Referees

Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi will become the first female official to take charge of a Serie A match when Sassuolo host Salernitana on Sunday, the Italian Referees' Association (AIA) said.

Ferrieri Caputi became the first woman to officiate a top-level Italian match last year when Cagliari played Cittadella in the Coppa Italia. She joined Serie A's officiating team in July.

"This is a historic moment," AIA president Alfredo Trentalange told a news conference on Wednesday.

Sophia Smith called out NWSL’s continuously awful officiating on Tuesday after the referees missed a clear foul on her in the Portland Thorns’ game vs. Kansas City Current game from Sunday. In the second half of Sunday’s game Smith was taken down in the box with a dangerous tackle from behind.

No foul was called, and one Twitter user posted the highlight asking how nothing was given from the referee. Smith responded, too.

It doesn't seem fair to even call it a tackle. A more apt description would be “murder attempt.” Wolves found itself behind early against Manchester City, but center back Nathan Collins almost killed Man City winger Jack Grealish with a ridiculous challenge, as City cruised to a 3-0 win. 

Wolves Red Card — Nathan Collins Horror Tackle On Jack Grealish

A straight red card to Nathan Collins for this foul on Jack Grealish. Wolves are down to 10 men.

In what looked to be an unassuming clash between Italian giant Juventus and newly promoted Salernitana, VAR got all the headlines for all the wrong reasons. A 2-2 draw saw both sides take a point away from the match, but the Turin-based club will feel hard done after new images came out revealing the officiating crew made an appalling mistake, costing Juve two points.

The Premier League has asked referees' body PGMOL to review the decisions made by video assistant referees (VAR) in Chelsea's 2-1 win over West Ham and Newcastle United's goalless draw with Crystal Palace, British media reported on Sunday.

Chelsea defeated West Ham 2-1 on Saturday and narrowly escaped Stamford Bridge with three points. The Hammers thought they had tied the game at 2-2 in the 90th minute when Maxwel Cornet buried a shot into the Chelsea net.

A VAR review decided that Jarrod Bowen’s collision with Chelsea keeper Édouard Mendy moments before Cornet’s goal was enough to wipe away the goal.

Chelsea West Ham VAR Review

West Ham denied a point after VAR witness this violent foul committed by Jarod Bowen

A youth soccer match at the Graham County Fairgrounds in Safford, Arizona, ended with deputies being called to the scene after multiple reports of a parent tackling the referee before his 17-year-old son threatened the official with gun violence. 

According to witnesses, the referee was separating two players who were fighting on the field when the suspect, identified as Michael W. Goodwin, told the ref not to touch his son and tackled him.