Arsenal FC vs. Manchester United (The Emirates FA Cup): report on the performance by Craig Pawson

A big tie already has been drawn for the fourth round in this season's Emirates FA Cup. Arsenal FC faced Manchester United, still to concede a defeat ever since the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the club. Being a cup tie, much was at stake for that match. Reasonably, the FA decided to appoint one of their most entrusted referees, 39-year-old Craig Pawson.

Craig Pawson took charge of Arsenal vs. Manchester United

Let's start off with a first incident, which occurred after only 8 minutes of play. In a challenge between Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey and ManU's Jesse Lingard, Ramsey receives a kick by Lingard with his knee into the back of the head. Craig Pawson deemed the incident as accidental. Looking at the replay, one could agree with this interpretation, however some could also suggest that there was a deliberate nature to this kick (which could be then deemed as a violent conduct). VAR also decided not to intervene, and was right to do so, since there is no clear and obvious error in the interpretation of Craig Pawson.

Craig Pawson did not face that many challenges in that match, which was physically nevertheless quite demanding. His disciplinary line was clear and the following cautions were absolutely rightly awarded by the referee:

=> in 56', Laurent Koscielny was rightly booked for stopping a promising attack. 

=> in 68', Ashley Young received a yellow card for deliberate handball, stopping a promising attack.

=> in 75', Jesse Lingard received his booking after heavily shouting at the referee after he's made a decision. In the replays, one can guess by lip-reading that he said something like "f*** off" to the referee.

=> in 90+1', Bendouzi received his yellow card after a late tackle on Paul Pogba.

The match was ready to boil over at the end of the second half, at 86', when a mass-confrontation started after an incident between Sead Kolasinac and Marcus Rashford. Both Craig Pawson and his assistant referee, Eddie Smart, were challenged in that situation and both discuss about the disciplinary action. As we can see in replays, Kolasinac and Rashford headbutt each other easily, resulting in a yellow card for both players. A situation which has been well-managed by the refereeing team, who was always calm and who worked very well together in order to make things calm down. The decision to book the players was also confirmed by the video assistant referee, Chris Kavanagh. A decision on which we can agree, a direct red card for both players would be too harsh, considering the intensity of their headbutts. 

The most impressive actors however during this FA Cup tie were undoubtedly the assistant referees, Eddie Smart and Constantine Hatzidakis, who made three EXCELLENT onside decisions, always before a goal was scored (before 0-1, before 0-2 and before 1-2). As French people would say, chapeau for having made these superb calls.

On a conclusive note, Craig Pawson and his team can be very satisfied after their strong teamwork at Emirates Stadium. No doubt - and also given previous appointments in the past years - that Craig Pawson is a serious candidate (he could even be THE candidate) to officiate the FA Cup Final at the end of this season. Yesterday's performance can be seen as a very good application for that final match at Wembley.

FC Barcelona - Sevilla FC (La Liga): report on the performance of Juan Martínez Munuera

On Saturday night, two big teams faced each other off in the Spanish League. FC Barcelona hosted Sevilla FC at the Nou Camp, a game which has proven at many times to be a very hot clash which is difficult to referee (e.g. UEFA Super Cup 2015, Copa Del Rey Final 2016). On this occasion, the Spanish refereeing committee has appointed FIFA referee Juan Martínez Munuera to this clash. Another big game for him, having already refereed the "Derbi Madrileño" a few weeks ago.

One thing before we start our analysis: the game itself was not as demanding for the referee as one could have expected it to be, given the previous encounters between the two teams. Nevertheless, the refereeing crew started the game very well, with Barcelona's 1-0 goal being the result of a correct onside decision made by AR1 Roberto Alonso Fernández. Given the look of the referee, we can assume that there might have been a VAR check for a potential offside, but no intervention was needed as the assistant has made the right call. Good job in that situation!

The first half had no major challenging incidents for the referee, however we have to mention that two clear yellow cards have been missed by the referee.

==> In 41', the referee had the perfect opportunity to show the first caution of the game, by booking SEV#22 after a foul on BAR#9. This could (or even should) have been assessed as an SPA (stopping a promising attack offence), a YC could have been expected by the referee in that situation.

==> 30 seconds after this situation, while BAR#2 is running sideways to the goal, BAR#9 is the victim of a blatant holding by SEV#6 outside the penalty area. This incident was missed by the referee, as the situation occurs in his back and he was (understandably) following play. SEV#6 had to be yellow-carded here, but there is no way that the referee can see this. Furthermore, we must not forget that this situation is not relevant for the VAR: the situation itself was first of all not occurring inside the penalty area and secondly, it cannot be seen as a red card situation, since an obvious goal-scoring opportunity was not given at all.

In the second half, the referee faced his first (and perhaps only) really interesting moment in that game: SEV#16 is running sideways in the direction of the goal, and the ball hits the arm of BAR#38. Play-on says Martínez Munuera. At this moment, we know that the incident is checked by the VAR team. However, no review took place and the game resumed. Not to suggest a review (and therefore a potential penalty) is a correct decision: yes, there is handball, but not punishable in the sense that the ball goes to the arm and not in the other sense and furthermore the ball is unexpected (see how the arm literally flies away). You can't say about this handball that it is intentional, therefore it is not a punishable offence.

In 62', BAR#9 is running to the goal and is taken down by SEV#1 in the penalty area. No touch on the ball, Martínez Munuera did not hesitate for a moment and immediately pointed to the spot. A correct decision and here the first and only yellow card of the game was correctly issued for DOGSO inside the penalty area (with attempt to play the ball). Spot-on decision by the referee.

Overall, in a game that was not as demanding as one could have expected, Juan Martínez Munuera did again a solid job. Furthermore, in terms of self-presentation, he gave a very self-confident image of himself, which you could see in his player management. He was well respected during the entire game and was always in control. A lot of bigger games should come up for him, something that would definitely be deserved, in my opinion. 

Referees selected for the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup

It is now official. The following referees have been selected by the FIFA Referees Committee to take charge of the matches played during this year's FIFA Club World Cup in December.

AFC

Referee: Ryuji SATO (Japan)
Assistant Referee 1: Toru SAGARA (Japan)
Assistant Referee 2: Hiroshi YAMAUCHI (Japan)
Video Assistant Referee: Mohammed ABDULLA HASSAN (United Arab Emirates)









CAF
Referee: Mehdi ABID CHAREF (Algeria)
Assistant Referee 1: Abdelhak ETCHIALI (Algeria)
Assistant Referee 2: Anouar HMILA (Algeria)








CONCACAF
Referee: Jair MARRUFO (United States)
Assistant Referee 1: Frank ANDERSON (United States)
Assistant Referee 2: Corey ROCKWELL (United States)
Video Assistant Referee: Mark Geiger (United States)










CONMEBOL
Referee: Wilton SAMPAIO (Brazil)
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo CORREA (Brazil)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno BOSCHILIA (Brazil)
Video Assistant Referee: Mauro VIGLIANO (Argentina)








OFC
Referee: Matthew CONGER (New Zealand)
Assistant Referee 1: Tevita MAKASINI (Tonga)
Assistant Referee 2: Mark RULE (New Zealand)









UEFA
Referee: Gianluca ROCCHI (Italy)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito DI LIBERATORE (Italy)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro TONOLINI (Italy)
Video Assistant Referees: Danny MAKKELIE (Netherlands), Massimiliano IRRATI (Italy), Pawel GIL (Poland)

France - Germany (UEFA Nations League): report on the performance of Milorad Mažić

The fourth matchday of League A in the UEFA Nations League was completed yesterday by the clash of two big teams. Current World Champions from France faced their predecessors from Germany, who are currently going through a tough time and who are still without a victory in their group. Taking all this into context, UEFA Referees Committee have decided to appoint one of their most entrusted referees: Milorad Mažić from Serbia, who officiated the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final, was given this task.

The game itself was not very difficult to manage for the referee: players of both squads concentrated themselves to play football, committing only quite a few fouls. Milorad Mažić was in full control over the entire ninety minutes and one could see that is trusted a lot by the players he encounters on the pitch (also due to the fact that he is very close with the players, as you can see here with Giroud in 40'). 

However, Milorad Mažić had to make three crucial decisions, all of them occurring in the penalty area, with two of them being given.

==> The first situation came up in 13', when Germany were awarded a penalty for handball. Leroy Sané runs into the penalty area and shoots to his left, when the ball hits the arm of Presnel Kimpembe who attempts to make a sliding tackle. The ball hits the upper arm of the French defender, which is slightly detached from his body. However, we can question whether this is a deliberate handball, because the distance between the player and the ball is actually quite short. Had it hit the forearm of Kimpembe, which was high in the air and therefore would have clearly blocked the shot, I agree that in such a case a penalty has to be given. I'm doubtful though about this one, however, we must underline that it is not a clear and obvious mistake. Furthermore, we must also focus here on the teamwork between the referee and his additional assistant referee, who has very likely made the decision. Mažić shows him even a thumbs-up to thank him for the help, a gesture that I personally really appreciated. 

==> The second situation in the penalty area occurred in 26', as French attacker Kylian Mbappé sprints in the penalty area, but goes down after what looks like a holding by German defender Mats Hummels. The referee however decided not to award a penalty here and letting play continue, which was a correct decision for my taste. Yes, the arm of Hummels goes out, but this is not enough for Mbappé to go down like that, he falls too easily. 

===> The third and final penalty area that Milorad Mažić had to assess occurred in 79' and it is in my view the most interesting one. At first, it looks as if Blaise Matuidi is taken down by Mats Hummels inside the penalty area. The referee does not hesitate and awards a penalty to France, which seems at first a correct decision (DOGSO + attempt to play the ball). However, we are deceived by watching the replays: Hummels attempts to make a foul, but it is Matuidi who steps on the foot of his German opponent. I feel that the correct decision should have been free-kick for an offensive foul. But I must underline that this is something that is incredibly difficult (I dare even to say: impossible) to see that live, so the decision made by Mažić is absolutely understandable. Only the use of VAR (which does not exist in the Nations League) could probably have solved this situation. Nevertheless, if the referee says that this is a penalty, a yellow card should have been issued to Hummels, since it is DOGSO inside the penalty area with an attempt to play the ball. 

In terms of disciplinary action, Mažić issued only one yellow card in that game, which was a mandatory one for Matthias Ginter, stopping a promising attack. Other than the missing caution for Hummels (which has already been mentioned before), no problems at all for the Serbian official, who solved situations a lot with his (strong) personality. 

Finally, we should also talk about the fitness skills that were displayed by the referee in this match: we must not forget that Milorad Mažić is already 45 years old, but he still possesses excellent sprinting and running abilities, which allows him to be very close to play. This also allows him to flexibly adapt his diagonal movement on the pitch, he does not hesitate to extend it very widely on the pitch (notably when he's running around the penalty area). This is a very positive point that I would like to highlight.

Overall, in terms of control, Mažić had absolutely no issues on this evening, which is also due to his huge experience he already has in UEFA competitions. My feeling is as well, that there are enough reasons to back him in the three penalty area situations. Conclusively, the referee had a decent match in the Stade de France.

England - Spain (UEFA Nations League): report on the performance by Danny Makkelie

The brand new UEFA Nations League has started now as well for the English and Spanish national team, who have met yesterday at Wembley Stadium in an exciting and interesting game. The referee appointed for this clash was Danny Makkelie from the Netherlands. The 35-year-old has been promoted to the UEFA Elite Group in June 2017 and has overseen five UEFA Champions League fixtures in the past season (including the Barcelona vs. Roma quarterfinal). We are now going to have a look at yesterday's performance of the Dutchman.

At the beginning of the game, it was very obvious that players of both squads mainly focused on playing football, which allowed the referee to remain in the background throughout most of the game. Nevertheless, Danny Makkelie intervened in play when it was necessary, such as in the 18th minute of the game, when Jordan Henderson correctly received the first yellow card of the game after a foul on Marcos Alonso, which Makkelie assessed as SPA (stopping a promising attack). 

The next moment where Danny Makkelie was challenged occurred in the 24th minute, when Harry Kane goes to the ground inside the penalty area after being attacked by Saul Ñiguez and Dani Carvajal. The referee immediately signalled to play-on and indicates that the ball has been played and therefore no penalty has been awarded. Again a correct decision by the Dutchman, there is no contact whatsoever on Kane, one can see that the ball has been played.

In the 30th minute, Kieran Trippier was very lucky to escape a yellow card after a nasty foul on Marcos Alonso. Danny Makkelie chose to give a verbal warning to the English player, however, a yellow card should have been brandished here, due to the reckless nature of the tackle. Thankfully, eleven minutes later, the referee was able to recognize the reckless nature of Luke Shaw's tackle on Carvajal, by issuing a yellow card to the Englishman.

Danny Makkelie shows a yellow card to John Stones.

The second half started with the long injury break of Luke Shaw and after that the game remained very calm during a long time. However, in the 66th minute of the game, Danny Makkelie had to face a very interesting situation: while Rodrigo is running on goal, he is taken to the ground by John Stones, who receives a yellow card by the referee. This situation is interesting in a couple of ways. First, was it really a foul? The answer to that question is rather no, as Stones clearly plays the ball. Second, if the referee gives the foul, which card colour should he issue? The yellow card means that the referee assessed it as SPA (stopping a promising attack), however the red card would have been a serious option as well for DOGSO (denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity): Rodrigo had the ball under control, he was going to the goal and could have scored from his position. Something that could have influenced the referee's decision here to give a yellow card only is the direction of the ball, which is not going straight to the goal. 

The referee issued two further yellow cards after this situation: one in the 83rd minute for Dani Carvajal for persistently infringing the Laws of the Game and in the 90+4' minute to Danny Rose after a reckless tackle. 

In the 90+7' minute, Makkelie had to make a very crucial call, which very likely happened in cooperation with his additional assistant referee on that side, Jochem Kamphuis. The Spanish keeper David de Gea jumps up and gets the ball, but while landing, the collides with Danny Welbeck. De Gea, loses the ball, Welbeck scored. The challenged happened in the goal area and the referee decided that Welbeck attacked the keeper, a decision which is more than supportable. Therefore, the disallowed goal for England is absolutely correct. 

Both assistant referees, Hessel Steegstra and Mario Diks, did also a good job in their game. AR2 (Diks) made a very good onside call in the 32nd minute, when Spain scored the second goal. He recognized that Rodrigo came from behind at the moment the ball was played, and was therefore not in an offside position. Well done!

Overall, Danny Makkelie made a very positive impression in a match with two high-profile teams and high-profile players. He had a very calm self-presentation and body language throughout the entire game, he had was always friendly to the players on the pitch, which gave him a high level of acceptance. Furthermore, he had a very good reading of the game as he managed to give a couple of advantages in both halves. Danny Makkelie delivered a very encouraging performance for his future as a referee and hopefully he can keep up the level of refereeing he's presented yesterday at Wembley Stadium. 

National Leagues - Premier League (England) - Match officials appointed for Day 1

The referees of the first matchday in the English Premier League have been appointed. Michael Oliver will take charge of the first very big tie of the season, while André Marriner will officiate the season opener. 

Michael Oliver will be in charge of Arsenal vs. Manchester City

10/08/2018, 21:00 CET
Old Trafford, Manchester (ENG)
Manchester United - Leicester City
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistant Referee 1: Scott Ledger
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Long
Fourth Official: Anthony Taylor (FIFA)

11/08/2018, 13:30 CET
St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne (ENG)
Newcastle United - Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistant Referee 1: Lee Betts (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Child (FIFA)
Fourth Official: Paul Tierney (FIFA)

11/08/2018, 16:00 CET
Dean Court, Bournemouth (ENG)
AFC Bournemouth - Cardiff City
Referee: Kevin Friend
Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Wilkes
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Scholes
Fourth Official: Graham Scott

11/08/2018, 16:00 CET
Craven Cottage, London (ENG)
FC Fulham - Crystal Palace
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistant Referee 1: Ian Hussin (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Dan Robathan
Fourth Official: Robert Jones

11/08/2018, 16:00 CET
Kirklees Stadium, Huddersfield (ENG)
Huddersfield Town AFC - Chelsea FC
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistant Referee 1: Peter Kirkup
Assistant Referee 2: Marc Perry
Fourth Official: Michael Oliver (FIFA)

11/08/2018, 16:00 CET
Watford FC - Brighton & Hove Albion FC
Vicarage Road, Watford (ENG)
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistant Referee 1: Edward Smart (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Andy Halliday
Fourth Official: David Coote

11/08/2018, 18:30 CET
Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton (ENG)
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC - Everton FC
Referee: Craig Pawson (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 1: Richard West
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Beck
Fourth Official: Simon Hooper

12/08/2018, 14:30 CET
Anfield Road, Liverpool (ENG)
Liverpool FC - West Ham United
Referee: Anthony Taylor (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn (FIFA)
Fourth Official: Paul Tierney (FIFA)

12/08/2018, 14:30 CET
St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton (ENG)
Southampton FC - Burnley FC
Referee: Graham Scott
Assistant Referee 1: Constantine Hatzidakis (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Cook
Fourth Official: Lee Probert

12/08/2018, 17:00 CET
Emirates Stadium, London (ENG)
Arsenal FC - Manchester City
Referee: Michael Oliver (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 1: Simon Bennett (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Stuart Burt (FIFA)
Fourth Official: Andre Marriner

National Leagues - Ligue 1 (France) - Match officials appointed for Day 1

The referees of the first matchday in France's Ligue 1 have been appointed. Among others, Ruddy Buquet will take charge of the opener, featuring VAR for the first time in the French League.

Ruddy Buquet appointed to take charge of this season's opening game

10/08/2018, 20:45 CET
Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (FRA)
Olympique de Marseille - Toulouse FC
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 1: Guillaume Debart (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Julien Pacelli (FIFA)
Fourth Official: Jeremie Pignard
VAR: Clément Turpin (FIFA)
AVAR: Alexandre Castro

11/08/2018, 17:00 CET
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes (FRA)
FC Nantes - AS Monaco
Referee: Jérome Brisard (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 1: François Boudikian
Assistant Referee 2: Hicham Zakrani (FIFA)
Fourth Official: Aurélien Petit
VAR: Mikael Lesage
AVAR: Lionel Jaffredo

11/08/2018, 20:00 CET
Stade Raymond Kopa, Angers (FRA)
Angers SCO - Olympique Nîmes
Referee: Antony Gautier
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Annonier
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Jeanne
Fourth Official: Lakhda El Bedoui
VAR: François Letexier (FIFA)
AVAR: Stéphane Bré

11/08/2018, 20:00 CET
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq (FRA)
Lille LOSC - Stade Rennais
Referee: Willy Delajod
Assistant Referee 1: Stephan Luzi
Assistant Referee 2: Yannick Boutry
Fourth Official: Yohann Rouinsard
VAR: Benoît Millot (FIFA)
AVAR: Dominique Julien

11/08/2018, 20:00 CET
Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier (FRA)
Montpellier HSC - Dijon FCO
Referee: Florent Batta
Assistant Referee 1: Matthieu Lombard
Assistant Referee 2: Julien Aube
Fourth Official: Rémi Landry
VAR: Thomas Léonard
AVAR: Bruno Coué

11/08/2018, 20:00 CET
Allianz Riviera, Nice (FRA)
OGC Nice - Stade de Reims
Referee: Johan Hamel
Assistant Referee 1: Mathieu Grosbost
Assistant Referee 2: Stephan Pignatelli
Fourth Official: Arnaud Baert
VAR: Clément Turpin (FIFA)
AVAR: Wilfried Bien

11/08/2018, 20:00 CET
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne (FRA)
AS Saint-Etienne - EA Guingamp
Referee: Amaury Delerue (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 1: Bertrand Jouannaud (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Frederic Hebrard
Fourth Official: Mathieu Vernice
VAR: Karim Abed (FIFA)
AVAR: Eric Wattellier

12/08/2018, 15:00 CET
Stade des Lumières, Lyon (FRA)
Olympique Lyonnais - Amiens SC
Referee: Frank Schneider (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 1: Djemel Zitouni
Assistant Referee 2: Aurélien Drouet
Fourth Official: Romain Delpech
VAR: Karim Abed (FIFA)
AVAR: Abdelali Chaoui

12/08/2018, 17:00 CET
Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux (FRA)
Girondins de Bordeaux - RC Strasbourg Alsace
Referee: Hakim Ben El Hadj
Assistant Referee 1: Gwenael Pasqualotti
Assistant Referee 2: Aurélien Berthomieu
Fourth Official: Gael Angoula
VAR: Mikael Lesage
AVAR: Christian Guillard

12/08/2018, 21:00 CET
Parc des Princes, Paris (FRA)
Paris Saint-Germain - SM Caen
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 1: Frédéric Haquette (FIFA)
Assistant Referee 2: Huseyin Ocak
Fourth Official: Thierry Bouille
VAR: Thomas Leonard
AVAR: Bastien Dechepy

Szymon Marciniak to referee the 2018 UEFA Super Cup

Polish Elite referee Szymon Marciniak has received the honour to officiate the 2018 UEFA Super Cup at Lilleküla Stadium, between Real Madrid CF and Club Atlético de Madrid.

Szymon Marciniak during the 2018 FIFA World Cup

For the 37-year-old referee of Plock, it will be his second international final, having already officiated the final of the Under-21 European Championship in 2015, where he delivered a very strong performance under the eyes of Pierluigi Collina, who was Chief Refereeing Officer back at the time.

Marciniak was promoted to the UEFA Elite Group in July 2015 and managed to establish himself as a big name in European refereeing. He oversaw many top clashes in the UEFA Champions League (such as Atlético-Bayern, PSG-Barcelona, Barcelona-Juventus, etc.) and in the UEFA Europa League, where he has been appointed to the semifinal in 2016 (Shakthar Donetsk-Sevilla FC) and in 2017 (Olympique Lyonnais-Ajax Amsterdam).

Marciniak has also attended UEFA Euro 2016, where he officiated three games (Spain-Czech Republic, Iceland-Austria, Germany-Slovakia) and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he refereed two games (Argentina-Iceland, Germany-Sweden).

During the showpiece at Lilleküla Arena, Szymon Marciniak will be assisted by his assistant referees Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz. Pawel Raczkowski and Tomasz Musial from Poland will work as additional assistant referees, whereas Ovidiu Alin Hategan from Romania will work as fourth official. Radoslaw Siejka of Poland will be reserve assistant referee.

Good luck to the refereeing team!

FA Community Shield 2018 - "A great way to start your season off" says referee Jonathan Moss

Select Group 1 referee Jonathan Moss has been appointed by The FA to handle the FA Community Shield between Chelsea and Manchester City on Sunday. 

Jonathan Moss has been selected as referee for the
2018 Community Shield

The 47-year-old referee has overseen 29 matches in the Premier League in the past season, including big ties such as Manchester City vs. Liverpool FC or Liverpool FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur.

Moss explained that he received the call by the FA while he was preparing to go out for a run. He is convinced that refereeing the Community Shield will ensure that he is in great form from the very beginning. "I'm sure doing the Community Shield at Wembley will get me right up to speed" he says in an interview to the FA. Moss is looking forward to blow the whistle in this high-profile on Sunday. "It's a great game to get and a great way to start your season off. They are two big teams, I'm sure it will be a fantastic occasion and I'm really looking forward to it."

Jonathan Moss has been a Select Group 1 referee since 2010 and will now prepare for his 9th season in the Premier League. Furthermore, he has already been in charge of the 2015 FA Cup final, which saw Arsenal beating Aston Villa with 4-0 at Wembley. During the Community Shield, he will be assisted on the touchlines by Adam Nunn and Eddie Smart, while Paul Tierney will take up the duty of fourth official. Stuart Attwell and Andy Halliday have been named as the first Video Assistant Referees to take part in the Community Shield.

Jonathan Moss already oversaw the 2015 FA Cup Final between Arsenal
and Aston Villa

Good luck to the whole team!

05/08/2018, 16:00 CET
Wembley Stadium, London (ENG)
Chelsea FC - Manchester City
Referee: Jonathan Moss (England)
Assistant Referee 1: Adam Nunn (England)
Assistant Referee 2: Eddie Smart (England)
Fourth Official: Paul Tierney (England)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (England)
AVAR: Andy Halliday (England)

Sources: The FA

National Leagues - Part IV - Referees of the 2018/2019 La Liga season

Find here a list of the match officials, who are due to take charge of games in the 2018/2019 La Liga in Spain.

Eduardo Prieto Iglesias has been promoted for a second time
to LaLiga, after his demotion at the end of 2015/16 season

ALBEROLA ROJAS, Javier, 27 years old, LaLiga referee since 2017
CORDERO VEGA, Adrián, 34 years old, LaLiga referee since 2018
CUADRA FERNANDEZ, Guillermo, 34 years old, LaLiga referee since 2018
DE BURGOS BENGOETXEA, Ricardo, 32 years old, LaLiga referee since 2015, FIFA referee since 2018
DEL CERRO GRANDE, Carlos, 42 years old, LaLiga referee since 2011, FIFA referee since 2013
ESTRADA FERNANDEZ, Javier, 42 years old, LaLiga referee since 2009, FIFA referee since 2013
GIL MANZANO, Jésus, 34 years old, LaLiga referee since 2012, FIFA referee since 2014
GONZALEZ FUERTES, Pablo, 38 years old, LaLiga referee since 2017
GONZALEZ GONZALEZ, José Luis, 43 years old, LaLiga referee since 2009
HERNANDEZ HERNANDEZ, Alejandro José, 35 years old, LaLiga referee since 2012, FIFA referee since 2014
IGLESIAS VILLANUEVA, Ignacio, 43 years old, LaLiga referee since 2010
JAIME LATRE, Santiago, 39 years old, LaLiga referee since 2014
MARTINEZ MUNUERA, Juan, 36 years old, LaLiga referee since 2013, FIFA referee since 2015
MATEU LAHOZ, Antonio Miguel, 41 years old, LaLiga referee since 2011
MEDIE JIMENEZ, David, 33 years old, LaLiga referee since 2017
MELERO LOPEZ, Mario, 39 years old, LaLiga referee since 2014
MUNUERA MONTERO, José Luis, 35 years old, LaLiga referee since 2016
PRIETO IGLESIAS, Eduardo, 37 years old, LaLiga referee since 2018
SANCHEZ MARTINEZ, José María, 34 years old, LaLiga referee since 2015, FIFA referee since 2017
UNDIANO MALLENCO, Alberto, 44 years old, LaLiga referee since 2000, FIFA referee since 2004