This appointment makes a lot of sense logistically, given that Gil Manzano just did a Spanish Super Cup semifinal in Jeddah. Wonder if we'll also see Sanchez Martinez in the coming days after his Final.
January 13 Al Ahli - Abha S. Al-Harbi (KSA), B. Al Shamrani (KSA), Y. Al Sultan (KSA), S. Al Hanfosh (KSA) Three Saudi referees in one matchday is something that hasn't happened for a very long time.
King's Cup Quarterfinals January 16 Al Hilal - Al Ittifaq B. Madden (SCO), G. Stewart (SCO), D. McGeachie (SCO), S. Al Hanfosh (KSA)
Some interesting situations from the first two Saudi King's Cup Quarterfinals played yesterday and today: Al Hilal - Al Ettifaq, Robert Madden (Vasco António Moreira dos Santos) 12' No foul (tripping) given; after On-Field Review for Red Card (DOGSO), no foul confirmed 39' No penalty (tripping) given; after On-Field Review, play on confirmed 43' No penalty (striking) given; VAR supported play on 55' No penalty (handling) given; VAR supported play on 72' Red Card (Serious Foul Play) given 80' No penalty (handling) given; after On-Field Review, penalty given Al Adalh - Al Nassr, Aliaksiej Kuĺbakoŭ (Ivan Bebek) 20' Yellow Card (tackle) given; VAR supported evaluating tackle as reckless 35' No penalty (tripping) given; VAR supported play on
January 17 Al Adalah - Al Nassr A. Kulbakov (BLR), D. Zhuk (BLR), O. Maslyanko (BLR), S. Al-Harbi (KSA)
Thank you for those clips. Good calls. On the first one, it is hard to believe that there is no contact of knee to foot. But none is apparent from the replay; and the ridiculous sniper shot reaction makes not giving the foul pretty easy.
Interesting situation! To be fair I needed to look at it in frame-by-frame to be sure, but I believe it's a foul (quite similar to the - IMO correct - penalty that Brych gave after OFR in the NL Semifinal Portugal - Switzerland). Ad hoc situation where defender kicks one leg of the attacker which then 'kicks' his other leg, causing attacker to fall. If you ask me, refereeing went a bit wrong if we do not decide to whistle these sorts of situations. It would take an expert eye to compute that in real time, but the clues are - close proximity of attacker-defender, natural fall of the attacker, extremely promising position of the attacker. It would take a lot of confidence in one's own perception to punish that; it's interesting that Madden goes to whistle, but then decides to play on. He might be bit further away than he would hope to be, but his insight angle is basically very good. On the calling of the actual On-Field Review itself - really rare OFR for DOGSO where the foul has not already been whistled (I can't remember another one off the top of my head), but a great intervention by the VAR team - in my opinion it was a missed (foul and) DOGSO. The selection of images by the VAR team is really poor - the crucial angle is not shown to Madden, and it should be no surprise he confirmed his initial decision to play on. Like in the CWC Final, this situation should be shown in seminars as to why the selection of the right replays to play in the RRA is so important. It should go without saying that these are extremely stressful moments for the referees and being shown the wrong angles can very easily lead to incorrect calls - especially for teams who are not familiar with each other, such as here or in recent CWC Final. On Madden generally - he has really good soft skills, but technically he is not strong enough for UEFA Elite in my eyes.
This is what my response was going to be. I 100% agree. It's yet another reminder that training of VARs is of the utmost important. Honestly, it's another reason I worry about OFRs in England right now. There's just no way that the expertise to do these right has been developed. It took a lot of growing pains in some other leagues and that was with a lot of effort.
King's Cup Quarterfinals January 18 Al Wahda - Al Ahli I. Bebek (CRO), M. Ristic (SRB), D. Djurdjevic (SRB), A. Al Rumaikhani (KSA) Abha - Al Fateh A. Treimanis (LVA), H. Gudermanis (LVA), A. Spasjonnikovs (LVA), K. Salwi (KSA) Last year's U17 World Cup Final crew makes their appearance in a match that went to penalties.
Adha - Al-Fateh, Andris Treimanis (Bruno Miguel Duarte Paixão) 11' Goal disallowed for offside (AR1) after an On-Field Review (active offside?) 25' Penalty (tripping) + Yellow Card (reckless) confirmed after On-Field Review 39' Reckless vs. SFP; no foul given, no VAR intervention 42' Penalty (handling)? VAR supported play on 73' Careless, Unsporting Behaviour or Violent Conduct? Verbal warning issued, no VAR intervention 105' Referee awards a freekick and a Red Card (DOGSO); after an On-Field Review referee annuls that and gives a dropped ball Overall not the best performance by Treimanis, Latvian was a bit too lenient and verbal warnings were a too big part of his tactical approach (use them sparingly in Arab games!). Would be interested in your thoughts on the clips - especially on 105' that is a really interesting scene in my opinion.
I think “football expects” that to be a no-call so it’s difficult to get too worked up about the end result. But, there is an angle (the one from behind) that clearly shows contact on the foot prior to any contact with the ball. And yet again, a VAR doesn’t show that angle to the referee. Maybe the referee still agrees the contact is trifling and the call needs to be overturned. But to not even see the angle that most supports his decision?
January 20 Al Faisaly - Al Hilal A. Treimanis (LVA), H. Gudermanis (LVA), A. Spasjonnikovs (LVA), A. Zafer (KSA)
January 23 Al Raed - Al Ahli S. Al Hanfosh (KSA), A. Al Shamari (KSA), K. Al Shamari (KSA), A. Al Juhani (KSA) Al Fateh - Damak P. Gil (POL), A. Kupsik (POL), K. Sapela (POL), A. Al Rumaikhani (KSA)
January 24 Al Wahda - Al Hazm M. Al Shamrani (KSA), F. Al-Omari (KSA), F. Al Qahtani (KSA), M. Al Hoaish (KSA) Al Feiha - Al Taawon F. Alblwi (KSA), M. Al Abkari (KSA), O. Al Jamel (KSA), S. Al-Harbi (KSA) Al Ittifaq - Al Nassr S. Marciniak (POL), K. Sapela (POL), A. Kupsik (POL), M. Asseri (KSA) Three Saudi and two Polish referees in two days.
I wonder if these Saudi referees have any resentment toward foreign officials coming in to work their league and cup games. How are the Saudi refs supposed to learn and improve if they can't get out on the field in top flight domestic competition?
January 25 Al Ittihad - Al Adalah M. Conger (NZL), T. Makasini (TGA), M. Rule (NZL), K. Saleh Al Taries (KSA) Abha - Al Faisaly T. Bognar (HUN), B. Buzas (HUN), P. Kobor (HUN), S. Al Jires (KSA) Al Shabab - Al Hilal S. Moen (NOR), K. Haglund (NOR), M. Lundberg (NOR), T. Al Khudair (KSA)
January 30 Al Ittifaq - Al Wahda T. Bognar (HUN), P. Kobor (HUN), B. Buzas (HUN), K. Salwi (KSA) Damak - Al Nassr M. Zelinka (CZE), I. Nadvornik (CZE), T. Mokrusch (CZE), S. Sughayyir (KSA)
January 31 Abha - Al Hilal I. Pajac (CRO), M. Ristic (SRB), D. Djurdjevic (SRB), M. Al Beredi (KSA) Al Hazm - Al Taawon K. Saleh Al Taries (KSA), K. Al Shamari (KSA), F. Al Qahtani (KSA), S. Al Hanfosh (KSA) Al Raed - Al Ittihad M. Al Hoaish (KSA), B. Al Shamrani (KSA), A. Al Shamari (KSA), M. Al Shamrani (KSA)
February 1 Al Adalah - Al Ahli A. Lindhout (NED), J. van Zuilen (NED), R. Brondijk (NED), S. Al Harbi (KSA) Al Shabab - Al Fateh T. Al Khudair (KSA), M. Al Abakry (KSA), Y. Al Sultan (KSA), F. Alblwi (KSA) Al Feiha - Al Faisaly N. Waldron (NZL), J. Garae (VAN), I. Trevis (NZL), A. Al Nuhait (KSA) Saudi Arabia's top referee in action, along with a new name from New Zealand.
Damak - Al Nassr, Miroslav Zelinka (Emanuel Marek) 40' Penalty (charging / striking) rescinded after OFR 70' Penalty (holding)? Play on changed to defensive freekick after OFR +95' Penalty (tripping) given after OFR => Quite nice appointments this time - prospective WC referee from OFC, new FIFA referee from the Netherlands, Pajač with Mažić's long time ARs in addition to lots more locals (even if that's not ideal for me ) as promised by Fernando Tresaco Gracia.
February 5 Damak - Al Adalah M. Zebec (CRO), M. Ristic (SRB), D. Djurdjevic (SRB), A. Al-Shehri (KSA) Al Taawon - Al Ittihad S. Kovacs (ROU), M. Artene (ROU), V. Marinescu (ROU), M. Al Esmaiel (KSA) Al Hilal - Al Raed A. Kulbakov (BLR), O. Maslyanko (BLR), D. Zhuk (BLR), S. Al-Harbi (KSA)
Aliaksiej Kuĺbakoŭ awarded five (!!) penalties in his game. Al Hilal – Al Raed Aliaksiej Kuĺbakoŭ (Dennis Johan Higler) 40’ Penalty (handling) to Al Hilal + YC (SPA) +49’ Penalty (tripping) to Al Hilal; Reckless? No sanction 59’ Penalty (handling) to Al Raed 86’ Penalty (tripping) to Al Raed +95’ Penalty (tripping) to Al Hilal VAR Interventions: 86’ No foul -> Penalty (OFR)