Referee appointment for the first leg of 2025/26 UEFA Champions League semifinal, Atlético Madrid - Arsenal, to be played on 29 April 2026.
21:00 CET - Madrid (Estadio Metropolitano)
CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID (ESP) - ARSENAL FC (ENG)
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras GRE
So,the conclude is that race for CL final for Makkelie is over. Now its on race between Oliver and Letexier! Of course we should not forget the 2016 and 2023 scenarios but it seems clear now.
ReplyDeleteWhat if PSG and Arsenal go through to the final?
DeleteI disagree. If Makkelie was out of the race, as a referee from a fully neutral country, he would have been nominated for the return leg in London; so, UEFA are clearly still keeping him 'alive' for the final. Clearly, they are making him work for it though...
DeleteThe situation for both second legs is quite clear; UEFA have to decide whether to unreject** the referees of the last two CL finals, or 'promote' a referee beyond what they would like:
Arsenal-Atletico: unrejecting Vincic vs. a referee from Fra/Ger
Bayern-PSG: unrejecting Kovacs vs. Mariani
(** this is supposing that Vincic was rejected for Bayern-Real, which imo he should be with an 8,0 score, and also supposing that the information reported by Isaac Fouto was correct about Kovacs/DOGSO).
@Mikael W: absolutely agree.
DeleteI agree on the choice in Bayern-PSG, but isn't Marciniak still an option for Arsenal-Atletico?
DeleteAnd if you consider Mariani for the game in Munich, he should also be an alternative for London.
If Atletico go through, Oliver emerge as the number one favorite for the final
ReplyDeleteYes, it can be problem if PSG vs Arsenal in the final. Yes,all of us will say Makkelie,but Uefa RC neeed tho show guts and appoint him to PSG again after 2022.
ReplyDeleteExcellent and deserved for Makkelie .. Though I hope this doesn't mean the end of the tournament for him!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t be surprised if Makkelie is still a candidate for the final. First of all, I think the committee faces challenges in appointing the semi-final matches after the major controversies in recent weeks. Secondly, appointing Makkelie for a first leg is safer than for a return leg. And if they have him in mind for the final, but only in the scenario that PSG go out in the semi-finals, they risk him ending up with nothing: no semi-final and no final.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Mikael , if Makkelie is not a final candidate at all, uefa would give him the return in London. Easy choice when Marcinaik is struggling with his physical condition.
ReplyDeleteI wonder we will see Oliver in a semi . As Nolan wrote, For the English there is also the risk he ends up with nothing, no SF or F so he should get a SF first leg in the Europa league ?
Braga-Freiburg: Oliver
DeleteN.Forest-A.Villa: Pinheiro
Shakhtar-C.Palace: Hernandez
Rayo-Strasbourg: Taylor
What do you think? Unobtrusive 'Michael Oliver' 2.0 for the Premier League derby, a game for Oliver himself in the semifinals, Taylor already did Celta in the last round second leg, and better to keep Hernandez away from the EL (Iberian neighbours; with his foul recognition he would face lots of dissent in English derby and I think UEFA know this) and he can do the 'neutral' game in Poland. It is my opinion that Marciniak won't referee another match this season in UEFA club comps, since having not taken the fitness test at Limassol, substituting himself out of Liverpool-Gala in the warm-up, and only returning this very weekend domestically (remember that his standing is higher in FIFA than UEFA).
Ah, now it comes to mind: even if it wasn't his fault (reported by teammate and not called by VAR), the missed red card in the Conference QF should really end Pinheiro's season in UEFA comps. In that case the specialist for English derbies in the Europa League, Felix Zwayer, can be the referee at Nottingham! :)
DeleteYap agree with Mikeal on Zwayer but the second leg at Villa Park feels better for the ref who did last year's final
DeleteThere is also a fifa observer for the form check, Trefoloni. Zwayer makes sense
Deleteuefa might save Letexier for a final available for him, UEL or CL
Very good appointment for Makkelie well deserved and much on merit, IMO that's put him in the front running for the final come end of May.
ReplyDeleteWith Oliver everything hangs in the balance EL final already eliminated, Conference league you still have Crystal Palace which could have been a fair compensation for a UEFA final this year
I'm almost sure that, unfortunately, this is last CL match for Makkelie this season; SF appointment rule him out for final match giving priority to Oliver and Letexier; the only combination PSG-Arsenal in the final could give him a new hope. Fully agree that Zwayer will be the man for the english derby in EL; Sanchez martinez could be an option ofr Braga-Friburg
ReplyDeleteIn theory, anything is possible (Marciniak even refereed the second leg of the semifinals and the final in the same year), but it’s true that it’s quite unlikely, given how the committee has treated Makkelie—he should have been refereeing this final years ago...
DeleteIt’s not impossible, the semi final options were very very limited . Rosetti can’t take any risks after all the recent controversies especially with a hot team like Atletico. Btw Clattenburg handled Atletico in the semi and final in 2016. And maybe we will see Oliver in a uel-semi as well bcause with Arsenal there is a risk he ends up with nothing
DeleteYep,but then again his history with PSG and their owner is not so bright,we all remember how he stormed towards him in 2022 after his performance,so then again I would not be so sure if Psg get to the final that we'll see Makkelie.
DeleteGiven that the Dutch has been assigned for a first leg and not a second, in my opinion we can't rule him out from candidates for the final, as very neutral name looking at the nationality of the last four teams.
ReplyDeleteFor him, it will be a "wait and see": doing well on Wednesday, and then keeping the hope...
At the moment I would not really dare to make any predictions. It feels like a ‘waiting game’: a) how Makkelie performs, b) the final match-up, and third c) will we see Oliver and Letexier as well. They are in a similar position to Makkelie, as each of them still has a team in the semi-finals that could rule them out of the final.
ReplyDeleteThis season reminds me quite a bit of 2023, when Rosetti also had a very narrow pool for the semi-finals due to controversy. Some seasons feel almost scripted with a clear candidate for the final from an early stage. In other cases, Rosetti is forced into certain decisions due to club nationalities and controversies, and that seems to be the situation now?
What is the most ‘credible’ choice for Rosetti in his position as Chairman of the committee? All things considered, it would not surprise me if RR has a bit of a headache right now. Oliver is a strong candidate in case of a PSG vs Atleti final match-up, although a team like Barcelona would probably have suited his English ‘game manager style’ better than Atletico. Not impossible, but… The Spanish club from Madrid has often led to difficult choices in the past, such as Clattenburg in 2016 or Kuipers’ second Europa League final in 2018.
In any case, a real masterclass in the semi-final could be a strong springboard towards the final. That applies not only to Makkelie but also to the others if appointed. Who will have the ‘momentum’; the best form at the right moment. I will be supporting whoever is selected and look forward to see how things unfolds!