2026/27 UEFA Champions League. Please find below the referee appointments for the second set of MD2 games, to be played on Wednesday 14 October 2026.
Wednesday 14 October 2026
18:45 CET - Rotterdam (Stadion Feijenoord "De Kuip")
FEYENOORD ROTTERDAM (NED) - COMO 1907 (ITA)
Referee: Donatas Rumšas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandr Radiuš LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Dovydas Sužiedėlis LTU
Fourth Official: Robertas Valikonis LTU
Video Assistant Referee: César Soto Grado ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Kóstas Kapitanís CYP
UEFA Delegate: Armen Minasyan ARM
18:45 CET - Linz (Raiffeisen Arena)
LASK LINZ (AUT) - LIVERPOOL FC (ENG)
Referee: Tobias Stieler GER
Assistant Referee 1: Lasse Koslowski GER
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Weickenmeier GER
Fourth Official: Matthias Jöllenbeck GER
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
UEFA Referee Observer: Uno Tutk EST
UEFA Delegate: Radenko Mijatović SVN
21:00 CET - Manchester (Etihad Stadium)
MANCHESTER CITY FC (ENG) - PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN (FRA)
Referee: Sven Jablonski GER
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz GER
Fourth Official: Tobias Reichel GER
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Vítor Manuel de Melo Pereira POR
UEFA Delegate: Kim Hallberg DEN
21:00 CET - Rome (Stadio Olimpico)
AS ROMA (ITA) - REAL MADRID CF (ESP)
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Bastien Dechepy FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos CRO
UEFA Delegate: Jovan Šurbatović SRB
21:00 CET - Birmingham (Villa Park)
ASTON VILLA FC (ENG) - FENERBAHÇE (TUR)
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Ján Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Peter Kráľovič SVK
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schröder GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefano Podeschi SMR
UEFA Delegate: Georges Lüchinger LIE
21:00 CET - Seville (La Cartuja de Sevilla)
REAL BETIS BALOMPIÉ (ESP) - FC PORTO (POR)
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Jérémie Pignard FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Mathieu Vernice FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: William Young SCO
UEFA Delegate: Jacques Antenen SUI
21:00 CET - Bodø (Aspmyra Stadion)
FK BODØ/GLIMT (NOR) - BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER)
Referee: Urs Schnyder SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher SUI
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Alan Mario Sant MLT
UEFA Delegate: Arturs Gaidels LVA
21:00 CET - London, ENG (Stamford Bridge)
FC SHAKHTAR DONETSK (UKR) - AEK ATHENS (GRE)
Referee: Christopher Kavanagh ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Cook ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Ian Hussin ENG
Fourth Official: Samuel Barrott ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Andrew Dallas SCO
UEFA Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn GER
UEFA Delegate: David Findlay SCO
21:00 CET - Bratislava (Národný futbalový štadión)
ŠK SLOVAN BRATISLAVA (SVK) - VFB STUTTGART (GER)
Referee: Irfan Peljto BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo BIH
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigović BIH
Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Michael Fabbri ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Mehmet Murat Ilgaz TUR
UEFA Delegate: Filip Popovski MKD
Some interesting clips from the biggest hungarian derby: Ferencvaros vs. Ujpest:
ReplyDeletePossible red card:
https://streamable.com/n2usvo
Another possible red card:
https://streamable.com/tixlxs
Possible penalty:
https://streamable.com/56c3dw
Replay:
https://streamable.com/9d1hak
Coach delays opponents restart of the game:
https://streamable.com/9j5970
In the first red card incident, you can't really see the challenge clearly.
DeleteAs for the second incident, it’s disgraceful how he put his knee into the opponent's face—he deserved way more than just a red card.
Regarding the penalty—because it definitely is a penalty—I’m baffled by the referee's behavior, especially since he had a clear view, to make the call himself.
I agree with you about the first situation — it’s very difficult to spot on the pitch, but with VAR? If you watch the replay a few times, you can clearly see where and how the contact was made.
Delete@Chefren @Mikael W ? What are your opinions about these situations?
Both the referee observer and the committee backed every decision made on the pitch (because in Hungary, the priority is to make sure the statistics look good — meaning: to be as few VAR errors as possible).
What do you think the coach's behaviour? According to the laws of the game it is a red card. Can the VAR intervene?
Jablonski already with a second appointment. Letexier also with an interesting appointment.
ReplyDeleteNo sign of Makkelie.
It seems Mariani is the only elite referee who didn't get an assignment in these two Champions League Round, I guess.
ReplyDelete+ Makkelie
Delete+ Hernandez, Pinheiro, Sanchez, Kovacs, Lambrechts
DeleteJablonski is currently Rossetti's favorite referee... I think he could get a final in UEFA competitions this year.
ReplyDeleteSo clearly Jablonski Is the favourite new Elite. Seems very unfair to me, however everything about this whole entire committee is unfair starting from the very top with a chairman who favours his own country’s referees since day one. Rotten to the core.
ReplyDeleteThe way certain referees are treated because of their nationality is a disgrace. It’s been this way for many years and nothing will ever change under this so called chairman. Enough is enough. Makkelie, Peljto… don’t get me started.
DeleteWe had already discussed that he could be the Committee's new favorite elite referee when he was appointed to the Fenerbahçe vs. Lyon playoff match
DeleteHB, yes, but we can all agree this puts the icing on the cake.
Delete@ScotRef: Don't worry. Your favorite, Nicholas Walsh, is also on the commission's radar. :-)
DeleteEx-Ref 🤣😁
DeleteThe atmosphere in Rome certainly makes it one of the most difficult European fields where to referee in.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt that ROM-RMA is the most challenging match, even for a top-quality referee like Letexier.
It's painful seeing Kavanagh after yesterday's premier league performance. Poor referee.
ReplyDeleteJablonski must be in some sort of relationship with rosetti because how on earth does he get such a big appointment.
ReplyDeleteI already explained this after the Fener-Lyon appointment!
Deletehttps://law5-theref.blogspot.com/2026/08/champions-league-202627-referee.html?showComment=1786962089623#c8101591819903773049
However, the situation is clearly not testament to Rosetti's medium-long term planning (to formulate it politely); this time last season, Jablonski had not ever refereed a CL group stage game! The young referee from Germany is quite good, but I would not go too much further than that - very different situation to Del Cerro in 18/19, who was rightly accelerated by the Italian referees manager at that time as he was already top elite level. It must be very demotivating for other referees seeing the Jablonski situation, who are not in the 'enfant cheri' category.
There were actually a few signs pointing in that direction. Last season, he took charge of the all-Italian Europa League last-16 tie between Bologna and Roma. Then, early this season, he got a really important Champions League play-off, and last month he had Šajn observing him in the Nations League.
DeleteAnother topic to be discussed. What is the thoughts of experienced people on this blog about Chris Kavanagh? Is he really good enough to be English number 2? Is there anyone else that deserves to be there instead? I personally believe he has no charisma and is an okish referee. Honestly I can’t see who else from England could be up there! Darren England maybe… that might be a stretch tho.
ReplyDeleteEngland is quite a poor referee (relatively speaking, of course) in terms of technical accuracy and doesn't possess great soft skills either; I don't think there is any real purpose in keeping him on the FIFA list, let alone discussing him as a future Elite cat. Kavanagh improved a lot and managed to offset the most negative elements of his style, but clearly there is a ceiling to what he can achieve in terms of being a charismatic leader on the FoP. Both cautions awarded by him yesterday to Gravenberch were correct and the reaction to the SYC is testament to people's inobjectivity in assessing incidents based on the teams/players/media situation (the same as the missed YC to Messi vs. Alg).
DeleteThe first yellow card was very harsh. No doubts about the second.
DeleteI agree with you. He’s an average referee at best, and I think his promotion to the Elite category was pretty much just a case of needing someone to fill the gap left by Taylor’s retirement (and, incredibly, he’s the same age as Oliver!). I doubt the committee ever had any real plans to develop him further. He refereed the UEFA Youth League final in 2020, but there wasn’t much progress after that, and he didn’t make his Champions League debut until last year.
DeleteTo be honest, English refereeing is in a pretty bad place. Taylor and Oliver were so good that they covered up the problem for years. Of the 17 SG1 referees in the Premier League this season, only five are under 40: Gillett (born in 1986), Jones (1987), Brooks and Bramall (both 1990), and Barrott (1993). Compare that with Ligue 1, where 10 of the 18 referees are under 40; La Liga, where it’s 10 out of 20; and the Bundesliga, where it’s 11 out of 22. Even if you include Hallam, the Premier League only has six referees under 40, and just four of them are FIFA-listed internationals.
The truth is, the committee is running out of options. They’d been keeping a close eye on Jones for quite a while, but last month they seemed to shift their focus to Gillett, who’s about to turn 40 himself. Brooks could well make his Champions League debut this season, while Barrott looks close to being promoted to Category 1 after refereeing the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final this summer. UEFA have pretty much looked at every English referee they could, and there’s hardly anyone left to choose from. They have no other choice.
So, going back to the original question, who’s going to replace Kavanagh? At this point, we can probably only hope that Brooks or Barrott develops as quickly as Jablonski did. The only silver lining for English refereeing is that Oliver still has plenty of years left at the top level.
I think he is the deserved number 2 at the moment but I could see Brooks overtaking him soon if he stays fit. Barrott is the only other one on the fifa list that could be on the elite list in the future. Proref are hoping some of the younger refs who aren't on the fifa list could be elites in the future like Hallam,Kirk, L Smith, Herczeg and maybe a few others
Delete@Edgar I think there are only 16 PL refs now since it seems Robinson has been demoted. Of course we don't know for sure since they combined the lists this year.
DeleteIt’s a joke to even mention Mariani here. He deserved a one-year ban from refereeing after that Lyon-Fenerbahçe game. that's how terrible he was. It’s normal he didn't get two Champions League matches in a row
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Letexier and Turpin should have swapped.
ReplyDeleteAppointing Chris Kavanagh to officiate Champions League matches—especially after the scandal during yesterday’s game between Manchester City and Liverpool—is absolutely absurd. He is a very mediocre referee who crumbles under pressure and is easily swayed by the players; when Haaland pressured him, he readily brandished a red card against Gravenberch. I consider him a terrible referee, and time will prove that he lacks the quality to reach the elite tier of European officiating.
ReplyDeleteChefren.. How do you evaluate the fact that World Cup referees like Makkelie, Hernández, Mariani, and Kovács haven't been assigned to any Champions League matches yet ?
ReplyDeleteSome comments leave me deeply perplexed.
ReplyDeleteAt times, especially last year, the UEFA Ref Committee was (and is) criticized because the choice of referees for Champions League matches was limited to just a few highly experienced names, without daring to rely on the new generation.
Now, they are being criticized because Rosetti is starting a new appointment cycle by focusing on fresh names. Frankly, I think it is right and proper for the UEFA Ref Committee to try and expand the roster; I see nothing to cause such outrage.
It will be the overall performances of this new generation (rather than nitpicking criticisms over its single, marginal decisions) that will tell us whether Jablonski, Kavanagh, Walsh, or others are capable of rising to the level of Letexier, Turpin, Nyberg… without starting from preconceived notions that, quite honestly, carry little weight.
Where is Oliver???? 👀👀👀👀
ReplyDeleteWonder is he injured
DeletePL appointments today should make that clear. He didn’t have a middle for the weekend just gone, so if he doesn’t have one next weekend as well we can assume he has an injury.
DeleteAbsence is not always due to injury.....
DeleteHe's been appointed to Forest vs Arsenal on Sunday.
DeleteFour German referees in CL seems remarkable as well.
ReplyDeleteUnacceptable choice of character by the committee to have 4 Germans in this round and bizarre as well
DeleteExpect 2 or more in Europa/ conference league combine
Yes, Stieler feels like a replacement though:
Delete- no German VARs. Dingert is busy in the women's play-offs, but there would have been other options, e.g. Brand.
- He had a game on Sunday. Not a problem with three days, but mostly avoided by DFB.
- Tutk normally observers younger referees
No Spanish referees (after only one on MD1) seems also remarkable with Hernandez, Sanchez and de Burgos not appointed so far.
For me, Stiler match was a Sylwestrzak match, but her results on u20 Real - Santiago Wanderers was disapoiting. Sylwestrzak has no matches in NL and now nothing in CL. Propably in thusday has a match i EL.
DeleteFor me, elite referee status it's slipping away this year.
Well, I was expecting Sven Jablonski in a big match sooner or later. It was clear from the path of the German referee, including the Champions League play-off, and I actually expected him on Matchday 1 for a big one, but here he comes on Matchday 2.
ReplyDeleteStill, it was rather predictable, based on how Rosetti thinks.
Jablonski has immediately become Germany nr. 1, relatively speaking, of course, because the experience the other German Elite referees is obviously massive compared to him.
But as we know, form and preferences have big importance.
We must remember that Tobias Stiller will be retiring at the end of the year. So that tells us they will remain with three, whereas for a brief period now they are four Elite. Still, I don't see anything wrong with that. Germany has that kind of potential.
About Rumsas: he is definitely getting positive assignments even if he remains in the "middle" category of Elite, and the same goes for other colleagues. Here we can easily mention Christopher Kavanagh.
These are referees who were promoted together and are getting these matches, but just like Nicholas Walsh, the committee doesn't feel they should be thrown into anything bigger yet.
That said, I'm glad to see the Bosnian Peljto back, but the profile of his match is definitely among the lowest. Honestly, ever since that Real Madrid game, there has been a terrible path for him.
We say he had his difficulties during two or three matches at most, but the way he was sidelined like that is a bit excessive,.
Still, I think there is time to get back on track, and if he puts together a good season, he has already refereed a final, after all, he'll be able to enjoy some more success, though this current situation couldn't have been guessed.
Maximum visibility for Roma - Real Madrid: this is a classic Rosetti choice, as he naturally wants to put on a good show for the eyes of the world by appointing Letexier, who will officiate this extremely heated clash. Definitely more than just show let's call it high complexity, given the style of play and the massive controversies historically surrounding these Italian-Spanish fixtures.
Next up, we have Letexier's well-known compatriot, who nonetheless gets his honest and decent match.
But here, let's say there's nothing particularly out of the ordinary, just a routine appearance for a referee of his rank.
Then, about Kružliak I think we already said all in the past as well; he is always blessed by the committee, of course, but you have to admit he does an honest job.
Finally, we have Urs Schnyder. I don't know if this absence of Schärer, considering also the Nations League, and after he refereed the FIFA Intercontinental match in South Africa, has some specific reason behind it. Let's see if he appears in the Europa League or Conference League, though it would seem very strange to me.
Maybe he is unavailable again, I don't know. Anyway, let's wait and see. Certainly Schärer's career, while excellent, doesn't always strike me as entirely consistent.
He probably has some minor physical issues, because otherwise it's hard to explain. Given how highly regarded he is, expected to get much, much more.
Anyway, about his Swiss compatriot, we remember Rosetti observation in Barcelona one year ago, and we talked about enough already.
He wasn't that good in my opinion, in his Nations League outing with those decisions we reviewed, but Rosetti continues to back him, and let's see how this match between the Norwegians and the Germans goes. necessarily turn out that way.
I think it is far too premature to force Jablonski into the role of Germany's number one referee.
DeleteWith all due respect to those who think otherwise, for a referee who was initially elevated to the Elite category, it seems someone within the UEFA committee is pushing this situation for the German. Whether it is Rosetti or another member is unknown, but someone is overstepping the mark.
I find Schnyder’s case really interesting. Back in November 2023, while Schärer was out injured and Schnyder was still a Category 2 referee, Rosetti observed him in a Euro qualifier. He then became the only referee promoted to Category 1 in January 2024, and went on to make his Champions League debut in the 2024/25 season, with Vassáras as the observer.
DeleteIn 2025/26, Rizzoli observed his first Champions League appointment of the season, while his second was that infamous game observed by Rosetti, in which he made a major mistake. Just a few rounds later, he was the only Category 1 referee appointed to a Champions League match on the final matchday. And now, this season, he’s been given another appointment.
Clearly, the committee has been keeping a close eye on him for the past three years. But the question is, why? He’s already 40 — unbelievably, two years older than Schärer! — and most of his appointments seem to have come when Schärer was out injured. Why is the committee investing so much attention in a referee who, on the face of it, seems an unlikely candidate for promotion to the Elite category?
Chefren,what is your opinion and predicition about Srdjan Jovanovic this year?
ReplyDelete
DeleteMy opinion is that he will never officiate a Champions League match again. Maybe another Europa League or conference league match and that will be his maximum.
I would say that Jovanovic and Greenfeld should be demoted to first class at the end of the year. Do you know if Stieler will lose his FIFA badge at the end of 2026 ? For replacing Bastien, Taylor and Vincic, maybe Stieler and hopefully Jovanovic and Greenfeld I would promote to Elite: Saggi (Norway), Sylvestrack (Poland), Sozza (Italy), Bebek (Bulgaria who is doing an excellent season) and Delajod (france)
ReplyDelete