The referee for the pivotal showdown between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium this upcoming Tuesday has been revealed. The capital club will attempt to overcome a 3-2 aggregate deficit as a ticket to the semifinals is on the line.
On Sunday, Mundo Deportivo relayed the information regarding who would be refereeing the match. All eyes will be on Romanian international referee Istvan Kovacs, who is widely regarded as one of Europe’s finest officials and is a distinguished member of UEFA’s elite referee group. Furthermore, German official Marco Fritz will be in charge of the VAR.
Last season, Kovacs notably worked as the fourth official in the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan. After that, he got the call to officiate in the UEFA Nations League semifinal last summer.
This will be Kovacs’ second time handling Barcelona in European matches, but it’s his debut in the Champions League for them. Previously, he officiated their Europa League clash in the 2021-22 season, resulting in a 1-1 draw against Napoli at Camp Nou.
Meanwhile, Kovacs has crossed paths with PSG twice before, experiencing one defeat (4-1 earlier this season against Newcastle in the Champions League group stage) and one victory (a 5-0 win over Galatasaray in the Champions League group stage in November 2019).
