Abdullah Bora Özkara, a FIFA assistant referee from Turkey, also serves as referee coordinator and head of the refereeing department at the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). How appropriate and ethical is it for an active FIFA assistant referee to serve as Referee Coordinator and Head/Director of the Referees Department within their own member association? @FIFAcom @UEFA @JMGarciaAranda @ArbitroInteBlog @reglaXVIII

What is "MISTAKEN IDENTITY" at the laws of the game? Oyun kurallarında “YANLIŞ KİMLİK” ne demektir? QUESTION An attacking player (Team A) kicks the ball which then accidentally touches a hand/arm of their team-mate (Team A). The referee stops play, but wrongly decides that the handball offence was committed by a defending player (Team B), who is punished with a yellow card (YC) and a direct free kick to Team A. May the video assistant referee (VAR) inform the referee that the player from the non-offending team was cautioned? SORU Bir hücum oyuncusu (A Takımı) topa vurur ve top yanlışlıkla kendi takım arkadaşının (A Takımı) eline/koluna temas eder. Hakem oyunu durdurur, ancak el ile oynama ihlalinin savunma oyuncusu (B Takımı) tarafından işlendiğine dair yanlış bir karar verir; bu oyuncu sarı kart (YC) ile cezalandırılır ve A Takımı lehine direkt serbest vuruş verilir. Video yardımcı hakem (VAR), ihlali işlemeyen takımın oyuncusuna ihtar verildiği konusunda hakeme bilgi verebilir mi? ANSWER Yes. The amended VAR protocol allows to review 'mistaken identity' when the referee shows a yellow or red card but has clearly penalised the wrong player of either team. In this case, the YC for the defender is cancelled and play is restarted with a direct free kick to Team B. CEVAP Evet. Değiştirilen VAR protokolü, hakemin sarı veya kırmızı kart gösterdiği halde her iki takımdan da açıkça yanlış oyuncuya ceza verdiği durumlarda “yanlış kimlik” durumunun incelenmesine izin vermektedir. Bu durumda, defans oyuncusuna gösterilen sarı kart iptal edilir ve oyun, B Takımı lehine direkt serbest vuruşla tekrar başlatılır. I would like to thank @TheIFAB for their support

To the UEFA and FIFA Executive Committees and Referees' Committees, @UEFA @FIFAcom Today, in an interview with the official state news agency, Anadolu Agency, the President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), Mr. İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, stated: "Normally, it takes four years to reach the 'Elite' referee category, but God willing, we will accelerate this process as much as possible through our personal friendly relations. We will see the results later. These brothers of ours will officiate in the next European Championship and the subsequent World Cup. If they cannot, you may hold me personally accountable." In light of these statements, I would like to pose the following questions: When determining UEFA referee categories, are the personal relationships of member federation presidents prioritized over objective performance criteria? Does the use of personal influence to bypass standard promotion timelines align with the UEFA Code of Ethics regarding neutrality and integrity? If the TFF President’s claim is accurate, does this not constitute a form of institutional corruption or a significant breach of sporting integrity? Halil Umut Meler, Turkey's only Elite referee, had not been assigned to any Champions League matches for the majority of the season, yet was suddenly appointed to the Bayer Leverkusen vs. Arsenal match in the Round of 16. Was this appointment influenced by the aforementioned "friendly relations"? Are UEFA’s referee appointments for Turkish officials based strictly on technical performance metrics, or are they subject to political and personal lobbying? Will the end-of-season UEFA referee category reviews be influenced by the diplomatic ties claimed by the TFF President? hurriyet.com.tr/sporarena/ib…

I congratulate all of them... New UEFA Elite Category Referees Erik Lambrechts BEL Christopher Kavanagh ENG Nicolas Walsh SCO Sven Jablonski GER Donatas Rumsas LTU Rade Obrenovic SVN New UEFA First Category Referees Jasper Vergoote BEL Radoslav Gidzhenov BUL Patrik Kolaric CRO Javier Alberola Rojas ESP Jeremie Pignard FRA Daniel Schlager GER Rob Hennessy IRL Andrea Colombo ITA Edgars Malcevs LVA Ishmael Barbara MLT Milos Milanovic SRB Michal Ocenas SVK Martin Matosa SVN Oleksii Derevinskiy UKR