Here are the referees in Serie A for this weekend, February 22-24. Chievo and Catania will be a fairly big game, considering that the two teams are fighting to avoid relegation. Daniele Orsato, one of Italy’s top-rated refs, will handle that one. League leaders Juventus will take on mid-table Torino, refereed by top Italian ref Nicola Rizzoli (above) and his
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These are outdated appointments. Always check “Latest Appointments” on the sidebar for updated referee appointments. Here are the Premier League referees for the weekend of February 22 and 23. Probably the biggest match will be on Saturday; Chelsea is fighting for the title and Everton is fighting for Champions League, so Lee Probert (above) will have his work cut out
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Here are the referees for the first two matches of the Last 16 round of Champions League. These matches will be played Tuesday, February 18. So Jonas Eriksson (above) takes Manchester City v. Barcelona. Eriksson is actually one of my favorites. The Big Swede is always very calm and in command at the same time…the kind of guy you want on your side
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It feels like forever, but it’s finally time for Champions League football again! This seems like a good time to talk about how the referees are chosen by UEFA not only for Champions League, but for Europa League, as well. First of all, just like the clubs want to get into the Champions League, the top referees really want these appointments.
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Here are the referees for the upcoming fifth round of the FA Cup, held Saturday through Monday, February 15-17. Several big matches, including Manchester City and Chelsea, where Phil Dowd will once again have the joy of dealing with Manuel Pelligrini and Jose Mourinho in the same stadium. (He should get some form of hazard pay.) Sunday will see current
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Big note is that Nicola Rizzoli is nowhere amongst the appointments, meaning he is almost certainly refereeing one of this week’s upcoming Last 16 Champions League matches, held Tuesday and Wednesday, February 18 and 19. His two assistant referees, Stefani and Faverani, are listed this weekend, but only as fourth officials. The referees for the Champions League matches are not announced until two
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The match of the week is obviously the Lazio v. Roma derby. The third best referee in Italy will be in the middle: Daniele Orsato (above). Personally, I like Orsato. Good man manager, solid positioning, all around nice guy. (I actually don’t know that; he could be completely insufferable, for all I know.) I mean, he’s no Nicola Rizzoli, but then,
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Mark Clattenburg is the Man to Watch this upcoming week. But then, when isn’t he? He’s got Everton (5th) at Spurs (6th) on Sunday, then takes a break and does Arsenal (1st) v. Man United (7th) on Wednesday. A single bad call from him this week could impact next year’s Champions League spots, and maybe even the title race. No
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The big game this week is undoubtedly Juventus v. Inter on Sunday. Gianluca Rocchi, Italy’s second highest rated ref behind Nicola Rizzoli, will take the helm for that one. Speaking of Rizzoli (above), the band’s back together for Atalanta v. Napoli, with Renato Faverani and Andrea Stefani – his favored assistants and World Cup team – joining him on Sunday.
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Ever wonder what (if any) thought goes into the Premier League referee appointments week in and week out? While it’s something of a trade secret, I’ve managed to dig up an old list that seems to still be relevant. While these may not be the only criteria PGMOL use, this list seems pretty comprehensive. The referee’s current form – We saw
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