The Ref’s News

The Ref's News — Technical analysis & officiating reports

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Wider football news with refereeing relevance.

General/The Guardian — Football

Arsenal and Manchester City in action, FA Cup first round news and more – matchday live

⚽ All the latest news before a busy day of football kicks off ⚽ Today’s fixtures | Latest tables | Mail us at matchday.live Good morning . David will be here shortly to lead you into another big day of football action. Leeds and Tottenham get the Premier League action under way at 12.30pm GMT, followed by Arsenal hosting Hull to headline our 3pm clockwatch. Manchester City head south to Nottingham Forest in the 5.30pm game, plus there’s a huge slate of FA Cup first-round action, the WSL’s top two both in action at 12.45pm, Bayern and Dortmund in the Bundesliga at 2.30pm and much more. Continue

7 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Infantino caught in the web as tide turns against Trump in midterms and leaves Fifa exposed | Barney Ronay

Trump Exposed Reactor Core Syndrome very much in play after Democrat landslide – and Fifa’s president may pay a price Oh baby, clamp me in your repulsive mouthparts. Sink your unusually large and venomous fangs into my abdomen. And yes, we are doing this in the White House cabinet rooms, out there in plain sight of the watching world, just a gleaming golden ball between us. But it’s fine. Probably. Now take a sip of those sweet, sweet tiny male arachnoid entrails. An exciting new study was published over the summer into the habits of the Australian redback spider. The research made headlines f

7 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Rise of the ‘schooligans’: how a wave of antisocial behaviour threatens non-league football

Teenage ultras are increasingly causing disorder and communities fear it will not be long before it becomes something more dangerous It is five past three on Saturday afternoon and the teenage ultras of Hednesford Town are running late. They have arrived in Chester for their team’s National League North fixture and have hailed taxis, determined to make their presence felt at the ground. But word appears to have got out about their arrival. As one car turns away from the city’s charming half-timbered houses and into narrow residential streets, half a dozen local youths appear, haring round the

7 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Thierno Barry double fires Everton to comeback win against Coventry

The most optimistic Evertonian – if that is not an oxymoron – could not have envisaged David Moyes’s team sitting fifth in the Premier League and Thierno Barry just behind Erling Haaland in the goalscoring chart at the end of the club’s calamitous transfer window. Yet there they are, team and striker defying all expectations, following a rousing if fortuitous comeback against luckless Coventry. Frank Lampard endured a torturous night against his old club as Coventry had two strong penalty shouts dismissed while the second of Barry’s double, taking him to 10 goals for the season in all competit

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Charlton at risk of being chewed up with WSL step up ‘an absolute ocean’

Pointless after eight games, Karen Hills’ team are struggling to compete against clubs with chunkier wallets Played eight, lost eight. Welcome to the Women’s Super League, Charlton Athletic, a club in danger of being chewed up, toyed with and spat straight back out by the top tier. Bruised by their 6-0 defeat against Chelsea on Sunday, last season’s playoff winners are finding WSL life tough, conceding more than three goals per game on average and struggling to compete against clubs with chunkier wallets. But are they underperforming or are they merely the victims of their own success? Continu

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Bellinghams celebrate ‘beautiful story’ as Jobe joins Jude in Tuchel’s England 2.0

Jude had asked head coach to scout Dortmund midfielder ‘It will be beautiful for Jude to have his brother close’ Thomas Tuchel has given a first England call-up to Jobe Bellingham , admitting the midfielder’s older brother, Jude, had nagged him to do so, as he set up the prospect of their family dream being realised. Tuchel’s inclusion of the younger Bellingham for the Nations League ties against Croatia and Spain was further evidence of his shift away from the squad that served him well at the World Cup last summer and towards a fresh dynamic for the mission to win Euro 2028. The manager has

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Matthias Jaissle caught in the storm as Newcastle struggle without European fix

Panic building among fans as club visit Craven Cottage but head coach has resolute support of hierarchy At least Matthias Jaissle has a sense of humour. “There’s a lot of storm at the moment,” reflected Newcastle’s head coach on Thursday. A wry smile suggested he was not referring to the north-east weather. Jaissle has seen his tactics, team selection, man management and entire philosophy rubbished in recent days but, on current evidence, appears to be holding his nerve. After all, it is not Jaissle’s fault that his appointment has coincided with supporters, players and directors struggling to

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Football Daily | You want proper football? Here are the FA Cup first-round ties to look out for

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! For the FA Cup, the early rounds are the juice. The first round proper to be played out over the long weekend is looking, well, proper. And on Saturday at 3pm GMT, a proper time, 31 ties will kick off. No VAR, either. At the stage when the bottom two Football League divisions join the competition, focus remains on those non-league clubs fighting for the honour of the pyramid … John Aloisi winning or choking​ the Chinese Super League , a league so ‘super’ that nine of all 16 clubs in it started the season on negative points due to ‘match-fixin

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

NWSL playoff predictions: who can spoil Gotham’s bid for the double?

Our panel breaks down the players to watch, the dark horses, the state of the league and the top candidates to reach the championship game in DC Compelling storylines that kept the league interesting during a crowded sports summer. The interval years that aren’t Olympic or World Cup years are often quieter for the NWSL (see: average attendance was essentially flat among the non-expansion teams). In a year with the men’s World Cup on home soil and a major anniversary season for the WNBA, most of the NWSL’s teams gave a solid showing, with close competition for the Shield, an entertaining Golden

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Nottingham Forest’s historic goal drought at home is part of longstanding problem

Oliver Glasner’s side are yet to score at City Ground this season but troubles in front of goal precede his arrival Nottingham Forest and Schalke are yet to score at home in 2026-27. The former are one of only five teams in the history of the English top flight to have failed to score in their first four home league matches. Three of the preceding four also drew a blank in game five, which will be deflating news for Oliver Glasner with Manchester City heading to the City Ground on Saturday looking for a win after consecutive league defeats. Forest’s expected goals total implies they should hav

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Amar Dedic set to escape Newcastle sanction over carrying bow and arrow

Right-back sparked armed police response over incident Expected to start Newcastle’s trip to Fulham on Saturday Newcastle’s Amar Dedic is unlikely to face a club sanction after being spotted holding a bow and arrow in the Northumberland countryside and sparking a major police pursuit involving an armed response unit. Dedic is expected to start Newcastle’s match at Fulham on Saturday following an incident that at one point saw six patrol cars pursue the Bosnia right-back back to his home on the upmarket Darras Hall estate, just outside Ponteland. Continue reading...

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Jobe Bellingham called up by England, Sunderland face jeers and the FA Cup first round: football news – live

⚽ All the latest heading into a busy weekend of football ⚽ Premier League: 10 things to look out for | Mail David Jobe Bellingham and Josh King are the headline names after Thomas Tuchel handed both uncapped midfielders call-ups to his England squad for the Nations League games against Croatia and Spain. Borussia Dortmund’s Bellingham, 21, joins his brother Jude in the senior set-up after impressing as captain of the Under-21s. King’s rise has been just as rapid. The 19-year-old has become a fixture in Fulham’s midfield this season, and his two Premier League goals make him their top league sc

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Win at Everton would put Coventry on right side of history in survival fight

None of the 21 sides who had 12 points after 10 matches, over the past decade, were relegated from the Premier League If Coventry win at Everton on Friday night they will take an enormous stride towards maintaining their Premier League status. That might seem a huge statement with 28 games remaining, but victory would put Frank Lampard’s side on the right side of recent history. For now, they stand on a precipice. Coventry have taken nine points from nine league matches. Eight teams in the previous 10 seasons were in the same position – seven stayed up. The exception, Leicester in 2024-25, wer

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Cape Verde captain Ryan Mendes cleared of rape allegation as woman charged with false statement

New Zealand police dismiss claim of sexual assault at Auckland hotel Incident alleged to have occurred after football friendly in March New Zealand police have dismissed a rape allegation against Cape Verde football captain Ryan Mendes and have charged the accuser with making a false statement. Detective inspector Scott Beard said Friday the claim that a sexual assault occurred at a central Auckland hotel in March had not been substantiated. Continue reading...

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Socceroos urge FA to move Jordan friendly in Middle East due to safety concerns

Australia to face Qatar in Doha before football match in Amman Some players reluctant to travel to region where Asian Cup postponed Socceroos players, via their union, have urged Football Australia to reschedule or relocate their upcoming friendly against Jordan in Amman due to safety concerns. Australia are due to face Qatar in Doha next Saturday AEDT and then Jordan in Amman four days later. Continue reading...

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Lampard appreciation at Everton, Glasner sparking Forest fire, Zubimendi and Kroupi in spotlight and Carrick v Emery Premier League top scorers Nothing better encapsulates the dysfunction that was Everton under Farhad Moshiri than the idea that an unknown vandal with a can of spray paint could influence the club’s managerial direction. “Pereira out, Lampard in” they daubed on a wall at Goodison Park when it appeared Vítor Pereira was in line to replace Rafael Benítez in 2022. Alarmed by fan protests, the Everton board opted instead for Frank Lampard and, while his tenure ended 12 months later

6 Nov

General/The Guardian — Football

Scott Parker’s dramatic West Ham return leaves him struggling for words

The former midfielder with impressive managerial promotion record began with a thrilling comeback in draw at Cardiff Three days in and Scott Parker has already lost his voice. West Ham’s head coach arrived on Tuesday, watched his side fight back from 3-0 down to draw with Cardiff on Wednesday and was struggling to make himself heard when he met the media on Thursday afternoon. “It’s like in the summer holidays,” Parker said. “You put the flip-flops on for five weeks, then you come back home and you get your shoes on. You’re in a minute, you’ve got a blister on the back of your heel. It’s the s

5 Nov