The second set of referee assignments for MD4 of 2026/27 UEFA Champions League.
Wednesday 4 November 2026
FENERBAHÇE (TUR) - LIVERPOOL FC (ENG)
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pages FRA
Fourth Official: Jérémy Stinat FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Eric Wattellier FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Carlos Clos Gómez ESP
UEFA Delegate: Victor Marius Radu ROU
18:45 CET - Athens (Agia Sophia Stadium)
AEK (GRE) - REAL MADRID CF (ESP)
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio ITA
Fourth Official: Simone Sozza ITA
Video Assistant Referee: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Valerio Marini ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: David Malcolm NIR
UEFA Delegate: Michael Kirchner GER
21:00 CET - Dortmund (Signal Iduna Park)
BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER) - REAL BETIS BALOMPIÉ (ESP)
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Assistant Referee 1: Patrick Inia NED
Assistant Referee 2: Rogier Honig NED
Fourth Official: Martijn Vos NED
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
UEFA Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav BIH
UEFA Delegate: David McDowell SVN
21:00 CET - Porto (Estádio do Dragão)
FC PORTO (POR) - SSC NAPOLI (ITA)
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Thomas Bramall ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin ROU
UEFA Delegate: Colin MacDonald SCO
21:00 CET - Eindhoven (Philips Stadion)
PSV (NED) - CLUB BRUGGE KV (BEL)
Referee: Irfan Peljto BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo BIH
Fourth Official: Luka Bilbija BIH
Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Stephen Tanner ENG
UEFA Delegate: Maksims Krivuņecs LVA
21:00 CET - Leipzig (RB Arena)
RB LEIPZIG (GER) - MANCHESTER CITY FC (ENG)
Referee: Marco Guida ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgio Peretti ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Giuseppe Perrotti ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marcenaro ITA
Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Robert Schörgenhofer AUT
UEFA Delegate: Vilmos Szabó HUN
21:00 CET - Prague (Eden Arena)
SK SLAVIA PRAHA (CZE) - ARSENAL FC (ENG)
Referee: Tobias Stieler GER
Assistant Referee 1: Lasse Koslowski GER
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Weickenmeier GER
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers GER
Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Johann Pfeifer GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Ante Vučelimović CRO
UEFA Delegate: István Huszár HUN
21:00 CET - Lens Agglo (Stade Bollaert-Delelis)
RC LENS (FRA) - COMO 1907 (ITA)
Referee: Rohit Saggi NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Anders Olav Dale NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ole Andreas Haukåsen NOR
Fourth Official: Marius Hansen Grøtta NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schröder GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: João Ferreira POR
UEFA Delegate: Paul Daniel Zaharia ROU
21:00 CET - Stavanger (Viking Stadion)
VIKING FK (NOR) - SABAH FK (AZE)
Referee: Sander van der Eijk NED
Assistant Referee 1: Rens Bluemink NED
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan De Groot NED
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij NED
Video Assistant Referee: Jeroen Manschot NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vázquez ESP
UEFA Delegate: Þórir Hákonarson ISL
Debut for van der Eijk in Norway. Also Gözübüyük in Dortmund
ReplyDelete41 referees have been appointed so far...
ReplyDeleteMore referees will be appointed are:
- Elite referees: Eric Lambrechts (BEL), Alejandro Hernandez (ESP), Danny Makkelie (NED)
- Cat 1 referees: Damian Sylwestrzak (POL), Aliyar Aghayev (AZE), Manfredas Lukjancukas (LTU), Juxhin Xhaja (ALB) - debut
Turpin has a very tough match ahead, one that perfectly suits his skills and refereeing style.
ReplyDeleteMariani returns to the Champions League with a match that, while seemingly straightforward on paper, requires full focus and the right amount of attention.
Gözübüyük, Oliver, Peljto, Guida, and Saggi have been assigned relatively tough matches, but given their caliber, they shouldn't face any issues managing them. However, I expect Gözübüyük and Oliver to have a bit more on their plates, considering the high stakes of their matches and the playing styles of the teams involved.
Stieler and van der Eijk have what I consider to be easy matches. Still, I am glad to see them selected—the former because of the high level he has shown this season, and the latter for the opportunity to prove himself.
Anyone saw supercrazy SuperClasico?
ReplyDeleteVery contoversial match that was handled by N.Ramirez that has River Plate talking and even suing AFA and VAR officials.
RC to Martinez Quarta-https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNWDYvAfzE/?rpxt=eDc3dW80ZDluMGRr
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNdIeCCTzt/?srtk=MXZub3JpOHlsODk1bg==
Paredes vs Acuna,pretty much whole game but this was turning point,both get YC's
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNbMT9gAC3/?rpxt=ZGJpajkxd3lzZ2xv
Blanco tackle YC given,possible RC?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNfDoNEgXa/?rpxt=MTN1MmFyeGwxemwzbA==
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNhzT1Dc2C/?exln=cTdpcHhraGZlMzc=
Paredes foul that would give him 2nd YC,but ref decided not to.
You can see River player going crazy.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNhGdBDmj2/?dlrf=MXBwbHR4M3R4NW4xZA==
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNga9aEZ_c/?mdxt=MWNhd3dwN3A1N3l6NQ==
Penalty not given for shirt pulling on Otamendi
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNgzDjAdcU/?psln=MWt2MzI1cHhpZ2U3dA==
Direct RC to Montiel
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNhO9Qlr7V/?cplk=cnQ0aGt3aGpkaHdt
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfNhduFCvk7/?srtk=eGt3dmkwdHAxcG90
Mariani is back... I think it will be an easy match for Turpin. There is total chaos at Fenerbahçe; the players don't want to play home matches because of the incidents with the fans. We can say that Liverpool will practically be playing at Anfield on Wednesday
ReplyDeleteThen the context around the Fenerbahce game can be tough for him I think, good to put a ref like him
DeletePeljto is once again receiving CL appointments, but mostly for the "lesser" fixtures. The more I look at it, the more I feel that Rossetti no longer trusts him as much as he used to, and that the UECL final may have been the pinnacle of his career. I hope Im wrong...
ReplyDeleteDamian Sylwestrzak is yet to referee a Champions League match this season, and he will now miss Matchdays 5 and 6 due to his involvement in the U17 World Cup. This means he won’t referee any Champions League matches in 2026, making it extremely unlikely that he’ll be promoted in January.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about Alejandro Hernández and Danny Makkelie? What has happened to them? Why have neither of them refereed a Champions League match so far this season?
Why is there such a huge difference in the selection of Champions League fourth officials? Some referees, such as Osmers and Sozza, were just appointed to Champions League matches as referees on the previous matchday, while others, such as Stinat and Bramall, are not even FIFA international referees. The gap in experience seems enormous.
ReplyDeleteUEFA does not appoint fourth officials; local federations assign them. UEFA only designates the match referee and the VAR.
DeleteRennes (FRA) Olympiacos (GRE)
ReplyDeleteReferee Igor Pajač CRO
Assistant referees
Bojan Zobenica CRO
Ivan Mihalj CRO
Fourth official
Dario Bel CRO
Video Assistant Referee
Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee
Piotr Lasyk POL
So, finally Mariani is back in Champions League.
ReplyDeleteA long time has passed since the famous play off.
The game is rather easy on paper with Real Madrid expected to have an easy win against Greek side.
However, we should observe how he will approach the game.
To follow, the debut of van der Eijk in Norway must be mentioned, this was clearly a game for a debut, and committee agrees.
Nevertheless, my hope is that we can see Makkelie at least in one of the next matchdays in CL.
Gozubuyuk continues with a regular path, but, as somebody analyzed days ago in another discussion, the level of games is always the same, more or less. This treatment is similar to other referees, who are on a different plan but commitee still keeps them far from the spotlights.
Stieler, in his last months as FIFA referees, gets the very last rewards.
At this point the injury of Siebert, if still not available, could have played a role in this choice.
Peljto is re-introducting himself in Champions League, I wish he can continue in this way, but clearly there has been a change of consideration at moment, after the famous Real Madrid game one year ago. Wishing the best for the future to the Bosnian.
Saggi another CL assignment and that's very good for him.
Rosetti was at stadium for Inter - Club Brugge, not the official observer but clearly he assessed him.
Regular game for Michael Oliver in Porto, while Guida gets another one and it's good for him. Leipzig - City, medium level.
Turpin in Turkey, I don't know about the recent events, but against Liverpool the presention is about a very challenging game, different from Kavanagh's Tuesday clash at Galatasaray's home.
@ayomaju I take not of your comments, I mostly agree on the names, let's see whether they will appear or not.
Some Fenerbahçe players are afraid to play home matches because they fear the fans' reactions. In their most recent home match, Fenerbahçe player Aktürkoğlu faced hostile reactions and left the pitch in tears. Last week, the Fenerbahçe president stated that the players are afraid to play home matches, and complaining of stomachaches and running away from home maches.
Delete@HB
DeleteI remember it very well; during the Bilbao match, a Fener defender was booed for 45 minutes just because he made a mistake, and Mourinho had to substitute him. Being a football player in turkish teams is the hardest thing in the world
If Mariani weren't Italian, but a referee from another country, his UEFA career would likely have been over after that famous playoff match. What can we say, hopefully he has learned his lessons..
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely speechless at how UEFA is treating Makkelie. Zero CL appointments, while Gözübüyük gets his 3rd.
ReplyDeleteI really don’t understand this management by UEFA/Kuipers. If anything, these appointments suggest Gozubuyuk is *all of a sudden* miles ahead, but anyone watching the Eredivisie knows that’s simply not true. I’d even argue Makkelie has been more consistent this season, and he obviously had a stronger UEFA season last year.
It almost feels like Makkelie is held back ahead of EURO 2028, and deliberately being handed thankless assignments in the Europa League. As if they hope he will have his hands full and fails.
I’m not impressed with Van der Eijk either. He got the U21 final without refereeing domestic topgames matches at that time.
What are these decisions actually based on? Not on facts. And that’s certainly not fair.
And indeed interesting:
Delete- Mariani back and immediately a good game after his play-off and Nations League game.
- Letexier immediately a topgame after a very challenge game (N.Macedonia-Scotland) with controversies.
But no room for Danny Makkelie?
Björn Kuipers is seriously undermining his own credibility as a refereeing officer imo. His appearance when Gozubuyuk received an Eredivisie award (25/26) from Telegraph tabloid already gave the impression that he had picked a side.
ReplyDeleteHowever, his job should be to create a level playing field, distribute opportunities fairly and let both referees prove themselves through their performances. Then make a decision based on merit. Instead, it feels like he’s trying to steer the outcome through appointments and influence.
As a refereeing enthusiast, I find that deeply disappointing.
JUSTICE FOR MAKKELIE
ReplyDeleteTenerife player Jesus de Miguel has sadly passed away after he was on the end of this challenge..
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely disgraceful from the keeper and player who taps him on the chest!..
https://x.com/laligaa_neews/status/2117272602523684948?a=8xLvQ5ZxNCyKBcDF03U&s=46