Members Blogs

When a referee didn’t turn up Joel Aguilar from El Salvador had to pick up the whistle. “When I was asked to be the referee I said no at first because I liked playing and in fact had poor relations … Continue reading → Continue reading...

Referee Mike Dean denied QPR a goal in the match against Manchester City. But was he right to do so? Below the video you’ll find the answer plus an explanation based on the Laws of the Game. The situation: Joe … Continue reading → Continue reading...

Joe Fletcher was only 14 years old when he started as a referee. An easy way to get some money. After climbing the ranks receiving money was not that important when it costs you eight hours of travel. “Then achievement becomes more important, the level of football is then more relevant.” I’m very glad he […] Continue reading...

Jerome Damon was referee at the World Cup in 2010 in his country: South Africa. Just one year later he did not pass the fitness test for international referees. Damon talks about his injury, refereeing in South Africa and more … Continue reading → The post Jerome Damon: refereeing in South Africa appeared first on Football: Dutch Referee Blog for match officials. Continue reading...

When referee Jeroen Manschot goes to his games there’s always one fan for him on the stands. His dad. Even if his son is fourth official. His father is not a KNVB referee, but had followed the referee course. “Based on my dad’s demeanour in the car back home I can see if it was […] Continue reading...

Jens Maae thinks 2017 is the best year in his refereeing career. He officiates the Euro u17 final and the Danish cup final. But that doesn’t mean he will stop working hard in 2018. There are new goals. “The most imortant thing is to enjoy myself and second is getting to category 2 in UEFA”, he […] Continue reading...

Japanese referee delegation visits The Netherlands and I was their referee instructor. This visit gives the referees a chance to meet a different football culture, but it’s not just that. Fellow referees at The Hague’s RA, football players and fans get really excited by this visit as well. A great way to learn from each […] Continue reading...

Jakob Kehlet got promoted to Uefa’s first group at the start of 2016. “I think I achieved this level of refereeing because I am very consistent in my refereeing”, he says in an interview with Dutch Referee Blog. “What you see is what you get.” Will he become the next Danish Elite referee after well-known refs […] Continue reading...

An Italian referee movie about a corrupt referee has been released during the Venice Film Festival this week. The story tells the story of the rise and fall of corrupt referee Cruciani. The screenplay of Paolo Zucca and Barbara Alberti … Continue reading → The post Italian referee movie about currupt “arbitro” appeared first on Football: Dutch Referee Blog for match officials. Continue reading...

Italian news website MNews reports that a referee has been kicked on his head. It’s not a pitch invasion like I posted last week, but this seems a serious violent offence against the referee. Check out the video below. Sad to see this referee hobbling slowly of the pitch after “being kicked on the head”, according to Italian news website Mnews. The teams Melito di Porto Salvo and Santo Stefano d’Aspromonte you were playing the game. The score was 5-3 at the moment of the incident. My Italian is not good (status: can understand texts only with Google Translate), so maybe my Italian followers could tell what the Italian FA does after such incidents when a referee is kicked on his head. The post Italian referee kicked on his head appeared...

The first ever Gibraltar FIFA referees are given their international badge. A unique moment for the small European country. Referee boss Adrian Bacarisa can be proud, because his goal was to get the first international refs by the end of 2016. I got the chance to interview the three new referees. Congratulations to: Jason Barcelo […] Continue reading...

Michael van Praag has released his released his plans for the future of football. The candidate Fifa president has also announced his ideas on the future of refereeing. One of the things he aims for is an international referee academy. You can find all his refereeing plans in this blog post. International referee academy “Referees […] Continue reading...

Interfering with play when you’re in offside position. A new case study for you to learn from. Recently I asked on Twitter what kind of stories you want to read on this blog and most of you responded with: case studies. What stories do you like the most on a refereeing blog? — Jan ter […] Continue reading...

Interfering with an opponent, what is that exactly? The Polish refereeing team made a great call you can learn from in their game between Dynamo Kyiv and Slavia Prague. At first glance the goal seems to count, but the refereeing team was making sure to get clear what happened. Who were involved? Who was in […] Continue reading...

Colleagues, watch this documentary about female referees in Democratic Republic of Congo. Very interesting. Director Ruhi Hamid told ESPN why it was so important for her to tell the stories of the three female referees in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “African women’s voices and lives are so rarely seen or heard except as victims. To tell the story of Mme Kapinga, Solange and Ibanda seemed the perfect way to show the strength, resilience and determination that African women possess. I wanted to show how the beautiful game of football has helped them get past the decades of brutality and violence in their country. By refereeing in the men’s league they not only challenge chauvinistic attitudes but also become strong role models for...

Inside Video Review is a great referee video series by PRO. Greg Barkey, Manager of Video Review at PRO for the Major League Soccer games, explains interesting VAR situations. Because you get a proper explanation why a decision is made, it’s really worth watching these clips. The latest clips Below I’ve embedded a playlist from […] Continue reading...

Inside No. 9 – The Referee’s a w***er. Just some fun to watch, aired on the BBC in 2020. But although it’s not a real-life documentary, it gives you some interesting insights. You’ll see experienced refs who keeps talking about his heyday, interesting match preparation and appearance and referees who have difficulties keeping his authority. […] Continue reading...

Two referees got injured last week during a football match. Turkish referee Bülent Yildirim, Fifa referee since 2007, collided with Didier Zokora last weekend in the Turkish top league. He looks a little dizzy: And due to a sudden movement Italian referee Daniele Doveri has dislocated his shoulder. The match between Napels and Novara was not even one minute under way. Fourth official Gennaro Palazzino would have met his debut in Serie A, but after 18 minutes Doveri could continue the match, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the home team. Continue reading...

Ingvar Gudfinnsson has quit international refereeing only two years ago, but he misses it a lot. The Icelandic assistant referee now helps other referees to reach the top. The AR has officiated with center referee Kristin Jakobsson some very nice … Continue reading → The post Ingvar Gudfinnsson: Life after refereeing appeared first on Dutch Referee Blog. Continue reading...

Ingrid Jonsson is the first female Women’s World Cup Final referee. In this interview with Dutch Referee Blog the Swedish referee and FIFA referee instructor talks about this experience and the development of female refereeing. “In the future I guess that many more female referees will be involved in men’s football and not because they […] Continue reading...