Michael Oliver to referee 2022 UEFA Super Cup; Semi-Automated Offside Technology to be introduced

The UEFA Referees Committee has appointed England's Michael Oliver to referee the 2022 UEFA Super Cup between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt at Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Wednesday 10 August.

The 37-year-old official has been an international referee since 2012, and officiates regularly at UEFA club competition and international matches. He was also selected as a referee for UEFA EURO 2020, where he took charge of three matches, including the quarter-final between Switzerland and Spain.

Oliver will be assisted by countrymen Stuart Burt and Simon Bennett. Lithuania's Donatas Rumšas will act as the fourth official. The VAR role has been assigned to Poland's Tomasz Kwiatkowski and he will be assisted by his fellow countryman Bartosz Frankowski, as well as Portugal's Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins.

Semi-Automated Offside Technology

UEFA is proud to announce that Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) will premiere in European club competitions at the UEFA Super Cup. Furthermore, SAOT will also be used as of the group stage in the upcoming UEFA Champions League season.

"UEFA is constantly looking for new technological solutions to improve the game and support the work of the referees," said UEFA chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti. "This innovative system will allow VAR teams to determine offside situations quickly and more accurately, enhancing the flow of the game and the consistency of the decisions."

The new system will operate thanks to specialised cameras which are able to track 29 different body points per player. A total of 188 tests have been performed since 2020, including all matches in last season's Champions League, the knockout stage of the UEFA Women's Champions League, and the complete UEFA Women's EURO 2022 final tournament, as well as the other club competition finals.

2022 UEFA Super Cup refereeing team

Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Assistants: Stuart Burt (England), Simon Bennett (England)
4th official: Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania)
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland)
VAR assistants: Bartosz Frankowski (Poland), Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins (Portugal)