Euro 2016 Odds: Referees and Match Officials

Like it or not, referees will have a significant impact on how Euro 2016 plays out. Check out our referee profiles as you dig into your tournament handicapping.

Referees may have the most thankless job in sports, but it’s one we couldn’t do without. This year at Euro 2016, referees will undoubtedly be in the spotlight and that’s just where they should be with your tournament handicapping too.

While all refs will claim to be completely impartial, remember they’re human too, with personalities and tendencies just like everyone else. As much as they might try to call a game straight down the middle, it doesn’t always end up that way in the heat of battle on the pitch.

That’s why we took a look at each of the referees on the Euro 2016 schedule. Take a look at the refs working each game and compare that to our Euro 2016 match odds. You might find a betting angle you can run with.

Euro 2016 Referees List

Name	Nationality	No. Int. Matches	No. Yellow Cards	No. of Red Cards	No. of Penalties
Martin Atkinson	English	97	416	13	19
Felix Brych	German	96	348	23	28
Cuneyt Cakir	Turkey	110	440	22	33
Mark Clattenburg	English	91	348	12	13
William 'Willie' Collum	Scotland	92	383	25	25
Jonas Eriksson	Sweden	116	416	19	18
Ovidiu Hategan	Romania	67	298	14	15
Sergei Karasev	Russia	57	183	13	20
Viktor Kassai	Hungary	118	511	20	31
Pavel Kralovec	Czech Republic	99	385	16	19
Bjorn Kuipers	Holland	105	408	22	29
Szymon Marciniak	Poland	52	194	14	17
Milorad Mazic	Serbia	86	385	21	24
Svein Moen	Norway	96	341	16	17
Nicola Rizzoli	Italy	99	396	11	30
Damir Skomina	Solvenia	118	498	26	24
Clement Turpin	France	52	190	15	18
Carlos Velasco Carballo	Spain	77	291	7	29

Martin Atkinson

If Martin Atkinson and British Prime Minister David Cameron went out to lunch, it should be Atkinson who reaches for the bill. The veteran Premier League official earn £150,650 during the 2014-15 campaign, £8,150 more than PM Cameron, who takes home £142,500 annually.

Felix Brych

Players looking to get on his good side could refer to him as “Dr. Felix Brych.” Outside of officiating, Brych is a doctor of Law after completing his doctorate about sports.

Cüneyt Çakir

What does Cakir have against The Three Lions? He has sent off five players of English teams already in his career patrolling the pitch.

Mark Clattenburg

Clattenburg got the call to man the whistle in the 2016 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. He is also fully qualified electrician.

William ‘Willie’ Collum

Players will want to mind their manners around this referee. Collum, who has 91 international matches under his belt, also had a career as the principal teacher of the Religious Education department at Cardinal Newman High School, Bellshill.

Jonas Eriksson

Eriksson truly referees for the love of the game. He earned £6 million when he sold his share of a sports media agency, so he isn’t into football officiating for the money.

Ovidiu Hategan

The only Romanian referee in Euro 2016 isn’t afraid to show yellow cards. He issues an average of 4.45 yellows in his international matches.

Sergei Karasev

Karasev is the only Russian official at Euro 2016.

Viktor Kassai

Kassai could have given England a break during the group stage at Euro 2012. He disallowed a Ukrainian goal even though TV re-plays showed the ball crossed the line. Might he have a soft spot for England?

Pavel Královec

Kralovec won’t have any problems keeping up with the players at Euro 2016. His personal best for the Cooper test is 3.35KM.

Björn Kuipers

It may not be the cover of the Rolling Stone, but Kuipers was on the cover of the 2014-2015 FIFA Laws of the Game.

Szymon Marciniak

Marciniak was the head referee at the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Final and is the only Polish official at Euro 2016.

Milorad Mažić

Well it can only get better from here, right? Mazic was voted the worst referee at the 2014 World Cup.

Svein Moen

You’ll see Moen again as a part of the team refereeing this year’s Europa League final.

Nicola Rizzoli

Rizzoli isn’t afraid of the limelight. At the 2014 World Cup Final, this ref infamously styled his hair after catching glimpse of himself on the big screen.

Damir Skomina

Time for a change of scenery? Skomina lost is FIFA badge and after it turned up at a hotel, his home address also appeared on a web forum on the internet.

Clément Turpin

He is the youngest person in France to ever get the FIFA badge. He is now 34 as he puts on his boots for Euro 2016.

Carlos Velasco Carballo

Carballo doesn’t have a lot of patience. He issued an average of six yellow cards per match in Spain.

*all stats and referee images compiled from http://worldreferee.com/.

Euro 2016 Odds

France and Germany opened as co-favourites but recent betting action puts France at the top of the Euro 2016 outright odds board with Germany close behind. France is listed at +300 to win the tournament, with Germany at +340.