Collina's wrong track

As usual, UEFA.com published an article about the seminar attended by Elite, Elite Development and nine First Group referees at the start of this week, dealing with background details and statements issued by UEFA's person in charge of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, who put forward messages to his officials and reflected on several general facets of the progress in European refereeing.

First of all, hold on tight! The Additional Assistant Referee programme was not eulogized this time - it was not even mentioned in this press release. After matches like Bayern München - FC Barcelona, Collina very likely has good reasons to do so.

But paying attention to every single statement given by him, one thing is irritating. Did he send his messages to an audience of referees - you know these men making football possible, being game-managers and partly real psychologists on the pitch - or to an audience of professional athletes?

"It is important to be an athlete – and a referee or assistant referee is definitely an athlete. If you are not an athlete, you cannot deal with a match, given the speed and intensity of matches that are played today."

That's only half the story. It's correct that football has developed enormously in terms of speed, intensity and specially related to the technical abilities of the players. But that's not all. The players are still humans, and mostly even younger humans, as the average age in UEFA's major competitions has rapidly decreased over the past years. Referees are more and more challenged as psychologists of the players - and often of themselves, too. There have never been that many people attending a stadium to celebrate their team and this beautiful game, there have never been that many cameras allowing a judgment on every potentially decisive decision taken by match officials. Referees feel this growing pressure, but do not need compassion either. They must be shown ways to cope with this pressure efficiently and need the absolute support by the committee. Thus it is confusing that Collina obviously considers fitness, stamina and the outward appearance as the keys to more progress in refereeing. It would have been soothing to read a statement like "It is important to be a manager - and a referee or assistant referee is definitely a manager. If you cannot manage matches on a psychological manner, you cannot deal with a match, given the new challenges to be faced in modern football." 

"You also have to look like an athlete", Collina said. A simple question: why?? In order to achieve perfectionism? Is a referee with a fat ratio of 13 % a better referee than a referee with 16 % and a small hunch? And, just by the way, what does he mean with "athlete"? 

"You are on duty, not visiting a city as a tourist". To make that clear: nobody has doubts on the need to attend a match with total alertness. Creating a tunnel view with maximum concentration during the whole 48h trip - is that a goal passionate referees are supposed to strive for? Everybody knows you cannot show your best performance if you do not feel positive pressure in a relaxed, but nonetheless focussed climate, doing your work within positive emotions. That belongs to the ABC of psychology. Unfortunately I do not lose the impression that UEFA refereeing is dominated by someone who targets at producing streamlined and perfect referees. But that won't work.

Additionally, the past Champions League campaign, which was partly characterized by weak performances, actually demands more than a sole concentration or at least clear emphasis on physical aspects. Teams, players and fans won't have the rewards for totally fit referees who however lack match feeling and common sense. They deserve more than cherry picking with regard to the AARs programme and "athletes". In my humble opinion, Collina is on the wrong track.

Additional time is the referee's thing

(c) Eurosport

The following text is partly taken from DFB's two-monthly published referee newspaper, DFB referee committee member and former Bundesliga referee Lutz Wagner tries to avoid misunderstandings related to the fourth official's task in a football match.

"Every television viewer interested in football knows that scenario. At the end of the live broadcast, the commentator wants to finally increase the tension by stressing the ultimate highlight of the match: "And now, he is raising the board! The fourth official decided to award four further minutes of additional time in this match and informs the referee about that! [...] The home team hence has still 240 seconds to score the equalizer!"

What is right reading those lines? Unfortunately, almost nothing, apart from the electronic board from which the commentator has read off the shown additional time!

• It is not the fourth official who awards the additional time, it is the referee's thing!
• Consequently, he does not "inform the referee" about the additional time, since he already knows it, but informs all involved including players, spectators and also commentators about it.
• Furthermore, it is not the additional time of "this match", but solely of the second half. Additional times have to be awarded at the end of each half and therefore added to each half (if needed).
• In addition, it is not clear at all whether a team really "has still 240 seconds to score" a goal. The additional time awarded by the referee and signaled by the fourth official is no ultimate decision. The referee can enlarge the additional time, as soon as he consideres that as necessary. However, he is not allowed to shorten it.

"Therefore, such a superficial knowledge being persistently propagated is quite annoying. [If no electronical board is available], the referee has to signalize the additional time to all involved in a clear manner by his fingers (Law 7).", Wagner emphasizes.

What can be reasons for additional time? The Laws of the Game define:

• substitutions
• injuries of players
• transport of injured players off the pitch
• time wasting (has only to be taken as a reason for additional time if the team infringing the Laws by that have no advantage by time wasting)
• every other reason (which more precisely includes external influences like a suspension of the match due to pyrotechnics or stuff).

The most important aspect is: the height of the additional time signalized by the fourth official depends on the assessment of the referee.

Additional time is the referee's thing (c) DFB

A suitable example for the targeted enlargament of additional time is the UEFA Champions League qualifying match between Dinamo Zagreb and Ludogorets. The first leg between the Croatian and Bulgarian sides ended with a 1-1 draw. In the second half of the second leg, the score was 2-2 until the 90th minute. Due to a longer injury after a rude foul, which approximately lasted two minutes, a few further bookings including a sending-off for a dive, German referee Felix Zwayer told the fourth official to signalize five minutes of added time. 

In the third minute of this additional time, the away team's goalkeeper approximately "stole" 20-30 seconds by time wasting at a goal kick. He accepted the call; this time wasting led to a direct advantage of his team, since they were at that moment qualified for the next round, so that Zwayer had to enlarge the additional time by these 20 or 30 seconds. After this goal kick, there was a tactical foul by Dinamo Zagreb leading to a yellow card and an alleged head injury, from which the fouled midfielder had to recover for exactly 28 seconds. A few moments later, the next Bulgarian player stalled for time by needing 19 seconds for going to a throw-in position and then deciding to shift the execution of this throw-in to a team-mate. Zwayer correclty booked him for time wasting, had to note the offender which furthermore cost a few seconds. In the end, approximately 70 seconds were hence wasted which had to be added on the original additional time of five minutes. The official correctly allowed a further attack and in 90+6:01, a Bulgarian defender excellently cleared a dangerous ball in the box, leading to a corner kick for Dinamo Zagreb which Zwayer allowed. In addition, there was another injury of the player who cleared, which had to recover from that for 30 seconds. The corner kick was executed and in its direct aftermath, Dinamo scored the decisive 3-2. One of Ludogorets' player later insulted Zwayer and was sent off.

Despite of the fact that this procedure certainly caused anger and misunderstanding among neutral spectators and also Ludogorets' players, the referee dealt with the incidents in an adequate manner.

Can you score own goals directly from kick-offs?

"In order for a kickoff to be valid, the ball must be placed on the center spot, be kicked, and move in a forward direction (toward the opponent's goal). For this reason, own goals can only be scored directly from a kickoff if it is kicked into the air and carried backward by the wind, or is kicked so incredibly hard that it rebounds from the opponent's goalpost or crossbar and flies back into your own goal. Both scenarios would be considered an own-goal from kickoff, as no other player touched the ball except the kicker.

In short, it is technically possible under the Laws of the Game to score an own-goal directly from the kickoff, but you are unlikely to ever see it happen, ever."

You will find the previous answer when googling the title of this post. The definition of kick-offs as well as possible (but surely not that probable) circumstances are correctly exposed there, however, the final conclusion is wrong.

According to the Laws of the Game, kick-offs have to be practically considered as direct free kicks. As consequence, Law 13 has to be taken into account that expounds that...

• ...if a direct free kick is kicked directly into the opponents' goal, a goal is awarded
• ...if a direct free kick is kicked directly into the team's own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team.

Therefore, own goals may not directly follow kick-offs. The referee has to disallow the own goal and must award a corner kick to the opponents.

Proença thrilled by Kyiv honour

Portuguese referee Pedro Proença will set the seal on a memorable season when he takes charge of his fourth, and most important fixture, at UEFA EURO 2012 in Kyiv tonight. The 41-year-old also officiated the UEFA Champions League final on Munich on 19 May and told UEFA.com that being awarded the final at the Olympic Stadium is not only a privilege and an honour, but the peak of his career.

(c) ZIMBIO

UEFA.com: Being awarded the UEFA EURO 2012 final must be very special for you?

Proença: Yes, it's an honour to have this chance and to be invited. For any referee this would be one of the best moments of his career and I really feel privileged to have been asked, both for me and my team. It's a sign of acknowledgement of the work we have done at this tournament so it brings us happiness that has to be shared with the two finalists

.

UEFA.com: How does it feel having been awarded the UEFA Champions League final and the UEFA EURO 2012 final?

Proença: This means I have finally reached my peak as a referee. Several factors were involved in me getting here at my age and reaching the top level. I feel really satisfied and privileged so tomorrow I will try to honour the job, make the most of it and share the happiness with my colleagues.

UEFA.com: You have refereed a lot of these players before. Does that help you?

Proença: Luckily I have met a lot of the players over the years during UEFA competitions and, of course, football has a universal language. The behaviour of people of latin heritage is a bit different and we have a body language that makes us understand each other. I understand players' behaviour and the players understand the referee's behaviour. From this point of view it will be a bit easier for me.

UEFA.com: What does it mean for a Portuguese man to referee the final?

Proença: At the moment we represent the quality of Portuguese refereeing and I hope tomorrow we prove it on the pitch. It shows the work we Portuguese have been doing all this time. I feel satisfied and I know this feeling is shared by every Portuguese referee. I'll represent Portugal tomorrow.

UEFA.com: Can you explain a little bit about what you need from your assistants?

Proença: The referee is just the face of a team and I couldn't do anything if I didn't have these fantastic men with me. They're the ones who, at the end of the day, give me support and the confidence to decide what's best. Tomorrow is a prize which will be shared by many people, but most of all, by the people who will be with me on the pitch, these four fantastic men.

UEFA.com: What are your thoughts on UEFA EURO 2012 so far?

Proença: It has been fantastic. I really want to highlight the behaviour of every athlete and every player. They have shown extraordinary fair play. This shows the respect they have for the fans, the crowd and the people who watched them on TV. Unity and respect, which I think people deserve, was conveyed by players.

source: UEFA.com

Proença thrilled by Munich final spectacle

With a close team of officials alongside him, Pedro Proença is delighted to have the chance to referee the UEFA Champions League final – a game he has prepared for in "meticulous" fashion. 

Watch his interview at UEFA.com (c) UEFA

In theory his is a lonely, isolated role – a man who hopes to do his job so well that he is barely noticed, a support actor primed to work so that the stars can shine.

However Pedro Proença, the Portuguese referee for the 2012 UEFA Champions League final, is proof the concept of teamwork extends well beyond the two finalists, FC Bayern München and Chelsea FC, to the Iberian officials who will take charge on the big night.

In fact when Proença discovered that his season was being rewarded with this blue-riband match, it was not family or friends with whom he first shared his delight but his fellow officials. 

He told UEFA.com: "The guys in my referee team are, in the end, the pillars which have made this possible. So obviously it was with them that I first shared this great happiness.

"Now we are working so that we can have a good game and participate in this magnificent spectacle. Of course, to be able to develop your work with the same team makes it possible to create routines and do things automatically. In the matches that then ends up making our work easier.

"Being a referee here is the realisation of a dream. It's nice to know that a big association like UEFA has recognised that through this long season we have done a good job. You feel great happiness."

The 41-year-old from Pinhal Novo will be taking charge of his 16th UEFA Champions League match when he strides out at the Fußball Arena München.  He has been on the rise in refereeing circles since taking charge of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final in 2004 and was promoted to UEFA's Elite category at the start of 2009/10.

Trigo, Gomes, Santos, Proença, Miranda, de Sousa, Velasco (c) UEFA

Bayern and Chelsea will be in the hands of a man who has a well-established preparation for such occasions and who also holds a clear vision of how he would like the high-profile final to unravel. "My routine is always the same," Proença confirmed. "Obviously there's a warm-up first, then mental preparation, and then getting ready for the match itself.

"We have done meticulously accurate preparation because we had the luck and privilege to know well beforehand which teams would be here. We've prepared all the scenarios, so we won't be taken by surprise in any situation. It is the key to success.

"Fundamentally I hope this will be a spectacle and that people will leave this majestic stadium very satisfied with what happened. So my last words will be about a great effort from the athletes, respect for all the people who have worked for this final, and that the spectators will be the most satisfied and happy people they can be."

source: UEFA.com

Inconceivable incidents at Bundesliga relegation match

When Wolfgang Stark blew the kick-off whistle at yesterday's 2nd leg of the Bundesliga relegation tie between Fortuna Düsseldorf and Hertha BSC Berlin at Esprit Arena before 50.000 visitors, he could not know that this would become the most incredible match German football has probably ever seen.
But, one by one..

As it is common for three years now in Bundesliga, the 16th in the Bundesliga ranking has to play a relegation tie against the 3rd positioned team of 2nd Bundesliga. This includes a first and also a second leg. Last week, the 2nd Bundesliga high flyer Fortuna Düsseldorf managed to win at Berlin's Olympiastadium by 2-1.
Yesterday, after only 31 seconds of played time, Düsseldorf smoothed the path as Maximilian Beister scored after a fabulous strike. In the course of the first half however, Hertha BSC managed to apply their technical quality they actually never managed to show this season and consequently equalized by a header after a correct free kick.

Idiots having thrown bengalos onto the pitch (c) WELT

Later, in the second half, the match became more intense and Stark had a lot of work to do. Remarkable was also DFB's appointment: after Jan-Hendrik Salver made a wrong and match decisive mistake in Fortuna's match against Eintracht Frankfurt, they simply decided to replace him for this important match. Hence, Mike Pickel and Wolfgang Walz accompanied the German EURO referee along with Markus Wingenbach acting as fourth official. Anyway, Änis Ben Hatira was shown the 2nd yellow card in the early second half was therefore dismissed. He made a dangerous foot-up tackle solely based on wantonness and even frustration. A correct call. Only a few moments later, Düsseldorf performed a tremendously perfect counterattack and scored the 2-1. It was the moment when Stark had to interrupt the match for the first time. Bengalos were inflamed, thrown in the direction of other visitors' tribunes and even thrown onto the pitch by Hertha fans - no, the term "fans" is not adequate, I will continue writing this post by deploying the term "idiots" - by Hertha idiots. Wolfgang Stark waited for a short while, clearly emphasized upon consultation with the DFL match commissioner and the DFB executive Dr. Rainer Koch at the sideline that the match would be abandoned as soon as there would have been one further incident. This admonition was sensible, the match could finally continue. Hertha BSC scored the 2-2 in the late stages of the regular time which meant that they only needed one further goal to stay in Bundesliga. And then, one of the most exciting moments in such a match, Markus Wingenbach signaled the official additional time of 7 minutes, which was absolutely adequate. 

Hertha made their last desperate attempts, Düsseldorf's Jovanovic then appeared freely in front of the Hertha goalkeeper, but did not score. What happened then, equates a nightmare. When Thomas Kraft, the goalkeeper, wanted to restart the match, Stark suddenly whistled in a heavy way, the whole players made sprints into the dressing rooms. Let me say that I have never seen Stark running thus fast. Even though it is unbelievable, the fans stormed the pitch one minute before the 97' minute was played. Fortuna Düsseldorf supporters stormed the pitch in masses. The whole pitch was covered, there were attacks on Hertha players. With heavy efforts and approximately many hundred forces - police as well as stewards - the mob calmed down. The stadium announcer tried everything to make the people be clear that the match was not finished. There were fans already unearthing the penalty spot as kind of remembrance, attempting to carve parts of the goal net. As neutral spectators in front of the TV, which also counts for the commentary who was of course at the tribunes, one could not believe what one had seen. Honestly speaking, one sat there for 15 minutes, watched the incidents open-mouthed. 

Supporters storming the pitch minutes before the final whistle (c) RP

Thousands of supporters were on the field (c) Kicker

Stark's and Pickel's way into their dressing rooms (c) Tagesspiegel

After the mob had finally calmed down, referee Wolfgang Stark returned on the pitch along with his team again and visualized the situation. Along with Koch and the DFL commissioner, he decided to restart the match as soon as the internal space of the stadium would be free in compliance with the laws of the game. After again 15 minutes of resting and waiting, Düsseldorf and the referees returned onto the pitch. No sign from Hertha BSC Berlin. Stark and Wingenbach visited them in the dressing room, the DFL commissioner accompanied them. Finally, they returned as well. Stark let the play restart for 90 seconds, blew the final whistle, and again everybody sprinted as fast as possible to escape the thousands of visitors who wanted to celebrate the promotion. 

The capital's club is considering a protest against the result. DFB has started investigations. As immeasurable the consequences of abandonment would have been, as immeasurable the punishments will probably be, too.

Today, it was communicated by the lawyer of Hertha BSC Berlin that it was the police who asked Berlin to return onto the pitch as the consequences of an abandoned match immeasurable. He furthermore stated that the Berlin players dwelled in mortal fear in the dressing room. 

Probably, Stark, who showed an excellent performance after all and who was really willing to conduct this 97 minutes if it is possible, was coerced to restart the match as well. Let me say that, finally, it was actually not possible to restart the match. 

Anyway, after this match, Stark is ready for everything...
Herbert Fandel has emphasized his pleasure that DFB had appointed Stark for this match and stated that they were glad how he managed to maintain control over the match until the end.

VIDEO

Sajn and Vassaras reflect the benefit for the U17 EURO referees

As the still ongoing UEFA U17 EURO in Slovenia is hitting the home stretch, UEFA Referee Committee members Vlado Sajn and Kyros Vassaras retrospect the achievements and experiences the active officials were able to savour in an interview with UEFA.com:

(c) UEFA.com

UEFA.com: Could you tell us your role in Slovenia?

Vlado Sajn: Our role is to explain the UEFA guidelines to the young referees. Here we have mostly referees with just one or two years of international experience, so we are here to help them with the guidelines in order to achieve as much consistency and uniformity in these tournaments as possible. We are here also to support them in any other aspect they need.

UEFA.com: Have you seen a benefit to your presence at these tournaments?

Sajn: Certainly. We have individual feedback and analysis with the refereeing teams after every matchday with hot topics and the whole group discusses the important match situations. Hopefully they will go back home with new perspectives or new information. It is important to say that they are
not inexperienced referees, as they are top in their particular countries, but on the international stage they are inexperienced. It is beneficial for them to learn and do well here. If they do, the doors to their future are open.

UEFA.com: Do you also educate the players at these tournaments?

Kyros Vassaras: We do. The Referees Committee produce a DVD in order to go over interesting clips and topics and to inform the teams on the instructions that we have provided referees. The type of decisions to expect from referees, for example. We try to educate them on avoiding unsporting
behaviour, simulation, and holding and pushing in the penalty area. It is better for the teams not to have yellow cards and it improves the image of the game. It is also for the protection of the players and to promote respect, both between the players and towards the officials.

UEFA.com: Have these methods been proven to be effective with players?

Sajn: Very much so. We started this at EURO 2008 and we were very happy with the results. We had very few dissent cases there, as we told them we would be very strict. There were also just two cases of holding in the area. After that we decided we would go forward and introduce this system
into all the age group final tournaments. This is our fifth year doing this now and I feel there are fewer misunderstandings between players and officials and fewer unnecessary bookings.

UEFA.com: How have the teams responded to the sessions?

Vassaras: The feedback from the teams this year has been very positive. When we finished our presentations, they agreed that we have to keep doing it and told us they would like to have it in their own countries at U15 and U13 level. It is really positive to think that there is a drive to introduce this at grassroots level across Europe.

source: UEFA.com

Related Posting:

UEFA U17 EURO 2012 - Match Officials

Stark: "The most important thing is teamwork"

Spanish eyes will be focused on Bucharest on Wednesday night but they will not be alone. When the UEFA Europa League final between Club Atlético de Madrid and Athletic Club kicks off, the 10,000 or so residents of a small Bavarian town will also be glued to their television sets.

After all, Ergolding is the home of Wolfgang Stark, the German referee charged with officiating the final at the National Arena Bucharest. "I think all the people in my small town will watch the game on TV," Stark told UEFA.com as he looked forward to the "first international final" of his career.

Stark was speaking after a training session with his team of assistants on the National Arena pitch on the eve of the all-Spanish showpiece. "The most important thing is teamwork," he stressed as he reflected with pride on his assignment. I am very proud to be here together with my team and to have been appointed for this important final.

fr. l: Mike Pickel, Wolfgang Stark, Jan-Hendrik Salver (c) ZIMBIO

They flew into the Romanian capital on Monday and their preparations will not differ too greatly from for a normal Bundesliga match although, as Stark explained, "it's a final and so the preparation is a little bit extra because the whole of Europe is watching". This includes studying videos of the two teams and he made a point of watching their semi-final matches.

For Stark, a Bundesliga referee since the mid-90s, this final follows his first German Cup final last season between FC Schalke 04 and MSV Duisburg. Will that previous experience help him? "Maybe it can help because there's always a special atmosphere in a final. But I think a Europa League final is a little different – it's international."

One of the referees selected for UEFA EURO 2012, he has an impressive CV already, which includes three matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 Olympic football tournament. Since 2001 he has overseen 51 UEFA Champions League games and 18 in the UEFA Europa League, including two in the knockout stages of this season's competition.

Stark, whose day job is in banking, was inspired to become a referee by his father, Rudolf. "He was also a referee in the second division, and an assistant in the first league in Germany." He remains an important sounding board. "He's one of the people who give me advice."

Something else that does not change is that feeling in his stomach in the minutes leading up to a game. "It's not nervous, it's a small feeling inside, and I think each referee has this feeling before kick-off." It will happen again on Wednesday before he leads the teams out on one of the special nights of his career – as his family and friends watch with pride back in Bavaria.

Source: UEFA.com

UEFA Europa League Final - Prediction

Before the upcoming finals of this season's editions of UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, there might be predictions about the officials that will referee the matches based on the tournaments' course of appointments and performances. 

The Champions League final will be played between in Munich - between the hosts of FC Bayern and the English side of FC Chelsea - on 19 May. The final of Europa League, being an all Spanish tie between Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, will be already kicked off in Bucuresti on 9 May.

Whereas it has already unfolded that the Slovenian UEFA Referee Committee member Vlado Sajn will observe the Champions League final referees and that his colleague Jaap Uilenberg from the Netherlands will function as observer in Bucuresti's Europa League final, the referees to be selected are difficult to predict.

UEFA Europa League

In general, one has to emphasize that one cannot be sure whether UEFA will appoint a referee who will participate in UEFA EURO 2012 or not. The semifinals in both competitions have underlined that both might be possible. Furthermore, the referee for the final certainly joins the ELITE Group and should not have refereed a final in this competition yet. It is also useful to erase those officials from the pool of possible final referees who have already whistled a semifinal, and perhaps also a quarterfinal in Europa League. Of course, no Spanish and no Dutch referee may be nominated due to the teams and the observer.

Having applied this criteria, the following officials are remaining:

Felix Brych (GER), Cüneyt Çakır (TUR), Mark Clattenburg (ENG), Viktor Kassai (HUN), Stéphane Lannoy (FRA), Florian Meyer (GER), Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR), Pedro Proenca (POR), Gianluca Rocchi (ITA), Wolfgang Stark (GER), Paolo Tagliavento (ITA), Howard Webb (ENG).

Cuneyt Çakır, EL final after CL semifinal? (c) FIFA

In general, one can say that Kassai and Webb will probably have no chance. Kassai did not show the best performance in his UCL Semifinal at Santiago Bernabeu, Webb had problems in Munich, too, and furthermore, it must be stressed that it seems quite impossible that a referee from England will get the final, they had already two participations in UCL/UEL Semifinals. For this reason, Mark Clattenburg should not be taken into consideration either, he also refereed Atlético Madrid in the Quarterfinals. The Italians Rocchi and Tagliavento could both had chances, Tagliavento has taken an immense rise in the past season. However, Rizzoli had the 2010 UEFA Europa League final, so that again in Italian could be quite unprobable. Stéphane Lannoy has shown his best international season so far, had overall good performances in both competitions but was not spared by problems especially in his match between Atlético Madrid and Hannover in Quarterfinals, so that it is more or less superfluous to take him into account as well.  

Pedro Proenca counts as almost safe referee of the UCL final. He was observed by UEFA Referee Committee members three times, showed more or less satisfying performances in these matches. It is an all Spanish tie, a Portugues referee in it would mean the opposite of last year's final. He could be a candidate, but he already refereed a match with Bilbao's involvement: at Schalke Arena in the Quarterfinals. I doubt that he would be the best choice, the CL final match fits in more with his approach.
Moen showed quite a good season, has however enough time to develop and to improve, what seems to be still necessary. It would be a high risk to appoint him for such an intense match, a risk, which could however reveal to be worth.

Cüneyt Çakir was able to impress us in his first UCL Semifinal at Camp Nou, where he showed an almost perfect match. Many - including me - considered him as possible final referee even at the beginning of this season, the impression has confirmed, he is a very probable option.

Finally, there are three German referees left. Florian Meyer can be forgotten, he is at the end of his international career and was never at the peak of UEFA refereeing, even though he has been joining the ELITE Group for quite a long time. Felix Brych and Wolfgang Stark both have big chances in the next years. Brych, a rising star in UEFA refereeing, who is also under FIFA's eyes and who has been nominated to referee matches at 2012 Olympic Games in Great Britain, showed a brilliant performance at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the semifinal between FC Chelsea and FC Barcelona. Remembering the procedure in the last season, when Carlos Velasco Carballo handled the EL final after having superbly refereed a Champions League Semifinal's first leg, Brych could be a very good option, too. Wolfgang Stark - to the surprise of everybody - did not receive a UEFA Champions League match in the K.O. stage. He had two good performances in important EL matches (ManCity - Porto; Sporting - Metalist), was however not observed by a high profile UEFA Observer. It is very unprobable that UEFA will not appoint him once again prior to the EURO, but after having stopped thinking in a rational way, even this is not sure. 

Wolfgang Stark, a probable candidate for the final

Naturally, the tactical approach, personality and "style" of the respective referee who comes into question must perfectly fit in with the match. Spanish duels are always intense, the referee has to expect a lot, as Collina reinforced, he has to predict. Stark has shown that he can be a very good referee in intense, Spanish duels, although there was certainly a lack of control in last year's el clásico. Jaap Uilenberg gave him a very high mark for this match and is now the observer again. Stark would deserve the final after 13 years of FIFA refereeing, after 43 Champions League matches and 17 Europa League matches. But UEFA in fact knows Stark, there is actually no need to test him. At this stage, the only question is, who is able to show the best performance possible in this specific match and to my mind, both, Brych and Stark are able to do that. The same counts for Cakir, who however had Athletic Bilbao which could mean a small disadvantage for him.

Finally, my final prediction is:

9 May 2012, National Arena, Bucuresti, Romania

Atlético Madrid (ESP) - Athletic Bilbao (ESP)

Referee: Wolfgang Stark (GER)

Assistant Referees: Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER), Mike Pickel (GER)

Additional Assistant Referees: Florian Meyer (GER), Deniz Aytekin (GER)

Fourth Official: Manuel Gräfe

Reserve Assistant Referee: Mark Borsch (GER)

UEFA Champions League final predictions will follow next week.

Collina: Communication and Prediction as keys of successful refereeing

Pierluigi Collina of Italy, UEFA's chief refereeing officer, has shifted focus on the preparation the match officials for UEFA EURO 2012 have to undergo and furthermore strengthened the foundation stones of successful refereeing as part of an interview given to UEFA.com. 

Pierluigi Collina (c) UEFA.com

As one of the most discernible faces UEFA Refereeing had to offer during the last years, Collina knows best what matters. Having been elected six times in a row as the world's best referee from 1998 to 2003, the main point Collina had become famous for was the until then not recognized ability to have a strong but also respectful approach to the players. Communication and a deep rapport has been being considered vital for refereeing since Collina's era and is nowadays an irreplaceable basis for refereeing on every level, especially on the professional referee he is personally responsible for.

For this reason, Collina has again laid emphasis on the need to be able to have close link to the players. "It must convince the players that the referees are reliable, that the decision taken by him can be grasped.", he stated. Besides, Collina stressed that players were not the enemies of a referee, but that the players could not consider the referees as enemies either. 

Communication as vital ability of referees

Collina has hence two aspect on his mind. On the one hand, he sees communication and the relationship between players and referees as essential, but on the other hand, the athleticism of the match officials is in focus as well. As the game gets faster and is developing more and more, referees have to persistently improve their physical condition and mental awareness, too, which includes being best informed about the teams and players involved in an upcoming match. Therefore, that's another crucial ability according to Collina: "The referee has to predict, he has to be aware of what can happen maybe one second later," he said. "This is the best way to be ready to make a decision. If you are surprised by something, you are very probably wrong. If you know that something can happen, you are ready, it's very probable that you will be right."

With regard to the pending European Championship, Collina also concentrated on the referees' awareness of the tournament's brevity and the consequently emerging need to be at the peak of their skills when it comes to the point. "Everything is important, everything can mean a lot, not only for the teams, but also for the referees. So they are very motivated and determined to show the best performance possible.", he said.

The final tournament will start on 9th June. The full and final list of match officials will follow after the completion of fitness tests that will be accomplished in Warsaw from 30th April to 3rd May.

source: UEFA.com

Interfering with an opponent - Explanation

This article has come into existence upon consultation with an international assistant referee who was able to clarify that in accordance with the instructions UEFA officials are receiving.

A perpetual issue in current refereeing controversies, and even UEFA Champions League Semifinals, is the improvement of Law 11, the offside rule, called "interfering with an opponent".

What is it at all?

FIFA Laws of the Game clearly define the case of "interfering with an opponent". A situation will become an offside offence, if an attacking player prevents an opposing defending player from being able to play (the ball) by...:

• ...obstructing the opponent's (normally the goalkeeper's) line of vision,
• ...making a movement ...
• ...or a gesture, which deceive or derange the opponent.

This means that a defender can be punished for being in a - so far - passive offside position, which becomes active by one of the exposed criteria.

The following paragraphs will solely focus on the first criterion, as these cases are probably the most significant and furthermore the most frequent ones in today's football.

Position is all what counts. The Laws do not ascribe importance to the question of whether the position, which can be penalized as offside offence, is the result of complete arbitrariness. Therefore, it does not matter whether a player was in this position unintentionally or not, as long as he had not been edged by an opponent off into this position in a chargeable way. 

However, from which point or distance does an attacker influence the goalkeeper's line of vision? The Laws do not clarify that in a direct way.

Rafael Ilyasov (UZB) indicating the first offside goal at 2010 FIFA WC

Instead, the Laws lay heavy emphasis on the "opinion of the referee". It is also important that not merely the assistant referee is responsible for deciding that. These incidents recently happened in scored goals as well. So what happens if you - as an assistant referee - are not sure whether one or perhaps more players blocked the goalkeeper's view? The best solutions are, if you are sure. Then you can either decide 100% no offside or 100% offside - 100% goal or 100% no goal. As professional assistant referees confirm, this is more likely a rarity. After e.g. corner kicks, when a mob of 15 players moves within the box, the situation might be undiscerning, there is the possibility that you wrongly grasp the depth. 

Assistant Referees are in general instructed to apply the "wait-and-see-technique" (the term actually explains itself). If they are nonetheless not sure at all, if there are still doubts, they have to stand still (no movement!), which is a clear signal to the main referee whom the assistant referee is supposed to consult, as he has mostly a deeper insight in the situation.  

The signal of standing still is supposed to be applied in two circumstances:

• Either if the assistant referee is not sure, which player (perhaps in a header-duel) touched the ball last...
• ...or if - as described - there are doubts whether an attacker in an offside position potentially blocked the goalkeeper's LOS.

An exemplary conversation via wire could be like that:

After the signal of standing still:

The Referee should ask him: "Hey mate, what's wrong?"

The Assistant Referee should say: "A red player was standing in front of the goalkeeper in offside position. Do you think it was a chargeable interference?" 

REF should say: "The ball passed him with a small distance (e.g. 10 cm), so this was a clear interference of the goalkeeper's line of sight ("LOS"). 

AR : "Ok mate, good job"

Result: No Goal, Offside!

The responsibility for the correct decision has been then shifted to the main referee. Mostly, however, assistant referees ignore this technique in order to not cause the referee's embarrassment. If an assistant referee takes the blame, he will admittedly get only a 7,9 or something like that in the UEFA mark system, but he will have to fear less consequences as if the referee had got this mark. Paradoxical, but this seems to be reality. As for UEFA matches, Collina has the perfect solution. Now we see more. Apart from the fact that it does not work either, the idea of the additional assistant referee is actually quite expedient in these situations, he has mostly a perfect view for it. Unfortunately, Mark Clattenburg did not utilize this opportunity in last week's UEFA Champions League Semifinal in München.

Luiz Gustavo (the red player who is the closest to Casillas) clearly interfered latter's view and potentially even distracted him.

Unfortunately, blogger was not able to insert another video directly into the post. Follow this link to see the assistant referee 2 Stephen Child obviously applying the standing-still-technique (0:57 f.) as display of his doubts, however, Howard Webb did not react on that. It is even worse. He directly signaled the goal, which means that there was obviously no time for a conversation.

And another, final example. In South America's Copa Libertadores, the Paraguayan assistant referee César Franco did not even see a reason for wait-and-see...it should have been ruled offside, too, at least a consultation with his chief Carlos Amarilla appears as necessary.

However, you may also find someone who does not agree with that, because the attacker in the last video cannot be penalized for being there.
A lot of controversial decisions like that and many completely diametrically different opinions on them reinforce that this rule has to be simplified.