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UCL APPOINTMENTS (MW2): Martin Atkinson appointed to oversee Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen

27/9/2015

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English referee Martin Atkinson has been selected by UEFA to referee the Group E clash between Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night. He will be assisted by Stephen Child & Stuart Burt, with Michael Oliver and Craig Pawson acting as additional assistants. Michael Mullarkey will be the 4th official. The group's other game, in which BATE Borisov host Roma, will also be officiated by an all English team headed by Mark Clattenburg.

UCL APPOINTMENTS (MW1): Skomina selected to referee Man City v Juventus clash

13/9/2015

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Slovenian referee Damir Skomina has been selected to referee Juventus' trip to Manchester City on Tuesday night in the opening round of Champions League group stage fixtures. The vastly experienced 39-year-old has been a FIFA listed referee since 2003 and is highly regarded by UEFA. He has been entrusted with crucial European and international fixtures previously, including refereeing at UEFA Euro 2012.

MEN IN BLACK (#8): Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)

26/8/2015

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In the next edition of ‘Men in Black’, we take a look at Italy’s top referee, FIFA Elite official Nicola Rizzoli.

NAME: Nicola Rizzoli
D.O.B: 05/10/1971 (Age 43)
NATIONALITY: Italian
REFEREEING STYLE: Firm, authoritative

MONDAY VIEW: Time to give Stuart Attwell another shot in the Premier League?

24/8/2015

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Prior to the season starting, the subject of 'Monday View' was an appraisal of those on the National List who the PGMOL could turn to as possible future referees in the Premier League. It has therefore been great to see Mike Riley entrust Football League officials with top flight matches in the opening weeks of the season, and he deserves great credit for doing this. With several of the Select Group seemingly unavailable thus far, it may now be prudent for Mr Riley to turn to an official who is no stranger to Premier League officiating and very much deserves to return there.

PL APPOINTMENTS (MW3): Keith Stroud becomes latest National List referee entrusted with Premier League game

17/8/2015

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46-year-old former Select Group referee Keith Stroud has been appointed to take charge of Crystal Palace v Aston Villa on Saturday. The appointment means it is the third matchweek in a row that a National List referee will take charge of a Premier League fixture, with Crystal Palace twice being involved. Neil Swarbrick and Andre Marriner have also been appointed to their first Premier League games of the season, taking charge of Sunderland v Swansea and Watford v Southampton respectively.

INCIDENT ANALYSIS: Cameron Jerome's disallowed goal against Crystal Palace

11/8/2015

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National List referee Simon Hooper endured a tough Premier League debut on Saturday as Crystal Palace defeated Norwich 3-1 at Carrow Road. Hooper denied the canaries a late penalty, but the game's main talking point was Cameron Jerome's disallowed goal, which would have put the game level at 2-2. The referee clearly indicated that his decision to disallow the goal was for a high foot from Jerome, but the decision has widely been considered as incorrect.

MONDAY VIEW: Time to review the triple punishment for DOGSO?

10/8/2015

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The start of any new season invariably provokes the debate not only about specific refereeing decisions but also the very laws which they are made by. This was once again the case in Saturday's evening kick off as Chelsea hosted Swansea when Michael Oliver dismissed Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity (D.O.G.S.O). The club are the first this season to be the victim of the so called 'triple punishment', so is it time to amend the controversial law?

PL APPOINTMENTS (MW2): Man City v Chelsea clash to be refereed by Martin Atkinson

10/8/2015

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Martin Atkinson has been entrusted with the big Sunday evening clash as title favourites Manchester City host current champions Chelsea. The first Friday night Premier League game this season, which sees Aston Villa and Manchester United go head to head, will be refereed by Mike Dean, while Paul Tierney takes charge of his second ever Premier League game as West Brom take on Watford at Vicarage Road.

New guidance on interpretation of the offside law

5/8/2015

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The International Football Association Board (IFAB) have amended the interpretation of the offside law, taking effect from the 2015-16 season onwards. The changes are concerned with the 'interfereing with an opponent' aspect of the law. The new interpretation is the results of an IFAB technical sub-committee meeting in June of this year. With just a few days to go until the start of the new season, we take a look at the amendments in more detail.

MEN IN BLACK (#7): Felix Brych (Germany)

5/8/2015

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In this week's edition of our 'Men in Black' feature, we take a look at Germany's leading referee Felix Brych.

NAME: Felix Brych
D.O.B: 03/09/1974
NATIONALITY: German
REFEREEING STYLE: Strict, Authoritative