
18 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Panama - Uzbekistan
Referee: Daniel Bennett (RSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Aden Marwa Range (KEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Zakhele Thusi Siwela (RSA)
Fourth Official: Bamlak Tessema Weseya (ETH)

Group D, Match 6 (Ras Al-Khaimah)
18 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Tunisia - Venezuela
Referee: Khalil Ibrahim Al Ghamdi (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Badr Al Shumrani (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Hamed Marhoun Al Mayahi (OMA)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Mohamed (UAE)

Group D, Match 8 (Ras Al-Khaimah)
18 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Russia - Japan
Referee: Heber Lopes (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha De Matos (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Abdelkader Zitouni (TAH)

Group E, Match 5 (Dubai)
18 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Canada - Austria
Referee: Slim Jedidi (TUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Bechir Hassani (TUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Anouar Hmila (TUN)
Fourth Official: Julio Quintana (PAR)

Group E, Match 7 (Dubai)
18 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Iran - Argentina
Referee: Pavel Královec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Wilczek (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Roman Slyško (SVK)
Fourth Official: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)

Group F, Match 6 (Al Ain City)
18 October 2013, 15:00 CET
Mexico - Nigeria
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Thomas Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andås (NOR)
Fourth Official: Kenn Hansen (DEN)

Group F, Match 8 (Al Ain City)
18 October 2013, 18:00 CET
Iraq - Sweden
Referee: Juan Soto (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos López (VEN)
Fourth Official: Marco Rodríguez (MEX)

Tom Øvrebø has drawn a line under his career

A psychologist by profession, a psychologist on the football pitch: Former Norwegian international match official Tom Henning Øvrebø has rung down the curtain on his career as a referee due to injury. 

Having become a FIFA licensed referee in 1994, Øvrebø is able to look back on a bright development, having started with a participation in UEFA U-21 EURO 2002. Even though it took him a while to reach the peak, since he finished his university degree only in 1998, he managed his ultimate breakthrough by having been appointed to oversee two Europa League (former UEFA Cup) semifinals in 2006 and 2007. As a logical consequence, he attended UEFA EURO 2008 as one of twelve referees, where he was sent home early though because of a controversial performance in Italy vs Romania. In October 2008, Øvrebø was put onto the list of pre-selected referees for FIFA World Cup 2010.

A few months later, he made an important step forward when he was designated to handle the second leg of UEFA Champions League’s semifinal between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. Having rejected a handful of penalty appeals by the home side, his officiating team consisting of Geir Åge Holen and Dag-Roger Nebben on the sidelines faced a “third half” of this match. Øvrebø did not only have to bear the probably most severe protests ever seen during and after a match by Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba, but also received death threats which required a change of the hotel and police protection up to the airport. Of course, the players and media involved ignored the many acceptable and correct decisions taken by the referee team. 

Øvrebø never really recovered from that. Only one year later, further mistakes and controversies happened in the Round of 16 match between Bayern München and Fiorentina. As soon as he received the message that he had not been selected for the World Cup, he took the decision to finish his international career. Nevertheless, the then 44 year-old referee was ambitious enough to continue his occupation as a referee on domestic turf. In 2012 and 2013, he handled several matches in Norway’s 2nd division. 

Tom Øvrebø is still receiving mails containing death threats from some furious Chelsea fanatics, whom the Norwegian does not take serious though. He told The Times: “The death threats immediately find their way into the dustbin. I don’t take this serious. I am just surprised about those people. […] One guy referred to a Champions League final in Moscow some years ago. This says something about his intelligence.” This Champions League final was by the way refereed by Lubos Michel and not him. 

An intractable knee injury was needed to make this referee finish his passion he is still following on TV with plenty of joy. Undoubtfully, this referee would have deserved more support and fairness in the most difficult part of his career.

Did Çakır fall for a simulated headbutt?

In yesterday's decisive tie between Sweden and Austria who combatted for the runner-up place behind Germany qualifying for the play-off round, Turkish pre-selected World Cup referee Cüneyt Çakır sent off Austria's Marko Arnautovic following a confrontation with Johan Elmander and an alleged headbutt.

How would you have decided? Please answer the poll or place a comment.

Announcement on Video Footage

Dear followers and readers who share the passion of refereeing.

During the last months one key element of this blog has been educating referees and creating debates on referees' decisions on the basis of video footage. Upon my request, the owner of this footage (UEFA) has disallowed me to deploy this video footage for educational purpose. That's why I must tell you that uploading videos won't be possible in future.

Please bear with me.

Kind regards.