Members Blogs

L'arbitre Blog - Super Cup, Day 2

Day 2 Come morning, the Middle East brought its flavour to the International Super Cup. A sandstorm had enveloped the city. I looked out the window early in the morning. Visibility was poor and the health risks would be high as well going out in this weather. The previous sandstorm a month earlier lasted three […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - “Stay positive when you’re a relegated referee”

All promoted referees posted happy things on Facebook after the end of the season. There was one positive message from a referee that has been relegated. His motto: don’t quit, but work even harder to get back on a higher level. “Giving up is the easy way”, says the relegated referee. “You can get back […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Yellow card for selfie with Zidane

Yellow card for selfie with Zidane. Can you believe that? Modern technology creates quite interesting game situations. I can understand the referee gives a yellow card for that. You don’t want players to walk around with selfie sticks on your field of play. What happened?A former international player of the United Arab Emirates could not wait […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - New referee task: removing ducks off the pitch

Fifa needs to update the Laws of the Game. Law 5 “The Referee” is insufficient. Based on Zenit St. Petersburgs friendly we can add a new task: removing ducks off the pitch. But is it something that a referee should do? As a referee you always want the game to be played, but do you […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Peter Blazej: “Learn from your mistakes”

Petr Blažej has a realistic vision on refereeing: “The problems are, were and will be. The important thing is to learn from them and not repeat them.” The Czech assistant referee is appointed for the u21 European Championships 2015 in Greece. Dutch Referee Blog interviewed him. Congratulations with your appointment as assistant referee for the u21 European […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Ricardo Fernandes Morais: referee from a small country

Ricardo Fernandes Morais is a young assistant referee from Luxembourg and he is selected for the u19 European Championships in Greece. He has dreams of a bright future despite coming from a small country. “Considering the Luxemburg football is amateur (neither pro nor semi-pro) it is unfortunately difficult to improve as a referee. But mainly […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Aled Fellowes: the week of an Ibercup referee

Aled Fellowes is a Welsh referee and he is going for the second time to the Ibercup in Estoril. On this story he writes about his past experiences (he has been there in 2014 as well) and reports his experiences as referee throughout the tournament. How Aled Fellows experienced the 2014 edition In order to […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Homosexuals in sports have to cope with abuse

Verbally abusing someone because of his race is not done, says Karin Blankenstein. “But homosexuals still have to cope with being abused.” As if that’s normal. Blankenstein fights for gay acceptance in sports in The Netherlands. I interviewed her during a meeting at The Hague’s Referee Association during last season. Big news this week with […] Continue reading...

View full article »

L'arbitre Blog - Super Cup, Day 1

Week 14 and 15 were dominated by the Super Cup. The countdown was on as it was leading up to the end of March. I knew the tournament was getting closer but it was more exciting to know it was in my own backyard! A local international tournament. I don’t think an opportunity like this […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Day in the life of top referee Xavier Estrada Fernandez

Uefa filmed a day in the life of top referee Xavier Estrada Fernandez. He is one of the referees at the u21 European Championships being held in the Czech Republic. “We are priviliged men that we can do such a fantastic job.” A great way to show how a referee experiences a match day. Xavier […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - How to do a proper coin toss as referee

Svein Oddvar Moen, a Norwegian referee, didn’t do a proper coin toss earlier this month. It was quite a funny moment. He flipped the coin in the air, but it didn’t land in his hand or on the ground. It landed on the head of one of captain Espen Bugge Petterson Watch the clip from […] Continue reading...

View full article »

L'arbitre Blog - FIFA Laws of the Game 2015-2016

My previous post of July 1st seems to be a false theory. FIFA changed their timeline this year and published the latest edition of the Laws of the Game a little early. After all, they weren’t really waiting for anything. More importantly, we see our next poster-child on the cover featuring the Italian UEFA Elite […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Great news: promotion as a referee

If you missed it via different social media channels: I earned a promotion as a referee. Can’t descrive how excited I am about it. In the rankings in April I was in 4th position, but in the last weekends of the season there are a lot of chances for other referees to get a good […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - FreeD technology: video ref step closer

You want to end the debate on off-side or diving? The new FreeD technology video system allows you to review situations from all possible angles. Now that Blatter’s on his way out, perhaps FIFA might consider introducing new technologies to make the notion of ‘fair play’ a tad more realistic. One step in the right […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Laws Of The Game changes for 2015/2016: return subs

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has published Laws Of The Game changes for 2015/2016. There are no major changes, but few things are allowed now: returning substitutes and electronic performance and tracking systems. I know many refs for example who already use tracking systems on gps-watches and the returning subs are already in use […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Referee Mustafa Kamil Abitoglu retires with red card

Referee Mustafa Kamil Abitoglu retires as referee in Turkish football. His career ended with vanishing spray on his head and he got a red card from player Sabri. Referees in The Netherlands who retire get a firm handshake and maybe some flowers, but the retirement of Mustafa Kamil Abitoglu was quite different. The Turkish referee […] Continue reading...

View full article »

L'arbitre Blog - DOGSO-H or Offside?

To give you a bit of a teaser/backstory, have a read of Third Blind Mouse’s piece on this situation. https://thirdblindmouse.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/dogso-h-or-offside-i-cant-decide/ People may think that the laws/rules of sports are simple. This scenario can show just how mind-boggling a scenario in football can be. I thought the natural thing to make this clear is to draw […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Jon Moss: lessons from the FA Cup final referee

What goes on in the head of a referee before an important game? Jon Moss tells about what it means to referee the FA Cup final: “It’s the realisation of a dream. It’s the culmination of years of hard work”. During his refereeing career Jon Moss has experienced a lot and he shares his story with us […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - North West Referees Association (NI) has done great job on referee...

You might recognize this: there are not many things going on at your local referee association. No speakers, not many lectures or video sessions with match incidents. At least I do. In my opinion referees should get educated and they need to be challenged. And then I got in touch with Stephen Wallace, an active […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Dutch Referee Blog - Playing in dangerous manner: a low header

Great case study again in the game between Manchester United and Arsenal. The question for you: Is Phil Jones making an offence in the photo below where he touches the ball with his head? How did you answer that question? My answer was “yes”. I immediately stopped my tv and replayed it. Did not see […] Continue reading...

View full article »