Saudi Arabia Pro League 18-19 assignments and discussion [R]

Some other referees who have worked this year already:

Cakir
Kralovec
Thomsen (apparently a referee in the second Bundesliga)
Evans (a Welsh referee who is seemingly living in Saudi Arabia now)
Marciniak
Mazic (who has spent more time in the Saudi and Chinese leagues than in the Serbian league this year)
Kuipers
Makkelie
Soares Dias
Hategan
Kassai
Bebek

I know a Swiss referee has an assignment soon, too. And I've now heard rumors that an MLS referee has accepted an appointment as well.

 

This year I believe it's been literally every match in the league and cup competitions. I haven't seen a single assignment with a Saudi official with the whistle or a flag (can't remember on FO position, but don't think one has been there either).

The guest assignments have been going on for a decent while--few years, possibly coinciding with Webb's arrival, is my guess. But Clattenburg's arrival is what really accelerated it to the saturation level we see now.

 

It is close to impossible to not cross into politics here, but let's just say my truthful answer is I can think of several non-soccer related reasons why an American referee shouldn't be going to Saudi Arabia.

On the soccer-related front, however, self-preservation is a great reason to not go. With expansion and the long-held disposition that some in the MLS front office have toward our domestic referees, if you don't think MLS is looking at what the Saudis (and Chinese) are doing, you're kidding yourself. In the case of the Saudis, they literally are shutting out all of their own domestic referees from professional assignments. In six months we've gone from a Saudi referee trio about to attend back-to-back World Cups to not a single Saudi referee working first division professional matches in his own country.

So, every time a foreign referee shows up in Saudi Arabia, they are stunting the growth of Saudi referees. Now, that's mostly okay from the European perspective because that will never happen to them in their own countries. But from a North American perspective? Different story. How easy will it be for MLS/PRO to tell PSRA, "well you guys are taking assignments overseas, why can't we hire overseas referees to come here?" Granted, there are all sorts of immigration and labor laws that might come into play, and I'm sure it would prompt a legal fight, but from a moral perspective it opens the door to the debate.

As noted, China is also doing this for awhile, too, though not to the extreme extent the Saudis have gone. In fact, Ted Unkel was in China last season to do a cup final. Unkel had Chinese ARs, though.

 

I read somewhere that Mazic has worked two games in the Serbian league so far this year. Two.

Bebek has done a whistle. I don't believe Jovic has, but I could be wrong.

 

"Corruption."

 

It looks like almost every center is or was a UEFA elite.

 

There have been a few other unknown (i.e., non-UCL and non-WC) officials already. A lot of the VARs are also, relatively speaking, could be classified that way.

 

I wonder if there's any blowback from the domestic FAs of these referees or if they are involved in the formal requests for appointments.

To my knowledge, Saudi Arabia isn't using referees from any of the leagues with full-time referees, so no problems about breach of contract or anything like that. But when Blom gets called by Clattenburg, does he say "yes" and tell the KNVB? And, if so, are their domestic ramifications for him saying "yes?" Or does the formal request go through the FA?

Probably not something that can easily be learned. But would be interesting to know.

 

Right!

I guess that's actually a big clue that they are probably going through the FAs, huh? Makes me wonder if the FAs are making money off this by allowing their referees to travel. Why else would, say, the Dutch be okay with regularly losing several of its top 10 officials at each position?