MATCH INFORMATION. DATE 16 OCT 2012 VENUE Swissporarena, Lucerne, Switzerland TIME 17:30 CET STAGE UEFA U21 EURO Play-Off, 2nd Leg

Transcription

1 MATCH INFORMATION (SUI) SWITZERLAND 1:3 GERMANY (GER) DATE 16 OCT 2012 VENUE Swissporarena, Lucerne, Switzerland TIME 17:30 CET STAGE UEFA U21 EURO Play-Off, 2nd Leg GOALS SCORED 0-1 Lewis Holtby (GER, 8 ), 0-2 Lasse Sobiech (GER, 22 ), 0-3 Sebastian Polter (GER, 45 ), 1-3 Josip Drmić (SUI, 75 ) SANCTIONS Yellow Card(s) 5 (3-2) Tony Jantschke (GER, 16 ), Stefan Thesker (GER, 52 ), Oliver Buff (SUI, 68 ), Fabio Daprelá (SUI, 76 ), Amir Abrashi (SUI, 90 ) 2 nd Yellow Card(s) - - Red Card(s) - - Penalty Kick(s) - - MATCH OFFICIALS Officials Name Origin Marks Difficulty Referee Matej Jug SVN 8.2 Medium Assistant Referee 1 Gregor Rojko SVN 8.5 Medium Assistant Referee 2 Robert Vukan SVN 8.5 Medium Fourth Official Dejan Balažić SVN 8.2 Medium UEFA Delegate Patrick McGrath IRL UEFA Referee Observer Jaap Uilenberg NED Blog Referee Observer Niclas E GER EVALUATION SCALE Marks Classification of the marks* 9,0 10,0 Excellent performance. 8,5 8,9 Very good. Important decision(s) correctly taken. 8,3 8,4 Good, expected level. 8,2 Satisfactory performance with small areas for improvement. 8,0 8,1 Satisfactory performance with important areas for improvement. 7,9 One clear important mistake, otherwise 8,3 or above. 7,8 One clear important mistake, otherwise between 8,0 and 8,2. 7,5 7,7 Below expectation, poor control, significant point(s) for improvement. 7,0 7,4 Disappointing. Below expectation with one clear important mistake or a performance with two or more clear important mistakes. 6,0 6,9 Unacceptable. * The degree of difficulty must be integrated into the mark. ** Expected level does not necessarily mean that there are no areas for improvement.

2 Explanation for the Degree of Difficulty that is integrated in the marks and is to be considered separately for every match official. Low Nearly no challenging situations for the official. Medium Normal match for the respective official with a few challenging situations. High Difficult match for the respective official with difficult and important situations to solve. Description of the match The match was the 2 nd leg between the u21 teams of Switzerland and Germany combatting for the U21 EURO final championship at Israel in The first leg was a 1-1 draw in Leverkusen. The atmosphere and climate conditions in Lucerne surely contributed to quite a good match at this level. Germany managed an early goal after eight minutes after a free kick from the right side. A few minutes later, the next German goal followed approximately from the same free-kick position. After that, the match was more or less decided, Germany increased their lead in the last minute of the first half. In the second half, the match definitely became more intense including several frustration fouls by the Suisse side that finally managed a goal in the 75 th minute posing the final result of 1-3. Slovenian officials were in charge of the action, Matej Jug, currently joining UEFA s First Group of referees as well as Gregor Rojko, who accompanies Jug in the UEFA Talent Group, and Robert Vukan, a FIFA assistant referee since Dejan Balažić completed the team as fourth official.

3 REFEREE 1) Application and Interpretation of the Laws of the Game, Disciplinary Control and (technical) Management of the game. The assessment should be reinforced by listing exemplary situations with minutes for key elements and by mentioning and evaluating every personal punishment issued by the referee as well as other important decisions. Slovenian referee Matej Jug did not have to deal with that many difficult situations in the first half, however, the importance and difficulty of some situations rapidly increased in the second half. His card management was overall satisfying and quite consistent, with two exceptions. While he offered quite a lenient line in the first part of the match by ignoring some challenges that could have entailed bookings, he cautioned German defender Thesker for an alleged tactical foul after minimal pulling. Actually a correct decision, but before that, he ignored much harder fouls so that the yellow did not really correspond to his previous line. Furthermore, there was one visible area for improvement. Jug showed weaknesses with regard to protecting the players from serious foul play. Switzerland s #2 committed a studs-up foul in front of AR2 Vukan, where both, Jug and his assistant, did not recognize the seriousness of the foul. He later committed the same manner of foul again, this time Jug decided to issue a yellow card. It should have been a straight red card as it seriously endangered the health of the player. The motif behind it was mere frustration. The foul appeared at the halfway respectively at the sideline. The foul was again committed with studs-up and foot-up onto the lower calf of the German player. Assistant Referee 1 Gregor Rojko as well as the fourth official could have advised him so, since Jug s area of vicinity was not ideal for an adequate judgment. It is no crucial mistake, but an important area for improvement. All the further issued yellow cards were correct. A major advantage of his performance was the application of the advantage rule whenever possible and sensible. He contributed to a match with high pace and consequently avoided many stoppages. A crucial decision was also made in the 72 nd minute when he correctly decided that a German defender touched the ball with his hand within the box undeliberately. The hand was close to the body and the touch unpredictable for him. Minute Description of the situation 8 foul committed by Affolter (SUI) on Polter (GER), correct free-kick also assisted by AR2, the free-kick led to the first goal 16 Yellow Card to Jantschke (GER) for a hard foul of tactical nature, correct, probably advised by AR1 20 soft free-kick awarded to Germany leading to the second goal. There was a push and small pulling, no need for a free-kick, but it can be given. It was signaled by AR2 27 pulling by Abrashi (SUI), correctly signaled by AR2, could have been a yellow card for tactical foul. Jug told him to accept his decision in a determined manner. 36 another foul from the same position, again signaled by AR2, correct. 47 missed a corner kick to Switzerland, difficult to see 48 Buff (SUI) fouls Beister (GER), ball was already away, the foul was hard, could have been a booking, also considering his previous and following line. 52 Tactical foul by Thesker (GER), yellow card, again signaled by AR2, solely considered correct, but compared to previous fouls where he did not issue a card, not necessary 61 Polter (GER) got the shoe of his opponent in his face/upper shoulder, Jug was not far away and should have awarded a free-kick, reckless challenge, but no intentional

4 serious foul play Studs-up foul committed by Widmer (SUI), the referee and AR2 awarded a throw-in to Germany, which was not correct. Either free-kick to Germany, or throw-in to 63 Switzerland. It should have been a free-kick and yellow card. This overseen foul had a certain impact later on. no intentional return pass, therefore Leno (GER) was allowed to take the ball with his 66 hands, correct Buff (SUI) with serious foul play at the sideline in the midfield. A mixture of studs-up and foot up aimed at seriously endangering the opponent s calf, which immediately deviated after the touch. The fourth official could have advised the referee here, as it happened in front of him. The referee s area of vicinity was probably a bit distracted 68 and not ideal. It should have been a straight red card, but it is certainly a borderline situation. In a way, it fits to his line, but on the other hand, he failed to protect the players here. The same mistake like in the 63 rd minute, wrong estimation and evaluation of studs-up fouls. 72 NO deliberate handball in the box by a German defender, therefore no penalty correct again a foul with cleats ahead, this time Daprelá (SUI) received the correct yellow card, 76 the referee was advised by AR1 here. It was still yellow. 90 Yellow Card to Abrashi (SUI) for a foot-up tackle, dangerous play, correct booking. 2) Physical Condition + Exp L - Aspect Adequate Positioning (also at set pieces), always close to play, no interference with it Adequate Movement, diagonal system, decreases the distance to play in crucial situations and enters the penalty area if necessary Anticipation of situations and awareness Physical Condition and stamina in general Please strengthen your assessment on the referee s physical condition by listing meaningful situations in the grid below, which is mandatory in case of an awarded - (negative point). Summarizing assessment (very good, good, medium, poor) of the referee s physical condition: Good Minute Full time Description of the situation His physical shape and behaviour on the pitch is a huge strength of Matej Jug. His movement was adequate for this match and its pace, he never was too far away from the action but always had a certain distance. He was also able to enter the box once. It was remarkable that he achieved that without applying his full reserves, which means that one can presume that he is also able to follow matches with more pace and quicker counterattacks.

5 3.1) Personality, Tactical Approach (referring to the referee s style of gaining authority and control, the degree of mutual respect between players and referee and the referee s general appearance and manner of leading the match on the pitch. Exemplary situations that might bolster the observer s assessment can be integrated into the coherent text (minutes then in brackets)) His tactical approach was suitably chosen for this kind of match. On the whole, the referee offered a lenient line to the players which they accepted. Nonetheless, he was able to change the line during the match and swiftly booked a player for a tactical and hard foul, which means that his lenient line did not lead to blindness and ignorance, which was good and smart. The second half became more intense. He should have been more consistent in his card management here. While he did not book serious fouls with the adequate colour (68 th minute) or with a card at all, a harmless foul was then booked, which is no mistake, but could be avoided to form a more consistent and unified line. He moreover was willing to impede players undermine his authority. He repeatedly emphasized by gestures that he is the one who decides, which created determination. Apart from that, his general gestures were respectful and clear. Many times, he looked for conversations and oral interactions with players to avoid (un)necessary bookings (27, 48 ). He could have shown more and deeper determination in his decisions related to the quite hesitant way of raising his card, while his whistle language gave the players an idea of how grave their infringements were, by many short, but when it became more intense, by some longer and louder whistles. He should avoid the whistles after goals that created misunderstandings in one goal. 3.2) Match Control (referring to the level of control accomplished by the referee. Exemplary situations that might bolster the observer s assessment can be integrated into the coherent text (minutes then in brackets)) The match was overall under full control of the referee. There were no riots apart from the ball, except some smaller conflicts following two hard fouls (63 rd and 76 th minute). As already mentioned, the players did not try to undermine the referee s authority, but nonetheless made attempts to drive him into booking players, the referee resisted that and made clear he was boss. 4) Co-operation with (additional) assistant referees and fourth official. A high level of co-operation within the team was clearly visible. The referee was willing to be supported in free-kick situations and card management: AR2 signaled many fouls leading to dangerous free-kicks and to two goals, while AR1 advised him to issue bookings (probably in 16, for sure in 76 ). However, the fourth official could have advised him to send off Buff (SUI) for serious foul play the co-operation was there (the referee would not have been able to jugde this specific foul without his help, but the sentence was just too low).

6 5) Summary, general comments on the referee s performance and areas for improvement Overall, the referee s performance was overall at least expected level, related to certain aspects like tactical approach and physical condition even above expected level. Nonetheless, he revealed the weakness to be not alert enough in preventing stud-up fouls and hence to protect the players. This must be clearly outlined, therefore a satisfactory performance with small areas for improvement. Positive points Areas for improvement 1. Tactical approach, able to adapt it to the course of events during 1. match and in situations that need bookings, also strengthened by a good approach to the players and whistle language 2. General knowledge and interpretation of the Laws of the Games 3. Physical Aspects Setting of priorities: football first, achieved by sensible advantages 4. and verbal warnings to avoid bookings, although this might have led to overseen bookings, too 2. More awareness for stud-up fouls and foot-up tackles that might endanger the health of players, finding the correct sentence for it Two aspects of less relevance: find a more determined way to hold up the cards and avoid whistles after goals

7 ASSISTANT REFEREE 1 1) Physical and Technical Aspects + Exp L - Aspect Adequate Positioning and Movement Physical Condition and Stamina Flag Technique in compliance with FIFA instructions Alertness and reaction to situations in his area of vicinity, good cooperation with referee Dealing with offside situations ( wait-and-see-technique ) You can strengthen your assessment on the assistant referee s physical and technical aspects by listing meaningful situations in the grid below, which is mandatory in case of an awarded - (negative point). Minute full time Description of the situation Gregor Rojko showed a consistent level of physical shape including positioning and movement throughout the whole match. In a high pace sprint (84 ), he had no problems to follow it. In the 16 th (probably) and 76 th minute, he has proven a good level of alertness to situations appearing in his area of vicinity (yellow cards); in the 69 th minute, he had to deal with an extremely tight offside situation where he had to apply the wait-and-seetechnique, since two strikers position had to be taken into account, which were both offside. 2) on the Application and Interpretation of the Laws of the Game (specially Law 11), every offside / critical NO offside situation as well as other meaningful situations are to be listed in the grid below. Taking everything into consideration, his level of occupation was lower than the second assistant s one having its reason in the course of the match. In the full first half, the German side attacked on the goal of AR2, in the second half, the Suisse team increased their efforts on the same goal, so that AR1 only had to deal with two offsides in the whole match, which he solved correctly, and a few fouls/bookings. Minute Description of the situation offside position, no replay available, furthermore, the striker s position was not 6 captured by the total camera position, but it can be presumed that the decision was correct. 16 probably advised the referee to book Jantschke (GER) for a foul of tactical nature,

8 good decision if he was involved awareness in corner kick situation directly in front of him; ball did not cross the byline before but still did touch the defender s leg, correct foul by Buff (SUI) on a German player with studs-forward onto his opponent s calf, to my mind serious foul play that requires a red card. The assistant referee was probably not involved in that, but had a better position and area of vicinity than the referee himself, no mistake however from him. extremely tight offside situation. Polter (GER) was adjudged to be in an active offside position, while another striker also crossed his path who was offside. Replays do not allow an ultimate judgment, however, it indicates that is was extremely tight but probably correct. Benefit of the doubt may not count here, if the assistant was convinced by that call. Polter would have appeared free in front of the goalkeeper, so a crucial situation that has been correctly evaluated.

9 1) Physical and Technical Aspects ASSISTANT REFEREE Exp L - Aspect Adequate Positioning and Movement Physical Condition and Stamina Flag Technique in compliance with FIFA instructions Alertness and reaction to situations in his area of vicinity, good cooperation with referee Dealing with offside situations ( wait-and-see-technique ) You can strengthen your assessment on the assistant referee s physical and technical aspects by listing meaningful situations in the grid below, which is mandatory in case of an awarded - (negative point). Minute full time Description of the situation The second assistant referee Vukan has proven a very good physical shape and method to combine very quick sprints when necessary with good sidesteps. He hence was always on level with the last defender and was therefore able to make good decisions. As already mentioned, his half and his box was clearly more in focus in this match so that there were higher requirements for him. However, there was one significant mistake (see in 2)). A big strength were his decisions for free-kicks from almost always the same position. There were not that many difficult offside situations to solve, mostly, there was a lack of replays. He also entered the pitch to advise the wall to maintain its distance. 2) on the Application and Interpretation of the Laws of the Game (specially Law 11), every offside / critical NO offside situation as well as other meaningful situations are to be listed in the grid below. He in fact had to take two crucial decisions when awarding two free-kicks to Germany in the first half that led to goals. The first one was without any doubt correct, the second one can be given, nonetheless, it was a soft one. Furthermore, he signaled many other free-kicks that were correct, missed however one significant kind of fouls. Minute Description of the situation 8 foul committed by Affolter (SUI) on Polter (GER), correct free-kick also assisted by

10 AR2, the free-kick led to the first goal 20 soft free-kick awarded to Germany leading to the second goal. There was a push and small pulling, no need for a free-kick, but it can be given. It was signaled by AR2 27 pulling by Abrashi (SUI), correctly signaled by AR2, could have been a yellow card for tactical foul. Jug told him to accept his decision in a determined manner. 36 another foul from the same position, again signaled by AR2, correct. 52 Tactical foul by Thesker (GER), yellow card, again signaled by AR2, solely considered correct, but compared to previous fouls where he did not issue a card, not necessary Studs-up foul committed by Widmer (SUI), the referee and AR2 awarded a throw-in to 63 Germany, which was not correct. Either free-kick to Germany, or throw-in to Switzerland. It should have been a free-kick and yellow card. This overseen foul had a certain impact later on (two other serious fouls of the same kind) FOURTH OFFICIAL Reference to execution of technical procedures, important aspects and potential involvements The fourth official had no problems at all in dealing with both benches which behaved sportingly fair. He executed all the needed technical procedures in accordance with the expected level (including additional time and substitutions). He was perhaps involved in the decision to book Buff (SUI) after his serious foul on a German player in front of him (68 ). It should have been a straight red card from my point of view. Reported by: Niclas E 17 OCT 2012, GER