RateTheRef

Orel Grinfeld (ISR - 1981), István Kovács (ROU - 1984) and Slavko Vinčič (SVN - 1979) have been promoted to Elite. Some new names (bold) and some retirements. No other movements between categories.

Elite Category
Aliaksiej Kuĺbakoŭ (BLR - 1979), Pavel Královec (CZE - 1977), Michael Oliver (ENG - 1985), Anthony Taylor (ENG - 1978), Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP - 1976), Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP - 1984), Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz (ESP - 1977), Benoît Bastien (FRA - 1983), Clément Turpin (FRA - 1982), Deniz Aytekin (GER - 1978), Felix Brych (GER - 1975), Felix Zwayer (GER - 1981), Anastásios Sidirópoulos (GRE - 1979), Viktor Kassai (HUN - 1975), Orel Grinfeld (ISR - 1981), Daniele Orsato (ITA - 1975), Björn Kuipers (NED - 1973), Danny Makkelie (NED - 1983), Szymon Marciniak (POL - 1981), Artur Manuel Ribeiro Soares Dias (POR - 1979), Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (ROU - 1980), István Kovács (ROU - 1984), Sergey Karasyov (RUS - 1979), William Collum (SCO - 1979), Ivan Kružliak (SVK - 1984), Damir Skomina (SVN - 1976), Slavko Vinčič (SVN - 1979), Cüneyt Çakır (TUR - 1976)

First Category
Harald Lechner (AUT - 1982), Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT - 1983), Əliyar Ağayev (AZE - 1987), Irfan Peljto (BIH - 1984), Georgi Kabakov (BUL - 1986), Ivan Bebek (CRO - 1977), Petr Ardeleanu (CZE - 1980), Jakob Kehlet (DEN - 1980), Craig Pawson (ENG - 1979), Xavier Estrada Fernández (ESP - 1976), José María Sánchez Martínez (ESP - 1983), Kristo Tohver (EST - 1981), Mattias Gestranius (FIN - 1978), Ruddy Buquet (FRA - 1977), François Letexier (FRA - 1989), Daniel Siebert (GER - 1984), Tobias Stieler (GER - 1981), Tamás Bognár (HUN - 1978), István Vad (HUN - 1979), Marco Guida (ITA - 1981), Davide Massa (ITA - 1981), Gediminas Mažeika (LTU - 1978), Andris Treimanis (LVA - 1985), Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD - 1977), Nikola Dabanović (MNE - 1981), Serdar Gözübüyük (NED - 1985), Bas Nijhuis (NED - 1977), Paweł Gil (POL - 1976), Paweł Raczkowski (POL - 1983), Daniel Stefański (POL - 1977), Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins (POR - 1980), Radu Marian Petrescu (ROU - 1982), Sergey Ivanov (RUS - 1984), Aleksey Yes'kov (RUS - 1978), John Beaton (SCO - 1982), Robert Madden (SCO - 1978), Srđan Jovanović (SRB - 1986), Sandro Schärer (SUI - 1988), Matej Jug (SVN - 1980), Andreas Ekberg (SWE - 1985), Halis Özkahya (TUR - 1980), Ali Palabıyık (TUR - 1981), Yevhen Aranovsʹkyy (UKR - 1976), Serhiy Boyko (UKR - 1977)

Second Category
Enea Jorgji (ALB - 1984), Alexandre Boucaut (BEL - 1980), Jonathan Lardot (BEL - 1984), Lawrence Visser (BEL - 1989), Ivaylo Stoyanov (BUL - 1981), Fran Jović (CRO - 1984), Duje Strukan (CRO - 1984), Pavel Orel (CZE - 1988), Miroslav Zelinka (CZE - 1981), Jřrgen Daugbjerg Burchardt (DEN - 1982), Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen (DEN - 1983), Jens Grabski Maae (DEN - 1982), Michael Tykgaard (DEN - 1977), Stuart Attwell (ENG - 1982), David Coote (ENG - 1982), Christopher Kavanagh (ENG - 1985), Andrew Madley (ENG - 1983), Paul Tierney (ENG - 1980), Guillermo Cuadra Fernández (ESP - 1984), Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (ESP - 1986), Alejandro José Hernández Hernández (ESP - 1982), Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP - 1982), José Luis Munuera Montero (ESP - 1983), Juri Frischer (EST - 1984), Antti Munukka (FIN - 1982), Karim Abed (FRA - 1988), Jérôme Brisard (FRA - 1986), Willy Delajod (FRA - 1992), Amaury Delerue (FRA - 1977), Benoît Millot (FRA - 1982), Frank Schneider (FRA - 1979), Giorgi Kruashvili (GEO - 1986), Bastian Dankert (GER - 1980), Christian Dingert (GER - 1980), Marco Fritz (GER - 1977), Harm Osmers (GER - 1985), Sascha Stegemann (GER - 1984), Geórgios Komínis (GRE - 1980), Anastásios Papapétrou (GRE - 1985), Ádám Farkas (HUN - 1982), Neil Doyle (IRL - 1978), Robert Harvey (IRL - 1988), Robert Hennessy (IRL - 1990), Ţorvaldur Árnason (ISL - 1982), Vilhjálmur Alvar Ţórarinsson (ISL - 1985), Roi Reinshreiber (ISR - 1980), Eitan Shmuelevitz (ISR - 1978), Marco Di Bello (ITA - 1981), Daniele Doveri (ITA - 1977), Michael Fabbri (ITA - 1983), Massimiliano Irrati (ITA - 1979), Fabio Maresca (ITA - 1981), Maurizio Mariani (ITA - 1981), Paolo Valeri (ITA - 1978), Artom Kuchin (KAZ - 1977), Donatas Rumšas (LTU - 1988), Alain Durieux (LUX - 1985), Dumitru Muntean (MDA - 1985), Dimitar Mečkarovski (MKD - 1975), Trustin Farrugia Cann (MLT - 1985), Alan Mario Sant (MLT - 1980), Dennis Johan Higler (NED - 1985), Espen Andreas Eskĺs (NOR - 1988), Tore Hansen (NOR - 1978), Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR - 1979), Bartosz Frankowski (POL - 1986), Krzysztof Jakubik (POL - 1983), Joăo Pedro Silva Pinheiro (POR - 1988), Manuel Jorge Neves Moreira de Sousa (POR - 1975), Fábio José Costa Veríssimo (POR - 1982), Ionuț Marius Avram (ROU - 1979), Horațiu Mircea Feșnic (ROU - 1989), Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS - 1973), Sergey Lapochkin (RUS - 1981), Kirill Levnikov (RUS - 1984), Vitaliy Meshkov (RUS - 1983), Kevin Clancy (SCO - 1983), Donald Robertson (SCO - 1987), Alain Bieri (SUI - 1979), Adrien Jaccottet (SUI - 1983), Filip Glova (SVK - 1988), Peter Kráľovič (SVK - 1983), Mohammed Al-Hakim (SWE - 1985), Glenn Nyberg (SWE - 1988), Bojan Pandzic (SWE - 1982), Martin Strömbergsson (SWE - 1977), Hüseyin Göçek (TUR - 1976), Mete Kalkavan (TUR - 1979), Halil Umut Meler (TUR - 1986), Mykola Balakin (UKR - 1989), Iwan Arwel Griffith (WAL - 1988)

Third Category
Eldorjan Hamiti (ALB - 1983), Juxhin Xhaja (ALB - 1990), Luís Miguel do Nascimento Teixeira (AND - 1987), Suren Baliyan (ARM - 1980), Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM - 1980), Walter Altmann (AUT - 1984), Christian-Petru Ciochirca (AUT - 1989), Sebastian Gishamer (AUT - 1988), Christopher Jäger (AUT - 1985), Julian Weinberger (AUT - 1985), Rauf Cabbarov (AZE - 1985), Rəhim Həsənov (AZE - 1983), Nicolas Laforge (BEL - 1986), Erik Lambrechts (BEL - 1984), Bram Van Driessche (BEL - 1985), Nathan Verboomen (BEL - 1988), Dragan Petrović (BIH - 1981), Admir Šehović (BIH - 1982), Dzmitryj Dzmitryjeŭ (BLR - 1988), Amine Kourgheli (BLR - 1991), Viktar Šymusik (BLR - 1985), Stefan Apostolov (BUL - 1988), Volen Chinkov (BUL - 1983), Dragomir Draganov (BUL - 1981), Nikola Popov (BUL - 1983), Igor Pajač (CRO - 1985), Tihomir Pejin (CRO - 1983), Mario Zebec (CRO - 1982), Timótheos Christofí (CYP - 1987), Vasílis Dimitríou (CYP - 1977), Nikólas Neokléous (CYP - 1989), Loúkas Sotiríou (CYP - 1982), Ondřej Pechanec (CZE - 1986), Pavel Rejžek (CZE - 1990), Morten Hansen (DEN - 1988), Peter Kjćrsgaard (DEN - 1984), Roomer Tarajev (EST - 1980), Kaarlo Oskari Hämäläinen (FIN - 1993), Ville Nevalainen (FIN - 1984), Petri Viljanen (FIN - 1987), Kári Jóannesarson á Hřvdanum (FRO - 1990), Alex de Albuquerque Troleis (FRO - 1980), Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO - 1991), Giorgi Vadachkoria (GEO - 1977), Jason Lee Barcelo (GIB - 1980), Aristotélis Diamandópoulos (GRE - 1983), Ioánnis Papadópoulos (GRE - 1982), Emmanouíl Skoulás (GRE - 1986), Athanásios Tzílos (GRE - 1983), Balázs Berke (HUN - 1984), Ferenc Karakó (HUN - 1983), Paul McLaughlin (IRL - 1979), Helgi Mikael Jónasson (ISL - 1993), Ívar Orri Kristjánsson (ISL - 1989), Yigal Frid (ISR - 1992), David Fuxman (ISR - 1990), Gal Leibovitz (ISR - 1986), Furkat Atazhanov (KAZ - 1986), Arman Ismuratov (KAZ - 1987), Daniyar Sakhi (KAZ - 1991), Visar Kastrati (KOS - 1986), Besfort Kasumi (KOS - 1983), Genc Nuza (KOS - 1989), Manfredas Lukjančukas (LTU - 1991), Laurent Kopriwa (LUX - 1983), Jasmin Sabotic (LUX - 1990), Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LVA - 1984), Aleksandrs Golubevs (LVA - 1981), Veaceslav Banari (MDA - 1975), Alexandru Tean (MDA - 1983), Dejan Jakimovski (MKD - 1985), Matthew De Gabriele (MLT - 1988), Fyodor Zammit (MLT - 1985), Jovan Kaluđerović (MNE - 1977), Milovan Milačić (MNE - 1982), Jochem Kamphuis (NED - 1986), Allard Lindhout (NED - 1987), Keith Kennedy (NIR - 1991), Tim Marshall (NIR - 1988), Ian McNabb (NIR - 1988), James Robert Robinson (NIR - 1994), Kristoffer Hagenes (NOR - 1990), Sigurd Smehus Kringstad (NOR - 1987), Rohit Saggi (NOR - 1992), Kai Erik Steen (NOR - 1985), Tomasz Musiał (POL - 1981), Vítor Jorge Fernandes Ferreira (POR - 1988), Luís Miguel Branco Godinho (POR - 1985), Hugo Filipe Ferreira de Campos Moreira Miguel (POR - 1977), António Emanuel Carvalho Nobre (POR - 1988), Marcel Bîrsan (ROU - 1982), Sebastian Constantin Colțescu (ROU - 1977), Aleksey Matyunin (RUS - 1982), Vladimir Moskalyov (RUS - 1986), David Munro (SCO - 1990), Nicolas Walsh (SCO - 1990), Luca Barbeno (SMR - 1981), Miloš Đorđić (SRB - 1987), Danilo Grujić (SRB - 1980), Lazar Lukić (SRB - 1981), Novak Simović (SRB - 1982), Lukas Fähndrich (SUI - 1984), Fedayi San (SUI - 1982), Urs Schnyder (SUI - 1986), Lionel Tschudi (SUI - 1989), Boris Marhefka (SVK - 1987), Michal Očenᚠ(SVK - 1991), Nejc Kajtazovič (SVN - 1982), Rade Obrenovič (SVN - 1990), Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE - 1984), Kaspar Sjöberg (SWE - 1987), Arda Kardeşler (TUR - 1988), Viktor Kopiyevs'kyy (UKR - 1990), Yaroslav Kozyk (UKR - 1980), Vitaliy Romanov (UKR - 1980), Denys Shurman (UKR - 1986), Robert Jenkins (WAL - 1989), Bryn Markham-Jones (WAL - 1986)

Retirements:
Gianluca Rocchi (ITA - 1973, elite)
Kevin Blom (NED - 1974, first)
Alexander Harkam (AUT - 1981, first)
Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT - 1973, first)
Siarhiej Cynkievič (BLR - 1976, second)
Tobias Welz (GER - 1977, second)
Pol van Boekel (NED - 1975, second)
Arnold Hunter (NIR - 1979, second)
Ola Hobber Nilsen (NOR - 1986, second)
Andrew Dallas (SCO - 1983, second)
Stephan Klossner (SUI - 1981, second)
Dzianis Ščarbakoŭ (BLR - 1978, third)
Stanislav Todorov (BUL - 1976, third)
Zbyněk Proske (CZE - 1981, third)
Nicolas Rainville (FRA - 1982, third)
Irakli Kvirikashvili (GEO - 1984, third)
Erez Papir (ISR - 1980, third)
Christophe Pires Martins (LUX - 1989, third)
Joăo Carlos dos Santos Capela (POR - 1974, third)
Ümit Öztürk (TUR - 1983, third)
Mykola Kryvonosov (UKR - 1983, third)

Oh Vlad I have missed you so much - welcome back! 

Surprised to see Vad still there to be honest.  He was out the best part of last season injured and hasn't refereed a game domestically since week 1 because he has been out injured.  I would have thought it would have been an ideal opportunity to either swap him & Farkas groupwise or drop him altogether, promote Farkas & give a white badge to one of the 3 very promising youngsters we have right now. Bogár is developing very well & is only 27.   Kassai is 45 next year, Bognár & Vad only a year younger than him. I suspect both Kassai & Bognár will get +1 years. Vad seems unable to shake his injury woes though.

Gratulálok/Congratulations to István Kovács on his promotion as well. I watch a few of his domestic games in Romania.

Sorry to see Rocchi go. Always liked his refereeing.

Very surprised to see Grinfeld promoted. IMO, he is not Elite material. Too passive at times and makes a small mess in most of the cases.

Kovacs. Well he has one man to thank for. Vassaras. With only 3 CL matches it's unbelievable how he managed to get promoted. Romania with 2 Elite and 1 First Group Referee. Not bad at all.

Finally about Vincic but I have the feeling that it's too late. He is already 40. Technically he has a chance for Qatar but if Skomina is still around, I think that it's difficult. So his realistic target would be 2024 Euro.

May I ask what might be a silly question borne out of ignorance of the system, why have Madley and Coote gone into the Second Category when there is a Third Category? Just interested.

May I ask what might be a silly question borne out of ignorance of the system, why have Madley and Coote gone into the Second Category when there is a Third Category? Just interested.

The adventure of newly FIFA-listed referees from Top 5 UEFA nations (ENG, ESP, FRA, GER, ITA) begins from UEFA Second Category.

May I ask what might be a silly question borne out of ignorance of the system, why have Madley and Coote gone into the Second Category when there is a Third Category? Just interested.

Because on the 5 major football leagues (ESP, FRA, GER, ITA, ENG) the referees are used to top matches and they gather more experience than other referees. So they are included at the 2nd group. That has been happening for years (at least 10).

Quote from: ajb95 on Sat 14 Dec 2019 10:36

How come Kuipers hasn't come off the list?

There's no longer an upper age limit. Previously Kuipers would have come off 12 months ago I think as he turned 45 in March 2018 but now he's fine to continue to the Euros at least.

If there's no age limit why did Rocchi come off?