SC Freiburg v West Ham United
UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg, Stadion am Wolfswinkel, Thursday 7 March 2024, 9pm CET (8pm GMT)
Referee: Alejandro Hernández (ESP)
Assistant Referees: José Naranjo (ESP) and Pau Cebrián Devís (ESP)
Fourth Official: José Luis Munuera (ESP)
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant VAR: Cesar Soto Grado (ESP)
The match officials for the UEFA Europa League round of 16 first-leg tie away at SC Freiburg on Thursday evening have been confirmed.
A full Spanish contingent will be led by Alejandro Hernández, who has been a FIFA referee since 2014.
The 41-year-old was born in Arrecife, the capital city and a municipality of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, and has been refereeing since the 2004/05 campaign.
He has taken charge of over 400 matches at both domestic and international levels, including four El Clásicos between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
He has never refereed a West Ham match, but did serve as the Assistant Video Assistant Referee in last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League final against ACF Fiorentina, which of course ended in a dramatic 2-1 victory.
In 2021/22, Hernández led the VAR duties during the Hammers’ 1-0 second-leg defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, that confirmed the Club’s exit from the Europa League at the semi-final stage.
Earlier this term, he was the man in the middle as Newcastle United fell 2-0 away at Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League group-stage.
Hernández will be assisted at the Stadion am Wolfswinkel by compatriots José Naranjo and Pau Cebrián Devís.
Both regularly run the line at an elite level, with Naranjo having held assistant duties in La Liga 68 times, and Cebrián Devís on 92 occasions. The latter worked in three FIFA 2022 World Cup games, including the clash involving England’s group-stage opponents Iran and the USA.
José Luis Munuera is set to be the fourth official. The 40-year-old has refereed 13 fixtures in the Spanish top-flight this season, as well as a Europa Conference League qualifier between Adana Demirspor and KRC Genk.
Finally, the man who refereed West Ham’s aforementioned Europa Conference League triumph, Carlos del Cerro Grande, will oversee Video Assistant Referee duties.
During his storied career, the Madrid native has also taken charge of the 2015/16 Copa del Rey and 2018/19 Spanish Supercopa finals, both of which were won by Barcelona.
West Ham United v Burnley
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 10 March 2024, 2pm GMT
Referee: Darren England
Assistant Referees: Ian Hussin and Shaun Hudson
Fourth Official: Graham Scott
VAR: Andrew Madley
Assistant VAR: Neil Davies
West Ham will return to Premier League action three days after the Freiburg clash, at home to Burnley, with Darren England having been confirmed as the referee for that game.
The 38-year-old has been a part of Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s (PGMOL) Select Group One since the start of the 2020/21 season.
He has two showpiece finals under his belt, refereeing the 2016/17 EFL League Two Play-Off final between Blackpool and Exeter City, which Blackpool won 2-1, and the 2018/19 FA Youth Cup final, which Liverpool won by beating Manchester City on penalties.
This season has seen England referee in both Champions League qualifying and Europa Conference League qualifying, and six times in the Premier League.
In total, he has been the man in the middle at five Irons games, most recently in the FA Cup defeat at Bristol City in January.
Ian Hussin and Shaun Hudson will serve as the assistant referees at London Stadium.
Hussin in particular is well versed in the Premier League, with 227 matches to his name, including 23 involving West Ham. Hudson has only ran the line in the Premier League twice before, but carries over 275-games’ worth of EFL Championship experience.
Graham Scott will work as the fourth official on Sunday.
The 55-year-old refereed the Irons’ 1-1 draw with Bristol City in the FA Cup in January, as well as the 2-0 Premier League win over Sheffield United in late September.
Video Assistant Referee duties are set to be overseen by Andy Madley. The experienced whistler refereed West Ham’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester United last month, and the 3-1 loss at home to Manchester City in September.
