2025-26 UEFA Europa League, Matchday 1. First set of referee assignments, 24 September 2025.
Wednesday 24 September 2025
18:45 CET - Herning (MCH Arena)
FC MIDTJYLLAND (DEN) - SK STURM GRAZ (AUT)
Referee: Orel Grinfeld ISR
Assistant Referee 1: Roi Hassan ISR
Assistant Referee 2: Matityahu Yakobov ISR
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz ISR
Video Assistant Referee: Tamás Bognár HUN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Clay Ruperti NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Stephen Tanner ENG
UEFA Delegate: Per Eliasson SWE
18:45 CET - Thessalonki (Stádio Toúmbas)
PAOK (GRE) - MK MAKKABI TEL AVIV (ISR)
Referee: Sven Jablonski GER
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger GER
Assistant Referee 2: Lasse Koslowski GER
Fourth Official: Robin Braun GER
Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schröder GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Johann Pfeifer GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Matteo Simone Trefoloni ITA
UEFA Delegate: Irakli Nakaidze GEO
21:00 CET - Malmö (Eleda Stadion)
MALMÖ FF (SWE) - PFK LUDOGORETS 1945 (BUL)
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Mangirdas Mirauskas LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandras Stepanovas LTU
Fourth Official: Mindaugas Jackus LTU
Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Kevin Clancy SCO
UEFA Referee Observer: Gylfi Þór Orrason ISL
UEFA Delegate: Fiona Pförtke GER
21:00 CET - Nice (Allianz Riviera)
OGC NICE (FRA) - AS ROMA (ITA)
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera ESP Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
Assistant Referee 1: José Enrique Naranjo Pérez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Iván Massó Granado ESP
Fourth Official: Mateo Busquets Ferrer ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: César Soto Grado ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Mehmet Murat Ilgaz TUR
UEFA Delegate: Duško Grabovac CRO
21:00 CET - Freiburg (Europa-Park Stadion)
SC FREIBURG (GER) - FC BASEL 1893 (SUI)
Referee: Luís Miguel Branco Godinho POR
Assistant Referee 1: Rui Miguel Martins Teixeira POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Miguel Almeida da Mota POR
Fourth Official: Fábio José da Costa Veríssimo POR
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ángelos Evangélou GRE
UEFA Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel FRA
UEFA Delegate: Garry O'Hagan SCO
21:00 CET - Braga (Estádio Municipal de Braga)
SC BRAGA (POR) - FEYENOORD ROTTERDAM (NED)
Referee: Nikola Dabanović MNE
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović MNE
Assistant Referee 2: Srđan Jovanović MNE
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković MNE
Video Assistant Referee: Momčilo Marković SRB
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Stávros Tritsónis GRE
UEFA Delegate: Philippe Prudhon FRA
21:00 CET - Zagreb (Stadion Maksimir)
GNK DINAMO (CRO) - FENERBAHÇE (TUR)
Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Alexis Auger FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Erwan Finjean FRA
Fourth Official: Thomas Léonard FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Rainville FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP
UEFA Delegate: Mark Blackbourne ENG
21:00 CET - Seville (Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla)
REAL BETIS BALOMPIÉ (ESP) - NOTTINGHAM FOREST FC (ENG)
Referee: Sascha Stegemann GER
Assistant Referee 1: Christof Günsch GER
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Achmüller GER
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen GER
Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Benjamin Brand GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Lucílio Cardoso Cortez Batista POR
UEFA Delegate: Peter Oskam NED
21:00 CET - Belgrade (Stadion Rajko Mitić)
FK CRVENA ZVEZDA (SRB) - CELTIC FC (SCO)
Referee: Radu Marian Petrescu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Adrian Ștefan Ghinguleac ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Mircea Mihail Grigoriu ROU
Fourth Official: Andrei Florin Chivulete ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Michael Fabbri ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marcel Bîrsan ROU
UEFA Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer GER
UEFA Delegate: Ádonis Prokopíou CYP
I think its the third time Grinfeld is refereeing Midtjylland in a year.
ReplyDeleteGiven the current situation and the discussion about Israel, it's good that he can get a game. Denmark, calm country, far from the spotlight. You can see, Hungarian VAR working with him.
DeleteHungary gives many solutions to UEFA: neutral venues for all problematic countries, referee assignments..
But making a fair analysis, this shouldn't happen. Either you accept everything or nothing. Until some years ago, these choices were temporary, but now it seems the standard. There are many questions without answers. However, let's change topic, it's better.
Based on this set you can see a clear difference with Champions League assignments, here apart from Grinfeeld, all Category 1. Some seasons ago, when Europa League and Champions League were played closer, there was by far more interaction, now the big names are always in Champions League when appointed, mostly because there aren't many other options, so this in my opinion explains how Europa League is treated as competition now.
Lukjančukas after Under 21 seems to have hard times... is that a fair treatment, based only on a single game? And before that, it was excellent path for him because he had been assigned to such a sonorous clash at that tournament.
If committee was really disappointed, this means that they didn't do enough before to know better the referee.
About the other assignments, Martínez Munuera gets something every now and then, but I don't see him for a promotion.
Jablonski with important observer, to check his development.
Yes hopefully it will be a game without major incidents. Midtjylland has in their ranks Turkish player Simsir who shouted "free Palestine" to Maccabi players when they played them last season, hopefully he will not do it to Israeli referee)
DeleteWell,criterium must be the same for everyone.
DeleteIf Russia and their clubs can get kicked out of all competitions along with their refs,than the same thing should happen with Grinfeld if Israel is kicked out.
For my taste idividual sporters, like referees even Russian or Israelian should never be banned because off countries making war! for national teams i can Understand it because national teams can win medals or trophys with it, and a country shoud not get rewarded for that, an individual sporter should not get punished for that, iff you ban a Russian referee, than the same should count for all Russian players, for example
DeleteWhy did the Georgians get lost? Even though Kruashvili had a chance to develop
ReplyDeleteHow is it possible that a referee is immediately sidelined after one bad game involving an Italian team? This time, the victim is Lithuanian referee Lukjančukas. He was clearly on the right track, showing promise, and many even believed that the promotion of Rumsas was delayed because the committee saw more potential in Lukjančukas. It’s a déjà vu of the Swedish situation with Ekberg and Nyberg. But now, one poor performance suddenly ruins everything? That’s not development—it’s political maneuvering.
ReplyDeleteThe breaking point came after Germany–Italy at the U21 Euros, where Lukjančukas was thrown off track (just like e.g. Allard Lindhout—after a match involving Italy U-21). What kind of signal does this send to referees? That they must never “disadvantage” certain clubs or national teams, otherwise their career is in jeopardy? That is not refereeing—it’s fear management. And why? Because the chairman happens to be Italian, worried more about his ego and his headlines in La Gazzetta than about objective evaluation. As a result, Rumsas was the new “focus.”.
Take the case of Clément Turpin. He was denied the EURO 2024 final after a couple of OFRs in the opening match—Rosetti preaching that referees should make “independent decisions on the field.” Yet the same Rosetti pushed István Kovács for the Champions League final, despite the Romanian having two OFRs in his very last test (Europa League QF). And why? Because Michael Oliver, in top form, was quietly ignored—still banned from officiating Italian teams in finals, more than seven years after an unfortunate Juventus match. Enough already. And of course, Rosetti had the backing of Björn Kuipers, who saw it as another opportunity to sneak his Dutch VAR friends into the VAR booth,
to support Kovács.
Meanwhile, the very same Referee Committee keeps appointing referees in the Champions League who make blatant mistakes—only saved by VAR intervention. Those referees suffer no consequences. But when a decision falls into the “grey area,” where VAR cannot intervene, that can instantly mean “end of the season” for the referee involved. Where is the consistency?
This is not policy. This is ego. The committee members act like political operators, protecting their own reputations, jobs, and playing favorites, rather than applying a clear and predictable framework. Until someone holds up a mirror to Rosetti and his colleagues, refereeing in UEFA competitions will remain a game of favoritism, not fairness. What a joke.
Soto Grado referee tomorrow in Sevilla - Villarreal, 21:30 CET. It will end very late in the night.
ReplyDeleteThen, AVAR on Wednesday, Nice - Roma.
I think one can hardly accept that, less than 24 hours for the referee. Maybe there will be a replacement?
An italian referee to watch for the future: Valerio Crezzini (32).
ReplyDeleteHe was refereeing two seasons ago in Serie C, then last season in Serie B, then immediately put in Serie A after only one year in B.
He seems appreciated by Rocchi for sure, I don't remember the last refeee to be promoted after one season in B, maybe Chefren does.
Still haven't watched him at all, he was given Pisa Napoli today for those who want to discover!
Just to clarify some points.
DeleteThe committee for Serie A and B is the same and is headed by Gianluca Rocchi, so when a referee is promoted to this committee, they could potentially officiate in Serie A from day one. Of course, this doesn’t happen because the full development is required, but what you are reporting is not only for Crezzini. In fact, it is very common that if a referee performs well after about a year in Serie B, they are allowed to have a debut in Serie A. In past, it was even different, some referees got the honor very early during their first year as serie A and B officials, but indeed, in some circumstances this was a very wrong choice (Perenzoni, just to make a name...).
So, what you mention didn't happen only to Crezzini in recent years, it has happened to other referees. Moreover, in the same situation, there is also Arena, who I think currently has an even higher reputation, based on how referees are assigned. These two, Crezzini and Arena, are definitely the best among the current second-year referees in the Serie A and B. Then, there are cases where referees don't convince and therefore remain officiating only in Serie B.
The other three referees promoted in serie A and B one year ago (July 2024) together with Crezzini and Arena, are definitely on a very low level if compared to them, one of them was also removed from panel, Scatena, while the other two still don't convince the committee (Galipò and Perri, maybe the former being slightly better than the latter).
To add, regarding the assignment of today match, it can certainly be seen as an excellent opportunity for a referee of his (low) experience to officiate at home for a team like this. However, it is clear that the choice was based on expecting a rather straightforward victory over Pisa, which is a newly promoted team that had been out for a very long time. Nevertheless, it is certainly a good treatment by Rocchi, as these matches generally receive more media attention than others. Personally, I have also managed to watch little of the referee so far, and I can't say that much. Will try to observe more tonight, but it is likely to be a match with little or even zero difficulty.
DeleteI just did a little research on Valerio Crezzini: He is actually already officiating his second season in Serie A, having made his debut on May 11, 2025, in the match Udinese Calcio - AC Monza. Isn't there an international guideline that new FIFA referees must be active for two seasons in the highest national league? Crezzini could thus have handled his second assignment on August 31, 2025 in his second season. By the way, that was Lazio Roma - Hellas Verona in front of 40,000 spectators. He seems to be a man worth watching. Also interesting: In the seasons 2024/2025 and 2025/2026, he officiated all 3 matches in Serie A, 14 matches in Serie B, and 2 matches in the Coppa Italia so far without any expulsions. SSC Napoli - Pisa SC ended yesterday in a tighter score than many expected: 3:2.
DeleteThe team playing Ludogorets is Malmö FF, not IFK Malmö. The latter is a different club who plays in the other stadium just next door. They were once a big club in Swedish football, but they are now far from their old golden days, playing in Division 3, which is the fifth tier.
ReplyDeleteGuillermo Cuadra replaces Juan Martinez Manuera in Nice vs Roma
ReplyDeleteMartínez Munuera got injured around min. 10 of Real Madrid Espanyol this weekend.
DeleteKovac with Intercontinental Cup,match between Al Ahly and Pyramids.
ReplyDeleteHe has experience with middle east teams,but so far start of this match is telling me he will have challenging match .
Referee predictions for Barcelona vs PSG?
ReplyDeleteVincic or Marciniak
DeleteSlavko Vincic or Marciniak
ReplyDeleteYes, a top referee is absolutely essential for this match because the last confrontation between these two teams in March 2017 in Barcelona "La Remontada" was a nightmare for Deniz Aytekin, who was heavily criticized from all sides. For me too, Marciniak would be the ideal choice.
DeleteVery challenging start for Grinfeld. In 3' very borderline UB/VC by MID74, only YC given. In 8' goal disallowed for an alleged foul on GK, allowed after OFR. In 11' missed advantage and rather wrong FK given instead.
ReplyDeleteI remember that the referee from Israel was rather a good prospect when he was about to get the promotion to Elite.
DeleteHonestly after that I can't understand what happened, starting from the very poor EURO experience, one bad game after another without an end for him. Really sorry! Not clear how much good he really was / is, to be honest!
Indeed very messy first half from Grinfeld, foul detection is very inconsistent. Strange yc for Billing I didn't see a foul at all, may be have to rewatch again.
DeleteUnfortunately, his domestic performances also became weak in last 2-3 years.
DeleteTwo weeks ago he missed 3 easy PK's in one game, and all 3 times was "called to the screen" by VAR. Unexplainable...
late kick off in Belgrade
ReplyDeletePK + YC for holding given after OFR in Malmö - Ludogorets, looks correct.
ReplyDeleteLukjančukas missed a clear penalty for holding (5’).
DeleteDIN-FEN 44` Jérôme Brisard gave totally wrong yellow
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/bcfb8d
DeleteGood onside decisions by both AR's in Seville for the opening two goals.
ReplyDeleteCorrect penalty given by Fernandez for Nice. Strange incident as the ball looked to be going out of play for a goal kick but the defender pulled down the attacker.
ReplyDeleteVery visibly given after AR1 input.
DeleteCorrect penalty in Nice by Fernandez. Unfortunately, not a nice performance, too many YC, very indecisive in some occasions. Penalty was correctly spot by AR1
ReplyDeleteTwo YCs given in one 1half minute: https://www.streambug.io/cv/19ae70
DeletePenalty call supported by Naranjo Perez: https://www.streambug.io/cv/fd7014
I didn't watch the game in enough detail to give an authoritive view, but indeed indecisive (and passive!) would be good adjectives to describe the refereeing at some points during this game. Still, overall okay-ish performance, also bearing in mind the correct penalty call. I must say though that the six bookings, albeit being 0-6 'to' Roma, were all justified from my perspective.
The situation is highly complicated.
DeleteIt is unclear whether the holding occurred inside or outside the area and also to know if the ball was actually in play.
Therefore, it is natural that the referee talked with the AR1 in order to reach the correct decision, which they finally did.
The rest of the match was very well managed by the Spanish referee.
Very complicated situation indeed and I wouldn't blame the delay of the whistle. All happened for a while when players were in the box, hard to say more if enough for penalty, for me call just to be supported.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteRight, Chefren.
DeleteBut the situation would have been less complicated if the referee had been closer to the action, as he was not throughout the match, with his slow pace and lack of acceleration.
Not a particularly brilliant performance, in my opinion.
Midtjylland - Sturm Graz
ReplyDelete03' UB or VC? YC given after advantage
https://streambug.org/cv/e28f06
07' [OFR] Goal allowed - no foul on GK
https://streambug.org/cv/3c63d0
11' Missed advantage and wrong FK awarded instead
https://streambug.org/cv/e44a80
I had to go after that, so if more interesting incidents occurred in this game, I will post them later today.
Regarding the assessment of the performance, unfortunately for the Israelian referee, it would be enough to stop here.
Delete7' and 11' are very important mistakes.
Absolutely nothing on keeper, he whistled without a real perception of what was happening inside the box, and then that missed advantage missed for whistling a wrong foul.
Very likely a goal was about to be scored here...
Situation in 3' can be discussed: for sure player is aware and he allow the body to hit the opponent, but one should wonder how much the contact can be a violent conduct. RC can be given without problems, but one should understand VAR point of view, once the referee has already decided for YC.
I observe Dabanovic last night. Hot match, but full under control,while letting the game flow. Disciplinary correct, two Var checks, but on field decision stays. At the end, referee who is much better and more trusted than Elite referees like Grinfeeld and Sidiropoulos. Deserve to be in Elite, but 43 years. We will see in future.
ReplyDeleteThe OFR in Lukjančukas game:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/93749d
Real Betis - Nottingham Forest, possible RC for SFP:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/9f4431
Stegemann aware of the very bad foul, given his reaction, player lucky with YC. I think OK by VAR to support, mostly for the point of contact, but at the very border of RC.
Dabanovic is a ready elite level referee. His preparation is if he were 30 years old.
ReplyDelete