Charles Corver, former FIFA referee, has passed away at the age of 84 on November 10th 2020. That’s what Dutch football association KNVB has announced. Charles Corver was named Dutch referee of the 20th century by football weekly Voetbal International. He officiated in four European Cup finals and the final of the Intercontinental Cup. And yet, despite his impressive career, his name is associated most often with that incident in the semi-final of the 1982. Do you remember? That’s during the World Cup when German keeper Harald Schumacher crashed into French midfielder Patrick Battiston. “Well, it’s not always your best performance that brings you fame,” says Charles Corver, when he…

Big refereeing news: Bibiana Steinhaus will retire as national and international referee. The German Super Cup on September 30th 2020 is the latest game of her career. “Like many people in the time of the corona situation, I reflected on some things and reassessed them”, she explains her decision on the DFB website. “After a very trusting and constructive conversation with Lutz Michael Fröhlich, the sports director of the DFB elite referees, I decided, after carefully weighing many factors, to end my national and international career as a referee.” She does not give more info, as she wants to focus on her last game first. Bibiana Steinhaus was the the…

Referee Clay Ruperti talks about his career during a meeting I’ve visited earlier this season. Because he is recognized as a young talent from the start, he dreams about reaching professional football as referee. But can you stay true to yourself or will you change your style because of what others want you to do? His most important lesson: “It’s better to be hated for what you are than to be love for what you are not.”  Tips and lessons from this referee in Dutch professional football. 

Kate Jacewicz is an ambitious Australian referee. In 2019 she officiates at the 2019 Women’s World Cup and becomes part of the Hyundai A-League’s (men’s highest level) referee panel. I’m very happy she took the time to share her story and some very relevant tips for us as referees. Have a good read. Her debut in the A-League is on January 18 2020 with the game between Melbourne City and Newcastle Jets. The blog theme this month is becoming a better referee. I’ve already shared a story about visioning yourself 20 years ahead and tips for effective goal-setting. I hope this article inspires you to think about how you want…

Former referee Alan Snoddy has been at two World Cups, has helped and mentored a lot of referees at Uefa and CORE. He’s currently a referee consultant at the Latvia FF and grew up as referee in Belfast in the 70ies and 80ies. In this story he shares his experiences and tips with you.  Who is referee Alan Snoddy Please introduce yourself, what is your current role in refereeing?  At present my main role is working with the Latvia FF as their Referee Consultant. This job involves working closely with the Referee Committee & Referee Department to assist the development and quality of all aspects of refereeing in Latvia.  I…

“When I watched and analysed a game of Bjorn Kuipers, I am exhausted”, says John Balvers, he is making video analysis for referees in The Netherlands. Recently I met again with him and he shows me the latest features of his video analysis. In this interview with him he tells more how video analysis for professional referees works.  Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram Recently I met John Balvers again. His full-time job is making video analysis specifically for referees. Check out how he helps professional referees via link in bio Een bericht gedeeld door Jan (blogger + Dutch referee) (@dutchreferee) op 11 Nov 2019 om 11:27 (PST) Balvers goes back…