Andre El Haddad
Encyclopedia
Andre El Haddad (born 8 February 1971 in Zahle
, Lebanon
) is a FIFA
registered referee since 2007.
He has officiated several international and continental competitions, most notably the controversial 2014 World Cup Qualifiers third round match between China and Singapore.
AFC Champions League
Andre El Haddad started officiating AFC Champions League
matches in the 2010/2011 season. He has officiated 4 matches to date, giving out a total of 20 yellow cards.
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
Andre El Haddad was the referee for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification third round
between China
and Singapore
held on 2 September 2011. He had a good first-half performance with Singapore taking a one goal lead. However, the referee came into the second period making several controversial decisions. Amidst many dubious calls largely in favour of the home side, the referee awarded China a penalty in the 57th minute when a Chinese striker and the Singapore goalkeeper, Lionel Lewis, collided after the Chinese striker had gotten to the ball first and headed the ball wide of an open goal. The referee still awarded the penalty but it was saved by Lewis.
Ten minutes later, a Chinese player ran into the box and fell after being held at the shoulder by the Singaporean defender. However the Singapore side claims that there this contact was not the true cause of the Chinese defender falling to the ground. This matter is still heatedly debated among both sides. Andre El Haddad then awarded the home team a controversial second penalty which they scored from. With the score at 1-1, Singapore striker Aleksandar Duric got into the box and past a Chinese player before being tripped from behind. It seemed like a penalty on the television screen but no penalty was awarded, and the Singapore coach, Radojko Avramović
, was banished to the stands after he approached the main pitch in protest with the referee. China went on to win 2-1.
After the match, he was heavily criticized by both Singaporean and Chinese press. The referee's integrity has since been brought into questioning and there are numerous online petitions for FIFA to investigate the match.
Zahlé
Zahlé is the capital and largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 50,000 inhabitants, it is the fourth largest city in Lebanon, after Beirut, Tripoli and Jounieh...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
) is a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
registered referee since 2007.
He has officiated several international and continental competitions, most notably the controversial 2014 World Cup Qualifiers third round match between China and Singapore.
AFC Champions LeagueAFC Champions LeagueThe AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
Andre El Haddad started officiating AFC Champions LeagueAFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
matches in the 2010/2011 season. He has officiated 4 matches to date, giving out a total of 20 yellow cards.
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)The Asian Football Confederation section of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification sees teams competing for berths in the final tournament in Brazil...
controversy
Andre El Haddad was the referee for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification third round2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Third Round
This page provides the summaries of the AFC Third Round matches for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.-Format:In this round the fifteen winners from the second round joined the five AFC sides seeded 1–5 in the AFC World Cup rankings...
between China
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...
and Singapore
Singapore national football team
The Singapore national football team is the national association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organization of the Football Association of Singapore...
held on 2 September 2011. He had a good first-half performance with Singapore taking a one goal lead. However, the referee came into the second period making several controversial decisions. Amidst many dubious calls largely in favour of the home side, the referee awarded China a penalty in the 57th minute when a Chinese striker and the Singapore goalkeeper, Lionel Lewis, collided after the Chinese striker had gotten to the ball first and headed the ball wide of an open goal. The referee still awarded the penalty but it was saved by Lewis.
Ten minutes later, a Chinese player ran into the box and fell after being held at the shoulder by the Singaporean defender. However the Singapore side claims that there this contact was not the true cause of the Chinese defender falling to the ground. This matter is still heatedly debated among both sides. Andre El Haddad then awarded the home team a controversial second penalty which they scored from. With the score at 1-1, Singapore striker Aleksandar Duric got into the box and past a Chinese player before being tripped from behind. It seemed like a penalty on the television screen but no penalty was awarded, and the Singapore coach, Radojko Avramović
Radojko Avramovic
Radojko Avramović is the current national team coach of the Singapore national football team...
, was banished to the stands after he approached the main pitch in protest with the referee. China went on to win 2-1.
After the match, he was heavily criticized by both Singaporean and Chinese press. The referee's integrity has since been brought into questioning and there are numerous online petitions for FIFA to investigate the match.