Referee appointments for 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, first legs, game to be played on 7 April 2026.
21:00 CET - Madrid (Estadio Santiago Bernabéu)
REAL MADRID CF (ESP) - FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN (GER) Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Vladimir Šajn SVN
UEFA Delegate: Radenko Mijatović SVN
21:00 CET - Lisbon (Estádio José de Alvalade)
SPORTING CP (POR) - ARSENAL FC (ENG) Referee: Daniel Siebert GER
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel GER
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn GER
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Alan Mario Sant MLT
UEFA Delegate:Roxana Berceanu ROU
Interesting that Oliver is observed by Committee member, possibly one of the finals for him. Or committee member just due to high profile of the match…
ReplyDeleteMichael Oliver looks likely to be No.1 candidate for the Final this year. The first leg appointment is likely to keep him away from the second leg hot pot that may damage his chances. Except he puts in a really terrible performance or an English team makes it to the final, it's hard to look past Oliver for this year's final showpiece
DeleteI’m more in line with Referee 12. Probably considered for A final, not necessarily THE final. If the real No. 1 candidate, then a Europa League quarter final would keep him away more from the spotlights than this Champions League clash (even though 1st leg).
Delete@Adams A.A. I would have also nominated Michael Oliver for the first leg. However, my reasoning was that the winner of this match could face an English team in the semi-final.
Delete@Unknown He’s already stayed “away from spotlights” in Round of 16, so I don’t think it’s necessary to do it again. Reaching a final (either CL or EL) without playing in CL KO stages sounds pretty unlikely.
Delete@Peter: I agree, that this would be a logical argument, but apparently doesn't care at all, if we look at last season's QF 2nd legs.
DeleteFor me it seems obvious, that Oliver is a candidate for a final this season and therefore it makes sense to give him a big QF as final test. I would have preferred the second leg, because it probably will be more challenging, but also because I don't see a better choice for it at the moment (if we don't repeat one of the Real referees from the previous KO rounds). Maybe Kovacs is the best guess now for the return leg?
Are really committee crazy ? Siebert to 1/4 final? How many chances he has? This is a joke and bad example to all upcoming referees that if you are from a high profile country you have invulnerability...
ReplyDeleteSiebert is in a grate form and he deserves it. An excellent season by the German
DeleteBig game for Oliver in front of a committee member, yes we can consider him as candidate for CL final, nevertheless it's true that for sme big games, committee members are there just for the importance of the game, as we also observerd in past editions of Champions League. A rare big match without English teams. Clearly, before all the rest, it was the opportunity for rewarding him with a sonorous clash as long as this was possible, without other English involvments. The rest, must be observed to follow.
ReplyDeleteIt is to me more interesting under a refereeing point of view the assignment of Siebert in Lisbon. Clearly, Portuguese team can be considered as the weakest of the last 8, and this allowed a "different" choice. But, yes, this choice can mean that Zwayer will be left without CL KO assignments this season. Keeping the line we saw so far by committee, it should be expected, otherwise the German, as WC candidate, would have got an assignment earlier in the competition, but it would be very bad signal for him, and a clear different point of view by UEFA (fully justified inside the circle) if compared to FIFA (long preselection process for the German from Berlin).
Nevertheless, things can be different, and we are not inside so we can't know everything.
Rosetti observer in Paris on Wednesday can give us a doubt about whether the German could even appear here (but to me, unlikely) and the observation by the Italian UEFA head of refereeing would be clear: going to meet a referee who is in very difficult moment (Rosetti did similar observations in past). However, for the performance principle this would be astonishing after all they made, but surely not 100% impossible. We will see, I'm very curious.
About Siebert himself, the appointment is not undeserved, he is doing quite well so far, and yes, once again, the clash in Lisbon is the least sonorous of the 8 (second leg could be different...).
Now about a possible Italian assignment, I said that Mariani should be out because assigned in serie A as VAR on Monday, but at this point, given also Di Bello AVAR on Tuesday, I can't exclude him from Barça - Atletico, Stefano Podeschi from San Marino as observer, nevertheless, given how serie A assignments were managed, the first option would be still Guida, but it's hard if not impossible to think he could get this one, before all the rest because he would handle again Barça. So maybe Mariani even if he will be in charge as VAR on Monday (short time), otherwise not an Italian assignment.
You say before that the game between sporting vs bodo glimt
DeleteIs the weakest game and what happened was the exact opposite
Yes Chefren, it really gives us the idea that a guy is going to the World Cup after strong seasons, and then in his first season where he does badly its a bad signal for him as he didnt know how his season is and we have difference from uefa to fifa.
DeleteHold on a minute. It's even funny to see you saying that. Felix is a candidate to WC by the seasons he had in 4 years in UEFA + CWC not because of a single CL season.
@Zwayerbrazil I think what Chefren meant is just that we will see a difference in the rest of this season between FIFA's selection and UEFA's, for exactly the reason you say: FIFA work on a longer timeline and Zwayer deserves to go to the WC; taking this season in isolation, Siebert deserves his chance in CL knockouts if there is space only for one German team.
DeleteIt’s a bit pointless to start debating the UCL final already, since the match-up will be decisive.
ReplyDeleteOliver obviously benefits if PSG knock out Liverpool, which isn’t unrealistic given Liverpool’s current form. But on the other side of the bracket you still have Arsenal.
Letexier, on the other hand, benefits from a PSG elimination, which could open the path for him (although with all French clubs already out of the UEL, that could also play a role).
Then there’s neutral Makkelie, who has likely built up some credit after ITA–NIR.
Another angle: what if the UCL final is Real Madrid vs Barcelona or Atléti? In a Spanish derby like that, the committee might avoid appointing Oliver.
I recall Kovács last year getting a UEL QF but skipping the semis, while Barcelona were still in the competition - no way he would’ve been given the final if it had been PSG vs Barcelona.
In short, the match-up will be decisive, and it’s possible that the RefCom won’t be able to make any final calls until after the semi-finals.
I disagree with your statement that it is pointless to start debating the UCL final. If almost all preivous season, with the exceptiok of year when Mazic was appointed for CL finals, I think Committee had very clear picture who will be appointed for CL finals even before QF.
DeleteThe committee also had a very clear picture in that season too!
DeleteBut the picture changed 😀.
I agree with what is written above. Given that two of the biggest candidates could still be ruled out by their country of origin, it is clear that the matchup is important this time. I also think Oliver deserves a rest after Tuesday, he will have done three very big games in seven days.
PSG-Arsenal would be the most difficult final to appoint, because nobody of the major candidates is available (assuming the Makkelie/PSG problem still exists).
DeleteThe positive thing is, that UEFA could assign the semifinals completely to former CL final referees (if Marciniak recovers in time) and thereby keep every option open for this year's final.
Good remark Philipp - I think Siebert would be given the final in that instance!
DeleteIt seems to me the order of preference for the CL final looks like this AToW:
1-Letexier
2-Oliver
3-Makkelie*
4-Siebert
(*I think Real-Barca would be Makkelie)
C’mon Mikael…Siebert with the Champions League Final?
DeleteI respect you A LOT (!) but, to me, this is nonsense…In a PSG-Arsenal final, I see it as more likely that RR would send Nyberg to the fire than give the final to a referee who won't even go to the WC...
And if Zwayer gets a 2L, this would be even crazier to think about (!)
It would obviously be inconcieveable in the 24 team Euro era to give the Champions League final in a Euro year to a non-Euro official (hope you can follow what I mean), but I don't think that is the case for the World Cup, because Rosetti isn't selecting the final list for that tournament and there is no self-contradiction. If UEFA were really that deferencial to what FIFA determine, then Zwayer would obviously have appeared in a CL knockout match by now. I think Rosetti would understand that giving Nyberg this suppositional PSG-Arsenal final would be seen as too 'off the wall' and demotivating for other referees, so the choice would have to default to Siebert. It seems you disagree; but the blog is for sharing different opinions and pov! Of course, it should be said that Makkelie would be a perfectly correct appointment to that particular match, but this is another matter entirely.
DeleteOliver appointment imo is fair but still surprised to see him in 1st leg, second leg could suit him more or he gets two games and the Spanish derby 2nd leg
ReplyDeleteAnd the German (Siebert) with a fine year he should be in the run in to a final at least the Conference league, he earned this game on merit even though it feels one sided that the English team will go through
ReplyDeleteI am very exciting the appointments of tomorrow especially psg vs Liverpool
ReplyDeleteIt will not be João Pinheiro
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWhy is so much focus put on "potential next opponent"?
ReplyDeleteNo referee is going into a game thinking that a team from his/her country would prefer matches against X or Y and affect results accordingly - bonkers
Appoint the best referees please
I completely agree with you. This seems to be a very debatable topic to me, based only on conspiracy theories that don't benefit refereeing. We already have the rule that a referee can't officiate a team from their own country, and that seems enough. Now starting to think about future matches that don’t even exist seems to be excessive. It's more a fan mentality than that a true refereeing insider. I believe that we should refrain...
Delete+1
DeleteThe German, Siebert deserves the Conference League Final, after his very positive performances this season.
ReplyDeleteAs I said
DeleteThese are very deserved appointments.
ReplyDeleteSiebert gets a QF after a great year, Oliver continuing what is probably his best ever year.
do you think we can see a spanish referee in PSG-Liverpool? Maybe Hernandez? Manzano?
Either spain has its own rules or something is wrong.
ReplyDeleteHow is this not a red card.?
https://x.com/lxomessismedia5/status/2040804044025774379?s=46
I disagree. This is a perfect incident to contrast with the mistakenly overturned red card by Busquets yesterday. In the Atletico-Barcelona match, the kick on the ball by the Barca player was frontal to his opponent, and looked like a clearly aggressive move, where the kick on the ball was only a pretense in order to 'leave one on' his opponent. Busquets Ferrer, indeed like the youth Libertadores semifinal reported earlier, read the incident perfectly live on the FoP and should have had the guts to trust his instinct after an OFR process. Meanwhile, this clip above looks like an unfortunate accident. After a normally-completed pass, the foot of the passer lands where the opponent's leg had moved into; 'sh*t happens'. The correct reaction is play on, no offence committed.
DeleteThis is a correct no red card. Real regular kick with no risk. Completely accidental. Barcelona was a blatant full force kick on the opponent.
DeleteHi Mikael,
ReplyDeleteYou wrote that the order of preference for the CL final seems to be:
1. Letexier
2. Oliver
3. Makkelie*
4. Siebert
(*you mentioned Real–Barça would likely be Makkelie)
Just a question: why would Letexier (36) and Oliver (41) be ranked above Makkelie (43), who is older and therefore has less time remaining at the top level? Based on performances, Makkelie has been better this season than Letexier and at least as good as Oliver.
It doesn’t matter to me, but I’m trying to understand the logic UEFA might be applying.
Thanks.
Hi Nolan, thanks for your question. As you said, what I wrote is not my personal opinion but my perception (which is not always accurate!) of the situation. From what I can gather, it seems like Makkelie's status at the moment in UEFA resembles Kassai's in the period 2015-17: an extremely experienced and very reliable referee, but not at the absolute top consideration (let's say top3) as had been the case in the past. One can continue the metaphor and say that at the present time, it seems that Letexier is more-or-less the no1 official for UEFA, in the same manner that the Hungarian was in 2010-13. Expectation management and age, indeed as it was with Kassai, is an interesting topic: but I haven't personally seen signs that the manager(s) at UEFA are considering putting the brakes on Letexier. It is just my personal feeling that it would be a(n understandable) personal satisfaction on the part of Rosetti to give the Frenchman a CL final during his tenure. If the rumours are true that Ceferin will leave in 2027 -- though according to what I'm reading in the mainstream media, this may not be the case -- I would imagine that the Italian manager considers it likely that he doesn't have many more CL finals to award in his tenure. 'There is no better time than the present' might be the justification, for things can change very quickly in refereeing - as I think Makkelie knows better than any current referee, when UEFA unfairly denied him the 2022 final in questionable circumstances (as I wrote about very explicitly at the time).
DeleteAddressing meanwhile what Anonymous has implied below - I think it is a real pity, and it hacks away at both the enjoyment in and indeed whole premise of the blog, if you really consider that even a tertiery purpose of my comments and contributions to the blog (because the comment referred to me directly) are somehow akin to the partisanship of a ‘supporting’ certain predetermined referees as one would a football team. Today I watched (and haven’t written a comment about) a relegation six-pointer in the UAE League; I can assure you that what you are implying is not the case! My only criterion for making any assessment about a referee is performances. As one example, speaking about the American official Ismael Elfath and his refereeing in the last Arab Cup, quoting verbatim: “I would personally go so far as to say, if he carries on in the World Cup itself like that, then an appointment to the grand final for him would be one made on merit”. If you think that I watch the number of obscure/old games that I do, not to gain a better idea about a referee’s ability in technically more challenging matches, but instead to advance the cause of referee x over referee y - then perhaps that says more for you and your own biases than it does about me. So please, for the sake of the blog if nothing else: stop.
Thank you Mikael for your clear explanation, I really appreciate it.
DeleteI understand your point that Makkelie went through a difficult period and therefore wasn’t in his best form. However, that seems to be something that keeps getting repeated and weighed heavily and I’m not sure we should approach it that way, not for any referee.
Take Szymon Marciniak for example. He also had a less strong period and was not selected for UEFA Euro 2021. Yet a year later, he refereed both the World Cup final. Based on past performance alone, would that have meant he shouldn’t have been appointed to this final?
It’s similar to football teams, a team can be relegated one season and become champions the next. In my view, the focus should always be on current form, while also taking into account the track record a referee has built over time. A referee can simply go through a dip in performance.
Makkelie has been an elite referee for well over 10 years now. And he is often appointed to the most difficult matches, where the margin for error is small and the risk of things going wrong is high. That consistency should also carry weight.
That said, I do wish Michael Oliver the best as well, although I would argue that given his age, he still has time on his side.
Yeah, the criteria don’t always seem fully consistent. Not that long ago, in 2024, ‘age’ was mentioned as the main argument for pushing Slavko Vinčić forward, as it was noted here that ‘Makkelie still has time,’ whereas now the youngest candidate, Letexier, is often presented as the frontrunner.
ReplyDeleteI think a degree of personal preference inevitably plays a role. Mikael has consistently rated Letexier very highly, which is perfectly fair, but it can give the impression of a slight lean in that direction. At the same time, Makkelie always sometimes seems to be assessed a bit more critically by Mikael in comparison. In general, I have to say that the French voices (“lobby”) are very prominent here on this blog.
From a broader perspective, there’s also a strategic question. Do you give Letexier a Champions League final already at this stage of his career, before he’s done his 1st World Cup? Or is it more logical to go with someone like Oliver or Makkelie, who could then head into their 2nd World Cup with that UCL-final experience under their belt?
Personally, I would say all three have reached a level where a Champions League final would be fully deserved at some point. So, for me it’s more a question of timing than merit. Just my two cents, but it’s an interesting discussion.