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In the referees dressing room: now in the referees changing room of the ADO Den Haag. It’s the club in the city I live in. Referee Azzopardi and her Maltese team check the pitch at ADO Den Haag. Two weeks ago I published the interview with Maltese referee Esther Azzopardi. Shortly thereafter she got an appointment for the match between ADO Den Haag ladies versus Rossiyanka from Russia in Uefa Women’s Champions League. We met in person at the stadium, which was really nice. I also got the chance to see the referees dressing room and the inspection of the pitch by the referee team. Thanks to the press officer I got some high quality photo’s of the referees dressing room. ADO Den Haag referees dressing room: the shower. ADO Den Haag...

Referee Mikko Lehtola allows a goal for HJK Helsinki in the Finnish top league. Opponents from Haka are confused though, because there was an extra ball on the pitch. Would you allow the goal? Check the situation and video below and then read what the Laws of the Game say about two balls on the field. This is the situation, described by the YouTube user who uploaded the video, in the top league in Finland about a week ago: “HJK Helsinki, top of the Veikkausliiga with five games of the season remaining, travelled on Monday night to Haka who are bottom of the table but will plenty of hope of staying in the premier division in Finland. Haka raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half and looked set to secure a huge win until the 57th minute...

Referees in the media will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading. “It is simply sad that the referee has stolen us the victory. My arm was shot from felt 10 cms, should I chop my arm off?” It’s not just the quote from Neven Subotić that’s interesting. It’s the analysis of a penalty given by Pavel Královec on the blog World of Football Refereeing. “I’m not going to judge the referees. That’s up to members of the commision at the stadium. But I think it’s good that referees are explaining their decisions. That’s what everyone’s asking for. We never gave any comments, nor the referee committee or the referee. At media’s and Pro...

logo CNRA California North Referee Administration (CNRA) organised a special meeting with the American referees at the London Olympics last summer. Tim Weyland, State Director of Instruction for CNRA, speaks with Kari Seitz, Veronica Perez and Marlene Duffy. The refereeing trio als posted their stories during the Olympics in their Journal of the soccer referees representing the USA at the London Olympic Games 2012. For Kari Seitz it was her third consecutive appointment for an Olympic tournament. The trio got the opening match and a quarter final, but was send home afterwards – the US team reached the final. The team was disappointed, but had many good experiences. “We’ve loved every minute of the games and we owe a large part of that...

Never seen a strange referee whistle like this. Push the balloon and the whistle blows. Yeah, it actually works. Strange referee whistle The post The strangest referee whistle I’ve ever seen appeared first on Dutch Referee Blog. Continue reading...

Its all very well being clever so long as it works, otherwise you look a fool. Would of been interesting though had the penalty kick have gone in. Filed under: Video, youtube Tagged: Match Incident, Penalty Kick Continue reading...

The title doesnt quite do this video full justice. JK Helsinki, travelled on Monday night to Haka. Haka were leading 2-0 when all hell broke loose. An HJK attack down the left was cleared out for a throw. HJK subsequently took two throw-ins! One near the corner flag and the Haka goal, the other by the centre circle. Cue mass rage from Haka and confusion as the referee ignores all protests and awards a goal to league leaders HJK Helsinki. Filed under: Season 2012/13, Video, youtube Tagged: Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi, Helsinki Continue reading...

Referees in the media will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading. (You missed it last week, because I was busy doing job interviews. Yes, got a new job!) “Offside? That’s when they draw a line on tv, right?” Professor Private Law André Nuytinck at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. He’s not a regular football watcher (you won’t believe it if you check André Nuytinck’s Twitter account), but is proud dad of his son Bram Nuytinck, who’s playing for Anderlecht at the moment. “Let’s make an analogy with a player who misses a penalty, if you do not say anything and let it out for six months, it does not mean he is going to come back...

Saturday 6th October Manchester City v Sunderland (12.45pm) Referee: L Probert Assistants: R Ganfield, D Bryan Fourth Official: M Atkinson Chelsea v Norwich City (3pm) Referee: A Taylor Assistants: A Halliday, S Beck Fourth Official: M Halsey Swansea City v Reading (3pm) Referee: M Dean Assistants: J Collin, J Brooks Fourth Official: S Hooper West Bromwich Albion v Queens Park Rangers (3pm) Referee: M Jones Assistants: S Burt, D England Fourth Official: R Madley Wigan Athletic v Everton (3pm) Referee: K Friend Assistants: J Flynn, M Scholes Fourth Official: L Mason West Ham United v Arsenal (5.30pm) Referee: P Dowd Assistants: S Ledger, M McDonough Fourth Official: A Marriner Sunday 7th October Southampton v Fulham (1.30pm) Referee...

After more than 12 years involvement in a refereeing, it's rare that something happens which makes me go hmmmm. This morning I had a Cup game to referee between two open age teams who have "interesting" disciplinary records this season. Although I never try to pre-judge players or teams, I do have a strategy to deal with certain situations. This morning's strategy was to strangle the game in the first 10 minutes, then ease off if things quietened down. Things almost went to plan but a 3 cautions and a penalty in the first half hour meant it would take something unusual to bring this one completely under control. And that's when it fell into my lap and had players questioning my action but in a good way. It was a simple course of...

Miroslav Klose is not the new Diego Armando Maradona or Thierry Henry. The German player of Lazio SS scored with his hand, but he honestly tells the referee what he did. Referee Luca Banti had already counted the goal, because he and his (extra) assistants missed that Klose touched the ball with his hands, which gave the Napoli goalie no chance of catching the ball. That was just in the third minute and things didn’t go well for Klose’s team afterwards. Napoli striker Edson Cavani scored a hattrick after the handball and kept the club from southern Italy in the top of the Italian Serie A. The post Klose admits handball and referee cancels goal appeared first on Dutch Referee Blog. Continue reading...

See next situation in Brazilian Serie B: a medical team offical in the match between Coxim and Ponta Porã enters the field of play during an attack in the penalty area. What should the referee decide? Explanation is added below the video. Team officials Laws of the Game, page 64, about the number of players explains how to handle in situation mentioned above. The coach and other officials on the team list (with the exception of players and substitutes) are deemend to be team officials. If a team official enters the field of play: the referee must stop play (although not immediately if the team official does not interfere with play or if the advantage can be applied) the referee must have him removed from the fi eld of play and if his...

Referee Lee Probert got sandwiched by two players making a slide tackle during the match between Wigan Athletic and Fulham.p> He fell on the ground after Sidwell and Watson both went for the ball. I already posted a photo of him on The Dutch Referee Blog’s Facebook page how he jokingly shows a red card to the players or himself. Now I’ve also found a good video of the incident. The post Referee Lee Probert sandwiched by two players appeared first on Dutch Referee Blog. Continue reading...

The website refereedecisions.co.uk is looking for qualified referees who help them review the referees of the Premier League. “This may seem like an unusual appeal but I hope you could hear me out”, says Stuart Higgins, one of the men behind the initiative. “We would really appreciate your help.” Here’s how you could participate in the review of referee decisions: We are appealing for help with a referee review campaign where a team of qualified referees have been reviewing the performance of English Premier League Referees and scoring them on key competences. This campaign was started to see if the claim by many commentators that ‘bad / incorrect decisions all even out in the end’ is in fact true. It is also to establish any trends...

Referees will not benefit from the increasing prize money in European football tournaments. The referee payments remain at the same level as last year. That’s what Uefa confirms to the Dutch Referee Blog. Football clubs earned 7.2 million euro’s just for participating in the group stage of the Champions League. This season, which start this Tuesday, all 32 contenders will get at least 8.6 million euro’s in the 2012/2013 CL season, an amount which can mount up untill 37.4 million. Not even counting the market pool share. The referees match fees will not grow and are still based on the Referee Programme published in 2010 (pdf). This means that international referees will earn the following payments for officiating international matches...

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...

‘Referees in the media’ will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading. As I sat and reflected on it all at the closing ceremony, I thought about how honoured I was to part of such an event and there was a small tear in my eye as they extinguished the Paralympic flame. Ross Haswell has been appointed for the Paralympics final match. He wrote two articles about experiences at the events in London. “Select group match officials are emailed on a Monday every week with the upcoming appointments. Only then can they confirm, or all to often, postpone social arrangements with wives and friends. Yes, referees have social lives, too.”...

Saturday 15th September Norwich City v West Ham United Referee: C Foy Assistants: R Ganfield, H Lennard Fourth Official: J Moss Arsenal v Southampton Referee: K Friend Assistants: C Breakspear, J Flynn Fourth Official: A Taylor Aston Villa v Swansea City Referee: L Mason Assistants: D Bryan, A Holmes Fourth Official: C Pawson Fulham v West Bromwich Albion Referee: R East Assistants: S Long, A Garratt Fourth Official: H Webb Manchester United v Wigan Athletic Referee: M Oliver Assistants: S Ledger, M Scholes Fourth Official: P Dowd Queens Park Rangers v Chelsea Referee: A Marriner Assistants: M Mullarkey, M McDonough Fourth Official: N Swarbrick Stoke City v Manchester City Referee: M Clattenburg Assistants: S Beck, S Child Fourth...

Maltese referee Esther Azzopardi had recently been promoted to Uefa’s Elite Development list. She got the love from refereeing from her father, a former Fifa assistant referee. “I always trust in his advice.” An interview with Esther Azzopardi on the Dutch Referee Blog. Photo courtesy Domenic Aquilina, Malta Football Association Photographer. His website. When and why did you start refereeing? Azzopardi: “I wore the uniform and blew the whistle for the very first time in September 1998. Today, I am 30 years old and I have been refereeing since I was 17. Refereeing has been an integral part of my life as I have devoted my attention and passion to it since the very beginning. My father (Ronald Farrugia, ed.) was a FIFA assistant referee...

‘Referees in the media’ will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading. “Women have so much to offer. For some reason, many believe that you have to be a man to be a good referee. This is simply not true.” Esther Azzopardi Farrugia, Maltese referee and recently promoted to Uefa’s Women’s Elite Development list. Just interviewed her for my blog, so more of her soon on this blog. “”They are a deterrent in the penalty area against pushing and pulling, especially from corners or free-kicks.” Pierluigi Collina about extra assistants. Read more about this on Uefa’s website, where the former Italian top referee suggests that extra...