2018-2019 UEFA Season Referee Discussion [Rs]

I agree on your list, except I thought it odd that Marciniak wasn't used more this year. I looked back at the assignments, and he was used in the round of 16 but he had the quarters between Bayern and Benfica the year before. While not even enough to call it a "regression", I find it interesting that he wasn't given a quarter when Oliver was, and a difficult one at that. Obviously that could be as simple as family emergencies or other stuff, but it's interesting.

Is there a reason why you wouldn't throw Cakir or Brych in there, too?

 

Ah, makes sense.

Yeah I didn't even think to check if Cakir or Brych had done a final before, but that absolutely makes sense.

 

Regarding Oliver getting a QF this season, I still think UEFA and Collina gave him that assignment thinking the odds of the tie becoming as heated as it eventually did were slim. Now in my opinion, his courage in awarding that penalty and sending Buffon off for his actions give him a much bigger boost than if it was a routine Madrid advancement.

I completely agree with MassRef that Oliver will need - and get - more time before being in consideration for a final. However, it wouldn't completely surprise me to see him get a first leg semi this year if he does well.

 

Who's the favorite for the Super Cup? Turpin?

 

I don't know about Italy, but Spain definitely has a mandatory retirement age for FIFA referees of 45. They also have a mandatory age of 45 for working in La Liga. Meaning, once you hit 45 you not only have to step down from the FIFA list, but also from refereeing in La Liga full stop.

Velasco Carballo was forced to retire and step down once he hit 45.

Mallenco will be done in December which will put an end to a quite lengthy FIFA referee career. He has been a FIFA referee since 2004. To last for 14 years as a FIFA referee in one of the biggest leagues in the world is quite an accomplishment, especially in a league with so much scrutiny. He refereed multiple El Clasicos and did about as good of a job as you can on a, at times, seemingly impossible game to referee.

His international career was quite interesting. He was supposed to be the guy to replace Mejuto Gonzalez as Spain's number one referee. He went to the 2010 World Cup. He did okay. He got a knockout match in that tournament and was forced to go home with Spain advancing all the way.

That following season (2010-2011) he ended up getting a CL quarterfinal first leg match between Man U and Chelsea and didn't end up having a good game. He ignored his AAR's input on a last minute penalty appeal for Fernando Torres and he seemingly never really recovered internationally after that. I believe that was his high water mark in the Champions League as far as assignments went.

For some reason, UEFA and Spain decided to go with Carballo as Spain's number one even though Carballo could never referee any of the big matches in Spain due to him being from Madrid. In Spain you can't referee teams from your city/region. So Carballo could never referee Barca vs. Real or Real vs. Atletico and Barca vs. Atletico.

Carballo ended up representing Spain at Euro 2012, World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016 and had debacles in Euro 2012 and World Cup 2014.

Mallenco constantly still got CL games and would get knockout matches in the round of 16, but, for whatever reason, never was given a chance to become Spain's number one referee.

 

No way will Turpin see Atletico and Simeone so soon after the game he had in London.

My guess it is a battle between Brych and Cakir for that match, especially with it being Atletico vs. Real Madrid. Neither of them have had the match either.

 

Eriksson had it in 2013 between Bayern and Chelsea.

 

How about Oliver or Makkelie?

 

Keep an eye on Gil Manzano. He did a handful of Champions and Europa league matches this past season. He's from Extremadura, which doesn't even have a club in Spanish Second Division, so he's free to referee the entire Spanish First Division. And he got some big games this past year: both Barcelona derby matches, the Seville derby, Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid, the Derby de la Comunitat (Villarreal vs Valencia), plus the Copa del Rey final.

 

Shows how difficult it really is to go out on "top" at the highest level and maintain consistent performances over the years. Eriksson went from a dark horse World Cup Final candidate in 2014 and an almost lock for a CL Final appointment to barely getting a Europa League knockout appointment and ending his career on a meaningless pre-World Cup friendly.

 

Don't forget he had an EL Final, a Super Cup, a Euro semi, and a couple of UCL semis in his CV!

 

How did Eriksson fall so far out of grace?

 

Eriksson retiring without officiating the CL final is surprising; considering how highly regarded he was within UEFA not long ago as @RedStar91 points out.

Yet still not as surprising as FdB or Bo Larsen not getting the assignment.

 

Eriksson has cited annoyance with the FIFA ref hierarchy as the main reason (poor communication and favouritism and such). I'm guessing at least part of it is sour grapes but apparently he wasn't told personally that he wasn't going until more than a month after the lists hit the papers.
He'll be working for the Swedish broadcasters during the WC.

 

https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/about-uefa/administration/communications/news/newsid=2565906.html

Collina steps down from being UEFA head of referees.

Another Italian, Rosetti, takes his place.

Big news here.