2025/26 UEFA Champions League Matchday 6, referee assignments for the first set of games, to be played on 9 December 2025.
9 December 2025
16:30 CET - Astana (Astana Arena)
QAİRAT FK (KAZ) - OLYMBIAKÓS SFP (GRE)
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera ESPAssistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Iñigo Prieto ESP
Fourth Official: Javier Alberola Rojas ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Javier Iglesias Villanueva ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB
UEFA Delegate: Armen Minasyan ARM
18:45 CET - Munich (Allianz Arena)
FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN (GER) - SPORTING CP (POR)
Referee: Nicholas Walsh SCO
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor SCO
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel McFarlane SCOFourth Official: Donald Robertson SCO
Video Assistant Referee: Andrew Dallas SCO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rob Dieperink NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin ROU
UEFA Delegate: Peter Oskam NED
21:00 CET - Milan (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)
FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO (ITA) - LIVERPOOL FC (ENG)
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz GER
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen GER
Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: João Ferreira POR
UEFA Delegate: Tammo Beishuizen NED
21:00 CET - Barcelona (Camp Nou)
BARCELONA FC (ESP) - EINTRACHT FRANKFURT (GER)
Referee: Davide Massa ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio ITA
Fourth Official: Simone Sozza ITA
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB
UEFA Delegate: Kris Bellon BEL
21:00 CET - Bergamo (New Balance Arena)
ATALANTA FC (ITA) - CHELSEA FC (ENG)
Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Referee 1: José Naranjo ESPAssistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
Fourth Official: Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz ESP
Video Assistant Referee: César Soto Grado ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Michael Argyrou CYP
UEFA Delegate: Artur Azaryan ARM
21:00 CET - London (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC (ENG) - SK SLAVIA PRAHA (CZE)
Referee: Benoît Bastien FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Aurélien Berthomieu FRA
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Aurélien Berthomieu FRA
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Haim Jakov ISR
UEFA Delegate: Michael Kirchner GER
21:00 CET - Eindhoven (Philips Stadion)
PSV (NED) - CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID (ESP)
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann SUI
UEFA Delegate: Duncan Fraser SCO
21:00 CET - Monaco (Stade Louis II)
AS MONACO (FRA) - GALATASARAY (TUR)
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout NED
Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Benjamin Brand GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer GER
UEFA Delegate: Patrick Bonacker GER
21:00 CET - Brussels (Lotto Park)
ROYALE UNION SAINT-GILLOISE (BEL) - OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE (FRA)
Referee: João Pinheiro PORAssistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Cláudio Pereira POR
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Fábio Oliveira Melo POR
UEFA Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold NOR
UEFA Delegate: Arturs Gaidels LVA
Atalanta vs Chelsea: Alejandro Hernandez
ReplyDeleteBarcelona vs Eintracht Frankfurt: Massa
Inter vs Liverpool: Zwayer
Kairat Almaty vs Olympiacos: Munuera
DeleteBayern Munchen vs Sporting: Walsh
AS Monaco vs Galatasaray: Makkelie
PSV vs Atletico Madrid: Oliver
Union SG vs Marseille: Pinheiro
Tottenham vs Slavia Praha: Bastien
Oliver get CL match almost every week, other elite referees only has two or less so far...
ReplyDeleteMichael Oliver is said to always perform exceptionally well in UEFA's English tests.
DeletePeter, do you know a reason for that?
DeleteUnfortunately not. Inexplicable to me.
DeleteSeven out of nine referees for Tuesday have already been appointed on MD5. Once again, an Italian referee gets one of the more important matches, which to me is an unexpected assignment. It’s been a long time since anyone has understood Rosetti’s approach to appointments - from matchday to matchday everything seems stranger and more unfair.
ReplyDeleteYes, looks like the number of trusted referees is rather small at the moment. But we have to wait for Wednesday appointments to make more conclusions. Certainly some expected names will remain without game on MD5/6.
DeleteActually, there are many Elite candidates without MD5 game left for Wednesday:
DeleteGil Manzano, Kovacs, Peljto, Turpin, Taylor, Schärer, Gözübüyük, Siebert (recovered after injury) - and possibly a return of Meler or Jovanovic.
Very narrow pool of trusted referees, always same names every matchday: that's Rosetti.
ReplyDeleteQuite good appointments for Walsh and Hernandez - not really expectable after they only got their first game on MD5.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand not so good games for Pinheiro and Makkelie. For the latter, it unfortunately follows the trend, that he is not considered for the top games anymore.
Martinez probably earned this game in EL. However it is slightly surprising, because it looked like there might be a focus on de Burgos now.
Massa again with a top league duel. He is in a group with Vincic, Letexier and Zwayer, if we consider quality of appointments.
What can we glean from Nicholas Walsh's appointment? On the one hand, it's a top-level match for which one could have expected an Elite referee. On the other hand, he was recently personally observed by Roberto Rosetti in the Europa League. But what is the purpose of all this? Promotion to Elite referee status? Or is it about other areas, such as candidates for upcoming youth tournaments, etc.?
DeleteCorrection: In the Champions League on MD5.
DeleteThe biggest surprise for me is Walsh but also hernandez and pinheiro, oliver get important matches given the arrangement . I look forward appointment's of Wednesday
ReplyDeleteCan someone tell me why Horatiu Fesnic and Giorgi Kruashvili aren't given a chance?
ReplyDeleteThe same names always appear, but I must admit that Rosetti has become quite skilled at optimally selecting the right type of matches for certain referees, some of his choices absolutely reflect the current reputation of each official, at least, in my view. This is the case with the Spaniard, who has risen somewhat lately also due to other referees' unavailability. Basically, it's a not very useful and rather annoying trip to Kazakhstan, especially for someone coming from the opposite zone of Europe, but it's still Champions League, so acceptable. The choice makes sense. It's never a "sacrifice" to go and officiate a match in such a competition, saying the contrary would be a "crime".
ReplyDeleteAs for the Scottish, Walsh, note how the factor that justifies the appointment, despite this being a fairly decent match between a German side and a Portuguese one, which in some cases could be considered a good Champions League-level game, is simply the fact that the German side is playing at home. It would have been harder, perhaps possible but still harder, to see him appointed to the same match if it were in Lisbon. Bayern at home allows for greater flexibility in the assignments; that would apply also to some of their away matches, given the club's standing, but that would already raise the level somewhat. Here, in short, it's a calm home environment, and it will be the Portuguese side, playing away, who will have to produce something without the support (at least the main one) of their crowd.
As for Bastien, who has appeared only a few times in Champions League in recent months, Rosetti assigns him whenever he can. The measure of his use here is represented by the Czech team involved. It's a match viewed in a certain way, one that could easily be handled even by a Category 1 referee, according to committte, so they use the chance to give it to the "third French".
And Hernández… well, an Italian team is always tricky Champions League, but in this case we are dealing with a side currently struggling domestically, with modest expectations, trying to hold their own against Chelsea, a sort of Italian-English big match, but absolutely second-tier. And therefore here comes (you will understand my point of comparison) an Elite referee who is likewise somewhat second-tier.
For me, studying all these choices by committee is extremely interesting and instructive.
Let me add, we wait for tomorrow, but still no Turpin at all after the famous second YC in Slovenia (if not assigned in tomorrow's games we could be 100% sure committee didn't like the choice...). And that would be very sad.
I don't agree on Atalanta-Chelsea being second-tier. Two (at least) top 25 clubs in Europe and with Atalanta at home it should be relatively open. Furthermore they stand at 10 points each fighting for top 8.
DeleteFor Bayern-Sporting, I would not have been surprised to see a promotion candidate like Sozza there. However, Walsh seems a step too far IMO - unless he suddenly is considered for promotion.
12/01/2026
ReplyDeleteCONCACAF and CONMEBOL seminary before WC selection
Barton – SLV
Calderon – CRC
Dickerson – USA
Elfath – USA
Escobar – GUA
Fischer – CAN
García – MEX
Martínez – HON
Penso – USA
Ramos – MEX
Abatti – BRA
Benítez – PAR
Claus – BRA
Falcón Pérez – ARG
Garay – CHI
Herrera – ARG
Matonte – URU
Ortega – PER
Sampaio – BRA
Tejera – URU
Tello – ARG
Valenzuela – VEN
Candidate referees from Conmebol who didn't make the cut: Mendez (BOL), Maza (CHI), Ospina (COL), Aragón (ECU), Pérez (PER) & Alexis Herrera (VEN)
DeleteCantidate referees from Concacaf who didn't make the cut:
López (GUA), Nation (JAM), Ortiz (MEX), Herrera (CRC) and Williams (TRI)
Also Rojas from Colombia, removed from U20WC after a poor performance in Flamengo - Estudiantes de la Plata Libertadores tie.
DeleteNo Colombian is maybe the biggest surprise here.
DeleteIn CONMEBOL the host and women question is the most interesting. I assume Penso > Garcia, but you probably can't have three Americans and only one Mexican.
Fischer should be save anyway.
Otherwise it looks like 3 out of 4 for the non-host referees.
Big surprise appointments for both Hernandez and Walsh.. difficulty games for them..
ReplyDeleteOliver getting appointment after appointment and I think it’s safe to say he will get a european final.
Chefren, I have some questions for you.
ReplyDelete1. There are generally negative opinions about Rosetti on the forum. What's the reason?
2. We see that Makkelie was appointed to the Monaco-Galatasaray match. Could the poor performance of Sanchez Martinez, the referee of last week's Galatasaray-Union SG match, be the reason for the match being so well-refereed?
I think the first question is rather pointless, I mean, you are asking me, and I don't understand why! If there are negative opinions on Rosetti when reading the blog, the reasons are obviously in the comments themselves; I can't answer on behalf of others. I believe many people don't appreciate his way of doing things. But perhaps there are also others who appreciate him (though the latter kind of people doesn't write much on this blog).
DeleteAs for the second question, first of all, the claim that the performance wasn't perfect may be your opinion as well as mine, but we don't know the committee's view. Secondly, I believe that Rosetti is still keeping an eye on the Turkish team because he has seen good results (which, in my view, were hardly imaginable at the beginning of this league phase, given the Turkish situation). Therefore, he is protecting himself by appointing experienced Elite referees for all Galatasaray matches. For me, this is the key to interpreting the appointment of the Dutch referee for that match, perhaps even regardless of how the Spanish officiated the previous one involving Galatasaray.
Benjamin Brand is German
ReplyDeleteMassa appointment is from Rosetti perspective logical.
ReplyDeleteMassa is not a wc referee next year. When he makes a fault, its not so bad for him, because Rosetti will give him matches and he knows that he is not a candidate for WC.
Some WC referee candidates get lower profile matches, not to get in the picture.
Chefren, can we expect Walsh to be promoted? Given the fact hes been observed by Rosetti in Copenhagen and now this sort of match in Munich! Or could it be for future youth competitions and more tests for his future?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion he won't be promoted now, because there were long periods where he wasn't appointed at all and we barely saw him. Recently he has been on a good path, compared to a few months ago, but I think he still needs time, six months or a year before we can say anything. So right now, if it were up to me, though of course this is only my opinion, I would give him more tests. The one in Munich on Tuesday is the first of them anyway. We will see…
DeleteAfter this week Munuera will have done 2 games in both the Champions League and Europa League in his career. Pretty weird stat....
ReplyDeleteHe's lucky that Kairat - Olympiacos is on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, the weather forecast says 0ºC for Tuesday evening but below -10ºC for Wednesday evening, from "unpleasant" to "freezing cold" like Jablonski last year in the Conference League Chelsea game.
DeleteAppointing Zwayer to a high-profile match is, at least on paper, somewhat surprising, given that every one of his previous Champions League outings this season featured a VAR overturn. That alone says enough about the RefCom’s guiding principle: avoid controversy at all costs. Beyond that, whether a referee scores a 7.9 or an 8.4 seems to matter very little. Their confidence in Zwayer remains intact.
ReplyDeleteA mitigating factor is that the match itself should, in principle, be a fair one. Inter are not among the most “problem-prone” Italian sides, and Liverpool would normally be expected to finish within the top 24. In that sense, the assignment does suit Zwayer — and Rosetti can, of course, monitor him closely.
Busy 24 hours for Michael Salisbury. Refereeing Man U vs Wolves Monday Night. Champions League VAR Tuesday.
ReplyDelete@ Chefren: How do you read the VAR assignments this season?
ReplyDeleteA few things stand out for me:
- In previous seasons we saw pretty fixed referee-VAR pairs. This year there are a lot more mixed teams with foreign VARs. It looks like the most trusted VARs are being used for the biggest matches — you can see that, for example, in Bastien’s appointment. They don’t want to use a top French VAR there, so he’s paired with Bebek instead.
- What also catched my eye is that both Marciniak and Makkelie have been matched with foreign VARs several times. The Marciniak–Kwiatkowski pairing can sometimes be seen as “compromised” (e.g. in the example with Napoli). Makkelie and Dieperink have been intentionally split up by UEFA — obviously not Makkelie’s choice, since they still worked together domestically. Perhaps, their coach–pupil dynamic isn’t ideal, which might explain why Makkelie is now often given a VAR who’s a bit more distant…? And I guess Rosetti trusts the Belgian VAR since he’s being assigned to Italian teams.
- Meanwhile, referees like Oliver, Zwayer, Turpin, and the Italian and Spanish crews still always work with VARs from their own country. So the question is: why are certain referees specifically given a foreign VAR? It’s clear that the traditional top-5 countries aren’t participating in this “musical-chairs” approach.
Oliver has had Dallas as his VAR numerous times
DeleteThat’s indeed an interesting observation. I hadn’t noticed it at first, because Oliver and Dallas are both citizens of the sovereign state known as the UK :-)
DeleteI think there is a logical explanation, though: (1) there are very few Scottish referees working at Champions League level. Dallas (SCO) is apparently fairly trusted in Rosetti’s eyes, and therefore they need to pair him with someone — in this case, Oliver. I assume the Geordie has no issues understanding a Scottish accent ;-)
(2) The same logic could apply to the VAR Vandriessche (BEL), even though we occasionally see Lambrechts in the UCL, albeit sporadically. The Belgian VMO was active at the Club World Cup as well, so his reputation as a VMO is on the rise.
There has been a period, maybe a few matchdays, I think you remember, in which all VARs were even more mixed, including for the officials from the "top 5" countries, but then this lasted only for a while. Basically it's true that referees from Italy, Spain, England, Portugal and Germany almost never get VARs from other countries, but one reason that can explain the recent assignments is surely giving more to other federations, Belgium and Scotland to be mentioned before others. Nevertheless, I would have pleasure in observing more flexibility for referees from the "top 5 countries", as this happened in past several times with almost all referees.
DeleteGood offside decision by AR1 in Munich
ReplyDeleteIt looked ONSIDE, for me impossible to see this OFFSIDE with human eye, but once you call it, you can just praise the AR...
DeleteSporting asking for a foul before the 2nd goal. IMO a good play on decision. Sporting player backing in and throwing himself down.
ReplyDeleteThen a mass confrontation out of nothing.
Nicholas Walsh 👏🏻
ReplyDeleteOnce Konrad Plautz decided to whistle a Milan game in a red and black kit - today Felix Zwayer chose blue and black for Inter
ReplyDelete32' - INT vs LIV: VAR check Zwayer referee, Storks and Dingert VAR referees
ReplyDeleteAwkward situation, hard to see, too long VAR room check after almost 4 minutes Zwayer called to watch and finally the goal was disallowed.
Opinion?
Interesting situation because if Liv22 would headed ball to his own arm, it would be good goal. If Liv4 headed ball, correct no goal to me.
DeleteA) The check was far far too long, either way in Milan. I think this falls under never ever a handball in England, so Liverpool won't be happy, but probably given in Uefa
ReplyDeleteBrighton vs West Ham on the weekend could be seen as similar, goal was given
DeleteLet's just forget completely about the IFAB's clear statements about the ball hitting the arm from a player's own body not being a handball. Referees don't care about it. So why even write it by the IFAB?
ReplyDeleteThe handball was very difficult to detect; no blame is placed on Zwayer. A good and correct intervention by the VAR.
DeleteIt literally isn't. Law is clear. Player's own body then hits the arm is not a handball. That arm is absolutely in a natural position for his movement. He is jumping in the air, the arm is there naturally. This is never a handball.
DeleteThe four home nations that form half the IFAB votes do very much follow this and don't like accidental handballs given. It's elsewhere that ignores it. (In this case it wasn't the players own body, but the teammate clause follows the same idea, no handball)
DeleteOkay, I didn't see if it was from the teammate, but it follows the same criteria. IFAB says play on either way.
DeleteI think that check was so long because they tried find camera angle where is clear that Van Dijk headed ball to Ekitike arm
DeleteNew situation - Inter asks for a penalty, Zwayer shows that he has nothing to do with it, VAR nothing
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the right decision.
Inter Liverpool
ReplyDeleteR: F.Zwayer
11´ OK YC given to Int10, borderline challenge, VAR correctly silent
23´ AR1 Didn´t dellayed flag, probably correct offside
24´ Wrong illegal use of arms whistled to Liv17, Int9 touched his face, but was clearly "hit" into chest
27´ OK, no call in penalty area
29´ Not ideal injured player management, Int15 clearly dellayed restart to get ready his substitute
32´ Long check (2´) before Liv5 disallowed goal, Liv4 headed to Liv22 arm, interesting situation because if Liv22 would headed ball to his own arm, it would be good goal
38´ Correct YC given to Liv22
Law makes zero difference if the teammate head the ball at their teammates arm. Exactly the same as hitting it on your own arm.
DeleteLaw doesn´t, but interpretation of laws, spirit of laws and common sense does
DeleteYes, but spirit of the law and common sense differs too. In the UK, people are outraged that accidental handballs like that are punished, because what is he meant to do? I'm sure in some foootballing cultures, the fact it led to a goal would mean they always want it punished, and that becomes the common sense approach. As VG keeps saying, according to the IFAB's writing, the goal seems regular
DeleteAbout the incident in Milan, according to what I could understand, it was the teammate to send the ball into attacker's open arm.
ReplyDeleteArm position: punishable.
But... when assessing penalties for handball, if ball coming from teammate, no penalty.
This was an extra ordinary case because it happened before a goal (not an immediate goal, otherwise overrule).
Before that, VAR had to understand in detail about the touch and how it happened. You can excuse German VARs for the very long time.
But... according to what we see when about penalties, this should have been regular action.
Nevertheless, it was something very rare and so the German crew needed time to elaborate.
In the end they went for the "Italian" (let's say) point of view... attacker's handball slightly before a goal rather always punished.
No doubts for me. Really a very good performance of Zwayer in INT-LIV in 1st hall, for personality, consistency and positioning dynamics.
ReplyDeleteMassa was losing it a bit before half-time. Clear yellow card missed for Garcia. Many clear fouls not given... and, as often regarded with Massa, no accepatance by players and no natural leadership
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVery good PK+YC decision by Bastien.
ReplyDeleteAnother penalty for Bastien, correct too. Great game so far for the French.
ReplyDeleteWow,I'm sorry but joke of a penalty whistled by Zwayer.
ReplyDeleteIf that was Vinicus,then everyone would be saying dive or anything else.
Circus act at the san siro. Shambles
ReplyDelete85' I'm surprised the penalty has been given in Milan. Fall doesn't match the contact, so would expect VAR to stick with the onfield decision, whichever way it was given. There was a shirt pull, but that seems soft
ReplyDeleteInter v Liverpool. Examples of everything that is wrong with VAR.
ReplyDeleteAgree, for every good VAR decision there is at least one ridiculous penalty, either for some sort of handball or soft contact.
DeletePenalty for Liverpool is a joke, there is no real force on the hold and Wirtz falls theatrically after seeing that he cannot reach the ball.
ReplyDeleteIMO very soft penalty for Liverpool. Not confident that VAR should have intervened
ReplyDeleteAgree clear exaggeration by Wirtz
DeleteOnce again.. difference between serie A and UEFA. In Italy this woukd be never called and considered soft one. While clear one for UEFA as we know.
ReplyDeleteActually, obvious holding means a penalty, although Wirtz’s fall looked theatrical. I don’t know what to say. VAR called Zwayer, and after that it was clear he would award the penalty.
ReplyDeleteHe could just say no :-)
DeleteElite referees need to have courage. Complete lack of it here. Stay with your initial decision.
DeleteTerrible var intervention in milano
ReplyDeleteThe problem is always about consistency. Whar is the sense of VAR when you have all different criteria, especially subjective ones?
ReplyDeleteDoubtful incident on PK at INT-LIV.
DeleteIMO, not a sufficient holding for a PK: the real issue has been created by VAR call on so declaring Zwayer original decision like a “clear mistake”.
Anyway an holding (although with a soft contact) has been here; thus also a PK call could be supportable eventually.
In conclusion, even if 2nd half has been less performing than 1st, overall my opinion on Zwayer this evening remains quite positive.
When felix zwayer stop use var four consecutive games use of var
ReplyDelete😁
Zwayer, Zwayer… I wonder how he still gets big matches. Never in control, inconsistent. And then VAR… awful night in Milan
ReplyDeleteUEFA VARs have been very focused on holdings in recent months, haven’t they?
ReplyDeleteOnly one ref would say no to this type of penalty and Var call.
ReplyDeleteYes,his name is Mateu.
Well, we saw Dabanovic recently in Lille vs PAOK)
DeleteJust watched a video of the holding in Milan (INT–LIV). I think this is the type of penalty that would never be given in real time, nor in the pre-VAR era. But nowadays you have VAR, reviewing every frame in slow motion. Players know this and take advantage of it by going down theatrically. That aside: it wasn’t very smart from the defender.
ReplyDeleteI wonder to what extent the disallowed 0–1 in the first half was still on the VAR’s mind (after all, that was already one key decision against Liverpool). I did feel sorry for Zwayer — he did look a bit disappointed after the first OFR… He has a season full of key decisions so far.
At least you felt sorry for him, better than the others here. Thanks for the compassion.
DeleteYou seem to be a zwayer fan which is fine, he is a good referee… the bigger blame here is in the var side, even though felix could have eventually rejected the PK.
DeleteYes, I genuinely feel for Zwayer. His first three UCL appointments in 2025/2026 featured VAR overturns, and that inevitably weighs on a referee’s mind. Even so, UEFA entrusted him with Inter–Liverpool, a marquee fixture — and he clearly wanted to justify that confidence.
DeleteThen, on the opening goal, Zwayer was confronted with a difficult handball call that no referee can accurately assess in real time, resulting in yet another on-field review. You could see his frustration.
And then in the Wirtz situation, in my opinion, the VAR should have stayed quiet. Fortunately, the consequences for Zwayer will be minimal, because Inter are in a good position to reach the top-8.
I would give this PK only to punish stupidity of the defender! What was on his mind to pull the player from behind??? Why???
ReplyDeleteHonestly i have seen some agreement to bastien first PK .. I would think otherwise
ReplyDeleteMakkelie OFR:
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/2c06ff
Zwayer OFR:
Deletehttps://files.fm/u/zqghh5kmmc#/view/92kphbv3nu
I think in Makkelie’s situation he was influenced by the exaggerated way the player fell, with both arms in the air. The contact is there, so the penalty is correct, but at first it looked rather soft.
ReplyDeleteWith Zwayer, I feel sorry for him. In my honest opinion, the VAR should have stayed out here. I don’t see this light shirt pull as a clear foul. However, in front of the monitor it’s very difficult to ignore it.
+1
DeleteZwayer: The VAR puts him in a tough spot here. If the VAR had stayed out of it, hardly anyone in England would’ve cared. Storks only showed him a slow-motion replay, and Zwayer could’ve asked for full speed. Curious to see if we’ll see Storks and Zwayer again in MD7 or MD8 — and where.
Makkelie: indeed, the fall is very theatrical (Wirtz-style), and I think Galatasaray’s #34 blocks Makkelie’s view, too. I do find his body language a bit too nonchalant; a referee needs to be on his toes in moments like this. If Gala score on the counter, you get big controversy (see Benfica–Barcelona last season). Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Good work by the Belgian VAR!
I will be against others but my opinion is that VAR intervention in Milan was correct and final decision should have been penalty. In the moment of offence, the ball was still in short distance and attacker had possibility to play with it. Of course, there is still room for discussion; exaggeration was noticeable. Holding is the offence without intensity. It either was and had influence or not. I am very curious how Rosetti and Co will evaluate this.
Delete@Unknown
DeleteYes, I think nobody’s denying it’s a clear holding. The main question is whether that hold actually causes Wirtz to go down. And that’s doubtful.
Point is: ever since VAR came in, the slightest touch or tiny foul is all players need to theatrically collapse like they’ve been shot. Because they know the VAR will look at it. This is killing the sport.
And sadly, I’m afraid that tide can’t be turned anymore.
For me the Milan situation is way too soft to whistle a PK, not an expected decision live and certainly should not have been called by VAR. @Unknown intensity of course has to be a factor when making the decision (when applied during the game), the pulling may be blatant but the effect/duration/intensity is exaggerated, short and low.
DeleteI’ve read a lot of comments about the VAR intervention in Milan. We are seeing more and more involvement of VAR around the world these days. Where it was initially intended only for clear and obvious errors, to avoid headlines and scandals, we are now too often microscoping situations. Recently, FIFA even stated that they want to bring VAR in for incorrect corner kicks and wrongly given yellow cards. So even more involvement than we already have nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI’m interested to hear what people here think of this trend.
The expansion of VAR to cover incorrectly awarded corners and second yellow cards shows how far the slope has already slipped. VAR was meant to correct the rare, blatant injustices — the Thierry Henry-type handballs. Instead, it has turned the sport into a forensic exercise, obsessing over marginal, inconsequential errors that used to be understood as part of the human game.
DeleteVAR also impacts referees’ confidence. Being forced to review a decision in front of millions undermines their authority, yet it hasn’t made them technically better; the errors persist.
Meanwhile, players exploit every touch, knowing the cameras are watching. I watched the Handball WC last weekend, where physicality is allowed without constant theatrics. Compared to that, football feels increasingly fragile. At this point, I’d love to see blue cards or temporary suspensions for simulations, overacting, unsporting behaviours to restore some integrity — though we all know referees will never enforce it, as they already refuse to use YCs for clear offences.
Genuinely baffled by some of the comments around that VAR intervention. Having not seen it until just now I was expecting something much more controversial.
ReplyDeleteIts a very clear pulling offence, it's not mutual holding or grappling and there's a reasonable argument that it affects the attackers ability to play the ball even if he exaggerated it
I understand what you mean, but does the Liverpool player actually go down because of the slight holding, or is he using the contact to his advantage? I can understand why Zwayer let this go and I don’t think the football world wants penalties for situations like this.
Delete@Ecosse Agree with you. I saw it similarly and wrote my opinion a little above. Sorry for publishing twice in this thread.
DeleteCome on guys. I’m sure you’ve played football as well as being interested in the refereeing display. I’d be staggered to think that the head of refereeing in any organisation would be seeking a penalty for this normal football contact. High threshold and all that.
DeleteAwful from Massa to not give a yellow card to Garcia (minute 39) borderline with red card and he was 5 meters away while AR1 had clear view.
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