Ovidiu Hațegan

Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (born 14 July 1980) is a Romanian professional football referee who officiates primarily in the Liga I and for FIFA as a FIFA international referee.[1] He is ranked as a UEFA elite category referee.

Ovidiu Hațegan
Hațegan refereeing a Champions League game
Full name Ovidiu Alin Hațegan
Born (1980-07-14) 14 July 1980
Arad, Romania
Other occupation General practice physician
Domestic
Years League Role
2006– Liga I Referee
International
Years League Role
2008– FIFA listed Referee

Football career

Born in Arad, Hațegan became a FIFA referee in 2008.[2] He went to referee at both the UEFA Euro 2012[3][4] and 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns.[5][6][7]

In 2013, UEFA president Michel Platini ordered an internal investigation to ascertain why Hațegan did not apply the protocol for dealing with allegedly racist chants from the crowd during a match at the Arena Khimki between Manchester City and PFC CSKA Moscow.[8] CSKA Moscow was later charged with "racist behavior" for the incident,[9] but Hațegan was absolved of blame.[10]

In August 2016, Hațegan refereed in the men's football tournament at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He refereed two matches during this tournament, including the semifinal between Brazil and Honduras.[11]

On 9 November 2017, he was in charge of the first leg of the 2018 World Cup qualification play-off between Northern Ireland and Switzerland.[12] During this match, he awarded a penalty kick to Switzerland after the ball struck the arm of Northern Irish defender Corry Evans, which was tucked closely against his body. Switzerland scored the penalty kick and would go on to defeat Northern Ireland 1–0 on aggregate, earning qualification to the World Cup. Hațegan later admitted that he was wrong to award the penalty kick, and that this mistake may have played a part in his exclusion from the roster of match officials for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[13]

On 19 November 2018, after being informed at half-time of the UEFA Nations League fixture between Germany and the Netherlands of the death of his mother, and even though he could have legally been replaced, Hațegan chose to continue officiating until the end of the match, which ended 2–2 in Gelsenkirchen and qualified the visiting team to the final four. Visibly distraught, he was consoled after the full whistle by Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk.[14]

Hațegan has refereed at two UEFA European Championships, officiating two group stage games each in the 2016 and 2020 tournaments.[15][16][17][18]

In March 2022, Hațegan suffered a heart attack.[19][20][21] Therefore, he was absent from the field for about a year and a half, but officiating matches as VAR both domestically and abroad, with appreciated interventions[22]. Rated with high chances to participate, he missed also the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Hațegan returned to the field in June 2023, the first official refereed match being after a break of 443 days[23]. The first match in Romanian First League was in July 2023, 494 days away from the last match before the accident.[24] Finally, Hațegan refereed and the first match in European competitions on October 26, 2023 - 588 days since his last European appearance.[25]

Personal life

Hațegan majored in medicine at the Victor Babeș University in Timișoara.[26] He later taught anatomy in English at the Vasile Goldiș Western University in his hometown.[27]

Hațegan married his wife Nicoleta in 2009, with the couple parenting two children.[28]

Refereeing record

UEFA Euro
2016 UEFA EURO – France
DateMatchVenueRound
12 June 2016 Poland –  Northern IrelandNiceGroup stage[15]
22 June 2016 Italy –  Republic of IrelandVilleneuve-d'AscqGroup stage[16]
2020 UEFA EURO – Various
DateMatchVenueRoundScore
14 June 2021 Poland –  SlovakiaSaint PetersburgGroup stage[17]1-2
20 June 2021 Italy –  WalesRomeGroup stage[18]1-0

Summer Olympics
2016 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament – Brazil
DateMatchVenueRound
7 August 2016 Brazil –  IraqBrasíliaGroup stage[29]
17 August 2016 Brazil –  HondurasRio de JaneiroSemi-Final[11]

See also

References
  1. "Arbitrul Ovidiu Haţegan – în categoria Elite a UEFA. "Trebuie să arbitrez mai bine!"" [Referee Ovidiu Haţegan – in UEFA's Elite category. "I have to make better calls!"] (in Romanian). Stirile TV. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  2. "Romania: Referees – Men". FIFA. Archived from the original on June 21, 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  3. "Czech Republic 2–0 Liechtenstein". UEFA. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  4. "Moa avgjorde mot Island" [Moa decided against Iceland]. Siste (in Norwegian). 2 September 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  5. "Mondial 2014: la Suisse bat l'Albanie" [2014 World Cup: Switzerland beat Albania]. Le Journal du Jura (in French). 11 September 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  6. Ruiz, David (22 March 2013). "Mundial 2014: España no pasa del empate ante Finlandia" [2014 World Cup: Spain can only draw against Finland]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  7. Anghel, Iulian (1 April 2015). "Nicolae Rainea a murit. Interviu cu singurul arbitru român care a oficiat la toate marile competiţii ale lumii" [Nicolae Rainea has died. Interview with the only Romanian referee who has attended all of the world's major competitions]. Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  8. Rumsby, Ben (25 October 2013). "Yaya Toure 'racism' referee Ovidiu Hategan to be investigated by Uefa for not stopping match". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  9. agencies, Guardian staff and (2013-10-24). "CSKA Moscow charged with 'racist behaviour' over Yaya Touré chants". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  10. "CSKA punished for Toure racist chants". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  11. Leite, Almir (17 August 2016). "Brasil massacra Honduras por 6 a 0 e jogará por inédito ouro olímpico no futebol" [Brasil hammer Honduras 6 to 0 and will play for first-time Olympic gold in football]. O Estado de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  12. Petrie, Richard (9 November 2017). "Northern Ireland 0–1 Switzerland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  13. "World Cup play-off referee admits error". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  14. Critchley, Mark (20 November 2018). "Virgil van Dijk consoles referee whose mother recently died after Netherlands late draw with Germany". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  15. Jackson, Lyle (12 June 2016). "Poland 1–0 Northern Ireland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  16. Bevan, Chris (22 June 2016). "Italy 0–1 Republic of Ireland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  17. "Poland-Slovakia | UEFA EURO 2020".
  18. "Italy-Wales | UEFA EURO 2020".
  19. "Euro 2020 referee Ovidiu Hategan rushed to hospital after suffering heart attack". The US Sun. 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  20. "Refereeing World: UEFA Elite referee Hategan suffered a heart attack shortly after training". Refereeing World. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  21. "Ovidiu Hațegan a suferit un infarct și a fost operat de urgență la Timișoara!". GSP (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  22. "Clonați-l pe Hațegan la VAR! Procentaj fantastic de greșeli îndreptate în timpul meciurilor din Liga 1". GSP (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  23. "Ovidiu Hațegan revine într-un meci oficial, la 15 luni de la infarctul suferit". www.digisport.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  24. "Ovidiu Hațegan, pregătit să arbitreze primul meci după o pauză de 16 luni". www.digisport.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  25. UEFA.com. "Lugano-Club Brugge | UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  26. Epure, Adrian (22 July 2015). "După 20 de ani, din nou în "Elite". Povestea promovării lui Ovidiu Haţegan printre greii arbitrajului european" [20 years later, again in „Elite”. The story of Ovidiu Haţegan's promotion to Europe's refereeing heavyweights]. Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  27. "VIDEO Hațegan, arbitrul cu Doctorat în medicină, a povestit cum a aflat că a ajuns în categoria "Elite"" [VIDEO Hațegan, referee with Doctorate of medicine, told how he found out he was in the ”Elite” category] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  28. "FOTO Soție de arbitru » Ovidiu Hațegan și misterioasa lui parteneră: imagini HOT pe Facebook" [PHOTO Referee wife » Ovidiu Hațegan and his mysterious partner: HOT pictures on Facebook]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 14 July 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  29. "Brazil on brink of Olympics elimination after Iraq draw". Muslim Times. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
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