Members Blogs

These 5 training principles for referees are very important. They’re something you need to keep in mind when scheduling your training sessions. If you want to improve you need to find the right balance: don’t go to heavy on yourself. But it also means that you need to stimulate your muscles to be able to […] Continue reading...

7 quotes from John Motson on referees. This weekend the legendary BBC commentator for football on radio and Match of the Day ended his career. Brian Clough once said to Motson: “I think what you do to referees is nothing short of criminal.” But was Motson so rude? Here’s some quotes and commentary from John […] Continue reading...

“You won’t make it on the pitch with only the knowledge of the Laws of the Game”, says Willem Schuitemaker at a workshop I visited in Leiden this year. “You need passion, talent and motivation. That combination will bring you to your personal best and passion is the most important here.” Schuitemaker has been invited […] Continue reading...

7 suspects guilty of manslaughter on linesman Richard Nieuwenhuizen. The father is punished with 6 years imprisonment. Six minors all got the maximum penalty possible in juvenile justice for their age. One who was 15-years-old during the incident got a … Continue reading → The post 7 suspects guilty of manslaughter on linesman Nieuwenhuizen appeared first on Football: Dutch Referee Blog for match officials. Continue reading...

As a referee it’s quite difficult to stay focused for 90 minutes. Just as you are watching a player being challenged, a coach yells, the crowd sings and you’ll hear another player shouting he got punched. Too much information all at once. But you still need to make the right call. Earlier on I explained the […] Continue reading...

Twitter exploded today after Howard Webb announced his new job as Technical Director. Here are 9 interesteing and inspiring quotes on Howard Webb’s retirement. 1. Howard Webb inspired many referes in England, as Pillaton-Referee tweets: Happy retirement #Howardwebb One of … Continue reading → Continue reading...

I was on the radio to talk about refereeing in The Netherlands. Got in touch with Bill Eaton, Referee Secretary of Bolton Bury & District Football League, via Twitter. He’s also a sports show presenter on 96.5 Bolton FM and asked me if I could tell something about refereeing in The Netherlands. Logo 96.5 Bolton FM After last weekend’s hot (just the weather) match I called the show. Here’s te audio file. You can hear me after 18 minutes. Or download the mp3 via the website of the radio (direct link, 54 MB). I’ll try to create a audio player with just me. Continue reading...

Umpire Peter Wright caused a lot of confusion among the players during the hockey match between New Zealand and The Netherlands for the 3rd place in the Champion’s Trophy. The video referee got to answer the question whether the ball has touched a Dutch foot, which is not allowed in field hockey. The South African match official took some initiative and also told the umpires on the pitch that the ball was out just before the ball has touched a Dutch foot. And that’s what he wasn’t supposed to do. In field hockey a team can call for a video referee just once and when they got it right, they still keep that opportunity. About the same as the hawk-eye system in tennis, only with less opportunities. The Dutch team should have questioned if...

Uefa will launch ABBA penalty shoot-out trial during the European Under-17 Championship finals. It means that Team A starts, followed by two kicks from Team B, and so on. The ABBA penalty shoot-out trial will be used in both the Women’s tournament in the Czech Republic and the Men’s tournament in Croatia. The order of penalty kicks […] Continue reading...

The Abu Dhabi referee seminar is a very important one for referees on the World Cup shortlist. But will they become a center referee, a VAR or will they not be selected? Bjorn Kuipers tells us what international referees do during a training camp. “I’ll show you what a typical at the training camp looks […] Continue reading...

Abuse towards referees seems normal in football. The working environment of referees and the climate they operate in isn’t always looking bright. “And if people keep seeing abuse, nobody says: I want to referee”, says Dr Tom Webb, who started the Referee and Match Official Research Network in 2017 and has just published his book […] Continue reading...

On the Facebook page of Interessengemeinschaft Schiedsrichter, a German referee website, are the new Adidas Champions League 2014-2015 kits released. The moderator allowed me to show you those pictures as well. What do you think of the new Adidas Champions … Continue reading → Continue reading...

Adidas has released the new World Cup referee outfits. See full collection here. Continue reading...

In a brochure the new Adidas referee kits for the 2015 Champions League were announced. No grey referee shorts which caused a lot of confusion last year. What do you think of the new outfits? Continue reading...

Adrian Skeete wants to be world’s best referee. This year the 33-year-old from Barbados made his debut on the international Fifa referee list. Dutch Referee Blog interviewed him. This is part 1, the rest will be published later this week. Adrian Skeete Twitter picture How did you become a referee? “Football and sports – and my wife of course – have always been my love of my life. As a young child I had always envisioned becoming a Premier League football player, but I was never really good enough.” “During a holiday in Barbados, I met my future wife at the age of sixteen and instantly fell in love with her, but we lost touch. By chance at twenty-one – five years – later, we met again, and we’ve never looked back. She convinced me...

The story of a Swiss football player who had to choose between selling hot dogs or officiating children’s matches. He chose the latter and now is Adrien Jaccottet an international football referee. First, I’d like to congratulate you with your … Continue reading → Continue reading...

A new case study: advantage after reckless challenges. It’s a situation from the Rivier Derby between Dortmund and Schalke’04 earlier in 2020. Referee Deniz Aytekin gives the advantage after a reckless challenge and a goal is scored. But what do you do with the tackle? What is the correct disciplinary sanction? That’s what you’ll learn […] Continue reading...

The suspects of the death of Dutch linesman Richard Nieuwenhuizen were again given prison sentences. The father of of the kids got six years inprisonment. During this second tril the father and five kids were found guilty of manslaughter. During … Continue reading → The post Again prison sentences in Nieuwenhuizen case appeared first on Football: Dutch Referee Blog for match officials. Continue reading...

Some players kick and shout at referees. Not Azizbek Haydarov from Uzbekistan. He’s jumping on the referee out of sheer joy to celebrate with him the 0-1 victory over Iran. But referee Ali Al-Badwawi from the United Arab Emirates wants not to do with it after he blew the final whistle in the World Cup 2014 qualification match between Iran and Uzbekistan. Al-Badwawi firmly dismisses Haydarov and let him sheer somewhere else. The post Al-Badwawi dismisses player who cheers with him appeared first on Dutch Referee Blog. Continue reading...

Alberto Undiano Mallenco tries to be helpful by throwing the ball back, but loses his whistle. Watch the video of last weekend’s match between Sevilla and Real Madrid. Continue reading...