First set of 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Round of 16, second legs, 17 March 2026.
18:45 CET - Lisbon (Estádio José Alvalade)
SPORTING CP (POR) - FK BODØ/GLIMT (NOR)
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Jonas Erni SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Küng SUI
Fourth Official: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Küng SUI
Fourth Official: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Andrew Dallas SCO
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Meßner AUT
UEFA Delegate: Tarik Shamel ENG
21:00 CET - London (Stamford Bridge)
CHELSEA FC (ENG) - PARIS SAINT GERMAIN (FRA)
Referee: Slavko Vinčić SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: David Šmajc SVN
Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: David Šmajc SVN
Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schröder GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Stavros Tritsonis GRE
UEFA Delegate: Loukas Siotropos GRE
21:00 CET - Manchester (Etihad Stadium)
MANCHESTER CITY FC (ENG) - REAL MADRID CF (ESP)
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Willy Delajod FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn GER
UEFA Delegate: Kris Bellon BEL
21:00 CET - London (Emirates Stadium)
ARSENAL FC (ENG) - BAYER 04 LEVERKUSEN (GER)
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout NED
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Lucílio Cardoso Cortez Batista POR
UEFA Delegate: Per Eliasson SWE
We can say no surprises here with all big names and clearly appointed before first legs score, and Schaerer in Lisbon, as one could have guessed. No need of a close check by committee for the Swiss, as he has been assigned with a regular observer.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow there could be the surprise in Munich, let's wait and see.
Funny though that Sandro Schärer is once again assigned a match involving a Portuguese team, which means his regular assistant Stéphane De Almeida misses out once more. This time, however, it was noticed in advance, so no replacement needs to be made.
DeleteLetexier, Taylor,Oliver,Machinack all possible names for Wednesday
ReplyDeleteThe English crew may have assignments in the quarter finals. I doubt if any of Oliver or Taylor will be assigned any match for Wednesday
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ReplyDeleteYou don’t think Turpin can have both, this game and a play-off ?
DeleteTurpin will get a play-off, 100%. The question is which one. Maybe not the Path A final with potential Italian involvement - otherwise Rosetti might have gone with a different referee for that bonkers game in Manchester. Keep in mind: the Manchester appointment was made before the 1st leg, and the play-off appointments may well have been drafted around the same time.
DeleteHe can certainly have a play-off with this game before but maybe not the big play-off with Italy involved.
DeleteVincic has strong Greek connections. Besides, he hasn't refereed a single game of Greek team's in European competitions so far.
ReplyDeleteGreek observer cool 😀
I do wonder what Vincic will learn from his observer. He has way more experience than him.
DeleteBarcelona vs Newcastle: nyberg
ReplyDeleteLiverpool vs galatasaray: joao pinheiro
Tottenham vs athletico madrid: letexier
Bayern munich vs atalanta: pljeto
Is this possible for tomorrow
My friend. Please try to gently get used to the idea that Pinheiro might have a match on Thursday, which really isn’t anything to be ashamed of, because they also need some top referees there.
DeleteWhile I respect everyone’s opinion, and I will always respect that, I never delete anything unless it's an insult or shows a lack of respect. However, I think that this whole story about the Portuguese referee has become rather excessive. How can anyone imagine seeing him, among other things, officiating a Galatasaray match again?
DeletePersonally, I think, if appointed, Pinheiro could be in Europa League, but I wouldn't be certain about that either.
It's fine to appreciate a referee for what he is, but I say this with respect: at a certain point, logic should come as well.
I say this without any offense, simply as a point for reflection, confident in your understanding. I'm sure you will understand!
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteFirst you spammed that Pinheiro will referee Chelsea vs PSG, now you switched to LFC vs Galata?
DeleteWith Dallas as AVAR on Tuesday, I would predict an English referee or Walsh at Bayern on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIs that even possible? Keep in mind that the Swede refereed both teams at St. James' Park in the opening match.
DeleteSurely possible since the same applies for Turpin in this Rma-Mci fixture.
DeleteIs it the end of the season for Pejito?
ReplyDeleteProbably yes. Apparently, the committee hasn't taken kindly to his performance in the Real Madrid vs. Olympique de Marseille match to this day, and he seems increasingly unlikely to be nominated. He even refereed a Napoli game in the initial phase, and that was that.
DeleteAnother proof of how the committee, primarily Rosetti, treats referees based on their passport. If what Peljto did had been done by a referee from France, Slovenia, or Italy, probably nothing would have happened. He would have been paused for one round and then returned. In this case, Peljto received a punishment as if he had made the biggest mistake in refereeing history. That is not fair, and as long as it’s like this, I cannot respect this committee. By the way, Peljto’s mistake could have been corrected by VAR, but they upheld his decision. The VAR referee was Higler, who now regularly officiates the Champions League again and was the referee of last year’s Champions League final.
DeleteHigler was also punished - the game on Tuesday is only his 3rd CL game of the season, a really low number for the VAR of the previous final.
DeleteAnd we can believe it: everything that is happening with Pejlto regarding his absence from the Champions League will keep him out of the World Cup in June. Unfortunately, it's a bad reality for the Bosnian.
DeleteOT: Finalissima is canceled by UEFA due to the conflicts in Middle East.
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't the only reason. UEFA wanted the match to be held at the Bernabéu, and the Argentine federation didn't agree.
DeleteTurpin must be quite bored of this fixture by now! This will be what, the third or fourth time recently?
ReplyDeleteCrazy, it's his third time. One in Feb 2025, and one in Dec 2025 and now this one. Still a really solid assignment though.
DeleteLike one his Euro 24 games and the NL final last year Scharer can't work with his usual AR1 before of his Portuguese connections.
ReplyDeleteI have a question for you guys who select the assistant referees, is it the centre ref or the Refcom itself. Someone wrote on which assistants a certain referee should bring to the World cup last week
ReplyDeleteAccording to my knowledge UEFA only oppoints the main referee and the VAR. the ARs are appointed by their federation, but there may be exeptions so for example in Schärers team when UEFA replaced de Almeida.
DeleteOk l got it thanks
DeleteSchärer was very careless. He missed a free kick against a Sporting player and awarded another one to the Norwegian team.
ReplyDeleteIn my pov the Bodø defender played the ball first but I might be wrong, I only watched one replay with half an eye on it.
DeleteOFR for a handball penalty for Schärer. Disappointing, that it wasn‘t given life, he had an excellent position
ReplyDelete*live
DeleteThis penalty should have been given live by Swiss referee, indeed.
Deletehttps://streamff.com/v/3669dc99
+1
DeleteHe had an excellent position, but not the best viewing angle. From the angle of the AR the hitting point and the outward arm position could be assessed better I believe.
DeleteAR1 could have helped here
DeleteClear penalty, but I thought Schärer could have given it without VAR. He had a clear view of the Bodø player's arm.
ReplyDeleteMost UEFA penalty of all time scandalous
ReplyDeleteWhy, please provide a reason? To me, it's a clear penalty for a handball offense
DeleteDon't worry about it. It must be a Bodø fan who still hasn't accepted the result.
DeleteWe as blog would like to have more useful discussions, this comment doesn't help. You can add why in your opinion it's a wrong decision. But if you write like that, it's just useless and without a real argument.
DeleteTo me as a British viewer I would agree this is a very "UEFA" penalty. Which is not to say I think it is wrong: by UEFA's interpretation of handball it is fully expected to be called, I totally accept. In England play on would be preferred here due to several factors: the distance; the deflection first off the stomach; the angle of the arm behind rather than alongside him as he tries to withdraw it; etc. The difference between the two frameworks is enormous.
DeleteBall from body and then hits the arm. IFAB blatantly clearly says no handball. UEFA goes against the laws.
DeleteBall hits stomach first then arm zero chance to react in England it could never be a penalty as it hits another part of the body before the arm in UEFA they force defenders to play with the hands behind the back its nonsense key point in the game and such a soft penalty i dont like it. I refer to it as a "European penalty"
DeleteThe eight-second rule for goalkeepers has really become a farce. Yes marginally it has sped things up after refs called it for the first week of the season, but now Bodo goalkeeper holds the ball for at least 15-16 seconds by my count at 87:00. Why even change the rule if it is only again going to be used as a tool and not a law for referees to implement.
ReplyDeleteSandro, the only one, really the only one who follow the rules regarding only captain to speak with the referee! The only one!!!
ReplyDelete2 clear penalty missed by turpin
ReplyDeleteHandball both on his blindside, and never punishable. The other contact seemed minimal on first replay too. Turpin right on both counts for me
DeleteThis one however, clear handball (delibrate). RC and Dogso correct
DeleteAgree with DB nothing on the first handball and clear exaggeration by Cherki
DeleteClear handball on the line, red card after OFR by Turpin,
ReplyDeleteThe argument of deliberate is the movement the player makes.
The law is far from justice, not for the penalty but from the red card., ball was out of target
DeleteVery good VAR intervention. I actually think he may have given it on field if not for the offside
ReplyDeleteCan't blame AR1 for thinking it was offside. Very tight
ReplyDeleteReally tight here, but great delay without that no decision possible after with VAR. great application of the protocol
DeleteAn interpretive move that few can boast of. But Turpin had enough evidence to award the penalty and send Bernardo off.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very challenging game for Turpin.
ReplyDeleteGuardiola has been booked following a protest to fourth official for a free kick outside the box not whistled by Turpin.
I must say City coach seems to be rather intolerant against referees in recent times.
Also physically it must be very demanding for Turpin. So far he’s keeping up great.
DeleteDelajod was clever, wasn't he? He didn't fall for Guardiola's tricks. The Spanish coach is usually eccentric, but strategically intelligent when approaching potential candidates
DeleteDelajod, in the brief moment when he seemed to be being monitored by UEFA, but then disappeared from the spotlight, looked a rather very strict referee to me. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had asked Turpin to send off directly the well-known Spanish coach, given that he had also touched him, as you can see in the footage.
DeleteIn stoppage time of first half very good by Delajod in showing presence even to the players, I like it when 4Os are motivated enough to do so
DeleteYou are right Chefren very strict referee but he knows that if he wants to follow the french in UEFA competition he will need to communicate more with a softer approach so good to see only a YC here.
Deletehttps://streamin.me/v/4b7a9e8f
ReplyDeleteHere the clip of the red card for DOGSO hanbdall on the line.
Under a technical point of view, it's in my opinion very interesting to remark how in a situation like this, in reality a player tries to bypass the rule, by putting arms behind the back, but then making a movement with full body. It's still a punishable and deliberate handball, and it must be punished accordingly, as it happened in this game. Correct VAR intervention for red card.
Nice to see a referee in total black! That's power!! Really power!
ReplyDeleteOr it’s just a kit color…
DeleteNothing to report about the games in London in this first half. No controversial plays and no yellow cards.
ReplyDeleteThe City players are losing their composure at the end of the first half. If they don't get their heads together, another player will be sent off.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think Turpin should have reacted with one or two YCs, always only talking is sometimes not enough.
DeletePep just got a yellow for kissing the fourth official 😂
ReplyDeleteAR1 Steegstra knocked and fell after colliding with the Leverkusen subs warming up. Obviously too close to his patrol path. Fortunately doesn’t seem to have affected him.
ReplyDeleteClip:
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/c9013b
Courtois was replaced by Lunin. Something happened to the Belgian goalkeeper.
ReplyDeleteIt is not problem when turpin use video assistant but it is problem when joao pinheiro is used 😁😁
ReplyDeleteTurpin gave offside so even if he thought it was a handball he couldn't give it because AR1 thought Vinicius was offside.
Delete@TC021002, however, in this case, if Turpin had spotted the handball live, he would have indicated immediately penalty and red card after an overrule by VAR about the wrong offside call.
DeleteGoing to the monitor should mean that he hadn't detected what happened.
Given the need to also determine the sanction in this case he may have intimated he thought it was a handball and was invited to OFR anyway. It was an exceptionally quick OFR
DeleteArsenal's goal was disallowed after Havertz pulled Tillman's shirt. There was also a handball by the Gunners player.
ReplyDeleteMakkelie disallowed a goal scored by Arsenal for handball, also the arm in that position was used to hold opponent, quick decision without VAR.
ReplyDeleteGood assistant referees in Turpin's second half.
ReplyDeleteAgree but big missed with Mbappé pulling jersey. Missed foul and YC / RC for City…
DeleteDon't think VAR can do something for me the foul is over when Mbappe inside the penalty area but big miss in live play for a FK and YC.
DeleteI think City very fortunate. Yes, Mbappe goes down very easily, but there is a clear, strong shirt pull. Possible RC/Dogso/penalty
ReplyDeletei Think VAR says that the foul was outside and that it was not a DOGSO, the only way to not recommend OFR imo
DeleteToo soft for me.. play on is correct decision
Delete"too soft" but you agreed with the penalty decisions last week? those were "soft" too...
DeleteLast week penalty call by Mariani was inevitable and correct for me.. the arsenal one was wrong imo..
DeleteWrong calls last week shouldn’t influence this week
Vincic went unnoticed at Stanford Bridge. The game was decided in the first few minutes without a single yellow card. The Slovenian and his assistants will go home happy.
ReplyDeleteA typical Vincic game. A nice fixture on paper, also some high quality football but without any real controversies and difficulties for the referee.
DeleteOT: CAF have officially stripped Senegal of their AFCON title after their walkout in protest to Ndala's PK call after OFR in the final.
ReplyDeleteThat’s quite some news.. surely another appeal will happen
DeleteDoubt that decision will stand after CAS appeal, but still major news indeed
DeleteOFF TOPIC: Historic decision in Africa – Senegal stripped of the African championship title and it awarded to Morocco!
ReplyDeleteRecap with my point of view.
ReplyDeleteSchärer, in a match that also somewhat surprisingly saw Sporting 5-0 comeback, didn't have a particularly difficult task overall, but he fell on the decisive penalty incident, where, had he spotted it live, he would have made a good thing for him. The Swiss referee may still be lacking something in terms of teamwork after a long absence from international scene.
Next, an easy game for Vinčić: PSG dominated from the start, Chelsea offered very little, and the tie had already taken a clear direction in the first leg, nothing to do for the English side today.
For Makkelie in London, on the other hand, it was a match that started from a balanced position after the draw in the first leg, although the task for the German side away was difficult regardless. The key moment came in the second half, when a tricky handball by a home player made a goal irregular; it was spotted live and correctly disallowed, also holding can be reported. The rest was routine, with the typical football of English teams, focused on playing (here against a German side), different from matches involving teams from other countries.
The match with the most to say about, although realistically it never really re-opened tonight after first leg, was the one in Manchester. A difficult game for Turpin, the toughest of the night: he went to an OFR for a decisive penalty and red card. There was also a mistake from an assistant, although the assistants were flawless in the second half with three disallowed goals. Strong presence from the French referee, who at the end of the first half, in a scene that could maybe be used as the refereeing "cover image" of the match, gathered the players in a kind of timeout and urged them to calm down. Management of a certain level.
Overall, in my view, not a bad set of matches, but a few decisions that ended up going to VAR might have been caught live. Let's see the other games tomorrow.
Overall good Turpin with his style. Charisma and acceptance by top players. And that’s what counts.
ReplyDeleteFirst half was rough for him a bit .. second was fine
DeleteImo unacceptable no VAR intervention for that holding in Manchester
ReplyDeleteI think Brisard detect the clear pulling but realise that once inside the penalty area there is no foul anymore so impossible to call a OFR for PK and don't think that it's DOGSO so at the end that should have been detected live by Turpin and also 4th official.
DeleteBlatant penalty and blatant DOGSO
DeleteReally weird game for Turpin, big actions everywhere with some tight offsides also. At the end the most important decision was right with the PK and RC, but a big miss at the end with a clear pulling shirt and probably a FK/PK missed.
ReplyDeleteAs always correct management when needed with frustrated players. Don't think this game will have any impact on his future this season.
A tough game for Turpin. After today, he should ask UEFA for the following: I'm fed up with refereeing Manchester City and Real Madrid. That's enough. lol
DeleteBlatant penalty + red card not given for the shirt pull on Mbappé. Completely unacceptable.
DeleteThat's for sure and also don't think it's a good idea by UEFA to do that, maybe don't feel as a big game once you got it 3 times in few years. Maybe something to think next time
DeleteFlawless performance by Makkelie in a match of normal difficulty. There were no challenging situations to assess. He correctly disallowed the 3–0 goal for handball, without VAR. The assistant referees also had a quiet and controlled evening. Rosetti in the stands will be pleased.
DeleteWas Rosetti in the stands in London? Makkelie's observer was Lucílio Batista.
DeleteCommittee members more often visit games when a separate observer is present.
DeleteRosetti was caught on camera in the previews (on TNT Sports at least).
Rosetti was also present at Jablonski's intra-Italian match last week.
DeleteAbout CAF, one can't say that this decision came as big surprise, after the big mess, I could expect it, but well, maybe before this date honestly. Rather long time has passed, one thing before all the rest for CAF, they should definitely work more about credibility, at moment it's very, very low. We will see what FIFA will arrange with CAF officials at next WC, there are many question marks, honestly.
ReplyDeleteAnd tbf that's maybe not the end, pretty sure Senegal will do something against this decision if possible (i don't know about that), so really weird and also what FIFA will do with this.
DeleteCAF's decision to remove Doue is going well 👍.
DeleteIn Bernardo’s handball situation, after rewatching the whole sequence, it looks like VAR may have almost made a serious mistake. It seems that Turpin initially received a “check over” --> raises his hand for indirect free kick, but then did VAR immediately take that back? (At 17:45.)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the VAR booth was on the verge of a complete blunder, or what exactly happened there. If play had been quickly restarted with an indirect free kick, it could have turned into quite a farce.
In any case, Turpin himself handled the situation excellently, with great composure and a calm, authoritative presence.
I think it was just miscommunication there probably didn't heard him well and thought Brisard was confirming the offside decision. Overall Big VAR scene and great job from everyone especially AR1 to delay that much which at the end was very helpful
DeleteOT: I just read that Hernández Hernández is on the list of candidates for the World Cup. What a surprise!
ReplyDeleteWow! Some serious doubts about Sanchez?
DeleteI don't have any info but with the report of the seminar for european referees i don't even know if it's possible that they already made a list for the world cup. Weird info imo.
DeleteIt's a strange info by a famous Spanish journalist who is close to refereeing, Isaac Fouto, you can find him on on X.
DeleteHowever I think the only explanation is that he reported Hernandez Hernandez as candidate because he is on VAR list of preselected referees, not as pitch referee, but at the monitor.
Since he is always in favor of referees, in the meaning of protecting them under the eyes of Spanish fans, maybe he used this to present the reality in a different way.
As for my sources about the list and the groups of the seminar in Italy, I can confirm 100% the reported names. No Hernandez Hernandez on that list.
So, we’re set for a Real vs Bayern QF.
ReplyDeleteMassa, Guida or Mariani. :)
DeleteYeah, that’s definitely a possibility. The 1st leg will almost certainly go to a referee who either (1) needs an extra (political) push on the road to the World Cup, or to a UEFA final, or (2) compensation for the Italian who won’t be going to the WC. Unfortunately, that’s just how Rosetti operates. Meritocracy doesn’t always have a place in top matches, especially in 1st legs and in a World Cup year.
DeleteTwo early penalty appeals in MCIRMA. After analysing them, two correct play-on calls by Turpin and Brisard.
ReplyDelete07' PAI kicking
https://streamff.link/v/0e42b4a1
11' PAI handball
https://streamff.link/v/324065c5
7' The effects of the action on the ball are clear for me, for this reason OK to play on and to consider it regular
Delete11', correct play on, movement to close the arm to protect body but if given by referee, VAR maybe in trouble,there would be arguments for supporting the call, maybe not clear and obvious mistake, one should also wonder where the ball would go without the arm touch, if the answer is on another part of the body / chest of the player, then even more no penalty
Video of the non-called Mbappé penalty please.
ReplyDeleteHere the clip: https://streambug.org/cv/b17390
DeleteClear holding, if UEFA wants to be consistent, this should have been whistled, otherwise one can report as argument in favor of play on the fact that the effects of the holding were not that visible: players close each other, and not sure how much this action stopped the opponent (shirt not excessively stretched, attacker rather continuing his action for a while).
However, one shouldn't say that, but decision by VAR to be made in a very easy context, nobody would have cared about it (last minutes, decided qualification...).
Not a good look for the sport to allow such blatant holding. It makes the laws become unnecessary.
DeleteFor the Tuesday clashes Makkelie was the clear winner by now he deserves a European final this year
ReplyDeleteHe managed well an intense game where any team could go through but yes on paper the home team were overwhelming favorites but after the first leg anything could happen
On the other hand I 100% agree with @ahmed some top referees get praised even on their bad games because everyone believes they are better and later on they will bounce back.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we get fade up of the overwhelming comments defending these referees. We all know they can do better if not best but also they have poor performances,we should embrace it not defend it. For example the two French (Turpin and Letexier)
If l remember correctly even Marciniak had a poor performance 2/3 seasons ago PSG VS NEWCASTLE and some of you the big guns on this blog just ignored the situation because you couldn't defend him and it passedby like it never happened.
ReplyDeleteHe is the number one referee right now even so he should be judged by his performance not his high standards IMO.
DeleteAnd all the top elite referees too
I also think that other referees would face more critisism after missing a PK + RC and arguably another RC...
ReplyDeleteSome referees reach a point in their careers where they develop a kind of aura. Players give them the benefit of the doubt almost by default, and they get away with decisions that would be heavily scrutinized, if not game-defining, when made by someone else. It’s really a reflection of reputation more than anything, and Turpin and Marciniak are perfect examples of that.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I do agree with you. I remember Spain vs Netherlands in the Nations League, where Turpin awarded two very soft penalties. If you isolate those incidents, both are probably incorrect in every referee seminar. But no one really made a big deal out of it afterwards, because the overall match control and big picture looked solid and neither team protested. At the same time, that shouldn’t mean the decisions themselves are beyond criticism. You can acknowledge the overall performance while still being critical of the individual calls.
Agree with that and maybe sometimes bcose there is a clear control of the game with referees respected by player ut’s make those 50/50 situations look better. And I think that make sense, if another referee make a 50/50 call but he is loosing the game then it’s look worse even if both decisions are controversial. And yeah Turpin and Marciniak are good examples of that and maybe zwayer or pinheiro are on the opposite side of it.
Delete