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Dalibor DurdevicAssistant Referee of the Serbian International Football Association
Date of Birth: 25.03.1973
Country:  Serbia |
Content:
- Assistant Referee, Serbian International Football Association
- Refereeing Career
- Transition to Assistant Referee
- Joining Majic's Team
- FIFA U-20 World Cup, Turkey
- 2014 FIFA World Cup
- 2014-2016
- Euro 2016
- UEFA Super Cup 2016
- 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Final
- 2018 Champions League Final
- 2018 FIFA World Cup
- Last Matches with the Team (2018-2019)
- VAR / AVAR
- Serbian Eternal Derby
- Referee Education and Humanitarian Work
Assistant Referee, Serbian International Football Association
Dalibor Djurdjevic is an Assistant Referee with the Serbian International Football Association. He received his FIFA Assistant Referee license in 2011.
Refereeing Career
Early CareerDjurdjevic began his refereeing career in 1994 and obtained his National Referee badge within three years. He spent 10 years (1999-2009) in the First Serbian League. Notably, during this time, he officiated 126 matches with a whistle (as a central referee) and even debuted in the Serbian Super League in 2004.
Transition to Assistant Referee
In 2009, Djurdjevic transitioned to the role of Assistant Referee and was soon placed on FIFA's International Assistant Referees list. He later credited this decision as the most important in his career.
Joining Majic's Team
He joined Milorad Majic's team in 2012 and, along with FIFA Assistant Referee Milovan Ristic, became an indispensable member. He praised Majic's leadership and team vision, believing that working together they would achieve great things.
FIFA U-20 World Cup, Turkey
The entire team moved into the UEFA Elite category and was invited to the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey, where they officiated two matches: Colombia vs. Australia 1-1 (Hussein Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, June 22, 2013) and Nigeria vs. Uruguay 1-2 at the Türk Telekom Arena, Istanbul, July 2, 2013).
2014 FIFA World Cup
As part of Milorad Majic's refereeing team, Dalibor Djurdjevic officiated the group stage match between Germany and Portugal in Salvador, Bahia, where Pepe head-butted Thomas Muller and Germany won 4-0.
Their second match between Argentina and Iran (1-0) was their last at that tournament. There was much discussion in football and refereeing circles regarding an incident in the 58th minute of the match.
This World Cup became the team's first significant professional lesson.
2014-2016
As part of the refereeing team, they were responsible for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match in March 2015 between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus and the first quarterfinal match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. They also officiated the return leg semi-final match between FC Dnipro and SSC Napoli in the Europa League semi-final.
In July 2015, the Egyptian Football Association requested the team to officiate the country's biggest league derby in Cairo between city rivals Al-Ahly and Zamalek.
They were appointed in February 2016 to referee the UEFA Europa League knockout tie between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford before 75,180 spectators.
Euro 2016
UEFA's Referees Committee appointed the Serbian referee team led by Majic to officiate matches at the Euro 2016 in France. The Serbian referee team was assigned for the first time to referee the group stage match between Ireland and Sweden at the Stade de France in Paris on June 13, which ended 1-1.
They officiated Group D match between Spain and Turkey on June 17 at Allianz Riviera in Nice, where Spain won 3-0.
In the following stage of the cup, the Serbian team was assigned to officiate the Round of 16 match between Hungary and Belgium at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse, which the Belgians won 4-0.
UEFA Super Cup 2016
Fresh from their successful performance at UEFA EURO 2016, the UEFA Referees Committee appointed Majic, Ristic, and Djurdjevic to what was arguably the most prestigious appointment of their careers (at that time). The 2016 UEFA Super Cup between Real Madrid FC and Sevilla FC at Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim, Norway, which Real won 3-2 after extra time.
Djurdjevic described this match as one of the most challenging of his career, where the entire team had to make some big and difficult decisions, such as the 90th-minute goal from a "blindside" that brought Real into extra time. All of these needed to be made without the Video Assistant Referee system (this would only be introduced the next year when VAR was used in UEFA).
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Final
FIFA also extended credit to this refereeing team with the privilege and responsibility to conduct the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Final between Chile and Germany, played in St. Petersburg on July 2, 2017. This was their first Final with the assistance of VAR, which undoubtedly helped in a moment of controversy, as Gonzalo Jara was adjudged to have elbowed Timo Werner in the face.
2018 Champions League Final
On May 26, 2018, Majic, Ristic, and Djurdjevic officiated the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Kyiv.
As an assistant referee, Djurdjevic had a crucial call to make – a double offside on minute 43. Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez, a retired elite UEFA official, stated in one of his interviews on Spanish radio that the call was correct, as Benzema was offside, and so was Cristiano Ronaldo.
This game marked the pinnacle of the team's success, as Djurdjevic reflected in one of his interviews. It was the result of 25 years of hard work. Their performance was highly praised by Pierluigi Collina, a legend in football refereeing circles and UEFA's Head of Referees Committee at the time.
2018 FIFA World Cup
In what was the crowning achievement of their team's career, the FIFA Referees Committee selected Milorad Majic, Milorad Ristic, and Dalibor Djurdjevic to be part of the 36 referees and 63 assistant referees at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
They were responsible for the matches between South Korea vs. Mexico 1-2 (Rostov-on-Don, June 23 - GO), Senegal vs. Colombia 0-1 (Samara, June 28 - GO), as well as the quarterfinal between Brazil and Belgium 1-2 (Kazan, July 6 - GO).
They were the top candidates to officiate the final match, but since Croatia played in the final, FIFA tried to avoid any controversy with the Serbian referee team doing the game. Many Croatian fans and sports journalists expressed in social networks and various sports news that they wouldn't mind seeing Majic, Ristic, and Jurjevic in the final and would prefer them over Pitana's team.
Despite not being selected to referee the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, the team was unofficially proclaimed by football fans and professionals as one of the best refereeing teams of the tournament.
Last Matches with the Team (2018-2019)
Their next big match was October 16, 2018, at the Stade de France, as the French team came from a goal down to beat Germany 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League.
Their Champions League Play-Off appearance was the one where Benfica played with PAOK (1:1).
In the group stage, they were responsible for PSV Eindhoven vs. Inter Milan (1:2), Manchester United FC vs. Juventus (0:1), and FC Barcelona vs. Tottenham (1:1) on December 11, 2018, which was their last Champions League game.
On February 14, 2019, Majic, Ristic, and Jurevic were responsible for the Round 32 Game in UEFA Europa League, FC Zurich vs. Napoli (1:3), which was their last international appearance as a team.
In early 2019, Majic continued his professional career as a referee for the Chinese Football Association (CFA), while Ristic and Djurdjevic became part of the Saudi Professional League.
VAR / AVAR
Djurdjevic has officiated close to 30 games for the Saudi Professional League, some as an Assistant Referee and some as a Video Assistant Referee (IFAB certified AVAR).
Serbian Eternal Derby
Djurdjevic participated in 20 "Eternal Derbies" (match between Crvena Zvezda and Partizan) over his 10-year-long career as a referee in the Serbian Super Liga. This is a match that holds a special place in the heart of any Serbian football fan, player, and official, due to the long-standing rivalry between the two teams and the complexity that follows it.
Referee Education and Humanitarian Work
Djurdjevic actively participates in various mentoring and talent development programs in Serbia.
Recently, he initiated and led a campaign, supported by the Football Association of Serbia, to raise funds and support the Serbian healthcare system in its ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
