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It is a departure that will make noise. After nine years at the Technical Direction of the Refereeing (DTA), Bertrand Layec decided to leave his functions. An essential figure in the Batta era, of which he is still a faithful, Bertrand Layec recently left his position as general manager of the French elite referees. Hired in 2009 by Jean-Pierre Escalettes, then President of the FFF, Layec has often crystallized tensions and criticism, some seeing him as a dictator, but who has developed the elite referees with whom he had good relationships. His departure from the DTA is explained in particular by the cold relations he had with Pascal Garibian, the Technical Director of Refereeing. A similar situation occurred between Layec and Alain Sars, current Deputy Technical Director of Refereeing, to which Layec no longer speaks for several years, being upset with Sars for his media interventions at the time. While still holding the whistle in Ligue 1 during the 2008/2009 season, Bertrand Layec ...

31 October – 1 November 2018 Olympique Lyonnais – AFC Ajax Referee: Katalin Kulcsár (HUN, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Katalin Török (HUN) Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad (HUN) Fourth Official: Katalin Sipos (HUN) Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott (IRL) Brøndby IF – LSK Kvinner Referee: Melis Özçiğdem (TUR) Assistant Referee 1: Deybet Gök (TUR) Assistant Referee 2: Betül Yılmaz (TUR) Fourth Official: Neslihan Muratdağı (TUR) Referee Observer: Jenny Palmqvist (SWE) Bayern München – FC Zürich Frauen Referee: Petra Pavlíková (SVK) Assistant Referee 1: Mária Súkeníková (SVK) Assistant Referee 2: Lucie Ratajová (CZE) Fourth Official: Zuzana Valentová (SVK) Referee Observer: Blaženka Logarušić (CRO) Fiorentina Women FC – Chelsea FC Women Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (FIN) Assistant Referee 1: Tonja Paavola (FIN) Assistant Referee 2: Jenni Mahlamäki (FIN) Fourth Official: Ifeoma Kulmala (FIN) Referee Observer: Carolina De Boeck (BEL) Atlético de Madrid Féminas – VfL Wolfsburg Referee: Anastasiya Pu...

30-31 October 2018 Gremio – River Plate Referee: Andres Cunha (URU, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU) Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU) Fourth Official: Jonathan Fuentes (URU) VAR: Leodan Gonzalez (URU) AVAR 1: Esteban Ostojich (URU) AVAR 2: Mauricio Espinosa (URU) Referee Assessor: Ana Perez (PER) VAR Assessor: Enrique Osses (CHI) Palmeiras – Boca Juniors Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL) Assistant Referee 1: Alexander Guzman (COL) Assistant Referee 2: Alexander Leon (COL) Fourth Official: Andres Rojas (COL) VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI) AVAR1: Piero Maza (CHI) AVAR2: Carlos Astroza (CHI) Referee Assessor: Dario Ubriaco (URU) VAR Assessor: Martin Vazquez (URU)

30-31 October 2018 Deportivo Cali – Santa Fe Referee: Víctor Carrillo (PER, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Víctor Raez (PER) Assistant Referee 2: Raul Lopez (PER) Fourth Official: Michael Espinoza (PER) VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG) AVAR 1: Jose Argote (VEN) AVAR 2: Jorge Urrego (VEN) Referee Assessor: Imer Machado (COL) VAR Assessor: Carlos Torres (PAR) Nacional – Fluminense Referee: Robert Tobar (CHI) Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI) Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI) Fourth Official: Cesar Deischler (CHI) VAR: Gery Vargas (BOL) AVAR 1: Nicolas Gallo (COL) AVAR 2: Hernan Maidana (ARG) Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL) VAR Assessor: Paulo Silva (ARG) Atletico Paranaense – Bahia Referee: Diego Haro (PER) Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER) Assistant Referee 2: Coty Carrera (PER) Fourth Official: Miguel Santivanez (PER) VAR: Jesus Valenzuela (PER) AVAR 1: Alexis Herrera (COL) AVAR 2: Juan Belatti (ARG) Referee Assessor: Sergio Cristiano (BRA) VAR Assessor: Alicio Pen...

Rule-makers at the International FA Board (IFAB) are hoping to crack down on intentional time-wasting tactics and the actual playing time of games. In the proposed scheme, players would be forced to leave the pitch via the nearest touchline, rather than slowly trudge to their technical area. At present, Premier League matches average just 55 minutes and nine seconds of footballing action per 90 minutes. On top of that, nearly a quarter of matches are now seeing subs made after the 90-minute mark in a clear time-wasting strategy - a three per cent increase over seven seasons ago. Now law-makers are considering drastic measures to boost that number, according to The Times. One IFAB board member: “Looking at ways to cut down on time-wasting, speed up the game and increase playing time is one of our priorities. A rule to say there should be no substitutions during added-on time is an interesting one and could work well. Referees add on 30 seconds for a substitution but in practice it can e...

La Liga's Clasico is the most watched domestic club game on the planet and nobody at the Camp Nou on Sunday will be more alone, in the unforgiving spotlight, than the referee. Clasico officials must be prepared to take monumental flak before, during and after the 90 minutes, receiving it from players, coaches, fans and pundits leaning towards either Real Madrid or Barcelona, and while trying to make split-second decisions that potentially have long-lasting consequences. Few referees know more about this atmosphere than former top La Liga ref Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez, who both enjoyed and suffered in Clasicos during his 17 years in charge of La Liga games.  "You always have nerves before such a high-profile game," Iturralde says in an exclusive interview with ESPN FC. "All that happens before, you cannot control, people stopping you on the street, all the calls you keep getting in the weeks before the game. So you want the game to start that is where you are in cont...

First Leg, 2 October 2018 Al Ahly – ES Setif Referee: Bamlak Tessema (ETH, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Temesgin Atango (ETH) Assistant Referee 2: Kindie Mussie (ETH) 1 Agosto – Esperance Tunis Referee: Maguette N’Diaye (SEN) Assistant Referee 1: El Hadji Samba (SEN) Assistant Referee 2: Djibril Camara (SEN) Second Leg, 23 October 2018 ES Setif – Al Ahly Referee: Victor Gomes (RSA) Assistant Referee 1: Zakhele Siwela (RSA) Assistant Referee 2: Johannes Moshidi (RSA) Esperance Tunis – 1 Agosto Referee: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM) Assistant Referee 1: Romeo Kasengele (ZAM) Assistant Referee 2: Kabwe Chansa (ZAM)

First Leg, 3 October 2018 Al Masry – ASV Club Referee: Bakary Gassama (GAM, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Sulayman Sosseh (GAM) Assistant Referee 2: Omar Darboe (GAM) Enyimba FC – Raja CA Referee: Youssef Essrayri (TUN) Assistant Referee 1: Yamen Malloulchi (TUN) Assistant Referee 2: Aymen Ismail (TUN) Second Leg, 24 October 2018 ASV Club – Al Masry Referee: Bernard Camille (SEY) Assistant Referee 1: Gilbert Lista (SEY) Assistant Referee 2: James Fedrick (SEY) Raja CA – Enyimba FC Referee: Eric Otogo Castane (GAB) Assistant Referee 1: Issa Yaya (CHA) Assistant Referee 2: Moussounda Montel (GAB)

First Leg, 2-3 October 2018 Kashima Antlers – Suwon Bluewings Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Yaser Tulefat (BHR) Assistant Referee 2: Nawaf Mousa (BHR) Additional AR 1: Ali Sabah (IRQ) Additional AR 2: Turki Al-Khudhayr (KSA) Fourth Official: Mohd Muhamad (MAS) Al Sadd – Persepolis Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (SRI) Assistant Referee 1: Priyanga Palliya (SRI) Assistant Referee 2: Palitha Hemathunga (SRI) Additional AR 1: Nivon Gamini (SRI) Additional AR 2: Rowan Arumughan (SRI) Fourth Official: Premalal Wellabada (SRI) Second Leg, 23-24 October 2018 Persepolis – Al Sadd Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (UZB) Assistant Referee 1: Husniddin Shodmonov (UZB) Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin (UZB) Additional AR 1: Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB) Additional AR 2: Aziz Asimov (UZB) Fourth Official: Ruslan Serazitdinov (UZB) Suwon Bluewings – Kashima Antlers Referee: Mark Geiger (USA) Assistant Referee 1: Joe Fletcher (CAN) Assistant Referee 2: Frank Anderson (USA) Addition...

25 October 2018 Anderlecht – Fenerbahçe Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Martin Margaritov (BUL) Assistant Referee 2: Diyan Valkov (BUL) Fourth Official: Georgi Todorov (BUL) Additional AR 1: Nikola Popov (BUL) Additional AR 2: Stanislav Todorov (BUL) Referee Observer: Milan Karadžić (SRB) RB Leipzig – Celtic FC Referee: Pavel Královec (CZE) Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Nádvorník (CZE) Assistant Referee 2: Kamil Hájek (CZE) Fourth Official: Jakub Hrabovský (CZE) Additional AR 1: Petr Ardeleánu (CZE) Additional AR 2: Karel Hrubeš (CZE) Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT) FC Zürich – Bayer Leverkusen Referee: Aliyar Agayev (AZE) Assistant Referee 1: Zeynal Zeynalov (AZE) Assistant Referee 2: Rza Mammadov (AZE) Fourth Official: Mübariz Haşımov (AZE) Additional AR 1: Rəhim Hasanov (AZE) Additional AR 2: Orxan Mammadov (AZE) Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR) AEK Larnaca – PFC Ludogorets Referee: Enea Jorgji (ALB) Assistant Referee 1: Denis Rexha (ALB) Assistant R...

23 October 2018 AEK Athens – Bayern München Referee: Aleksei Kulbakou (BLR, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Dzmitri Žuk (BLR) Assistant Referee 2: Alieh Maslianka (BLR) Fourth Official: Juri Chomčanka (BLR) Additional AR 1: Dzianis Ščarbakoŭ (BLR) Additional AR 2: Dzmitri Dzmitrieŭ (BLR) Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís (CYP) Young Boys – Valencia CF Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA) Assistant Referee 1: Haralds Gudermanis (LVA) Assistant Referee 2: Aleksejs Spasjonņikovs (LVA) Fourth Official: Raimonds Tatriks (LVA) Additional AR 1: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA) Additional AR 2: Edgars Maļcevs (LVA) Referee Observer: Hans Reijgwart (NED) AFC Ajax – SL Benfica Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FRA) Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FRA) Assistant Referee 2: Julien Pacelli (FRA) Fourth Official: Cyril Gringore (FRA) Additional AR 1: Amaury Delerue (FRA) Additional AR 2: François Letexier (FRA) Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP) TSG Hoffenheim – Olympique Lyonnais Referee: Alberto Undian...

23-24 October 2018 Shakhtar Donetsk – Manchester City Referee: Horațiu Feșnic (ROU, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Alexandru Cerei (ROU) Assistant Referee 2: Valentin Avram (ROU) Fourth Official: Dmytro Panchyshyn (UKR) Referee Observer: Vasyl Melnychuk (UKR) AEK Athens – Bayern München Referee: Duje Strukan (CRO) Assistant Referee 1: Mario Pepur (CRO) Assistant Referee 2: Alen Jakšić (CRO) Fourth Official: Emmanouíl Skoulás (GRE) Referee Observer: Juan Fernández Marín (ESP) AFC Ajax – SL Benfica Referee: Jonathan Lardot (BEL) Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Godelaine (BEL) Assistant Referee 2: Florian Lemaire (BEL) Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot (NED) Referee Observer: John Ferry (NIR) AS Roma – CSKA Moskva Referee: Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL) Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Kolev (BUL) Assistant Referee 2: Martin Venev (BUL) Fourth Official: Valerio Marini (ITA) Referee Observer: Edward Foley (IRL) Young Boys – Valencia CF Referee: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN) Assistant Referee 1: Dennis Woll...

23-24 October 2018 Flyeralarm Admira – RSC Anderlecht Referee: Zbyněk Proske (CZE, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Radek Kotík (CZE) Assistant Referee 2: Petr Caletka (CZE) Fourth Official: Alan Kijas (AUT) Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT) Sheriff Tiraspol – Qabala İK Referee: Timótheos Christofí (CYP) Assistant Referee 1: Giórgos Sávva (CYP) Assistant Referee 2: Andréas Michailídis (CYP) Fourth Official: Ion Orlic (MDA) Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA) GNK Dinamo – FC Viitorul Referee: Vitaly Romanov (UKR) Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Korniyko (UKR) Assistant Referee 2: Valentyn Kutsev (UKR) Fourth Official: Ivan Vučković (CRO) Referee Observer: Miroslav Vitković (CRO) Montpellier HSC – MŠK Žilina Referee: Christophe Martins (LUX) Assistant Referee 1: Gilles Becker (LUX) Assistant Referee 2: Joaquim Gomes (LUX) Fourth Official: Arnaud Baert (FRA) Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA) Septemvri Sofia – Dynamo Kyiv Referee: Michal Očenáš (SVK) Assistant Referee 1: Michal...

23-25 October 2018 Santa Fe – Deportivo Cali Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Lescano (ECU) Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU) Fourth Official: Carlos Orbe (ECU) VAR: Raphael Claus (BRA) AVAR 1: Rodolpho Toski (BRA) AVAR 2: Bruno Boschilia (BRA) Referee Assessor: Imer Machado (COL) VAR Assessor: Carlos Torres (PAR) Fluminense – Nacional Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG) Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG) Assistant Referee 2: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG) Fourth Official: Silvio Trucco (ARG) VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG) AVAR 1: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN) AVAR 2: Carlos Lopez (VEN) Referee Assessor: Claudio Puga (CHI) VAR Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR) Bahía – Atletico Paranaense Referee: Fernando Rapallini (ARG) Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG) Assistant Referee 2: Gustavo Rossi (ARG) Fourth Official: Jorge Balino (ARG) VAR: Gerry Vargas (BOL) AVAR 1: Nicolas Gallo (COL) AVAR 2: Hernan Maidana (ARG) Referee Assessor: Nelson Moncao (BRA) VAR Assessor: ...

23-24 October 2018 River Plate – Gremio Referee: Víctor Carrillo (PER, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER) Assistant Referee 2: Victor Raez (PER) Fourth Official: Diego Haro (PER) VAR: Leodan Gonzalez (URU) AVAR1: Esteban Ostojich (URU) AVAR2: Richard Trinidad (URU) Referee Assessor: Jose Buitrago (COL) VAR Assessor: Enrique Osses (CHI) Boca Juniors – Palmeiras Referee: Roberto Tobar (CHI) Assistant Referee 1: Christian Schiemann (CHI) Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Ríos (CHI) Fourth Official: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI) VAR: Julio Bascunan (CHI) AVAR1: Piero Maza (CHI) AVAR2: Carlos Astroza (CHI) Referee Assessor: Alberto Tejada (PER) VAR Assessor: Martin Vazquez (URU)

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that Mark Geiger, two-time FIFA World Cup veteran and 2014 Concacaf Referee of the Year, will lead the Concacaf referee team assigned to the AFC Champions League return-leg semi-final in Suwon, Korea Republic on October 24, 2018, between Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR) and Kashima Antlers (JPN). “Concacaf is proud to continue collaborating with the AFC in the development of football and, specifically, refereeing. The exchange of referee trios for each Confederation’s Champions League semifinal is a historic achievement for the sport, as it provides new challenges for referees from each Confederation,” said Concacaf Director of Refereeing Brian Hall. “We are certain that the Concacaf team will have an exemplary performance as the AFC referee team did on our Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.” The reciprocal referee exchange, which earlier this y...

Sitting in a lounge on the 24th floor of a hotel in central Buenos Aires, Gelareh Nazemi conveys a certain shyness, which stands in contrast to the confidence she demonstrates when dealing with matters on a futsal court. But, contrary to being interviewed, refereeing is a passion for Nazemi, who is the first Iranian to officiate at a FIFA-run futsal tournament. A veritable trailblazer in her homeland, the 34-year-old is on the verge of reaping the rewards of choosing to break down barriers and exhibiting proficiency on the court: she has been selected to referee the final of the Women’s Youth Olympic Futsal Tournament Buenos Aires 2018 between Portugal and Japan, which takes place on Wednesday in the Main Futsal Hall. At these Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, she, as well as her five female colleagues – six of the 24 referees appointed were women – have overseen women’s and men’s matches. In fact, Nazemi was the woman in the middle during the crucial men’s Egypt-Slovakia group match w...

17 October 2018 Final USA – Canada Referee: Lucila Venegas (MEX, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Princess Brown (JAM) Assistant Referee 2: Mijensa Rensch (SUR) Fourth Official: Tatiana Guzman (NCA) Match for Third Place Jamaica – Panama Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN) Assistant Referee 1: Chantal Boudreau (CAN) Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)

UAE, 12-22 December 2018 AFC Referee: Ryuji Sato (JPN, 1977, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Toru Sagara (JPN, 1976) Assistant Referee 2: Hiroshi Yamauchi (JPN, 1979) VAR: Abdulla Mohammed (UAE, 1978) CAF Referee: Mehdi Abid Charef (ALG, 1980) Assistant Referee 1: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG, 1981) Assistant Referee 2: Anouar Hmila (TUN, 1974) CONCACAF Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA, 1977) Assistant Referee 1: Frank Anderson (USA, 1975) Assistant Referee 2: Corey Rockwell (USA, 1974) VAR: Mark Geiger (USA, 1974) CONMEBOL Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA, 1981) Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Figueiredo (BRA, 1983) Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia (BRA, 1983) VAR: Mauro Vigliano (ARG, 1975) OFC Referee: Matthew Conger (NZL, 1978) Assistant Referee 1: Tevita Makasini (TGA, 1976) Assistant Referee 2: Mark Rule (NZL, 1981) UEFA Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA, 1973) Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA, 1973) Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (ITA, 1973) VAR 1: Pawel Gil (POL, 1976) VAR 2: Mass...

11-16 October 2018 Puerto Rico – Martinique Referee: Hector Rodriguez (HON, photo) Suriname – British Virgin Islands Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA) French Guyana – St. Vincent & Grenadines Referee: Ismael Cornejo (SLV) US Virgin Islands – Curacao Referee: Jamar Springer (BRB) Bahamas – Antigua & Barbuda Referee: Raul Castro (HON) Bermuda – St. Marteen Referee: Daneon Parchment (JAM) Dominican Republic – Cayman Islands Referee: Carl Elie (HAI) Grenada – Cuba Referee: Juan Calderon (CRC) Turks & Caicos – Guyana Referee: Oliver Vergara (PAN) El Salvador – Barbados Referee: Gladwin Johnson (GUY) St. Martin – St. Kitts & Nevis Referee: William Anderson (PUR) Montserrat – Belize Referee: Edgar Rangel (MEX) Bonaire – Jamaica Referee: Sherwin Moore (GUY) Nicaragua – Anguilla Referee: German Martínez (SLV) Martinique – British Virgin Islands Referee: Jorge Perez (MEX) Canada – Dominica Referee: Oscar Macias (MEX) Guadeloupe – Aruba Referee: Nima Saghafi (USA) Santa Lucia – Haiti Re...

Boys (U-18) Egypt – Russia Referee 1: Khalid Hnich (MAR) Referee 2: Victor Berg Audic (FRA, photo) Third Official: Rafael Villalba (PAR) Timekeeper: Diego Molina (CRC) Brazil – Argentina Referee 1: Nikola Jelic (CRO) Referee 2: Po Fu Lee (TPE) Third Official: Ovidiu Curta (ROU) Timekeeper: Miguel Oliveira (POR) Girls (U-18) Portugal – Bolivia Referee 1: Roberto Sanchez (CUB) Referee 2: Hussain Al Bahhar (BHR) Third Official: Mohamed Hassan (EGY) Timekeeper: Qingyun Liang (CHN) Spain – Japan Referee 1: Lance VanHaitsma (USA) Referee 2: Anthony Riley (NZL) Third Official: Tayana Moreno (VEN) Timekeeper: Jose Barrera (SLV)

15-16 October 2018 Czech Republic – Moldova Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE) Assistant Referee 2: Mahbod Beigi (SWE) Fourth Official: Victor Wolf (SWE) Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB) Greece – Belarus Referee: Nejc Kajtazovič (SVN) Assistant Referee 1: Manuel Vidali (SVN) Assistant Referee 2: Tomislav Pospeh (SVN) Fourth Official: Mitja Žganec (SVN) Referee Observer: Brian Lawlor (WAL) San Marino – Croatia Referee: Juxhin Xhaja (ALB) Assistant Referee 1: Ermal Barushi (ALB) Assistant Referee 2: Denis Agaraj (ALB) Fourth Official: Klajdi Kola (ALB) Referee Observer: Are Habicht (EST) FYR Macedonia – Gibraltar Referee: Christophe Martins (LUX) Assistant Referee 1: David Santos (LUX) Assistant Referee 2: Gilles Becker (LUX) Fourth Official: Alex Krueger (LUX) Referee Observer: Volodymyr Petrov (UKR) Montenegro – Kazakhstan Referee: Petri Viljanen (FIN) Assistant Referee 1: Riku Vihreävuori (FIN) Assistant Referee 2: Mika Lamppu (FIN...

14-16 October 2018 League A Poland – Italy Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN) Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN) Fourth Official: Grega Kordež (SVN) Additional AR 1: Matej Jug (SVN) Additional AR 2: Rade Obrenovič (SVN) Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG) Iceland – Switzerland Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE) Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum (SWE) Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Hallberg (SWE) Fourth Official: Fredrik Nilsson (SWE) Additional AR 1: Kaspar Sjöberg (SWE) Additional AR 2: Magnus Lindgren (SWE) Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL) Spain – England Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL) Assistant Referee 1: Paweł Sokolnicki (POL) Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL) Fourth Official: Krzysztof Myrmus (POL) Additional AR 1: Bartosz Frankowski (POL) Additional AR 2: Zbigniew Dobrynin (POL) Referee Observer: Kýros Vassáras (GRE) France – Germany Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB) Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristić (SRB) Assistant Referee...

Preparing the referees for the introduction of VAR in UEFA competitions, the first VAR seminar for took place at the KNVB Replay Center in Netherlands, from 8-11 October 2018. UEFA selected 7 instructors and 24 referees for this VAR seminar. "It's perfect for our training, the technology is really great and we would like to thank KNVB for the opportunity to be here. This is very important, not just for referees, but for all football; our goal is to eliminate obvious mistakes from football and this training will help us to speak a better technical language", said Roberto Rosetti, UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer. VAR Instructors 1. David Elleray (ENG) 2. Jaap Uilenberg (NED) 3. Werner Helsen (BEL) 4. Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP) 5. Nicola Rizzoli (ITA) 6. Murat Ilgaz (TUR) 7. Gianvito Piglionica (ITA) Participants - Referees with limited VAR experience: 1. Aliyar Aghayev (AZE) 2. Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR) 3. Georgi Kabakov (BUL) 4. Mattias Gestranius (FIN) 5. Anastasios Sidirop...

The deadline to nominate international referees for the upcoming year was 1 October 2018. In the circular no. 1648 that was sent to the member associations on 5 September 2018, FIFA indicated, for the first time ever, that "the futsal and beach soccer referee roles are now gender neutral. Both men and women can be nominated to these roles since separate roles for women no longer exist in these categories. The futsal and beach soccer fitness test applies equally to both men and women.”  Requirements for 2019 nominations: 1. The proposed referees shall be at least 25 years old (23 years old in the case of assistant referees) on 1 January of the year for which they have been nominated. For 2019, referees must be born no later than 31 December 1993 and assistant referees must be born no later than 31 December 1995 in order to ensure a minimum level of experience. FIFA reserves the right to require referees over the age of 45 (born in 1974 or before) to undergo additional technical ass...

11-12 October 2018 Israel – Ireland Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL, photo) Assistant Referee 1: Karel De Rocker (BEL) Assistant Referee 2: Rien Vanyzere (BEL) Fourth Official: Wesley Alen (BEL) Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA) Belarus – Czech Republic Referee: Anders Poulsen (DEN) Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Nørgaard (DEN) Assistant Referee 2: Elvis Boric (DEN) Fourth Official: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN) Referee Observer: Vladimír Medved (SVK) Liechtenstein – Portugal Referee: Aleksey Matyunin (RUS) Assistant Referee 1: Aleksey Vorontsov (RUS) Assistant Referee 2: Nikolay Yeremin (RUS) Fourth Official: Yevgeniy Turbin (RUS) Referee Observer: Jari Maisonlahti (FIN) Iceland – Northern Ireland Referee: Jens Maae (DEN) Assistant Referee 1: Lars Hummelgaard (DEN) Assistant Referee 2: Heine Sørensen (DEN) Fourth Official: Jakob Kehlet (DEN) Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT) Albania – Spain Referee: João Pinheiro (POR) Assistant Referee 1: Br...