Copa Libertadores – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

1 April 2015

San Lorenzo – Sao Paulo 

Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI, photo) 
Assistant Referee 1: Francisco Mondria (CHI) 
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Astroza (CHI) 
Fourth Official: Diego Ceballos (ARG) 
Referee Observer: Abel Gnecco (ARG)

Corinthians – Danubio 

Referee: Diego Haro (PER) 
Assistant Referee 1: César Escano (PER) 
Assistant Referee 2: Braulio Cornejo (PER) 
Fourth Official: Luis De Oliveira (BRA) 
Referee Observer: Nilson Moncao (BRA)

International Friendly Matches

31 March 2015 

Netherlands – Spain
Referee: William Collum (SCO, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Graham Chambers (SCO) 

Assistant Referee 2: Frank Connor (SCO) 
Fourth Official: Kevin Blom (NED) 

Switzerland – USA
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA) 

Assistant Referee 2: Filippo Meli (ITA) 
Fourth Official: Alain Bieri (SUI) 

Portugal – Cape Verde 
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU) 
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Sovre (ROU) 
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Grigoriu (ROU)

Argentina Ecuador
Referee: Javier Santos (PUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jairo Morales (PUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Norval Young (VGB)
Fourth Official: William Anderson (PUR)

Mexico Paraguay
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Lopez (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Lemus (GUA)
Fourth Official: Mario Escobar (GUA)

Russia
Kazakhstan
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR)

Liechtenstein
San Marino
Referee: Nikolaj Hänni (SUI)

Sweden
Iran
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)

Luxembourg
Turkey
Referee: Alan Sant (MLT)

Austria
Bosnia
Referee: Libor Kovařík (CZE)

Slovakia
Czech Republic
Referee: Istvan Vad (HUN)


Ukraine
Latvia
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT)

Estonia
Iceland
Referee: Andris Treimanis (LVA)


Ghana Mali
Referee: Said Ennjimi (FRA)

UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier match Montenegro – Russia abandoned

Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was struck on the back of the head by a flare as their Euro 2016 qualifier with Montenegro in Podgorica was abandoned. After a 35-minute delay German referee Deniz Aytekin restarted the match. The start of the second half was delayed by 18 minutes because of disturbances and fighting then broke out when Roman Shirokov's 66th-minute penalty was saved by Montenegro goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic. Aytekin then led the players from the pitch for a second and final time.
Russia demanded they be awarded a victory after Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier in Montenegro was abandoned after attacks on their players. The match in Podgorica was halted at 0-0 after 67 minutes after Russia’s Dmitri Kombarov was hit by an object, sparking a brawl between the players. The game had previously been suspended in the first minute when the Russia goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev, was struck on the head by a flare. He was later treated in hospital for burns. A 25-year-old Montenegro fan suspected of hurling the flare and identified only by the initials LL turned himself in to the police on Saturday accompanied by his lawyer. The Russian Football Union president, Nikolai Tolstykh, said that his organisation would file a protest to UEFA and that “in our view, it should be a technical defeat for Montenegro”. He added that the match should have been abandoned following the attack on Akinfeev, but that UEFA’s match delegate Barry Bright had overruled Russia’s objections. Tolstykh said: “Our team was forced to continue the game.” In addition to the attacks on Akinfeev and Kombarov, the RFU said the midfielder Alan Dzagoev had been struck by coins thrown from the stands while receiving treatment for a thigh injury.
Akinfeev, who also sustained concussion and a neck injury, was treated in a hospital in the Montenegrin capital, but was later cleared to return home. “I want to say thank you to everyone who’s been worrying about me. I feel fine. I hope that nothing similar ever happens again, neither in Montenegro nor in any other country”, Akinfeev said. The general secretary of Montenegro’s FA, Momir Durdevac, described the fans who forced the match to be abandoned as “hypocrites” and “barbarians”. “These fans sing ‘Montenegro we love you’ but throw flares, insult rivals and cause all sorts of incidents every time,” he said. “We have left the impression of barbarians and this is a complete disaster. As far as I’m concerned the game should not have continued after the first-minute incident. We can only thank God that no one was seriously hurt.” Durdevac also questioned whether players will accept future international call-ups amid such an atmosphere. “It’s a human catastrophe, the final straw. What can we do after this? We pay a fine, we say goodbye to a great competition. And then there is a new game, and again there are flares and again there are chants, everything that should not be. Sorry, but I had to say this. Who is going to come to play for the national team under these conditions?” UEFA said it would not opening formal proceedings before receiving reports from the match delegate and referee.
It is not the first time a match has been abandoned in this campaign, with Serbia and Albania’s meeting in October called off after a brawl broke out when a drone was flown over the pitch. The latest incident comes after the UEFA president, Michel Platini, warned of a return to the “dark days” of hooliganism, and a rising trend of “nationalism and extremism”.

Source: BBC/The Guardian

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015

The FIFA Referees Committee has appointed 22 referees, 7 support referees (one of them local) and 44 assistant referees representing 49 different countries for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015. FIFA has implemented a comprehensive programme to ensure that the referees for this very important competition will be in peak condition come 6 June. Just as it did for the 24 participating teams, the road to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 began for an initial group of referees and assistant referees from all over the world in September 2012, when FIFA took the important decision to create a women’s refereeing project. One of the key objectives was match control and consequently to prepare this group of prospective referees for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015. The referees selected for the tournament in Canada have been chosen based especially on their personality and their quality in terms of football understanding by being able to read the game and the teams’ tactical approaches towards each match. Between now and 6 June, the selected group of match officials will participate in two seminars: one in Zurich from 18 to 24 April and the other in Vancouver ten days before the kick-off of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015, at which the identities of the referees and the support referees will be decided. The selected referees and assistant referees will be observed and monitored regularly during this period, and FIFA is ready to give them all the support they need so that they can prepare for this important tournament in the best possible manner. (Source: FIFA)


Referees

AFC
1. Rita Gani (MAS, 1977)
2. Abirami Naidu (SIN, 1983)
3. Liang Qin (CHN, 1979)
4. Hyang Ok Ri (PRK, 1977)
5. Sachiko Yamagishi (JPN, 1973)

CAF
1. Gladys Lengwe (ZAM, 1978)
2. Therese Neguel (CMR, 1981)
3. Ledya Tafesse (ETH, 1980)

CONCACAF
1. Quetzalli Alvarado (MEX, 1975)
2. Melissa Borjas (HON, 1986)
3. Carol Anne Chenard (CAN, 1977)
4. Margaret Domka (USA, 1979)
5. Michelle Pye (CAN, 1978)
6. Lucila Venegas (MEX, 1981)

CONMEBOL
1. Salome Di Iorio (ARG, 1980)
2. Yeimi Martinez (COL, 1981)
3. Olga Miranda (PAR, 1982)
4. Claudia Umpierrez (URU, 1983)

OFC
1. Anna-Marie Keighley (NZL, 1982)
2. Tupou Patia (COK, 1984)

UEFA
1. Teodora Albon (ROU, 1977)
2. Stephanie Frappart (FRA, 1983)
3. Katalin Kulcsar (HUN, 1984)
4. Pernilla Larsson (SWE, 1976)
5. Efthalia Mitsi (GRE, 1980)
6. Kateryna Monzul (UKR, 1981)
7. Esther Staubli (SUI, 1979)
8. Bibiana Steinhaus (GER, 1979, photo)
9. Carina Vitulano (ITA, 1975)


Assistant Referees

AFC             
1. Yongmei Cui (CHN, 1979)
2. Yan Fang (CHN, 1979)
3. Allyson Flynn (AUS, 1982)
4. Sarah Ho (AUS, 1978)
5. Kum Nyo Hong (PRK, 1973)
6. Kim Kyoung Min (KOR, 1980)
7. Widiya Shamsuri (MAS, 1977)
8. Naomi Teshirogi (JPN, 1980)

CAF    
1. Ayawa Dzodope (TOG, 1976)
2. Bernadettar Kwimbira (MWI, 1981)
3. Souad Oulhaj (MAR, 1974)
4. Lidwine Rakotozafinoro (MAD, 1978)

CONCACAF   
1. Elizabeth Aguilar (SLV, 1987)
2. Princess Brown (JAM, 1986)
3. Enedina Caudillo (MEX, 1984)
4. Marie-Josee Charbonneau (CAN, 1982)
5. Mayte Chavez (MEX, 1979)
6. Kimberly Moreira (CRC, 1986)
7. Suzanne Morisset (CAN, 1984)
8. Shirley Perello (HON, 1986)

CONMEBOL  
1. Janette Arcanjo (BRA, 1980)
2. Liliana Bejarano (BOL, 1978)
3. Mariana De Almeida (ARG, 1982)
4. Luciana Mascarana (URU, 1981)
5. Maria Rocco (ARG, 1979)
6. Loreto Toloza (CHI, 1984)
   
OFC
1. Lata Kaumatule (TGA, 1985)        
2. Sarah Walker (NZL, 1990)

UEFA  
1. Natalie Aspinall (ENG, 1981)
2. Ella De Vries (BEL, 1977)
3. Petruta Iugulescu (ROU, 1979)
4. Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE, 1977)
5. Angela Kyriakou (CYP, 1977)
6. Manuela Nicolosi (FRA, 1980)
7. Anna Nystrom (SWE, 1973)
8. Michelle O’Neill (IRL, 1978)
9. Tonja Paavola (FIN, 1977)
10. Yolanda Parga Rodriguez (ESP, 1978)
11. Natalia Rachynska (UKR, 1970)
12. Katrin Rafalski (GER, 1982)
13. Lucie Ratajova (CZE, 1979)
14. Sanja Rodak Karsic (CRO, 1983)
15. Maria Sukenikova (SVK, 1975)
16. Marina Wozniak (GER, 1979)


Referee Instructors/Observers
1. Dagmar Damkova (CZE)
2. Katriina Elovirta (FIN)
3. Ingrid Jonsson (SWE)
4. Toru Kamikawa (JPN)
5. Jorge Larrionda (URU)
6. Jacqueline Leleu (AUS)
7. Michal Listkiewicz (POL)
8. Peter Prendergast (JAM)
9. Kari Seitz (USA)
10. Kristina Szokolai (AUS)
11. Hector Vergara (CAN)

UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers

29 March 2015

Georgia – Germany
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Cano (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Additional AR 1: Ruddy Buquet (FRA)
Additional AR 2: Fredy Fautrel (FRA)
Fourth Official: Cyril Gringore (FRA)
Referee Observer: Sándor Piller (HUN)

Scotland – Gibraltar
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN) 
Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Additional AR 1: Antti Munukka (FIN)
Additional AR 2: Dennis Antamo (FIN)
Fourth Official: Jukka Honkanen (FIN)
Referee Observer: Nuno Castro (POR)

N. Ireland – Finland

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Additional AR 1: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Additional AR 2: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Fourth Official: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

Romania – Faroe Islands
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Rui Tavares (POR)
Additional AR 1: Manuel De Sousa (POR)
Additional AR 2: Hugo Miguel (POR)
Fourth Official: Alvaro Mesquita (POR)
Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif (ISR)

Albania – Armenia
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Pedro Pérez Montero (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jorge Canelo Prieto (ESP)

Referee Observer: Patritiu Abrudan (ROU)

Portugal – Serbia
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)

Additional AR 2: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Fourth Official: Matteo Passeri (ITA)
Referee Observer: Michel Vautrot (FRA)

Hungary – Greece
Referee: Sergey Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averyanov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)
Additional AR 1: Sergey Lapochkin (RUS)
Additional AR 2: Sergey Ivanov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Nikolai Golubev (RUS)
Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vázquez (ESP)

Ireland – Poland
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Daniel Gustavsson (SWE)
Referee Observer: Drago Kos (SVN)


Israel Belgium
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Beck (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Jake Collin (ENG)
Additional AR 1: Andre Marriner (ENG)
Additional AR 2: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Fourth Official: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Referee Observer: Nikolai Levnikov (RUS)

 
Friendly
France – Denmark
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaš Somolani (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaš Mokoš (SVK)
Additional AR 1: Richard Trutz (SVK)
Additional AR 2: Peter Kralović (SVK)
Fourth Official: Ondrej Brendza (SVK)

UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers

28 March 2015

Netherlands – Turkey
Referee: Felix Brych (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (GER)
Additional AR 1: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Additional AR 2: Marco Fritz (GER)

Fourth Official: Mike Pickel (GER)
Referee Observer: Jean Lemmer (LUX)

Kazakhstan – Iceland
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Damianos Efthimiadis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Additional AR 1: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)
Additional AR 2: Ilias Spathas (GRE)
Fourth Official: Christos Akrivos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Borislav Alexandrov (BUL)

Czech Republic – Latvia
Referee: Xavier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magan (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Fourth Official: Javier Aguilar Rodriguez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Jaap Uilenberg (NED)

Israel – Wales
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjević (SRB)
Additional AR 1: Danilo Grujić (SRB)
Additional AR 2: Dejan Filipovic (SRB)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Jovanović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz (TUR)

Azerbaijan – Malta
Referee: Halis Özkahya (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Cem Satman (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Ekrem Kan (TUR)
Additional AR 1: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Additional AR 2: Tolga Özkalfa (TUR)
Fourth Official: Kemal Yılmaz (TUR)
Referee Observer: Cosimo Bolognino (ITA)

Croatia – Norway
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes (ESP)
Fourth Official: Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
Referee Observer: Eugen Strigel (GER)

Bulgaria – Italy
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Matej Jug (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Fourth Official: Andraž Kovacic (SVN)
Referee Observer: Bo Karlsson (SWE)

Andorra – Bosnia
Referee: István Vad (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Istvan Albert (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Berettyán (HUN)
Additional AR 1: Sandor Szabo (HUN)
Additional AR 2: Ádám Farkas (HUN)
Fourth Official: László Viszokai (HUN)
Referee Observer: Andrejs Sipailo (LVA)

Belgium – Cyprus
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU) 
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Șovre (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Radu Ghinguleac (ROU)
Additional AR 1: Cristian Balaj (ROU)
Additional AR 2: Sebastian Colţescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU)
Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)

UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers

27 March 2015

Spain – Ukraine
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarık Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR1: Hüseyin Göcek (TUR)
Additional AR2: Barış Şimşek (TUR)
Fourth Official: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR)
Referee Observer: Kai Østergaard (DEN)

Macedonia – Belarus
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Mike Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren England (ENG)
Additional AR1: Lee Probert (ENG)
Additional AR2: Jonathan Moss (ENG)
Fourth Official: Stephen Child (ENG)
Referee Observer: Matteo Trefoloni (ITA)

Slovakia – Luxembourg
Referee: Stephan Studer (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Sandro Pozzi (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jean-Yves Wicht (SUI)
Additional AR1: Alain Bieri (SUI)
Additional AR2: Stephan Klossner (SUI)
Fourth Official: Sladan Josipović (SUI)
Referee Observer: Kjell Alseth (NOR)

England – Lithuania
Referee: Pavel Královec (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Roman Slyško (SVK)
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Wilczek (CZE)
Additional AR1: Radek Prihoda (CZE)
Additional AR2: Michal Patak (CZE)
Fourth Official: Tomas Mokrusch (CZE)
Referee Observer: Kaj Natri (FIN)

Slovenia – San Marino
Referee: Oliver Drachta (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: Roland Brandner (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Kühr (AUT)
Additional AR1: Alexander Harkam (AUT)
Additional AR2: Rene Eisner (AUT)
Fourth Official: Roland Riedel (AUT)
Referee Observer: Gaetano De Gabriele (MLT)

Switzerland – Estonia
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Additional AR1: Kevin Blom (NED)
Additional AR2: Jochem Kamphuis (NED)
Fourth Official: Charles Schaap (NED)
Referee Observer: Guðmundur Jónsson (ISL)

Liechtenstein – Austria
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER)
Additional AR1: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Additional AR2: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
Fourth Official: Rafael Foltyn (GER)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

Moldova – Sweden
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrović (CRO)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgić (CRO)
Additional AR1: Domagoj Vučkov (CRO)
Additional AR2: Goran Gabrilo (CRO)
Fourth Official: Dalibor Conjar (CRO)
Referee Observer: Ioannis Tsachilidis (GRE)

Montenegro – Russia
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Markus Häcker (GER)
Additional AR1: Christian Dingert (GER)
Additional AR2: Robert Hartmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Christoph Bornhorst (GER)
Referee Observer: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015

New Zealand, 30 May – 20 June 2015

AFC

Referee: Fahad Al Mirdasi (KSA, 1985, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdulla Al Shalwai (KSA, 1975)
Assistant Referee 2: Abu Al Amri (OMA, 1982)

Referee: Jong Hyeok Kim (KOR, 1983)
Assistant Referee 1: Kwangyeol Yoon (KOR, 1976)
Assistant Referee 2: Byoung Eun Yang (KOR, 1976)

Referee: Ryuji Sato (JPN, 1977)
Assistant Referee 1: Akane Yagi (JPN, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Hiroshi Yamauchi (JPN, 1979)

Reserve Referee: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN, 1986)

CAF
Referee: Bernard Camille (SEY, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Zakhele Siwela (RSA, 1982)
Assistant Referee 2: Marius Tan (CIV, 1984) 


Referee: Ghead Grisha (EGY, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Waleed Ahmed (SDN, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Berhe Tesafagiorgjis (ERI, 1975)

Referee: Eric Otogo Castane (GAB, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Elvis Noupue (CMR, 1983)
Assistant Referee 2: Yahaya Mahamadou (NIG, 1983)

Reserve Referee: Jospeh Lamptey (GHA, 1974) 


CONCACAF
Referee: Henry Bejarano (CRC, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavio Jara (CRC, 1981)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Fernandez (CRC, 1987)

Referee: John Pitti (PAN, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Baynes (PAN, 1982)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Victoria (PAN, 1973)

Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX, 1983)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morín (MEX, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Hernandez (MEX, 1977)

Reserve Referee: Armando Castro (HON, 1983)

CONMEBOL
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU, 1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Taran (URU, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Richard Trinidad (URU, 1978)

Referee: Ricardo Marques (BRA, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Kleber Gil (BRA, 1977)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia (BRA, 1983)

Referee: Mauro Vigliano (ARG, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG, 1979)
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Nunez (ARG, 1976)

Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Vera (ECU, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Macias (ECU, 1982)

Reserve Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN, 1983)

OFC
Referee: Matthew Conger (NZL, 1978)
Assistant Referee 1: Tevita Makasini (TGA, 1976)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Lount (NZL, 1981)

Reserve Referee: Nicholas Waldron (NZL, 1982)

UEFA 

Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO, 1977)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomislav Petrovic (CRO, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Miro Grgic (CRO, 1973)

Referee: Artur Soares Dias (POR, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Barbosa (POR, 1974)
Assistant Referee 2: Alvaro Mesquita (POR, 1980) 


Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (ROU, 1980)
Assistant Referee 1: Octavian Sovre (ROU, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU, 1976)

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP, 1977)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP, 1979)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Diaz Perez (ESP, 1976)

Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA, 1975)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA, 1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA, 1974)

Referee: Istvan Vad (HUN, 1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Istvan Albert (HUN, 1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Vencel Toth (HUN, 1978)

Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER, 1981)
Assistant Referee 1: Thorsten Schiffner (GER, 1975)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller (GER, 1979)

Reserve Referee: Liran Liany (ISR, 1977)

Referee Instructors/Observers:
1. Esfandiar Baharmast (USA)
2. Peter Mikkelsen (DEN)
3. Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (MAS)
4. Oscar Ruiz (COL)
5. Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)
6. Howard Webb (ENG)
7. Alfredo Whittaker (CAY)

CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 Qualifiers

First Leg, 25 March 2015
French Guiana – Honduras
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Hernandez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Rangel (MEX)
Fourth Official: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Referee Observer: Elix Peralta (PAN)

Second Leg, 29 March 2015
Honduras – French Guiana
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Boria (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN)
Fourth Official: Chris Penso (USA)
Referee Observer: Malcolm Ramsey (SKN)

International Friendly Matches

25-29 March 2015

France – Brazil
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Lorenzo Manganelli (ITA)
Fourth Official: Antonio Damato (ITA)

Germany – Australia
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Fourth Official: Christian Dingert (GER)

Scotland – N. Ireland
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: John Brooks (ENG)
Fourth Official: Craig Pawson (ENG)

Iran – Chile
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT) 

Assistant Referee 1: Richard Hübler (AUT)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Heidenreich (AUT)
Fourth Official: Harald Lechner (AUT)

Denmark – USA
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Peter Aravirta (FIN)

Assistant Referee 2: Mikko Alakare (FIN)
Fourth Official: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN)

Georgia – Malta
Referee: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA)
Assistant Referee 1: Romanis Platonovs (LVA)

Assistant Referee 2: Raimonds Tatriks (LVA)
Fourth Official: George Vadachkoria (GEO)


Brazil Chile
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Child (ENG)
Fourth Official: Lee Probert (ENG)

UEFA Women's Champions League – Quarter-finals (Second Leg)

28-29 March 2015

Brondby – Linkoping
Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)

Assistant Referee 2: Marina Wozniak (GER)
Fourth Official: Riem Hussein (GER)

Rosengard – Wolfsburg
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Belinda Brem (SUI)
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Küng (SUI)
Fourth Official: Désirée Grundbacher (SUI)

Paris – Glasgow
Referee: Gyöngyi Gaál (HUN)
Assistant Referee 1: Brigitta Petz (HUN)
Assistant Referee 2: Katalin Török (HUN)
Fourth Official: Katalin Sipos (HUN)

Frankfurt – Bristol
Referee: Sandra Bastos (POR)

Assistant Referee 1: Olga Almeida (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Vanessa Dias (POR)
Fourth Official: Silvia Domingos (POR)

UEFA warns over referee harassment

UEFA has warned all the Champions League quarterfinal teams to stop their players harassing referees, said secretary general Gianni Infantino. And Europe’s governing body does not support extending video technology to catch mistakes made by referees, he added. UEFA’s refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina warned Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Monaco, Paris Saint Germain, Porto and Real Madrid at a meeting Friday. The meeting at the UEFA headquarters at Nyon in Switzerland came the day after the ruling body banned Paris St-Germain’s Ivorian defender Serge Aurier for three European matches for “insulting acts” toward the referee of the Champions League match against Chelsea. Aurier did not play in the March 11 match which ended in a 2-2 draw, but made disparaging comments on Facebook about referee Bjorn Kuipers over his dismissal of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. UEFA is concerned about the growing tendency of groups of players to surround referees after every controversial call. Infantino slammed what he called the “aggressive stance” of some players toward referees. “This is something that we don’t accept, that we cannot accept and we are very clear about that,” he said. “We also have to protect the referees and respect the referees”, added the UEFA official.

Source: UEFA

FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers – CONCACAF (Round 1, Second Leg)

26-31 March 2015

Turks and Caicos – St. Kitts and Nevis
Referee: Elmer Bonilla (SLV, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Geovany Garcia (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Mansandi (SLV)
Fourth Official: Marlon Mejia (SLV)

US Virgin Islands – Barbados
Referee: Kevin Morrison (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Kuan Budd (GRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Keble Williams (JAM)
Fourth Official: Sherwin Johnson (GUY)

Bermuda – Bahamas
Referee: Ricardo Montero (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Fernandez (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Mora (CRC)
Fourth Official: Jeffrey Solis (CRC)

Anguilla – Nicaragua
Referee: Oscar Moncada (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Oscar Velasquez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Fourth Official: Melvin Matamoros (HON)

Dominica – British Virgin Islands
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Israel Valenciano (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Salvador Rodriguez (MEX)
Fourth Official: Paul Delgadillo (MEX)

Cayman Islands – Belize
Referee: Yadel Martinez (CUB)
Assistant Referee 1: Hiran Dopico (CUB)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Rodriguez (CUB)
Fourth Official: Marcos Brea (CUB)

Montserrat – Curacao
Referee: Rodphin Harris (TRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Ainsley Rochard (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Caleb Wales (TRI)
Fourth Official: Trevor Taylor (BRB)

UEFA Futsal Euro 2016 Qualifiers – Main Round

18-21 March 2015  

Group 1 – Sarajevo (BIH) 
1. Ondřej Černý (CZE) 
2. Karel Henych (CZE) 
3. Sebastian Stawicki (POL) 
4. Tomasz Frak (POL)  

Group 2 – Skopje (MKD) 
1. Bogdan Sorescu (ROU, photo) 
2. Gabriel Gherman (ROU, photo) 
3. Alessandro Malfer (ITA) 
4. Angelo Galante (ITA)  

Group 3 – Krosno (POL) 
1. Eduardo Fernandes (POR) 
2. Nuno Bogalho (POR) 
3. Borut Šivic (SVN) 
4. Admir Zahovič (SVN)  

Group 4 – Baku (AZE) 
1. Fernando Gutiérrez (ESP) 
2. Francisco Diaz (ESP) 
3. Timo Onatsu (FIN) 
4. Lukáš Peško (SVK)  

Group 5 – Lasko (SVN) 
1. Marc Birkett (ENG) 
2. Gábor Kovács (HUN) 
3. Balázs Farkas (HUN) 
4. Kamil Çetin (TUR)  

Group 6 – Dubrovnik (CRO) 
1. Ivan Shabanov (RUS) 
2. Pascal Lemal (BEL) 
3. Gerd Bylois (BEL) 
4. Cédric Pelissier (FRA)  

Group 7 – Călăraşi (ROU) 
1. Danijel Janošević (CRO) 
2. Saša Tomić (CRO) 
3. Oleg Ivanov (UKR) 
4. Vyacheslav Daragan (UKR)

UEFA Women's Champions League – Quarter-finals (First Leg)

21-22 March 2015

Bristol – Frankfurt
Referee: Pernilla Larsson (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Anna Nyström (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Julia Magnusson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Tess Petersson (SWE)

Linkoping – Brondby
Referee: Monika Mularczyk (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Anna Gorska (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kinga Seniuk (POL)
Fourth Official: Karolina Radzik-Johan (POL)

Glasgow – Paris
Referee: Riem Hussein (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Christina Jaworek (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Imke Lohmeyer (GER)
Fourth Official: Verena Schultz (GER)

Wolfsburg – Rosengard
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Manuela Nicolosi (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Solenne Bartnik (FRA)
Fourth Official: Florence Guillemin (FRA)

FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers – CONCACAF (Round 1, First Leg)

22-25 March 2015 

Nicaragua – Anguilla
Referee: Jafeth Perea (PAN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Gabriel Victoria (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Baines (PAN)
Fourth Official: Jose Kellys (PAN)

Bahamas – Bermuda
Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Rockwell (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Manikowski (USA)
Fourth Official: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)

Barbados – US Virgin Islands
Referee: Kimbell Ward (SKN)
Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Browne (SKN)
Assistant Referee 2: Ike Inniss (SKN)
Fourth Official: Tristley Bassue (SKN)

St. Kitts and Nevis – Turks and Caicos
Referee: Sherwin Moore (GUY)
Assistant Referee 1: Venton Mars (GUY)
Assistant Referee 2: Trevor Porter (GUY)
Fourth Official: Sherwin Johnson (GUY)

Belize – Cayman Islands
Referee: Oscar Reyna (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ronaldo De La Cruz (GUA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Diaz (GUA)
Fourth Official: Jonathan Polanco (GUA)

British Virgin Islands – Dominica
Referee: Karl Tyrell (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Washington (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Lloyd Edwards (JAM)
Fourth Official: Dwight Royal (JAM)

Webb promoted to Performance Director in England

Howard Webb has been handed the task of selecting officials for Premier League matches. The 43-year-old, who refereed the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands, has been promoted to performance director for the Select Group of Referees.
Since retiring last season, Webb has been working as technical director for Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and will now take responsibility for managing the select group of 17 full-time professional officials. He takes over from 69-year-old Keren Barratt, who had been due to retire but is moving into a different role. PGMOL will also appoint an additional referee coach to work directly with Webb. Webb will continue to report to PGMOL general manager Mike Riley who said: "Howard's role as technical director this season has enabled him to obtain an excellent understanding of the organization, our officials and the strong work of our support team. What has also become clear is that Howard has a natural flair for coaching and his extensive experience of the Premier League means he's expertly placed to lead and further develop the high standards of the select group".

Source: Sky Sports

UEFA Europa League – Round of 16 (Second Leg)

19 March 2015

Ajax – Dnipro
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Dmitry Zhuk (BLR)
Assistant Referee 2: Vitali Maliutsin (BLR)
Additional AR1: Siarhei Tsynkevich (BLR)
Additional AR2: Dzianis Shcharbakou (BLR)
Fourth Official: Aleh Maslianka (BLR)
Referee Observer: Gylfi Orrason (ISL)

Dinamo Moskva – SSC Napoli
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Rob Van de Ven (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Charles Schaap (NED)
Additional AR1: Kevin Blom (NED)
Additional AR2: Ed Janssen (NED)
Fourth Official: Bas Van Dongen (NED)
Referee Observer: Manuel Mejuto González (ESP)

AS Roma – AC Fiorentina
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarık Ongun (TUR)
Additional AR1: Halis Özkahya (TUR)
Additional AR2: Süleyman Abay (TUR)
Fourth Official: Cem Satman (TUR)
Referee Observer: Jean Lemmer (LUX)

Dynamo Kyiv – Everton
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Guido Kleve (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Holger Henschel (GER)
Additional AR1: Marco Fritz (GER)
Additional AR2: Robert Hartmann (GER)
Fourth Official: Christoph Bornhorst (GER)
Referee Observer: Ilkka Koho (FIN)

Torino – Zenit
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Matej Žunić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Bojan Ul (SVN)
Additional AR1: Mitja Žganec (SVN)
Additional AR2: Dejan Balažic (SVN)
Fourth Official: Gregor Rojko (SVN)
Referee Observer: Hans Reijgwart (NED)

Internazionale – VfL Wolfsburg
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Beck (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Jake Collin (ENG)
Additional AR1: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Additional AR2: Kevin Friend (ENG)
Fourth Official: Stuart Burt (ENG)
Referee Observer: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

Sevilla FC – Villarreal CF
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Mullarkey (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Child (ENG)
Additional AR1: Craig Pawson (ENG)
Additional AR2: Lee Probert (ENG)
Fourth Official: Darren England (ENG)
Referee Observer: Luciano Luci (ITA)

Beşiktaş – Club Brugge
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averyanov (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (RUS)
Additional AR1: Sergey Lapochkin (RUS)
Additional AR2: Sergey Ivanov (RUS)
Fourth Official: Nikolai Golubev (RUS)
Referee Observer: William Young (SCO)

UEFA U-21 Euro 2015

Czech Republic, 17-30 June 2015

France
Referee: Clement Turpin (1982, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Frederic Cano (1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Danos (1980)
Additional AR 1: Fredy Fautrel (1971)
Additional AR 2: Benoit Bastien (1983)

Greece
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Damianos Efthymiadis (1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Polychronis Kostaras (1983)
Additional AR 1: Michael Koukoulakis (1975)
Additional AR 2: Stavros Tritsonis (1977)

Netherlands
Referee: Danny Makkelie (1983)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Diks (1977)
Assistant Referee 2: Hessel Steegstra (1978)
Additional AR 1: Kevin Blom (1974)
Additional AR 2: Jochem Kamphuis (1986)

Poland
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (1981)
Assistant Referee 1: Paweł Sokolnicki (1980)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (1978)
Additional AR 1: Paweł Raczkowski (1983)
Additional AR 2: Tomasz Musial (1981)

Russia
Referee: Sergey Karasev (1979)
Assistant Referee 1: Anton Averyanov (1973)
Assistant Referee 2: Tikhon Kalugin (1974)
Additional AR 1: Sergey Lapochkin (1981)
Additional AR 2: Sergey Ivanov (1984)

Spain
Referee: Javier Estrada Fernández (1976)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Martínez Munuera (1986)
Assistant Referee 2: Teodoro Sobrino Magán (1978)
Additional AR 1: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (1982)
Additional AR 2: Jesús Gil Manzano (1984)

Fourth Officials
1. Jan Patak (CZE, 1982)
2. Ondrej Pelikan (CZE, 1980)

Referee Observers
1. Marc Batta (FRA)
2. Hugh Dallas (SCO)
3. Vladimir Sajn (SVN)

Cypriot referee Trattou targeted again

A car used by Cypriot referee Leontios Trattos was set on fire, police said, the second time he has been targeted in just over a year. The incident is the latest in a string of threats and attacks against referees and their families which led to calls for the officials to boycott games. Police said the car, which was parked in the basement of Trattou's residence at an apartment block in a suburb of the capital Nicosia, was destroyed. Authorities suspect the vehicle, a company car belonging to Trattou's employers, was doused with inflammable fluid and set alight.
One of the Mediterranean island's most high-profile referees, Trattou (photo) was also targeted in February last year when a bomb destroyed a car parked outside his home. That incident, among a string of attacks against referees, led to a brief suspension of fixtures on the island. The attacks have continued, however, and in January a bomb went off outside the home of a referee's mother, and last month a car belonging to a referee's wife was damaged by a pipe bomb. There have been no injuries reported from any of the attacks.

Source: Reuters

US player sentenced to 8 years in prison for killing a referee

A Michigan soccer player who killed a referee with a single punch to the face was sentenced to eight to fifteen years in prison. Bassel Saad, 36, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter last month after admitting he struck John Bieniewicz during a game at a Livonia park. The 44-year-old referee was about to call a penalty that would have booted Saad, who already had a yellow card, from the match last summer when he was dealt the blow that would eventually kill him two days later.
Bieniewicz's widow Kris pulled out a red card as she spoke on the stand to symbolize her husband's last action before his untimely death, and said she will always see the act as murder. ‘Before I go the one final thing that I want to do is I would like to serve Mr. Saad with the red card that he was entitled to,' she said in her closing remarks. Bieniewicz previously told reporters that she hoped Saad 'never sees the light of day', and that she believed her husband's life was 'worth more than eight years'. Saad faced second-degree murder charges before he took a plea deal. He will be eligible for parole after eight years and his maximum punishment is 15 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay more than $9,200 for restitution and the father-of-two's funeral expenses, according to the Detroit News. Mrs. Bieniewicz said her only consolation was knowing that her husband died doing something he loved. Wayne County Judge Thomas Cameron told Saad during sentencing that his 'childish and senseless act' had destroyed both the Bieniewicz family's life - as well as his own. Saad, an auto mechanic and a native of Lebanon, has lived in the US legally for 15 years but is not a citizen. The father-of-three could face deportation after he serves his time. 
A number of players testified in court last year that Saad had been issued a yellow card, or an official warning, following a foul in the first half of the June 29 game. Bieniewicz was about to issue him a second yellow card for being verbally abusive. That's when the referee was struck, the players said. Saad's punch landed in the head and neck area, causing Bieniewicz to fall and stop breathing. Dr. Jamal Saleh said he rushed toward Bieniewicz, who was on his back grasping a yellow card in one hand and a red card in the other. A skirmish erupted between players following the attack. Saleh said he quickly checked on Bieniewicz and the referee initially was not breathing but had a pulse. Saleh said he performed CPR and told the unconscious Bieniewicz: 'Wake up, buddy. You're going to be OK.' Player Scott Herkes testified that Saad removed his jersey and left the field with another man as Bieniewicz was being tended to. Herkes said he followed the men into the parking lot and took down the license plate number of the vehicle in which they left. In 2005, Saad was involved in another assault on a soccer field. Court documents obtained by Detroit Free Press indicate that he repeatedly struck another player in the head. Saad pleaded no contest in that case and was sentenced to five days of community service and 12 months of probation. Mrs. Bieniewicz recently testified at Michigan's Capitol in support of proposed legislation that would make it a felony to assault a sports official in the state. Referees ‘are out there on an island with no one to defend them,' she said. 'Something more than a misdemeanor should be in place.'

Source: Daily Mail

CONCACAF Champions League – Semi-finals (First Leg)

17 March 2015
CS Herediano – Club America
Referee: John Pitti (PAN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Williamson (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Keytzel Corrales (NCA)
Fourth Official: Jafeth Perea (PAN)

18 March 2015
Montreal Impact – LD Alajuelense
Referee: Jair Marrufo (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank Anderson (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Boria (USA)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Salazar (USA)

FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers - AFC (Round 1, Second Leg)

17 March 2015 

Nepal – India
Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (QAT, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Al-Amri (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdullah Al-Jardani (OMA)
Fourth Official: Mahmood Al-Majarafi (OMA)

Mongolia – Timor
Referee: Wang Di (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Ma Ji (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Xiang Shi (CHN)
Fourth Official: Ma Ning (CHN)

Bhutan – Sri Lanka
Referee: Marai Al Awaji (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Fahad Al Umri(KSA)

Assistant Referee 2: Abbas Gholoum (KUW)
Fourth Official: Shukri Al Hunfush (KSA)

Pakistan – Yemen
Referee: Ali Adday (IRQ)
Assistant Referee 1: Luay Subhi (IRQ)
Assistant Referee 2: Humond Alsahu (KUW)
Fourth Official: Falah Saad (IRQ)

Macau – Cambodia
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baki (OMA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hamed Al Mayahi (OMA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Al Ghaithi (OMA)
Fourth Official: Khalid Al Shaqsi (OMA)

Brunei – Taipei
Referee: Turki Al-Khudhayr (KSA)
Assistant Referee 1: Badr Al-Shumrani (KSA)
Assistant Referee 2: Khalaf Al-Shammari (KSA)
Fourth Official: Mohammed Al-Hoish (KSA)

Copa Libertadores – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

17 March 2015
Zamora – Boca Juniors
Referee: Luiz De Oliveira (BRA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Rocha (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ghillerme Camilo (BRA)
Fourth Official: Mayker Gomez (VEN)
Referee Observer: Bernardo Corujo (VEN)

Danubio – Corinthians
Referee: Julio Bascuñan (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Francisco Mondria (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Fourth Official: Fernando Falce (URU)
Referee Observer: Jorge Larrionda (URU)

Sporting Cristal – Racing
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mauricio Espinosa (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Pastorino (URU)
Fourth Official: Luis Seminario (PER)
Referee Observer: Cesar Mongrut (PER)

The Strongest – Universidad De Chile
Referee: Carlos Amarilla (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Caceres (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar (PAR)
Fourth Official: Javier Yrusta (BOL)
Referee Observer: Marcelo Ortube (BOL)

Tigres – San José
Referee: Jose Argote (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Lopez (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Sanchez (VEN)
Fourth Official: Jorge Rojas (MEX)
Referee Observer: Carlos Gonzalez (MEX)

18 March 2015
Emelec – Internacional
Referee: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernán Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Ernesto Uziga (ARG)
Fourth Official: Diego Lara (ECU)
Referee Observer: Bomer Fierro (ECU)

Estudiantes – Libertad
Referee: Ricardo Marques (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcelo Van Gasse (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kleber Gil (BRA)
Fourth Official: Patricio Loustau (ARG)
Referee Observer: Luis Pasturenzi (ARG)

Deportivo Táchira – Guaraní
Referee: Jose Buitrago (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Rivas (COL)
Fourth Official: Jose Hoyo (VEN)
Referee Observer: Adrian Gomez (VEN)

Santa Fe – Atlético Mineiro
Referee: Néstor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Gustavo Rossi (ARG)
Fourth Official: Imer Machado (COL)
Referee Observer: Dember Perdomo (COL)

Sao Paulo – San Lorenzo
Referee: Wilmar Roldán (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Clavijo (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Diaz (COL)
Fourth Official: Raphael Claus (BRA)
Referee Observer: Roberto Perassi (BRA)

19 March 2015
River Plate – Juan Aurich
Referee: Jorge Osorio (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcelo Barraza (CHI)
Fourth Official: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
Referee Observer: Abel Gnecco (ARG)

Palestino – Wanderers
Referee: Victor Carrillo (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonny Bossio (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Jorge Yupanqui (PER)
Fourth Official: Eduardo Gamboa (CHI)
Referee Observer: Pablo Pozo (CHI)

Mineros De Guyana – Cruzeiro
Referee: Carlos Vera (ECU)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Lescano (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Herrera (ECU)
Fourth Official: Adrian Cabello (VEN)
Referee Observer: Nelson Rodriguez (VEN)

Atlético Nacional – Barcelona
Referee: Leandro Vuaden (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Fabio Pereira (BRA)
Fourth Official: Juan Ponton (COL)
Referee Observer: Carlos Betancurt (COL)

UEFA Champions League – Round of 16 (Second Leg, II)

17 March 2015
Atletico Madrid – Bayer Leverkusen
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA, photo)
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: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR)

AS Monaco – Arsenal FC
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Kim Haglund (NOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Frank Andas (NOR)
Additional AR 1: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR)
Additional AR 2: Svein Erik Edvartsen (NOR)
Fourth Official: Sven Erik Midthjell (NOR)
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange (ITA)

18 March 2015
FC Barcelona – Manchester City
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Cariolato (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Fourth Official: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)

Borussia Dortmund – Juventus Turin
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Milovan Ristić (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Dalibor Djurdjević (SRB)
Additional AR 1: Danilo Grujić (SRB)
Additional AR 2: Dejan Filipović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Dejan Petrović (SRB)
Referee Observer: Luis Medina Cantalejo (ESP)

CONCACAF U-17 Championship Final 2015: Montero (CRC)

15 March 2015

Mexico – Honduras
Referee: Ricardo Montero (CRC, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mora (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Garner (USA)
Fourth Official: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)

FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers - AFC (Round 1, First Leg)

12 March 2015

India – Nepal
Referee: Aziz Asimov (UZB, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mamur Saidkasimov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Alisher Usmanov (UZB)
Fourth Official: Sherzod Kasimov (UZB)

Yemen – Pakistan
Referee: Mohammad Abu Loum (JOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ahmad Alroalle (JOR)
Assistant Referee 2: Yousef Jararwah (JOR)
Fourth Official: Jasem Ahmad (KUW)

Timor – Mongolia
Referee: Sivakorn Pu-Udom (THA)
Assistant Referee 1: Pham Manh Long (VIE)
Assistant Referee 2: Nguyen Trung Hau (VIE)
Fourth Official: Alongkron Feemuechang (THA)

Cambodia – Macau
Referee: Ho Wai Sing (HKG)
Assistant Referee 1: Chow Chun Kit (HKG)
Assistant Referee 2: Cheng Oi Cho (HKG)
Fourth Official: Suhaizi Shukri (MAS)

Sri Lanka – Bhutan
Referee: Fu Ming (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Wang Dexin (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Xu Peng (CHN)
Fourth Official: Thant Zin (MYA)

Taipei – Brunei
Referee: Rowan Arumughan (IND)
Assistant Referee 1: Kennedy Sapam (IND)
Assistant Referee 2: Magho Moirangthem (IND)
Fourth Official: Tejas Nagvenkar (IND)

UEFA Europa League – Round of 16 (First Leg)

12 March 2015
Zenit St. Petersburg – Torino FC
Referee: Manuel De Sousa (POR, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertino Miranda (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Alvaro Mesquita (POR)
Additional AR 1: Artur Soares (POR)
Additional AR 2: Carlos Xistra (POR)
Fourth Official: Rui Tavares (POR)
Referee Observer: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

VfL Wolfsburg – Internazionale
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Pawel Sokolnicki (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Listkiewicz (POL)
Additional AR 1: Pawel Raczkowski (POL)
Additional AR 2: Tomasz Musial (POL)
Fourth Official: Radoslaw Siejka (POL)
Referee Observer: Alan Snoddy (NIR)

FC Dnipro – Ajax
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: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL)

Club Brugge – Beşiktaş
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor (SCO)
Assistant Referee 2: David McGeachie (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Steven McLean (SCO)
Additional AR 2: John Beaton (SCO)
Fourth Official: Stuart Stevenson (SCO)
Referee Observer: Sergey Zuev (RUS)

AC Fiorentina – AS Roma
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Díaz Pérez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Javier Estrada Fernández (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: Teodoro Sobrino Magán (ESP)
Referee Observer: Francesco Bianchi (SUI)

Everton – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Yuste Jiménez (ESP)
Additional AR 1: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Additional AR 2: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Fourth Official: Raúl Cabañero Martínez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)

Villarreal CF – Sevilla FC
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Costanzo (ITA)
Additional AR 1: Paolo Mazzoleni (ITA)
Additional AR 2: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Fourth Official: Riccardo Di Fiore (ITA)
Referee Observer: Oguz Sarvan (TUR)

SSC Napoli – Dinamo Moskva
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Assistant Referee 1: Damianos Efthymiadis (GRE)
Assistant Referee 2: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE)
Additional AR 1: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE)
Additional AR 2: Stavros Tritsonis (GRE)
Fourth Official: Christos Akrivos (GRE)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)

Copa Libertadores – Group Stage (Matchday 4)

10 March 2015
Racing – Sporting Cristal
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (ECU, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Byron Romero (ECU)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Vera (ECU)
Fourth Official: Jorge Baliño (ARG)
Referee Observer: Carlos Coradina (ARG)

Universitario de Sucre – Huracan
Referee: Jose Argote (VEN)
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jairo Romero (VEN)
Fourth Official: Javier Yrusta (BOL)
Referee Observer: Marcelo Ortube (BOL)

Montevideo Wanderers – Palestino
Referee: Adrian Vélez (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Wilmar Navarro (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Rivas (COL)
Fourth Official: Fernando Falce (URU)
Referee Observer: Gustavo Lopez (URU)

Guaraní – Deportivo Táchira
Referee: Diego Haro (PER)
Assistant Referee 1: Cesar Escano (PER)
Assistant Referee 2: Braulio Cornejo (PER)
Fourth Official: Enrique Caceres (PAR)
Referee Observer: Ubaldo Aquino (PAR)

11 March 2015
Boca Juniors – Zamora
Referee: José Buitrago (COL)
Assistant Referee 1: Humberto Clavijo (COL)
Assistant Referee 2: Wilson Berrio (COL)
Fourth Official: Pablo Diaz (ARG)
Referee Observer: Juan Crespi (ARG)

San José – Tigres
Referee: Andres Cunha (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Miguel Nievas (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran (URU)
Fourth Official: Jose Jordan (BOL)
Referee Observer: Jorge Cuevas (BOL)

Barcelona SC – Atlético Nacional
Referee: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Rios (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal (CHI)
Fourth Official: Diego Lara (ECU)
Referee Observer: Rogger Zambrano (ECU)

12 March 2015
Libertad – Estudiantes
Referee: Pericles Cortez (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Emerson Carvalho (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
Fourth Official: Enrique Caceres (PAR)
Referee Observer: Abel Gnecco (ARG)

Juan Aurich – River Plate
Referee: Julio Quintana (PAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Dario Gaona (PAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Cañete (PAR)
Fourth Official: Luis Garay (PER)
Referee Observer: Manuel Yupanqui (PER)

UEFA Champions League – Round of 16 (Second Leg, I)

10 March 2015
Real Madrid – Schalke
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Vukan (SVN)
Additional AR 1: Matej Jug (SVN)
Additional AR 2: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Fourth Official: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE)

FC Porto – FC Basel
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE)
Additional AR 1: Martin Strömbergsson (SWE)
Additional AR 2: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Mehmet Culum (SWE)
Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili (GEO)

11 March 2015 
Chelsea – Paris St. Germain
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Sander van Roekel (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Erwin Zeinstra (NED)
Additional AR 1: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Additional AR 2: Richard Liesveld (NED)
Fourth Official: Angelo Boonman (NED)
Referee Observer: Horst Brummeier (AUT)

Bayern München – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: William Collum (SCO)
Assistant Referee 1: Damien MacGraith (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Graham Chambers (SCO)
Additional AR 1: Robert Madden (SCO)
Additional AR 2: Kevin Clancy (SCO)
Fourth Official: Alastair Mather (SCO)
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk (EST)

UEFA Youth League – Quarter-finals

10 March 2015
Chelsea – Atletico Madrid
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Per Brogevik (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Peter Magnusson (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kevin Johnson (ENG)
Referee Observer: Stephen Lodge (ENG)

17 March 2015
Benfica – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Baixinho (POR)
Referee Observer: Carlos Matos (POR)

AS Roma – Manchester City
Referee: Paweł Raczkowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Michal Obukowicz (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Kamil Wójcik (POL)
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca (ITA)
Referee Observer: Cosimo Bolognino (ITA)

18 March 2015
Anderlecht – Porto
Referee: Nicolas Rainville (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Laurent Stien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mathieu Grosbost (FRA)
Fourth Official: Lawrence Visser (BEL)
Referee Observer: Marcel Vanelshocht (BEL)

Referee exchange between Australia and Japan

Following on from last year's inaugural referee exchange program between the FFA and JFA, two of Japan's top referees, Yudai Yamamoto (photo) and Kazuyoshi Enomoto, will referee two A-League matches each. Yamamoto, a professional FIFA Referee who was recently in Australia as a match official for the AFC Asian Cup 2015, will referee the A-League Round 20 match between Brisbane Roar and Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday 8 March and the Round 21 match between Adelaide United and Central Coast Mariners on Thursday 12 March. Enomoto, a Class 1 referee in the J.League, will referee the A-League Round 23 match between Newcastle Jets and Adelaide United on 29 March and the Round 24 match between Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners on Thursday 2 April. As part of the reciprocal agreement, two Australian referees, Jarred Gillett and Chris Beath, will referee two J.League matches each between 27 April and 3 May.
In addition to the exchange program in the respective domestic competitions, a team of Australian match officials made up of Ben Williams, Matthew Cream, Peter Cetrangolo and Strebre Delovski will officiate at the Kirin Cup in Japan in March, taking charge of Japan - Tunisia (27 March) and Japan - Uzbekistan (31 March).
FFA Director of Referees Ben Wilson believes these exchanges provide significant development opportunities for Australian and Japanese referees and enhance the strong relationship between the JFA and FFA. "The exchange program is designed to help referees from both countries gain valuable international experience as well as expose players in the Hyundai A-League and J.League to different styles of officiating," said Wilson. "As part of our referee's strategic plan, one of the important aspects is to offer our referees meaningful international experience which will enable them to become better referees. This will be the first time that Australian referees have been invited to officiate in the J.League which will provide us with an excellent opportunity to showcase our referees in another top quality domestic league".

Source: FFA