Euro 2024 referees: Full list, stats, and history
The European Championship is fast approaching, with the action in Germany set to get underway on June 14 when the hosts face Scotland.
There will be 51 games held during the month-long football competition, which concludes with the final in Berlin on July 14.
This summer, it won’t only be the players and managers in the spotlight. In this article we have taken a deep dive into the Euro24 referees, uncovering their officiating records, the selection process and much more.
If you would like to read some predictions and betting tips about the 2024 European Championship, check out these articles about the tournament:
- Euro 2024 betting offers & free bets
- Euro 2024 predictions and tips
- Euro 2024 odds for the outright winner
- Euro 2024 top scorer prediction
- Euro 2024 winner prediction
Full list of main Euro 2024 referees
UEFA, European football’s governing body, has a Referees’ Committee which selected 19 referees to take charge of the 51 matches set to take place at Euro 2024 this summer. Here is the full list of those officials selected.
- Michael Oliver (England)
- Anthony Taylor (England)
- Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)
- Jesus Gil Manzano (Spain)
- Marco Guida (Italy)
- Istvan Kovacs (Romania)
- Ivan Kruzliak (Slovakia)
- Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
- Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
- Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)
- Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
- Daniele Orsato (Italy)
- Sandro Schärer (Switzerland)
- Daniel Siebert (Germany)
- Clement Turpin (France)
- Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)
- Felix Zwayer (Germany)
- François Letexier (France)
- Facundo Tello (Argentina)
Euro 2024 referees - Stats
The 19 referees selected for Euro 2024 ply their trade in domestic competitions right across the continent (and, in one case, in Argentina).
2023/24 season - referee table
Here's a handy table with some of the more important stats for the 2024/2024 season:
All time stat - referee table
In addition to the latest season, we're also going to provide all-time stats for these referees so you may make smarter betting decisions when deciding where to place your money.
Referee stats - In-depth overview and history
We have taken a closer look at each of the refs chosen, including their tournament experience and the assistants with whom they will work in Germany.
Michael Oliver (England)
- Assistants: Stuart Burt, Dan Cook
- Age: 39
- FIFA Referee Since: 2012
- Major Tournaments: World Cup (2022), U19 Euro (2013), Euro (2020), U20 World Cup (2019), U17 World Cup (2015)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 4.17
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.1
- Direct red cards per game: 0
- Total red cards per game: 0.2
- Penalties per game: 0.2
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 3.18
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.06
- Direct red cards per game: 0.08
- Total red cards per game: 0.14
- Penalties per game: 0.33
Career:
Michael Oliver is an experienced English referee. He took charge of the 2021 FA Cup final between Chelsea and Leicester City and has been deployed in the Champions League since 2016.
Anthony Taylor (England)
- Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
- Age: 45
- FIFA Referee Since 2013
- Major Tournaments: World Cup (2022), U19 Euro (2015), U17 World Cup (2017), Euro (2020)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 4.24
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.08
- Direct red cards per game: 0
- Total red cards per game: 0.08
- Penalties per game: 0.03
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 3.5
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.08
- Direct red cards per game: 0.11
- Total red cards per game: 0.19
- Penalties per game: 0.32
Career:
Anthony Taylor made the decisions in the 2021 Nations League and 2023 Europa League finals. The Englishman is regarded as one of Europe’s top officials.
Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)
- Assistants: Paulo Soares, Pedro Ribeiro
- Age: 44
- FIFA Referee Since: 2010
- Major Tournaments: U17 World Cup (2017), U20 World Cup (2015), U17 Euro (2011)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 4.8
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.12
- Direct red cards per game: 0.08
- Total red cards per game: 0.2
- Penalties per game: 0.44
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.73
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.18
- Direct red cards per game: 0.15
- Total red cards per game: 0.33
- Penalties per game: 0.3
Career:
Artur Soares Dias was the man in the middle for the 2024 Europa Conference League final between Olympiacos and Fiorentina. The Portuguese is one of the oldest Euro 2024 officials at 44.
Jesus Gil Manzano (Spain)
- Assistants: Diego Barbero Sevilla, Angel Nevado Rodriguez
- Age: 40
- FIFA Referee Since 2014
- Major Tournaments: Copa America (2021)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 4.46
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0
- Direct red cards per game: 0.11
- Total red cards per game: 0.11
- Penalties per game: 0.29
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 5.17
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.17
- Direct red cards per game: 0.12
- Total red cards per game: 0.29
- Penalties per game: 0.33
Career:
Jesus Gil Manzano made his La Liga debut in 2012. He once made headlines when Lionel Messi refused to shake his hand after a Barcelona game.
Marco Guida (Italy)
- Assistants: Filippo Meli, Giorgio Peretti
- Age: 42
- FIFA Referee Since: 2014
- Major Tournaments: None
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 3.88
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.04
- Direct red cards per game: 0.04
- Total red cards per game: 0.08
- Penalties per game: 0.4
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.41
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.11
- Direct red cards per game: 0.14
- Total red cards per game: 0.24
- Penalties per game: 0.33
Career:
Although he is 42 years of age, Marco Guida has never refereed at a major international tournament before. Nevertheless, he has done enough to show UEFA that he is ready to be involved this summer.
Istvan Kovacs (Romania)
- Assistants: Vasile Florin Marinescu, Mihai Odiviu Artene
- Age: 39
- FIFA Referee Since 2018
- Major Tournaments: Euro (2020)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 5.12
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.06
- Direct red cards per game: 0.03
- Total red cards per game: 0.17
- Penalties per game: 0.24
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 5.43
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.19
- Direct red cards per game: 0.16
- Total red cards per game: 0.35
- Penalties per game: 0.32
Career:
Istvan Kovacs was involved in Euro 2020, which actually took place in 2021. He has done enough to keep his place in the refereeing line-up for the event in Germany.
Ivan Kruzliak (Slovakia)
- Assistants: Branislav Hancko, Jan Pozor
- Age: 40
- FIFA Referee Since 2011
- Major Tournaments: None
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 4.27
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.03
- Direct red cards per game: 0.1
- Total red cards per game: 0.13
- Penalties per game: 0.3
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.75
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.17
- Direct red cards per game: 0.1
- Total red cards per game: 0.27
- Penalties per game: 0.2
Career:
Ivan Kruzliak, a referee from Slovakia will be among the new faces refereeing this Summer. While he has experience as a referee in World Cup Qualifiers this will be his first major competition.
Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
- Assistants: Hessel Streegstra, Jan de Vries
- Age: 41
- FIFA Referee Since: 2011
- Major Tournaments: U19 Euro (2012), U17 World Cup (2015), U21 Euro (2015), Euro (2020), World Cup (2022)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 3.35
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.09
- Direct red cards per game: 0.03
- Total red cards per game: 0.12
- Penalties per game: 0.18
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 3.31
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.13
- Direct red cards per game: 0.12
- Total red cards per game: 0.25
- Penalties per game: 0.29
Career:
Danny Makkelie refereed several matches at the last European Championship, including the semi-final between England and Germany. When not working as a referee Danny Makkelie is a police inspector.
Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
- Assistants: Tomasz Listkiewicz, Adam Kupsik
- Age: 43
- FIFA Referee Since: 2011
- Major Tournaments: U21 Euro (2015), Euro (2016), World Cup (2018), World Cup (2022), U20 World Cup (2017)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 4.49
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.08
- Direct red cards per game: 0.05
- Total red cards per game: 0.14
- Penalties per game: 0.32
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.07
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.13
- Direct red cards per game: 0.11
- Total red cards per game: 0.24
- Penalties per game: 0.44
Career:
One of the most recognisable referees in the game today, Szymon Marciniak was the decision-maker for the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter. He also took charge of the 2022 World Cup final.
Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)
- Assistants: Mustafa Emre Eyisoy, Kerem Ersoy
- Age: 37
- FIFA Referee Since 2017
- Major Tournaments: U20 World Cup (2023), U21 Euro (2021), U17 Euro (2018)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 5.1
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.24
- Direct red cards per game: 0.24
- Total red cards per game: 0.48
- Penalties per game: 0.43
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.85
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.15
- Direct red cards per game: 0.13
- Total red cards per game: 0.28
- Penalties per game: 0.39
Career:
Halil Umut Meler has been part of the refereeing teams at the Under-21 and Under-17 European Championships, but this will be his debut at the senior edition. He is the only Turkish referee involved this summer.
Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
- Assistants: Mahbod Beigi, Andreas Soderkvist
- Age: 35
- FIFA Referee Since 2016
- Major Tournaments: U21 Euro (2021), U20 World Cup (2023)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 3.47
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.13
- Direct red cards per game: 0.07
- Total red cards per game: 0.2
- Penalties per game: 0.2
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 3
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.06
- Direct red cards per game: 0.06
- Total red cards per game: 0.12
- Penalties per game: 0.17
Career:
Glenn Nyberg, a Swedish referee, was the whistleblower in the Under-20 World Cup final of 2023. As well as Euro 2024, he will be involved in the Olympics later this year.
Daniele Orsato (Italy)
- Assistants: Ciro Carbone, Alessandro Giallatini
- Age: 48
- FIFA Referee Since: 2011
- Major Tournaments: World Cup (2022), Euro (2020), U20 World Cup (2015)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 5
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.24
- Direct red cards per game: 0.08
- Total red cards per game: 0.32
- Penalties per game: 0.2
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.69
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.14
- Direct red cards per game: 0.12
- Total red cards per game: 0.26
- Penalties per game: 0.26
Career:
Daniele Orsato is regularly chosen to referee matches in the latter stages of competitions like the Champions League. He has already announced that he will retire after the European Championship.
Sandro Scharer (Switzerland)
- Assistants: Stephane de Almeida, Bekim Zogaj
- Age: 35
- FIFA Referee Since: 2015
- Major Tournaments: U21 Euro (2021), U19 Euro (2018)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 3.6
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.13
- Direct red cards per game: 0.13
- Total red cards per game: 0.27
- Penalties per game: 0.27
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.26
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.16
- Direct red cards per game: 0.1
- Total red cards per game: 0.27
- Penalties per game: 0.33
Career:
The 36-year-old Sandro Scharer has never been involved in a major competition before. He is one of the least-known officials at Euro 2024, but the Swiss will be looking to impress in Germany.
Daniel Siebert (Germany)
- Assistants: Jan Seidel, Rafael Foltyn
- Age: 39
- FIFA Referee Since: 2015
- Major Tournaments: World Cup (2022), Euro (2020), U20 World Cup (2019)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 4.83
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.14
- Direct red cards per game: 0.07
- Total red cards per game: 0.21
- Penalties per game: 0.28
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 3.99
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.08
- Direct red cards per game: 0.07
- Total red cards per game: 0.15
- Penalties per game: 0.26
Career:
Daniel Siebert will be particularly excited to referee at Euro 2024, which is being held in his native Germany. He officiated three matches at the Euros in 2021.
Clement Turpin (France)
- Assistants: Nicolas Danos, Benjamin Pages
- Age: 41
- FIFA Referee Since 2010
- Major Tournaments: World Cup (2022), Olympics (2016), U21 Euro (2015), U19 Euro (2011), Euro 2020, World Cup (2018), U17 World Cup (2017), Euro (2016)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 3.26
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.07
- Direct red cards per game: 0.19
- Total red cards per game: 0.26
- Penalties per game: 0.22
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 3.19
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.08
- Direct red cards per game: 0.19
- Total red cards per game: 0.27
- Penalties per game: 0.33
Career:
Clement Turpin, a French referee, was the man with the whistle when Liverpool faced Real Madrid in the 2022 Champions League final. He is one of the most famous referees around today.
Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
- Assistants: Tomaz Klancnik, Andraz Kovacic
- Age: 44
- FIFA Referee Since: 2010
- Major Tournaments: World Cup (2022), U17 Euro (2013), U21 Euro (2017), Euro (2020), U20 World Cup (2019), U17 World Cup (2017)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 3.84
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.05
- Direct red cards per game: 0.05
- Total red cards per game: 0.11
- Penalties per game: 0.11
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.18
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.13
- Direct red cards per game: 0.1
- Total red cards per game: 0.24
- Penalties per game: 0.23
Career:
Vincic was chosen to referee the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in May, a game which passed by without major incident.
Felix Zwayer (Germany)
- Assistants: Stefan Lupp, Marco Achmuller
- Age: 42
- FIFA Referee Since: 2012
- Major Tournaments: U20 World Cup (2015)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 4.79
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.07
- Direct red cards per game: 0.07
- Total red cards per game: 0.14
- Penalties per game: 0.24
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.25
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.12
- Direct red cards per game: 0.08
- Total red cards per game: 0.2
- Penalties per game: 0.29
Career:
Felix Zwayer is another German referee who will officiate on home soil this summer. He took a break from refereeing after being involved in a controversial game between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in December 2021.
Francois Letexier (France)
- Assistants: Cyril Mugnier, Mehdi Rahmouni
- Age: 35
- FIFA Referee Since: 2017
- Major Tournaments: U21 Euro (2021), U20 World Cup (2023)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 3.97
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.3
- Direct red cards per game: 0.7
- Total red cards per game: 0.21
- Penalties per game: 0.24
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 3.75
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.11
- Direct red cards per game: 0.16
- Total red cards per game: 0.27
- Penalties per game: 0.35
Career:
Francois Letexier became a Ligue 1 referee at the age of 27. He has continued to progress since then and was in charge of the 2023 UEFA Super Cup involving Sevilla and Manchester City.
Facundo Tello (Argentina)
- Assistants: Gabriel Chade, Ezequiel Brailovsky
- Age: 42
- FIFA Referee Since: 2019
- Major Tournaments: World Cup (2022), U20 South American Championship (2019)
2023/2024 season
- Yellow cards per game: 4.72
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0
- Direct red cards per game: 0.11
- Total red cards per game: 0.11
- Penalties per game: 0.61
All time
- Yellow cards per game: 4.63
- 2nd yellow card per game: 0.2
- Direct red cards per game: 0.18
- Total red cards per game: 0.38
- Penalties per game: 0.25
Career:
The only non-European referee involved this summer, Facundo Tello took charge of games at the World Cup in Qatar 18 months ago. His call-up for the Euros is part of a cooperation deal between UEFA and CONMEBOL.
Full list of Euro 2024 support match officials
In addition to the 19 referees called up to work at the European Championship, the latest news states that UEFA has chosen 12 support match officials. These men (no women have been selected) will serve as fourth officials or reserve assistant referees. The full list of names is below.
- Irfan Peljto (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Senad Ibrisimbegovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Donatas Rumsas (Lithuania)
- Aleksandr Radius (Lithuania)
- Serdar Gozubuyuk (Netherlands)
- Johan Balder (Netherlands)
- Espen Eskas (Norway)
- Jan Erik Engan (Norway)
- Rade Obrenovic (Sweden)
- Jure Praprotnik (Sweden)
- Mykola Balakin (Ukraine)
- Oleksandr Berkut (Ukraine)
Englishmen referees at Euro 2024
In total, there will be eight English officials involved at Euro 2024. Premier League refereeing standards have come under fire in recent months - in large part due to the use of VAR - but the UEFA Referees’ Committee has chosen the following Englishmen to work at the upcoming tournament.
- Michael Oliver
- Stuart Burt
- Dan Cook
- Anthony Taylor
- Gary Beswick
- Adam Nunn
- Stuart Atwell
- David Coote
VARs (video assistant referees) in Euro 2024
The video assistant referee (VAR) system debuted at Euro 2020 and will be in place again at this year’s tournament. It gives the on-field referee more information than he would have otherwise.
Three video match officials will be assigned to each game. Their job is to review the on-field referee’s decisions with the aid of television replays. They can then advise the referee to reconsider his original decision, but the final word belongs to the on-field official. In theory, at least, interventions are only made for “clear and obvious errors”.
The full list of video assistant referees picked for Euro 2024 can be found below.
- Stuart Attwell (England)
- David Coote (England)
- Jerome Brisard (France)
- Willy Delajod (France)
- Bastian Dankert (Germany)
- Christian Dingert (Germany)
- Marco Fritz (Germany)
- Massimiliano Irrati (Italy)
- Paolo Valeri (Italy)
- Rob Dieperink (Netherlands)
- Pol van Boekel (Netherlands)
- Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)
- Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland)
- Tiago Martins (Portugal)
- Catalin Popa (Romania)
- Nejc Kajtazovic (Slovenia)
- Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez (Spain)
- Juan Martinez Munuera (Spain)
- Fedayi San (Switzerland)
- Alper Ulusoy (Turkey)
How are UEFA Euro 2024 referees selected?
The 19 referees chosen for Euro 2024 were picked by the UEFA Referees’ Committee. Prominent officials from across Europe had their performances analysed by experts throughout the 2023/24 club season, culminating in their selection for the event in Germany.
"UEFA EURO 2024 is the pinnacle of European national team football with the best football teams competing and that’s why we have selected the best referees to officiate these matches,” said Roberto Rosetti, the head of the aforementioned committee.
“All chosen referees have performed consistently to the highest standards in UEFA’s top competitions, and also in their domestic competitions. They have prepared exceptionally well to be in this position and we have full confidence in them to show their quality at the final tournament.”
The role and responsibilities of referees
Without referees, there would be no football. It is regrettable that officials today are often subjected to abuse from players, coaches, fans and social media users. It is a difficult job and referees deserve more respect from everyone who cares about the most popular sport in the world.
To all intents and purposes, a referee’s primary role is to apply the laws of the game to the match they are in charge of. This involves awarding free-kicks and penalties when offences are committed, signalling for goal-kicks, corners and throw-ins when the ball is out of play, and showing yellow and red cards when appropriate.
Referees are helped by two assistants on the touchlines and the fourth official in the dugout. When the video assistant referee believes the referee has made a “clear and obvious error”, he invites the official to review his decision with the aid of television replays.
To encourage fair play and mutual respect between players and officials, the team captain will have key decisions explained to him by the referee. UEFA hopes that this innovation will improve the image of the game.
Euro 2024 referee fees
The officials involved at Euro 2024 will be paid on a per-game basis. The table below illustrates how much money the referees, assistant referees, fourth officials and video assistant referees receive.
| Function | Group match | Knock-out phase | Total payout |
| Referee | € 5.000 | € 10.000 | € 300.000 |
| Assistant | € 2.500 | € 5.000 | € 150.000 |
| Fourth official | € 2.500 | € 5.000 | € 150.000 |
| VAR | € 3.000 | € 5.000 | € 175.000 |
Notable referees in Euro history
Refereeing is a thankless task. Officials are expected to get every major decision right and they tend to be criticised much more than they are praised.
There are exceptions, though. Here are three notable referees from the history of the European Championship.
Pierluigi Collina (Italy)
A referee with a no-nonsense manner who was full of confidence and always in full control of the fixtures he oversaw, Pierluigi Collina is widely regarded as the best referee in football history. The Italian man was involved in a series of matches at the European Championships in 2000 and 2004, and his performances were often given full marks.
Markus Merk (Germany)
Markus Merk called the shots in the opening game of Euro 2000 and the final of Euro 2004. A dentist away from the football field, the German was recognised as one of the top-quality referees by UEFA throughout his career in the game. His approach to refereeing was popular with virtually every player, whether a goalkeeper or outfield player.
Arthur Ellis (England)
Arthur Ellis belonged to the first generation of referees who became household names. He was in the centre of the pitch for the first ever European Championship final in 1960, when the Soviet Union beat Yugoslavia 2-1. The English official also worked at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 World Cups.
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FAQ
How many referees will be officiating in Euro 2024?
Nineteen referees have been called up to officiate at Euro 2024. Each referee works with two assistant referees, a fourth official, a reserve assistant referee at the stadium, and a team of three video match officials.
Is there an age limit for referees in Euro 2024?
To take charge of a Euro 2024 match, referees must have been at least 25 years old on January 1. There is no longer an upper age limit, although officials regularly undergo technical and physical assessments to ensure they are still up to the job.
Which referee gives out the most red cards?
Of the 19 officials set to work at Euro 2024, Halil Umut Meler of Turkey averages the most red cards per game at 0.48. Many will see that as a sign that he is not shy in sending players off.
Will VAR be used in Euro 2024?
For the second edition of the tournament in a row, VAR will be used at Euro 2024. Not everyone is content with the system, but regardless of the rights and wrongs VAR is not going anywhere.
Each video assistant referee will work closely with two assistant video assistant referees and three video operators. UEFA has overseen the construction of four video operations rooms in Leipzig that will be used throughout the competition. That ensures there will be links between the VAR team and the match officials at all times. In most cases, English will be the language of communication between them.
The Var and the referee do not always see eye to eye. When such instances occur, the latter makes the final decision.
Read more about Copa America 2024
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
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