FIFA Club World Cup 2012

Japan, 6-16 December 2012

AFC
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (BHR, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Yaser Tulefat (BHR, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Ebrahim Saleh (BHR, 1974)

CAF
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG, 1970)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG, 1981)
Assistant Referee 2: Redouane Achik (MAR, 1972)

CONCACAF
Referee: Marco Rodriguez (MEX, 1973, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (MEX, 1971)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcos Quintero (MEX, 1973)

CONMEBOL
Referee: Carlos Vera (ECU, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU, 1983)
Assistant Referee 2: Byron Romero (ECU, 1980)

OFC
Referee: Peter O’Leary (NZL, 1972)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Hintz (NZL, 1976)
Assistant Referee 2: Ravinesh Kumar (FIJ, 1982)

UEFA
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (TUR, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR, 1975)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR, 1973)

Reserve Trio – AFC
Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Hassan Kamranifar (IRN, 1972)
Assistant Referee 2: Reza Sokhandan (IRN, 1974)

First seminar for prospective ARs FIFA World Cup 2014

FIFA has decided to split the assistant referees pre-selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in two groups. The first seminar, for CAF and UEFA assistant referees, is running from 29 October to 2 November 2012 in Zurich, Switzerland. The ARs from AFC, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and OFC will attend a similar course from 12 to 16 November. Following Euro 2012, there are three replacements on the UEFA list: Darren Cann instead of Peter Kirkup (ENG), Tiago Trigo replaced Ricardo Santos (POR) and Bojan Ul instead of Gregor Rojko (SVN). Due to the snow, the sprint tests have been moved indoor (photo). During the following days, there will be in-class and on-field sessions specifically designed for assistant referees.

Prospective Assistant Referees
CAF (14): Evarist Menkouande (CMR, 1974), Peter Edibe (NGA, 1970), Marwa Range (KEN, 1977), Zakhele Siwela (RSA, 1982), Djibril Camara (SEN, 1983), Felicien Kabanda (RWA, 1971), Songuifolo Yeo (CIV, 1970), Jean-Claude Birumushahu (BDI, 1972), Jason Damoo (SEY, 1975), Angesom Ogbamariam (ERI, 1971), Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG, 1981), Redouane Achik (MAR, 1972), Bechir Hassani (TUN, 1969), Sherif Hassan (EGY, 1969).
UEFA (38): Thorsten Schiffner (GER, 1975), Mark Borsch (GER, 1977), Bahattin Duran (TUR, 1975), Tarik Ongun (TUR, 1973), Stephen Child (ENG, 1973), Simon Beck (ENG, 1972), Mathias Klasenius (SWE, 1975), Daniel Warnmark (SWE, 1974), Gabor Eros (HUN, 1971), Gyorgy Ring (HUN, 1981), Martin Wilczek (CZE, 1970), Antonin Kordula (CZE, 1969), Sander van Roekel (NED, 1974), Erwin Zeinstra (NED, 1977), Frederic Cano (FRA, 1973), Michael Annonier (FRA, 1972), Milovan Ristic (SRB, 1974), Vladimir Jovanovic (SRB, 1975), Kim Haglund (NOR, 1977), Frank Andas (NOR, 1975), Bertino Miranda (POR, 1972), Tiago Trigo (POR, 1972), Renato Faverani (ITA, 1969) , Andrea Stefani (ITA, 1969), Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA, 1973), Gianluca Cariolato (ITA, 1972), Matej Zunic (SVN, 1983), Bojan Ul (SVN, 1970), Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER, 1969), Mike Pickel (GER, 1975), Alasdair Ross (SCO, 1975), Derek Rose (SCO, 1974), Raul Cabanero Martinez (ESP, 1981), Roberto Perez Del Palomar (ESP, 1976), Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP, 1976), Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP, 1975), Michael Mullarkey (ENG, 1970), Darren Cann (ENG, 1969).

Source: FIFA / Photo: Elitdomareklubben

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 – Group Stage (Matches 1-12)

1 November 2012
Ukraine – Paraguay
Referee 1: Wenceslaos Aguilar (PAN, photo)
Referee 2: Alexander Cline (PAN, photo)
Third Referee: Carlos Gonzalez (GUA)
Timekeeper: Eduardo Muhamane (MOZ)

Thailand – Costa Rica
Referee 1: Hector Rojas (PER)
Referee 2: Renata Leite (BRA)
Third Referee: Jaime Jativa (ECU)
Timekeeper: Daniel Rodriguez (URU)

Libya – Portugal
Referee 1: Alireza Sohrabi (IRN)
Referee 2: Zhang Youze (CHN)
Third Referee: Shukhrat Pulatov (UZB)
Timekeeper: Kim Jang Kwan (KOR)

Brazil – Japan
Referee 1: Gabor Kovacs (HUN)
Referee 2: Ivan Shabanov (RUS)
Third Referee: Fernando Gutierrez (ESP)
Timekeeper: Saheed Ayeni (NGR)

2 November 2012
Italy – Australia
Referee 1: Eduardo Mahumane (MOZ)
Referee 2: Said Kadara (EGY)
Third Referee: Geovanny Lopez (CRC)
Timekeeper: Oswaldo Gomez (COL)

Argentina – Mexico
Referee 1: Eduardo Fernandes (POR)
Referee 2: Jose Katemo (ANG)
Third Referee: Borut Sivic (SVN)
Timekeeper: Danijel Janosevic (CRO)

Panama – Morocco
Referee 1: Amitesh Behari (FIJ)
Referee 2: Rex Kamusu (SOL)
Third Referee: Nurdin Bukuev (KGZ)
Timekeeper: Naoki Miyatani (JPN)

Spain – Iran
Referee 1: Francisco Rivera (MEX)
Referee 2: Sergio Cabrera (CUB)
Third Referee: Joel Ruiz (PAR)
Timekeeper: Dario Santamaria (ARG)

3 November 2012
Guatemala – Colombia
Referee 1: Karel Henych (CZE)
Referee 2: Marc Birkett (ENG)
Third Referee: Francesco Massini (ITA)
Timekeeper: Pascal Lemal (BEL)

Russia – Solomon Islands
Referee 1: Kim Jang Kwan (KOR)
Referee 2: Shukhrat Pulatov (UZB)
Third Referee: Mohamad Chami (LIB)
Timekeeper: Scott Kidson (AUS)

Czech Republic – Kuwait
Referee 1: Dario Santamaria (ARG)
Referee 2: Oswaldo Gomez (COL)
Third Referee: Renata Leite (BRA)
Timekeeper: Hector Rojas (PER)

Egypt – Serbia
Referee 1: Joel Ruiz (PAR)
Referee 2: Sandro Brechane (BRA)
Third Referee: Sergio Cabrera (CUB)
Timekeeper: Francisco Rivera (MEX)

Copa Sudamericana 2012 – Quarter-finals (First Leg)

30 October 2012
Gremio – Millonarios
Referee: Julio Bascunan (CHI, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sergio Roman (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Barraza (CHI)
Fourth Official: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI)
Referee Observer: Salvio Fagundes (BRA)

31 October 2012
Universidad de Chile – Sao Paulo
Referee: Martin Vazquez (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Costa (URU)
Fourth Official: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Referee Observer: Gaston Castro (CHI)

1 November 2012
Cerro Porteno – Tigre
Referee: Jose Buitrago (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Abraham Gonzalez (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Alexander Guzman (COL)
Fourth Official: Adrian Velez (COL)
Referee Observer: Cecilio Bejanaro (PAR)

Independiente – Universidad Catolica
Referee: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Joia (BRA)
Fourth Official: Pericles Cortez (BRA)
Referee Observer: Juan Loustau (ARG)

CAF Champions League Final 2012

First Leg, 4 November 2012
Al Ahly – Esperance Tunis
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG)
Assistant Referee 2: Redouane Achik (MAR)

Second Leg, 17 November 2012
Esperance Tunis – Al Ahly
Referee: Bouchaib El Ahrach (MAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bouazza Rouani (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdelaziz El Mehraji (MAR)

Webb: "Referees should always be anonymously competent"

Speaking recently at the FA Refereeing Awards, Howard Webb explained how he has never let the criticisms that face match officials bother him and he is still full of enthusiasm for the job he loves. “A love of the game is important to become a referee and we need to recognize that a lot of people who do become involved in refereeing do so because of their love for the game, because they are so passionate about the game of football. I think you need an awful lot of self-discipline, self-belief. You need good communication skills and you need to be able to manage people. When you combine all these things together, you’ve got the recipe for someone who can do a job in refereeing. As long as I have still got that same excited feeling at five to three, that same desire to do well in the game, the same emotions, as long as the same positive feelings are there, I will keep doing what I do. I’m a privileged guy; I have got a great seat in the house, every Saturday or Sunday afternoon, taking charge of Premier League games and Football League games as well. It’s a great place to be and I would recommend it to anybody who is thinking of getting involved in the game. It’s something that has developed me as a person, it will enhance your personal characteristics and attributes, it will keep you fit and will give you a real sense of satisfaction to contribute to the game in such a positive way".

High-profile former referee Graham Poll told Footy Matters earlier this year he believed officials should have managers with them at games, just like the players do. But Webb believes that system has been in place for years, with so many different mentors and volunteers around to help improve the standard of officiating. “Mentorship is really important, it’s important for referees when they start out and still learning the skills to become a professional referee that they have someone that they can share their experiences with,” said Webb. “Somebody who can look at the game with them, talk about situations, and that coaching continues right up to Premier League level and we look at our performances post-match with refereeing coaches with the intention of developing our skills and always improving. Coaching referees is important. As somebody who has benefited so much from volunteers in my career – and I started 23 years ago and benefited from people to get to the top of the game - I’m happy to be here to support this initiative (FA Refereeing Awards) and hopefully it will highlight how important this is to helping create the next generation of Premier League referees".
The Respect campaign is often used as a stick with which to beat footballers, but Webb is of the belief that there has been a significant change in the attitude of players on the pitch. However, he believes that it is impossible to stamp out arguments on the pitch, due to the level of emotion that football creates; something Webb would hate to see disappear from the game. “I feel that they are a lot more mindful that they need to show the field of play as a positive place to get involved, be it match officials, players, coaches, spectators. We’ve seen clear evidence over the past few years that player behaviour has improved. The FA introduced the Respect campaign a few years ago, the Premier League introduced their Get On With The Game programme, and I’ve a really strong view that we’ve seen a real strengthening of relationships on the field of play in the last few years. Football’s an emotive thing, it generates emotions. That’s the beauty about it, people care. They want to win of course, they care about decisions that are made, they care whether they win or lose. We expect some emotions of course, but we’ve got to keep working hard together - players, coaches, referees, administrators - to make sure the game keeps moving in a positive way forward, while enhancing the emotions that football creates".
Arguably the highlight of Webb’s career came in 2010, when he was selected to officiate in the World Cup Final between Spain and Netherlands in South Africa, which proved a real challenge due to the unsavoury tactics of the Dutch in particular. “The World Cup was an unbelievable experience when you consider how I started back in 1989, doing Under 10s football locally in South Yorkshire, as someone who had been introduced to refereeing by my father, who was also a referee. I’d never held an ambition to become a referee, but decided to take it up. That night when I passed my exam back in 1989, I knew somebody somewhere would take charge of the 2010 World Cup Final and it turned out to be me! It is amazing what can happen in refereeing and it was a great honour, a great responsibility to be in charge of that game. As match officials, we always hope we can be anonymously competent, that we are affecting the job we have to do, but we are never spoken about, which is fine. Sometimes a game lends itself to that kind of review post-match, sometimes it doesn’t, and you have to step up to the plate and make decisions that the game demands upon. It was a difficult game, for sure, it was important for everybody involved, the biggest game of everybody’s career, including mine. For me it was important to try and be a calming influence, try and keep people’s intentions on the football, trying to do the job I was there to do, to protect the players, protect the game and it was a testing match, for sure. But looking back, it was a great honour to be asked to take the game, to referee the match, and it is something that I hold very fond memories of"
Webb may be the pinnacle right now for all aspiring referees, but he’s looking to the future and believes there is a lot of hope for match officiating for years to come. “There are lots and lots of young referees. It’s quite different now from when I started back in the late 80s; there weren’t many young referees involved in the game. That’s one of the things that attracted me into refereeing. When we compare that to now, we’ve got a lot of good young people getting involved in the game from the mid-teens to late teens, male and female, and I think it’s really good for the game, it’s good for the future of refereeing. There are strong, positive numbers involved for the future of refereeing and it’s good for the future of the game. We need as many games as possible covered by qualified referees up and down the country. That enhances the enjoyment of the game and it ensures that fair play is respected and players are protected as well.” The game has played a pivotal part in Webb’s life for the best part of a quarter of a century and on the question of why it matters so much to him he added: "It’s everything to me. I have been asked to write down my hobbies in questionnaires and you know what? Football is everything".

Source: Footy Matters

UEFA DVD and workshop on AARs

A DVD produced for UEFA's national associations demonstrates the practical benefits of additional assistant referees, who are now being deployed by UEFA in its club competitions.

UEFA has produced a DVD for its 53 member national associations in which the European body provides information on implementing the additional assistant referee system which became part of the Laws of the Game this summer, and which is being deployed by UEFA in this season's club competitions. The DVD is based on a presentation given by UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina at a meeting with the European national associations in Kyiv in July. Through key video examples – especially those related to the UEFA Euro 2012 matches, where audio communication among the referee teams was also recorded – the DVD demonstrates the practical benefits on the pitch, as well as offering solutions for utilising refereeing resources efficiently in order to implement the system. Football's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), approved the use of additional assistant referees at its meeting on 5 July, and since then, all FIFA member associations have been free to implement the system, which proved its worth at UEFA Euro 2012, in particular as a deterrent against penalty-area incidents.
UEFA is staging a workshop on additional assistance referees in Nyon on 13 November, with national association elite referee managers invited to the House of European Football. The workshop will provide all the necessary tools and information to enable national associations to consider the implementation of this system. In addition, demonstrations of practical training for additional assistant referees are on the agenda. Pierluigi Collina and UEFA refereeing officers Hugh Dallas and Marc Batta will join other members of the UEFA Referees Committee in passing on their valuable expertise, having seen the system tried and tested at around 1,000 top UEFA matches in the past three seasons.

Source: UEFA

UEFA Europa League – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

25 October 2012

Rosenborg – Metalist

Referee: Olegario Benquerenca (POR)

Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Santos (POR)

Assistant Referee 2: Nuno Pereira (POR)

Additional AR 1: Manuel De Sousa (POR)

Additional AR 2: Rui Costa (POR)

Fourth Official: Pedro Batista (POR)

Referee Observer: Georgios Bikas (GRE)

Rubin Kazan – Neftci

Referee: Kenn Hansen (DEN)

Assistant Referee 1: Lars Rix (DEN)

Assistant Referee 2: David Andersen (DEN)

Additional AR 1: Jakob Kehlet (DEN)

Additional AR 2: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)

Fourth Official: Henrik Kristensen (DEN)

Referee Observer: Vaclav Krondl (CZE)

Internationale – Partizan

Referee: Liran Liany (ISR)

Assistant Referee 1: Shabtai Nahmias (ISR)

Assistant Referee 2: David Biton (ISR)

Additional AR 1: Menashe Masiah (ISR)

Additional AR 2: Roy Reinshreiber (ISR)

Fourth Official: Oren Bornshtain (ISR)

Referee Observer: Juan Fernandez Marín (ESP)

Sparta Praha – Hapoel Kiryat Shmona

Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)

Assistant Referee 1: Davie Goossens (NED)

Assistant Referee 2: Patrick Langkamp (NED)

Additional AR 1: Kevin Blom (NED)

Additional AR 2: Reinold Wiedemeijer (NED)

Fourth Official: Charles Schaap (NED)

Referee Observer: Horst Brummeier (AUT)

Olympique Lyon – Athletic Bilbao

Referee: Andre Marriner (ENG)

Assistant Referee 1: Simon Long (ENG)

Assistant Referee 2: Peter Bankes (ENG)

Additional AR 1: Jonathan Moss (ENG)

Additional AR 2: Lee Mason (ENG)

Fourth Official: Charles Breakspear (ENG)

Referee Observer: Kyros Georgiou (CYP)

Panathinaikos – Lazio

Referee: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)

Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)

Assistant Referee 2: Javier Aguilar Rodriguez (ESP)

Additional AR 1: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)

Additional AR 2: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)

Fourth Official: Roberto Diaz Del Palomar (ESP)

Referee Observer: Kaj Natri (FIN)

Maribor – Tottenham

Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)

Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averianov (RUS)

Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)

Additional AR 1: Maksim Layushkin (RUS)

Additional AR 2: Aleksei Nikolaev (RUS)

Fourth Official: Dmitry Mosyakin (RUS)

Referee Observer: Zdravko Jokic (SRB)

Rapid Wien – Leverkusen  

Referee: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes (ESP)

Assistant Referee 1: Jesus Calvo Guadamuro (ESP)

Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)

Additional AR 1: Cesar Muniz Fernandez (ESP)

Additional AR 2: Javier Estrada Fernandez (ESP)

Fourth Official: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)

Referee Observer: Asim Khudiyev (AZE)

Helsingborg – Hannover

Referee: Stephan Studer (SUI)

Assistant Referee 1: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)

Assistant Referee 2: Johannes Vogel (SUI)

Additional AR 1: Alain Bieri (SUI)

Additional AR 2: Daniel Wermelinger (SUI)

Fourth Official: Raffael Zeder (SUI)

Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

Levante – Twente

Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS)

Assistant Referee 1: Nikolay Golubev (RUS)

Assistant Referee 2: Vyacheslav Semenov (RUS)

Additional AR 1: Aleksei Eskov (RUS)

Additional AR 2: Vladimir Kazmenko (RUS)

Fourth Official: Aleksei Lebedev (RUS)

Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)

Videoton – Basel

Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)

Assistant Referee 1: Ondrej Pelikan (CZE)

Assistant Referee 2: Ivo Nadvornik (CZE)

Additional AR 1: Radek Matejek (CZE)

Additional AR 2: Jan Jilek (CZE)

Fourth Official: Patrik Filipek (CZE)

Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

KRC Genk – Sporting

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)

Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)

Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)

Additional AR 1: Hubert Siejewicz (POL)

Additional AR 2: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)

Fourth Official: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)

Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Liverpool – Anzhi

Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)

Assistant Referee 1: Angelo Boonman (NED)

Assistant Referee 2: Rob van de Ven (NED)

Additional AR 1: Pol van Boekel (NED)

Additional AR 2: Dennis Higler (NED)

Fourth Official: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)

Referee Observer: Lutz-Michael Frohlich (GER)

Young Boys – Udinese

Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)

Assistant Referee 1: Eric Dansault (FRA)

Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Danos (FRA)

Additional AR 1: Said Ennjimi (FRA)

Additional AR 2: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)

Fourth Official: Laurent Stien (FRA)

Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn (GER)

Hapoel Tel Aviv – Viktoria Plzen

Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)

Assistant Referee 1: Markus Hacker (GER)

Assistant Referee 2: Mark Borsch (GER)

Additional AR 1: Christian Dingert (GER)

Additional AR 2: Tobias Welz (GER)

Fourth Official: Christoph Bornhorst (GER)

Referee Observer: Christos Skapoullis (CYP)

Atletico Madrid – Academica

Referee: Robert Madden (SCO)

Assistant Referee 1: Martin Cryans (SCO)

Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Stevenson (SCO)

Additional AR 1: Alan Muir (SCO)

Additional AR 2: Allan Crawford (SCO)

Fourth Official: James Bee (SCO)

Referee Observer: Paul Allaerts (BEL)

AEL Limassol – Fenerbahce

Referee: Alexandru Tudor (ROU)

Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Nica (ROU)

Assistant Referee 2: Aurel Onita (ROU)

Additional AR 1: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU)

Additional AR 2: Cristian Balaj (ROU)

Fourth Official: Octavian Sovre (ROU)

Referee Observer: Cosimo Bolognino (ITA)

Borussia Monchengladbach – Olympique Marseille

Referee: Serge Gumienny (BEL)

Assistant Referee 1: Walter Vromans (BEL)

Assistant Referee 2: Yves De Neve (BEL)

Additional AR 1: Luc Wouters (BEL)

Additional AR 2: Alexandre Boucaut (BEL)

Fourth Official: Kristof Meers (BEL)

Referee Observer: Sergey Zuev (RUS)

Maritimo – Bordeaux

Referee: Anastassios Kakos (GRE)

Assistant Referee 1: Christos Akrivos (GRE)

Assistant Referee 2: Dimitrios Tatsis (GRE)

Additional AR 1: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)

Additional AR 2: Ilias Spathas (GRE)

Fourth Official: Dimitrios Saraidaris (GRE)

Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)

Newcastle United – FC Brugge

Referee: Martin Hansson (SWE)

Assistant Referee 1: Fredrik Nilsson (SWE)

Assistant Referee 2: Joakim Flink (SWE)

Additional AR 1: Michael Lerjeus (SWE)

Additional AR 2: Andreas Ekberg (SWE)

Fourth Official: Magnus Sjoblom (SWE)

Referee Observer: Patrick Kelly (IRL)

VfB Stuttgart – Kobenhaven

Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)

Assistant Referee 1: Rui Tavares (POR)

Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Godinho (POR)

Additional AR 1: Joao Ferreira (POR)

Additional AR 2: Carlos Xistra (POR)

Fourth Official: Joao Santos (POR)

Referee Observer: Bertrand Layec (FRA)

Steaua – Molde

Referee: Laurent Duhamel (FRA)

Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Gringore (FRA)

Assistant Referee 2: Christophe Capelli (FRA)

Additional AR 1: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)

Additional AR 2: Alexandre Castro (FRA)

Fourth Official: Huseyin Ocak (FRA)

Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan (ARM)

Dnipro – Napoli

Referee: Huseyin Gocek (TUR)

Assistant Referee 1: Emre Eyisoy (TUR)

Assistant Referee 2: Orkun Aktas (TUR)

Additional AR 1: Baris Simsek (TUR)

Additional AR 2: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)

Fourth Official: Cem Satman (TUR)

Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

PSV Eindhoven – AIK Solna

Referee: Emir Aleckovic (BIH)

Assistant Referee 1: Dalibor Draskovic (BIH)

Assistant Referee 2: Hrvoje Turudic (BIH)

Additional AR 1: Elmir Pilav (BIH)

Additional AR 2: Edin Jakupovic (BIH)

Fourth Official: Senad Ibrisimbegovic (BIH)

Referee Observer: Marc Batta (FRA)

CONCACAF Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

23 October 2012
Real Salt Lake – Herediano

Referee: Elmer Bonilla (SLV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Douglas Bermudez (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Hector Recinos (SLV)
Fourth Official: Marlon Mejia (SLV)

Houston Dynamo – Olimpia

Referee: Juan Carlos Guerra (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hermenerito Leal (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Lemus (GUA)
Fourth Official: Oscar Reyna (GUA)

Chorrillo – Monterrey
Referee: William Anderson (PUR)
Assistant: Antonio Lopez (PUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Jairo Morales (PUR)
Fourth Official: Javier Santos (PUR)

24 October 2012
Santos Laguna – Toronto FC
Referee: Hector Rodriguez (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Oscar Velasquez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Melvyn Cruz (HON)
Fourth Official: Armando Castro (HON)

Seattle Sounders – Marathon
Referee: Ricardo Arellano (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Rangel (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Salvador Rodriguez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Miguel Flores (MEX)

Tigres – Alajuelense
Referee: Jafeth Perea (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1:Jaime Smith (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Victoria (PAN)
Fourth Official: Jose Rodriguez (PAN)

25 October 2012
Guadalajara – Xelaju
Referee: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kermit Quisenberry (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: George Gansner (USA)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Salazar (USA)

Isidro Metapan – LA Galaxy
Referee: Hugo Cruz (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Leonel Leal (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Cerdas (CRC)

UEFA Champions League – Group Stage (Matchday 3)

23 October 2012
Manchester United – Braga
Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Igor Radojcic (SRB)
Additional AR 1: Milenko Vukadinovic (SRB)
Additional AR 2: Miodrag Gogic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Jovanovic (SRB)
Referee Observer: Johannes Reijgwaart (NED)

Spartak Moskva – Benfica
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Beck (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Child (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Michael Jones (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Kevin Friend (ENG)
Fourth Official: Darren Cann (ENG)
Referee Observer: Athanassios Briakos (GRE)

Nordsjaelland – Juventus
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Additional AR 1: Marco Fritz (GER)
Additional AR 2: Guido Winkmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Holger Henschel (GER)
Referee Observer: Ilkka Koho (FIN)

Shakhtar Donetsk – Chelsea
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Zunic (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Roberto Ponis (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Dragoslav Peric (SVN)
Fourth Official: Primoz Arhar (SVN)
Referee Observer: Michel Vautrot (FRA)

OSC Lille – Bayern Munchen
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Fourth Official: Jake Collin (ENG)
Referee Observer: Robert Jeurissen (BEL)

FC Barcelona – Celtic
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Mauro Bergonzi (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Andrea De Marco (ITA)
Fourth Official: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

Bate Borisov – Valencia CF
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Derek Rose (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: Alasdair Ross (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Steven McLean (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Paul Robertson (SCO)
Fourth Official: Graham Chambers (SCO)
Referee Observer: Vladimir Antonov (MDA)

Galatasaray – CFR Cluj
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Luca Banti (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Antonio Damato (ITA)
Fourth Official: Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Michel Piraux (BEL)

24 October 2012
Borussia Dortmund – Real Madrid
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabor Eros (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Gyorgy Ring (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Tamas Bognar (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Mihaly Fabian (HUN)
Fourth Official: Robert Kispal (HUN)
Referee Observer: Oguz Sarvan (TUR)

Zenit – Anderlecht
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrovic (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgic (CRO)
Additional AR 1: Domagoj Vuckov (CRO)
Additional AR 2: Goran Gabrilo (CRO)
Fourth Official: Dalibor Conjar (CRO)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

FC Porto – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Slysko (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Wilczek (CZE)
Additional AR 1: Radek Prihoda (CZE)
Additional AR 2: Michal Patak (CZE)
Fourth Official: Antonin Kordula (CZE)
Referee Observer: Stephen Bennett (ENG)

Dinamo Zagreb – Paris St. Germain
Referee: Firat Aydinus (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Serkan Ok (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Aleks Tascioglu (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Tolga Ozkalfa (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Koray Gencerler (TUR)
Fourth Official: Serkan Gencerler (TUR)
Referee Observer: Vítor Melo Pereira (POR)

Arsenal – Schalke
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Martin Strombergsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Stefan Wittberg (SWE)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

Montpellier – Olympiacos
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Luca Maggiani (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Massimiliano Grilli (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Renato Faverani (ITA)
Referee Observer: Manuel Lopez Fernandez (ESP)

Malaga – AC Milan
Referee: Pedro Proenca (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Tiago Trigo (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Additional AR 1: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Additional AR 2: Joao Capela (POR)
Fourth Official: Venancio Tome (POR)
Referee Observer: Rodger Gifford (WAL)

Ajax Amsterdam – Manchester City
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR)
Additional AR 1: Tommy Skjerven (NOR)
Additional AR 2: Brage Sandmoen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Sven Erik Midthjell (NOR)
Referee Observer: Charles Agius (MLT)

Rocchi caught by Calciopoli

In 2006, Massimo De Santis lost his World Cup spot just a few weeks before the final tournament started in Germany due to his involvement in Calciopoli. The scandal is not over yet and is likely to involve another Italian elite referee, Gianluca Rocchi, pre-selected by FIFA for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Two days after the sentence of the Court of Auditors, which forces many people involved in the scandal to pay compensation for damage to the FIGC image, more news are coming from Naples with the demands of condemnation made ​​at the appeal hearing by Assistant Attorney General Carmine Esposito. Four years in prison, one more than the sentence imposed by the first instance, and 30,000 euro fine for Antonio Giraudo, former CEO of Juventus. Giraudo was not just a participant in the conspiracy to commit fraud, but one of the promoters. Esposito also asked for 3 years in prison for the former referee Tiziano Pieri (convicted initially for 2 years and 4 months), as well as for confirmation of sentences of 2 years in prison for the former referees Tullio Lanese and Paolo Dondarini. The Assistant Attorney General has also sought an order to condemn the defendants who were initially acquitted: 2 years in prison for the former assistant referee Duccio Baglioni, 1 year and 4 months for the referee Gianluca Rocchi, pre-selected for World Cup 2014 and who recently refereed at the Olympic Games in London, 1 year and 6 months for the former referee Stefano Cassara, 1 year and 4 months for the former assistant Giuseppe Foschetti, 1 year and 6 months for the former referee Marco Gabriele, 1 year and 4 months for the former assistant referee Alessandro Griselli, 1 year and 4 months for the former referee Domenico Messina. The sentencing is scheduled for 5 December 2012.

Source: La Gazzetta delo Sport

Collina: “Concentration, experience and courage”

Making decisions in fractions of a second under the eagle eyes of ambitious players and managers and surrounded by tens of thousands of screaming fans is all part of the referee’s lonely profession. The man with the whistle has the final say – in extreme cases deciding the outcome of entire tournaments. Talking to The Focus, Pierluigi Collina, the world’s most famous referee, recently retired from the game, reveals how a referee can win the respect of the players and explains the part played in his decisions by analysis, intuition, experience, and emotions.

- Pierluigi Collina, the way you interpreted the role of referee one could be forgiven for assuming that he’s the main character and not a supporting act. Is that the way you see it?

- The role of the referee is to guarantee that the game is played by the rules. You will only get a high-quality match if there are few fouls and few interruptions. On a football pitch, like in business, respecting the rules is a key value. So the role of the referee could be considered as that of a service provider – for the players or for the game. But sometimes it’s more than that, because making important decisions is one part of the referee’s job and he can thereby influence the outcome of the match. So in fact he frequently does become one of the main characters. Contrary to what some people say, I think the best referee is not the one who hides. The best referee is the one who always makes a decision when it’s needed.
- How do you make good and fair decisions under extreme pressure with millions watching on TV?
- As a referee you have to be very self-confident. And you have to make sure you do everything you can to be perfectly prepared for the job. You have to know everything about the match beforehand – how the teams usually play, how the individual players play. So you have to walk onto the pitch knowing all there is to know about the coming game. Very few people are aware of the huge spectrum of activities that take place off the field of play, both before and after a match. For a referee, preparation means a lot of things, not just exercising, not just knowing the rules of the game. He has to know how to interpret those rules. The rules allow the referee to interpret situations from his point of view, so it is very important for a referee to be consistent – to make the same decisions in the same kind of situation. Also, it is very important to improve your own performance, particularly if you’re aiming to stay ahead of the pack.
- What kind of improvements do you mean?
- One of the things that have really changed in football is speed. Thirty years ago, the speed on the field of play was 10 km/h, now it is 30 km/h. It more or less tripled. Playing with opponents 15 meters away from you was common in the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. Now you play with your opponent 50 centimeters away from you. There’s much more man-to-man marking, forward pressing and aggression. Tactics have changed completely. So as a referee, you need to know exactly where you have to be in order to make a good decision. And if you’re going to be in the right place at the right time, you have to be able to anticipate what’s going to happen.
- Which key skills make a good performance?
- During the match you mostly draw on your concentration and your experience. Sometimes at the end of the match I can’t remember who scored a goal because I was concentrating so hard on the single frames of the match that I missed the whole picture. You draw on your experience, for example, to decide if you can trust a particular player. If a player whom you trust goes down, you assume that he was fouled. That’s only human. On the other hand, you try not to be influenced unduly by a player’s previous attitude, because you’re aiming to assess what he does in this particular match. What also helps a referee to deal with the pressure is courage. You need the courage to take controversial decisions.
- Is refereeing also a team job – or to what extent did your assistants help you?
- Nowadays, many important decisions are taken by an assistant referee, not least offside decisions which the referee himself can’t judge or when offences are committed that the referee cannot see. It can also be the assistants who decide whether a goal was scored or not – whether the ball actually crossed the line. So the assistants help and wave their flags when something happens, but the final decision is always up to the referee. A new system of wireless headset communication was introduced to enable the assistants and the referee to discuss controversial situations instantly. This will definitely help.
- Do we have to live with the fact that referees – being human – will make mistakes?
- It’s a bit like an oriental philosophy: you have to accept that nothing is perfect. Making mistakes is part of the job. It’s a risk you must take. When a match is shown live on TV, two minutes later everyone on the field of play knows that the referee made a mistake. TV people talk to journalists beside the pitch, they talk to the benches, and they inform the players. So two minutes after you make a decision, the players know exactly if the penalty was a penalty. And they tell you so, and try to influence you.
- What’s the best thing to do when you realize you made a mistake?
- The best thing is always to forget it. When a forward misses a great scoring opportunity early in the match, he can either continue to regret his mistake, and the match will become a nightmare, or he can look ahead, and go on to deliver a good performance. But there’s another aspect here: Normally when you realize you did something wrong, you try to compensate. That is something a referee must not do, because it doubles his mistake. After the match he has to try to understand why he made the mistake, and in this process, technology like videos is very useful. A critical post-match review is another important part of improving your performance.
- Does the kind of authority that a referee needs come naturally or is it something you can learn?
- You can be an excellent piano player but to be at the very top you need to have something special in your DNA. What you can learn is to understand the way people think. If you show them that you’re trying to see things from their point of view, they are more likely to understand and accept your decisions. It’s about communicating by trying to tune into the other person’s way of seeing things.
- Is there any such thing as an objective decision in football?
- I think the referee’s decisions are objective because he has to decide in less than one second without thinking of the consequences. In business, you talk to your staff about the consequences of any given decision. That is part of the teamwork in which everything is analyzed. In refereeing there’s no time for that.
- Do emotions influence a referee’s decisions?
- Like any great player, the referee should be able to control his emotions. One of the differences between a good player and a great one is how they handle their emotions. Some players are great in poor matches, but when they play in top matches you hardly see them at all – they “disappear.” The same applies to referees.
- Which was your most difficult match?
- Every match is difficult. If you ever think a match is going to be easy, you will lack concentration and your performance will suffer.

Profile
Pierluigi Collina was born in Bologna, Italy, in 1960. His career as a referee began when a classmate persuaded him to take a course in refereeing. By 1991 he was taking charge of Italy’s top-flight Serie A matches. In 1994 he was appointed by FIFA to referee international matches. Career highlights included refereeing the 1996 Olympic Final, Nigeria v. Argentina; the 1999 Champions League Final, Bayern Munich v. Manchester Utd; the 2002 World Cup Final between Germany and Brazil; and the 2004 UEFA Cup Final, Valencia v. Olympique Marseille. He also officiated at the 1998 World Cup and at the 2000 and 2004 European Championships. Collina was voted World’s Best Referee of the Year six times in succession. He announced his retirement from refereeing in August 2005 following a dispute with the Italian Football Federation over a sponsorship deal. Collina originally trained as a financial consultant. He holds a degree in Business Studies from the University of Bologna and an honorary degree from the University of Hull. He is currently the UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer. For his services to sport, Italian President Ciampi conferred upon him the title of Commendatore of the Italian Republic.

Source: The Focus

Copa Sudamericana – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

23 October 2012
Millonarios – Palmeiras
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Cesar Escano (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Raul Lopez (PER)
Fourth Official: Henry Gambetta (PER)

Cerro Porteno – Colon
Referee: Dario Ubriaco (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Fourth Official: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)

24 October 2012
Atletico Goianiense – Universidad Catolica
Referee: Carlos Amarilla (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Hugo Martinez (PAR)
Fourth Official: Ulises Mereles (PAR)

Sao Paulo – Liga de Loja
Referee: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Caceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Fourth Official: Enrique Caceres (PAR)

Gremio – Barcelona
Referee: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Federico Beligoy (ARG)

25 October 2012
Liverpool – Independiente
Referee: Carlos Vera (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Cedeno (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Alvarado (ECU)
Fourth Official: Roddy Zambrano (ECU)

Tigre – Deportivo Quito
Referee: Sandro Ricci (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Braatz (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Fourth Official: Marcelo Henrique (BRA)

Emelec – Universidad de Chile
Referee: Saul Laverni (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Ernesto Uziga (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Nunez (ARG)
Fourth Official: German Delfino (ARG)

Calciopoli referees fined millions

An Italian court has ordered the referees involved in the 2006 match-fixing scandal to pay $5.25 million in damages to the Italian Football Federation. Referee assigner Paolo Bergamo received the heaviest fine of $1.31 million on Wednesday, while colleague Pierluigi Pairetto has to pay $1.05 million. Former Italian soccer federation vice-president Innocenzo Mazzini was fined $918,000, and former referees Massimo De Santis and Tullio Lanese were each fined $656,000. Nine others were fined smaller amounts. All can appeal. The scandal - known as Calciopoli - left Juventus stripped of the 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B by a sports court. There were point penalties for several other Serie A teams and long bans for club and referee officials.

Sentences for match officials
Tiziano Pieri (referee): 2 years and 4 months in jail.
Tullio Lanese (referee): 2 years in jail.
Paolo Dondarini (referee): 2 years in jail.
Massimo De Santis (referee): 4 years ban from football.
Paolo Bergamo (referee assigner): 3 years and 8 months ban from football.
Pierluigi Pairetto (referee assigner): 3 years and 6 months ban from football.
Fabrizio Babini (assistant referee): 1 year ban from football.
Gennaro Mazzei (assistant referee): 1 year ban from football.
Gianluca Paparesta (referee): 5 months ban from football.
Claudio Puglisi (assistant referee): 3 months ban from football.

Source: Goal/Fox Sports

Asian referees for World Cup qualifiers in Oceania

Oceania Football Confederation bosses have moved quickly to ensure there will be no repeat of the nasty incidents which marred the New Zealand’s 3-0 win over Tahiti in Christchurch on Tuesday night. It was always planned that referees from the Asian Confederation would control the last games in the World Cup qualifiers but that will now be brought forward to the penultimate round as well, in which New Zealand will host New Caledonia - at a venue yet to be decided - in what shapes as the crucial match of the four-team Oceania play-off. The All Whites have a perfect four-from-four record heading into the game with New Caledonia, who sit three points behind New Zealand and need to win to keep their hopes alive.

OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas said yesterday that it had always been planned for the referees to exchange, but reports from Tahiti (for New Zealand's away game on Saturday) and what was seen in Christchurch had forced their hand. "We have to find the best available officials who must be totally neutral," said Nicholas. "In Oceania we have two trios [referee plus two assistants] who have been involved at FIFA tournaments, but one of these is from Tahiti, the other from New Zealand." Tahitian Norbert Hauata and New Zealand's Peter O'Leary, along with their assistants, are regarded as Oceania's best, but with them ruled out for games involving their two countries, the OFC referees' panel appointed Bruce George (Vanuatu) and Solomon Islander Gerald Oiaka (photo) for the two matches. Both found the step up beyond them and struggled with some decisions, leading to frustration for players and coaches. Oiaka raised the ire of the New Zealand camp with his handling of the match, particularly the incidents at the end of play and especially from Tahitian captain Nicholas Vallar, who was booked after 24 minutes for a crude challenge on man of the match Michael McGlinchey. Given his play after that, Oiaka had plenty of reasons to hand him a second yellow, and then a red, but chose to ignore his disgraceful antics. "We are disappointed we have not got more officials up to speed," said Nicholas. "Thankfully, we have time to get it right."

Source: NZ Herald

AR Yegros asked Messi for a photo at half-time of World Cup qualifier

Football officials are meant to be impartial, but an assistant referee from Paraguay could not resist showing off what a big Lionel Messi fan he was on Tuesday night.

Nicolas Yegros was working the line for Argentina's World Cup qualifier against Chile and, at half-time, he approached the Barcelona star and asked him to pose for a photograph with him. A rather bemused Messi granted Yegros his request as the Paraguayan smiled giddily beside his football idol. But why would Yegros risk the wrath of FIFA with such a brazenly unprofessional act? Well, according to the South American media, it was his last official match in charge and, therefore, he did not care about any fines or punishment from FIFA. He also got to watch Messi score as he helped Argentina to a 2-1 away win which gave the visitors a three-point lead in the standings of South American World Cup qualifying campaign. Messi and Gonzalo Higuain struck within minutes of each other half an hour into the match, with Chile pulling one back through substitute Felipe Gutierrez in added time at the end of the game. The Paraguayan assistant referee did not understand why all the fuss regarding this picture. “I wanted a photo with Messi for my son because he is his fan and I had this opportunity. I hope that the Chilean fans will not be angry with me for what I did. The referees are part of the environment of football and I do not see why it has to be a problem”, said Yegros. 

Source: Yahoo Sports

Webb wants World Cup swansong at Maracana

Howard Webb wants to end his World Cup refereeing career on a high at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. He was in charge of the controversial 2010 World Cup final in South Africa, when he showed a record 15 cards, but that has not put him off taking charge of matches in another tournament. Brazil would be the last chance for the 41-year-old Yorkshire official to go to another World Cup - the FIFA age limit is 45 - and he admits he would love the opportunity to referee a game at Rio de Janeiro’s famous Maracana stadium.

Webb said: “The World Cup is where you want to be. A World Cup in Brazil will be pretty special and if you are performing in high-level sport in whatever capacity you want to be at the big events. It would be my last World Cup, it was wonderful to do the final in 2010 but I would like to be involved in 2014 as well. I went to Brazil last year and took charge of the Masters beach football final on the Copacabana which whetted my appetite. We had a look around the Maracana and that is one of the great cathedrals of world football. I have been lucky enough to go to all the major ones in Europe so to get to one of the greatest venues in football would be really something.” Howard Webb is on the FIFA list of 52 referees who will be whittled down to around 30 for the tournament. Mark Clattenburg is the only other English referee on the list plus another 16 officials from Europe, and around 10 slots are expected to go to Europeans. Webb added: “I am under no illusions about the quality of the competition, including Mark. I'm lucky that I have been involved in seven tournaments in my career, including the World Cup and two European Championships which have been the major ones. I have enjoyed those experiences and I have until I am 45 to try to achieve them again.” Webb admits there is little or no chance of him being chosen to referee the World Cup final again. He said: “I would say it is extremely unlikely bearing in mind there are something like two million referees around the world and there have only been 19 of them who have refereed World Cup finals. I would just love to be involved in any game there.” He has also been involved with FIFA this year promoting their campaign for better practices to deal with players suffering heart attacks. He was the man in charge when Fabrice Muamba collapsed in March and last week he presented a defibrillator donated by Rotherham company Martek Medical to local school Oakwood. Webb said: “I understand there cannot be a defibrillator at every location but the more there are the better, particularly at communal pitches where there are lots of games taking place.”

Source: Daily Mail