UEFA Picks Two Video Review Referees at Center of Controversy for Euro 2024 Duty

Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)

16:59-23 April 2024 AD ـ 15 Shawwal 1445 AH

Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)

The match official accused of bias by English Premier League club Nottingham Forest got UEFA support on Tuesday by being selected for the European Championship as a video review expert in an overall list which included no women.

Forest’s inflammatory social media post on Sunday targeting Stuart Attwell has been widely criticized across English soccer and was even mocked by another club.

Forest said Attwell is a fan of relegation rival Luton and claimed that this was a factor in not being awarded up to three penalty kicks on video review in a 2-0 loss at Everton on Sunday.

Attwell is among 20 video assistant referee (VAR) specialists chosen by UEFA to work at the 51-game Euro 2024 in Germany that starts June 14.

“All chosen referees have performed consistently to the highest standards in UEFA’s top competitions, and also in their domestic competitions,” UEFA head of refereeing Roberto Rosetti said in a statement.

Also on the VAR list is Tomasz Kwiatkowski of Poland, who UEFA removed from a Champions League game in November one day after he advised 2022 World Cup final referee Szymon Marciniak to award Paris Saint-Germain a stoppage-time penalty for handball against Newcastle. Kylian Mbappé scored to deny Newcastle victory in a 1-1 draw.

Marciniak is among the 18 European referees picked for Euro 2024, plus Facundo Tello of Argentina who joins them as part of the close working ties between UEFA and South American soccer body CONMEBOL.

UEFA did not include any women among the referees, assistants, video review specialists and fourth officials in their Euro 2024 team that will be based in Frankfurt. At Euro 2020, Stéphanie Frappart of France was included as a fourth official. She made history at the men’s World Cup in 2022 when she handled the Germany-Costa Rica game in the group stage.

England has two referees selected, including Anthony Taylor who worked with Attwell in the Everton-Forest game on Sunday.

One of the two German referees picked, Felix Zwayer, was the subject of comments about integrity by Jude Bellingham when the England star played for Borussia Dortmund in 2021.

Sunderland Embark on European Adventure After Decades in Doldrums

Sunderland fans celebrate after the English Premier League football match between Sunderland and Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland in north-east England on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

08:44-15 September 2026 AD ـ 03 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Sunderland Embark on European Adventure After Decades in Doldrums

Sunderland fans celebrate after the English Premier League football match between Sunderland and Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland in north-east England on May 24, 2026. (AFP)

Sunderland will walk out at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday for their first European match in 53 years -- the latest milestone in a remarkable recovery for a club that spent decades in the doldrums.

Just over four years ago the Black Cats were languishing in League One -- the third tier of English football.

But they won promotion to the Championship in 2022 and climbed into the Premier League via the play-offs in May 2025, finishing a surprise seventh in their first season back in the big time.

The northeast club have a storied history -- only six clubs have more top-flight English titles -- but the sixth and last of those came way back in 1936.

Sunderland were a byword for glamour in the 1950s, dubbed the "Bank of England club" due to their heavy spending.

But they had relatively little to show for their outlay and last won a major trophy in 1973, when they beat Leeds in the FA Cup final.

Despite their prolonged stagnation, the club, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from bitter rivals Newcastle, remained one of the best supported in England, attracting crowds of 30,000-plus even in League One.

Now the 49,000-capacity Stadium of Light, opened in 1997, is staging Premier League football again and preparing to host continental football for the first time.

The European journey is rich reward for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, son of the late Marseille owner and billionaire Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who bought a stake in the club in 2021 and has since increased his shareholding.

The appointment of Regis Le Bris as head coach in June 2024 proved a masterstroke -- the Frenchman took the club back into the Premier League at the first attempt and they defied the odds last season.

Sunderland, led by inspirational captain Granit Xhaka, are now gearing up to face AZ Alkmaar after a patchy start to their season.

"It's a symbol for the club. We are getting better, the momentum is big and for our fans it is going be crazy to be fair," Le Bris told TNT Sports.

"We are really proud to be in this position. We earned this opportunity last season with a great season. We had tough moments but at the end we stayed consistent."

He added: "It's important to show our desire, to show the city, our togetherness, the connection with our fans."

- Sunderland joy -

For fans of Sunderland, the journey in recent years has been dizzying.

"Supporting Sunderland has gone from being a solemn duty, which you used to curse the misfortune of your postcode and/or your parents for, to something that, for the first time in generations, is bringing joy to people's lives," Michael Lough wrote on the Wise Men Say website.

"Usually, the higher up the pyramid you go, the hollower and more soulless the experience becomes, and the wider the disconnect between the fans and the players grows.

"Regis Le Bris likes to use the word 'connected' in his press conferences, and I can't remember the last time the city, the players, the fans and the club felt this level of connection."

Joining Sunderland in the Europa League this season are Bournemouth, who are playing continental football for the first time in their history.

Andoni Iraola led the south coast club to a sixth-place finish last season but then left for the Liverpool hot seat, meaning Marco Rose will be in charge.

Bournemouth, who travel to Spain to face Real Sociedad on Thursday, are yet to win in the Premier League this season despite leading in all four games after developing a frustrating habit of conceding late goals.

"Everyone here in Bournemouth is looking forward to this game," said German coach Rose. "It's going to be a special night for the club against top opposition. I'm really proud to be part of this."

A third English club, Crystal Palace, are in the Europa League courtesy of winning the UEFA Conference League last season.

Premier League clubs have dominated the competition in recent seasons thanks to their vast resources with Aston Villa and Tottenham winning the Europa League in the past two seasons.

But the more unheralded trio of English clubs this time could balance the playing field up against some of Europe's biggest clubs such as AC Milan, Juventus and Benfica.

Sports

Saudi Super Cup Heads to Kuwait in Gulf Expansion Drive

Al-Nassr FC's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo (3rd L) attends a training session on the eve of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL) match between Al-Ain FC and Saudi's Al-Nassr FC, at the Azza Bin Zayed stadium in al-Ain on September 14, 2026. (AFP)

17:15-14 September 2026 AD ـ 02 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Saudi Super Cup Heads to Kuwait in Gulf Expansion Drive

‌Kuwait will host the Saudi Super Cup for the first time when the four-team competition is staged from December 19 to 23, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) said on Monday.

The tournament will be held at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium and feature Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli, Al-Qadsiah and Al-Kholood, ‌with the semi-final ‌draw scheduled for October ‌14.

A ⁠hosting agreement was ⁠signed in Riyadh by SAFF president Bader AlReziza and Kuwait Football Association President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, as Saudi football continues to expand the reach of its domestic competitions ⁠beyond the Kingdom's borders.

"Kuwait's hosting ‌of the ‌Saudi Super Cup represents an important addition ‌to the Gulf sporting landscape," Sheikh ‌Ahmad said, while AlReziza described the move as an opportunity to broaden the tournament's regional footprint, engage a wider ‌audience and enhance its commercial appeal.

Kuwait will become the eighth ⁠host ⁠in the competition's history, following editions staged in Makkah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha, London, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, reflecting the growing stature of Saudi football and its efforts to strengthen its presence across the Gulf region.

Asian champions Al-Ahli beat Al-Nassr on penalties to win the Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong in August last year.

Sports

Mourinho Praises ‘Incredible’ Guler Amid Battle for Minutes

Real Madrid's Turkish midfielder #15 Arda Guler reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on September 12, 2026. (AFP)

13:10-14 September 2026 AD ـ 02 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Mourinho Praises ‘Incredible’ Guler Amid Battle for Minutes

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho hailed playmaker Arda Guler on Monday ahead of the team's visit to face Elche in La Liga.

The Turkish midfielder came on as a substitute in Madrid's 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday and helped steady the team when they were wobbling under pressure.

Guler is not assured of a starting place at Madrid, with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all part of Mourinho's regular side.

The 21-year-old is competing with record signing Yan Diomande and Brahim Diaz among others for minutes, ahead of the central midfield duo.

"There are people more qualified than me to talk about his development, people who have been here since he arrived, about how he's transformed physically," Mourinho told reporters.

"But for me, his quality of play is incredible -- his vision, his decision-making, his playmaking, the stability he brings to the team, his creativity...

"For me, he's a player with fantastic potential who already has some very impressive stats."

Guler has shown he has a strong link with Mbappe on the pitch, regularly combining well with the French forward, including for Madrid's fourth goal against Rayo.

Mourinho said he would not go completely overboard with praise for Guler, who arrived from Fenerbahce in 2023.

"Maybe I don't want to go so far as to say 'top, top, top' three times, but I can definitely say 'top, top'," joked the Portuguese coach.

One player still looking for his best form at Madrid is Vinicius.

The Brazilian winger has scored one goal this season and Mourinho reiterated his view that Vinicius is still not at his best.

"The best version of him is scoring goals. Obviously, assisting is important, working for the team is very important. Commitment, solidarity, and teamwork are very important," said Mourinho.

"But there's another Vinicius, the Vinicius who arrived in Lisbon last season (in the Champions League) and in close matches, in the knockout rounds, gets one chance, scores a goal and that's it.

"He's lacking that top-level performance lately, but I am happy with him."

Second-placed Madrid trail La Liga leaders Barcelona, who boast a 100 percent record, by three points.

UEFA Picks Two Video Review Referees at Center of Controversy for Euro 2024 Duty

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Sunderland Embark on European Adventure After Decades in Doldrums

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