Referee appointment for the first leg of 2025/26 UEFA Champions League semifinal, PSG - Bayern, to be played on 28 April 2026.
PARIS SAINT GERMAIN (FRA) - FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN (GER)
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Ángel Nevado Rodríguez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Fourth Official: Jesús Gil Manzano ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG
UEFA Delegate: Peter Lundström FIN
I was right about surprise this week. I think nobody expected Scharer.
ReplyDeleteClearly a replacement though?
DeleteNobody, are you sure? ;)
DeleteWhy not the usual AR’s and VAR’s? Why does he appear with a full Spanish team.
DeleteI did not notice Spain assistans. Now I am not sure anymore. Things with uefa becomes more and more complicated every time.
DeleteI dont think a replacement, I think Scharer was a first choice there. Because even in case of replacement, I would not expect Scharer. So my guess is he was planned there originaly.
ReplyDeleteConsidering Vassaras tomorrow, my guess is Nyberg.
ReplyDeleteConsidering that Nyberg is in charge of today’s Stockholm derby between Djurgården - Hammarby, I would be surprised if he was appointed on Wednesday. He would have had a week off if that was the case
DeleteTechnically Nyberg could still have taken charge of Atleti-Arsenal even with his appointment today, but considering he will be without his normal AR2 Andreas Söderkvist, who is on duty tomorrow in Mjällby-Halmstad instead, there is no way that will be the case
DeleteMixed team... I was laughing about what was happening in the AFC Champions League but now UEFA have created something even worse!
ReplyDeleteWhat for Manzano to think, fourth official while his crew run the lines? He had a chance for this game but lost it with his so-so refereeing in Fiorentina-C.Palace? Are the Swiss lines(wo)men victims of the 'Rosetti anger principle' for what happened in the past (I know there was the injury too) and just thrown out altogether for this one match as part of a political compromise? UEFA mixed the teams for the late stages of the Champions League in 98/00/02 for very different reasons, but I think this is one of the most astonishing appointments ever to a CL knockout game. This is Ballan-like stuff, which should not really even be concieveable in UEFA refereeing! It is a pity that it has come to this... :/
Delete???
ReplyDeleteWhy the hell has Schärer the ARs of gil Manzano? It can’t really be a replacement because gil Manzano is still appointed as fourth official. I don’t understand anything…
Is this a joke? It‘s Schärer‘s biggest game in his career so far and he‘s working with a completely new team. What is happening here?
ReplyDeleteScharer was discussed about as a potential candidate so not a surprise but on the other hand it surely looks like a replacement of Hdz Hdz because why should appoint someone alone with the rest Spanish at least the AVAR would be fair and generous
ReplyDeleteClearly not a replacement, at this point of the competition talking about a replacement would be poor and unacceptable management.
ReplyDeleteI predicted Schaerer after Velasco observation, and here he gets PSG.
Then, the rest is because they couldn't appoint a Spanish referee, so they presented a mixed team, as Mikael wrote above, it's very clear to understand the point they used for making that.
The only good thing is that they didn't dare to assign Hernandez Hernandez, and so this is also another reason why we had this outcome.
Very sad for other regular Swiss officials from Schaerer crew who couldn't join the team for this very big game.
The treatment by Velasco towards Manzano is something close to bullying, to be honest.
DeleteIt's also because if they appoint Gil Manzano for this game, they show to be not consistent with previous choices they made. So a compromise is allowing him to be fourth official there. For me, nothing technical related to Florence game, they planned it in this way regardless.
DeleteFor me it is quite sad that the politics of "having" to appoint some officials from certain countries means Schärer is made to work with a new team and in a different language for one of the biggest games of his career. Hopefully he is still able to produce a performance at the level he has shown he is capable.
ReplyDeleteThey all speak English…
DeleteOk they all speak English but you can be sure that the ‘´trust’’ between them is no where near what is needed for this level, and when you need to take a decision in 2 seconds it’s better when you all know each other perfectly.
DeleteSure they all speak enough English to be assigned UEFA matches and get by, but it still adds difficulty to each communication with each other. Combined with the lack of trust as crn.ple says, that could make all the difference to correctly resolving a KMI with the pressure on. The officials have enough to contend with as it is!
DeleteThis is what UEFA, led by Rosetti, is doing its becoming a disgrace. Scharer, a Swiss referee, with Spanish assistant referees and Gil Manzano as the fourth official? Just when I think it cant get worse, it somehow does…
ReplyDeleteBy the way, everyone notices it now, but this has already happened in the past under Rosetti - at the Women's Euro in England, the Cypriot lineswoman Irodotou was in a crew with the Welsh referee Cheryl Foster (Foster-O'Neill-Irodotou). They worked two group matches together, in which Irodotou didn't make any mistake (I happened to watch them both). Then, suddenly, when Foster was appointed for the semifinal France-Germany, the two lineswomen were O'Neill and Porras from Spain; the Cypriot had been deleted from the crew for no apparent reason. Why? Well, my guess would be that Huerta was close to (undeservedly) getting the other semifinal, England-Sweden, but the Spanish VAR crew's big error in the group stage made it unfeasible, and RFEF were offered some 'compensation'. The official(s) from non-politically significant countries in UEFA refereeing were treated as an afterthought. By deduction, one can obviously guess that Hernandez was very (very) close to getting this PSG-Bayern semifinal. With Rosetti, as everyone learns eventually, everything is flexible!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, very deserved for Porras Ayuso, one must be very impressed following her path. Absolutely justified to assign her for a CL semifinal, after the Conference League final with Del Cerro in 2023.
ReplyDeleteSolid assistant referee, very often faultless performances, cooperation with referee (last one the penalty in Florence). Regular games in CL.
Agree! You can argue she is the stronger of the two assistants in Manzano's crew, to be honest. And it is surely noteworthy that she is the beneficiary again of 'this' situation, as I spoke about above.
DeleteI don't understand the logic of this appointment.
ReplyDeleteThere was no need of Spanish officials in this game (nor in this round in general, with Atlético still in the competition and none of the three Spanish refs justifying an appointment based on form). There has been no Spanish main referee in a CL SF since 2023 and that's fine!
If Rosetti wanted to compensate Spain, just give Hernández Hernández an EL SF, it would be much more tenable than whatever is this.
And there's no justification to throw out De Almeida/Erni. All inconveniences caused by them to UEFA (De Almeida's replacements due to being Portuguese, Erni injured in Bologna-Aston Villa) aren't actually their fault! And if they want to ditch Swiss ARs so bad, why don't give Schärer German ARs?
If they wanted Schärer with this game, German ARs may have been a struggle
DeleteSchärer`s assitants are both injured. For me e surprise, that not San as VAR, he ist todays VAR @ UWCL Semi Arsenal - Lyon is a Swiss Ref Team with Blanco
ReplyDeleteJonas Erni got injured too after Bologna-A.Villa?(!); I see he hasn't worked a league game since then. That match was the unluckiest ever for linesmen...
DeleteOne could conclude then that Scharer-Kung-Porras was ruled out for looking too tokenistic, Scharer-Kung-Nevado was ruled out for a technical judgement on the Swiss assistant (but she is good enough for the Nations League final and other games?), so we end up with Scharer-Nevado-Porras.
Then imo he should not be appointed if your missing both assistants just take someone else it’s not like he is the best for UEFA
Delete@crn.ple Absolutely.
Deletespeaks for the quality of Schärer. We will see....
DeleteStephane de Almeida, hold on brother.
ReplyDeleteI guess UEFA refcom has redefined HR management, mostly by removing the H and the R.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think I ever seen a season like this, quite worrying imo
DeleteThis is also interesting regarding the World Cup. I shortly considered, whether it would indicate the option, that Schärer referees at the WC with Spanish assistants. But then it should have been Hernandez' ARs and not Gil Manzano's in Paris.
ReplyDeleteHowever it looks a bit weird, if a CL SF referee won't get a game at the WC, especially if things go well on Tuesday.
But FIFA and UEFA probably act independently in that regard.
Nevertheless, it is helpful for UEFA, that Schärer is on the WC list (and not explicitly as support) to sell today's appointment to the general public. Indeed it was received positively in German media (kicker), also referring to his very good CL QF last season involving Bayern. They only pointed out, that it is only his 4th CL game in this season, which might appear strange. BTW they also pointed out, that the last Swiss in a CL SF was Busacca, also in a game involving Bayern and a French team (Lyon) in 2010.
If both his regular assistants are injured as mentioned by Swissref then I guess this makes sense. Although I don't see why they couldn't have appointed Kung and another swiss AR.
ReplyDeleteGood day, i have a question.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the first World Cup game Mex-Rsa will have a ref from CONMEBOL, or rather from uefa from a political pov. Any predictions?
Also , refs that had controvery lately do they have less chance now?
I think, among the UEFA top referees, we can exclude (or give much smaller chances to) Makkelie (NED/RSA connections) and Turpin (EURO24 opener). Regarding recent controversy, probably the chances of Vincic are also reduced. Furthermore it's less likely that the game will be refereed as a WC debut. So that leaves us with Marciniak, Oliver and Taylor.
DeleteFor CONMEBOL maybe it will be avoided to have a Spanish-speaking referee for Mexico (should not matter IMO, but could be used as an argument), so that leaves the two Brazilians. The WC experience then would point towards Sampaio.
If for political reasons, an AFC referee is chosen, Faghani has to be mentioned as well.
Personally, I would choose Oliver unless he gets the CL final.
I am not a historian but wasn't the Cape under British rule much longer than netherlands? If we talk about connections. Maybe we are overthinking . Taylor refereed Mamelodi at the CWC. If colonization is a thing, the British can't referee many countries :P The only certain thing is that Argentina does not accept a British ref
DeleteFor Marciniak I predict MD2 + potential Arg-Uru and then a semi. I think Letexier might be a solid pick for Mex-Rsa? Also bcause I highly doubt PLC will give him a WC final after the euro final ?