Peter Fröjdfeldt
Encyclopedia
Peter Fröjdfeldt is a top Swedish
football
referee. Originally a first division bandy
player, he started refereeing in 1992 after his father-in-law
asked him to referee a match in a minor league. He moved up to the highest Swedish league, the Allsvenskan
in 1997, and obtained his FIFA
badge in 2001. Fröjdfeldt has a friendly disposition while refereeing, and his refereeing style has been described as calm and allowing the game to flow.
A relative latecomer to international refereeing, he was in the shadows of fellow countryman and colleague Anders Frisk
for many years until Frisk's abrupt retirement in 2005. He was voted best referee in Sweden in 2005, and also works as a stadium
director
outside refereeing, and enjoys family life and golf.
Fröjdfeldt officiated six games during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
in the Europe
an (UEFA
) zone.
He retired internationally after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 45 in 2008.
, one of the biggest appointments for a UEFA referee.
and Austria
, his first and only major tournament, as he would have passed the mandatory retirement age of 45 by the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
.
At the tournament, Fröjdfeldt was the referee for:
striker
Ruud van Nistelrooy
to stand, after van Nistelrooy appeared to be in an offside
position when scoring: Italy's Christian Panucci
had gone off behind his goal earlier after a collision with his goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon
, and when van Nistelrooy scored there appeared to be only Buffon in between van Nistelrooy and the goal.
Fröjdfeldt and his assistant referee
, Stefan Wittberg, ruled however that Panucci was still an active player in the game, even though he was behind his goal and off the field, and was to be technically considered standing on the goalline, inadvertently playing van Nistelrooy onside instead.
Initial reactions from many football pundits on television were either unsure about or critical of Fröjdfeldt's decision, with many deciding Fröjdfeldt and his assistant referee Wittberg had made an error. UEFA came out in support of Fröjdfeldt in a news conference, where UEFA General Secretary David Taylor
announced that the Swedish officials had correctly interpreted Law 11 regarding offsides in football, and had awarded the goal correctly.
. Turkey coach Fatih Terim
admitted after the match that [Bok] Fröjdfeldt had been right to dismiss Volkan.
's goal to stand, after Ballack appeared to have pushed Portugal's Paulo Ferreira
when scoring the goal. Evening papers in Fröjdfeldt's native Sweden were critical of his decision.
For the Final match
he was the Fourth official
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee. Originally a first division bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
player, he started refereeing in 1992 after his father-in-law
Father-in-law
A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship...
asked him to referee a match in a minor league. He moved up to the highest Swedish league, the Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
in 1997, and obtained his 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...
badge in 2001. Fröjdfeldt has a friendly disposition while refereeing, and his refereeing style has been described as calm and allowing the game to flow.
A relative latecomer to international refereeing, he was in the shadows of fellow countryman and colleague Anders Frisk
Anders Frisk
Anders Frisk is an insurance agent by trade and a former football referee. Frisk chose to go into early retirement from refereeing due to pressure from death threats made against him and his family. These death threats were made by Chelsea fans because Frisk sent off Didier Drogba in the first...
for many years until Frisk's abrupt retirement in 2005. He was voted best referee in Sweden in 2005, and also works as a stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
director
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
outside refereeing, and enjoys family life and golf.
Fröjdfeldt officiated six games during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
in the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an (UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
) zone.
He retired internationally after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 45 in 2008.
2008 UEFA Cup Final
Fröjdfeldt was placed in charge of the 2008 UEFA Cup Final2008 UEFA Cup Final
The 2008 UEFA Cup Final was the 37th final of the UEFA Cup, UEFA's second tier club football tournament. The match was played at the City of Manchester Stadium, home ground of Manchester City F.C., in Manchester, England, at 20:45 CEST on 14 May 2008.The match was contested by Zenit St. Petersburg...
, one of the biggest appointments for a UEFA referee.
Euro 2008
Fröjdfeldt was selected to referee at UEFA Euro 2008 in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, his first and only major tournament, as he would have passed the mandatory retirement age of 45 by the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
At the tournament, Fröjdfeldt was the referee for:
- Group C game between NetherlandsNetherlands national football teamThe Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
and ItalyItaly national football teamThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
; - Group A game between TurkeyTurkey national football teamThe Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
and the Czech RepublicCzech Republic national football teamThe Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
; - Quarter-final match between PortugalPortugal national football teamThe Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and GermanyGermany national football teamThe Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
.
Group C: Netherlands vs. Italy
Fröjdfeldt was involved in a major controversy during the game, after he allowed a goal from DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
to stand, after van Nistelrooy appeared to be in an offside
Offside (football)
Offside is a law in football which states that if a player is in an offside position when the ball is touched or played by a teammate, he may not become actively involved in the play...
position when scoring: Italy's Christian Panucci
Christian Panucci
Christian Panucci is a retired Italian footballer. He was a member of the Italian national team. Panucci is a right back, but can also play as a centre back.-Early career:...
had gone off behind his goal earlier after a collision with his goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history...
, and when van Nistelrooy scored there appeared to be only Buffon in between van Nistelrooy and the goal.
Fröjdfeldt and his assistant referee
Assistant referee (association football)
In association football, an assistant referee is one of several officials who assist the referee in controlling a match. Two officials, traditionally known as linesmen , stand on the touchlines, while a fourth official assists administrative or other match related tasks as directed by the referee...
, Stefan Wittberg, ruled however that Panucci was still an active player in the game, even though he was behind his goal and off the field, and was to be technically considered standing on the goalline, inadvertently playing van Nistelrooy onside instead.
Initial reactions from many football pundits on television were either unsure about or critical of Fröjdfeldt's decision, with many deciding Fröjdfeldt and his assistant referee Wittberg had made an error. UEFA came out in support of Fröjdfeldt in a news conference, where UEFA General Secretary David Taylor
David Taylor (Scottish football)
David Taylor is the joint General Secretary of the UEFA.Taylor was appointed to this role on June 1, 2007 after the UEFA extraordinary congress in Zurich on May 29, 2007 voted to replace the role of Chief Executive with that of General Secretary...
announced that the Swedish officials had correctly interpreted Law 11 regarding offsides in football, and had awarded the goal correctly.
"The goal was correctly awarded by the referee team. There is a lack of understanding among the general football public and it is understandable because it is an unusual situation.
The player was not offside because in addition to the Italian goalkeeper [Buffon] there was another defender [Panucci] in front of the goalscorer. Even though that player had fallen off the pitch, his position was still relevant for the purposes of the offside law. [He] is still considered part of the game. If we did not have this interpretation then what could happen is the defending team could step off the pitch to play offside and that is clearly unacceptable.
We have to have the laws as simple as possible for the referee to interpret and for tactical use... if you introduce other interpretations. As a defender you're in play unless you have permission to be off the field."
-- David Taylor, UEFA General Secretary
Group A: Turkey vs. Czech Republic
A 3-2 comeback win by Turkey was marred by the sending off of their goalkeeper Volkan Demirel near the end of the game, when Fröjdfeldt showed him a red card for a violent push on opponent Jan KollerJan Koller
Jan Koller is Czech footballer currently playing in AFK Smetanova Lhota.As an international player he played as a striker for the Czech Republic national team. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for either the Czech Republic or the former Czechoslovakia, with 55 goals in 91 caps...
. Turkey coach Fatih Terim
Fatih Terim
Fatih Terim, Commendatore OSSI, is a Turkish football former player and manager. Terim was born in Adana, Turkey to Nuriye and Talat Terim. His father, Talat, is a Turkish Cypriot who emigrated to Turkey....
admitted after the match that [Bok] Fröjdfeldt had been right to dismiss Volkan.
Quarter Final: Germany vs. Portugal
In the quarter final match between Germany and Portugal, Fröjdfeldt was also involved in some lesser controversy. He allowed Michael BallackMichael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern...
's goal to stand, after Ballack appeared to have pushed Portugal's Paulo Ferreira
Paulo Ferreira
Paulo Renato Rebocho Ferreira is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Chelsea as a defender. However, in his recent years, Ferreira has been noted to play as an attacking forward, in which he is famous for his through balls out to the wingers and/or striker-Early career:He started his career in...
when scoring the goal. Evening papers in Fröjdfeldt's native Sweden were critical of his decision.
For the Final match
UEFA Euro 2008 Final
The UEFA Euro 2008 Final was a football match that took place on 29 June 2008 at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria, to determine the winner of the UEFA Euro 2008. Spain defeated Germany 1–0 with a goal from Fernando Torres...
he was the Fourth official