UCL final: Meet Romanian ref István Kovács officiating PSG-Inter showdown

The UEFA Referees Committee named Romania’s István Kovács as the referee for the 2025 UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, set for Saturday at the Munich Football Arena.

The match, kicking off at 21:00 CET, pits PSG’s quest for their first Champions League title against Inter’s bid for a fourth, and Kovács’ appointment brings both experience and scrutiny to the spotlight.

The 40-year-old, an international referee since 2010, will officiate his third UEFA club competition final, having previously taken charge of the 2024 UEFA Europa League final between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin and the 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League final between Roma and Feyenoord in Tirana.

István Kovács has officiated seven Champions League matches this season, including the round of 16 second leg between Liverpool and PSG, where his performance was praised for its control.

The refereeing team for the final on Saturday includes an all-Romanian trio on the field, with Kovács joined by assistants Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi.

Portugal’s Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro will serve as the fourth official, with Bruno Miguel Alves Jesus as the reserve assistant referee.

The video assistant referee team features Dennis Johan Higler from the Netherlands, supported by Romania’s Catalin Sorin Popa and Paulus van Boekel, also from the Netherlands.

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Kovács’ selection has stirred some discussion due to past controversies.

During UEFA Euro 2024, his handling of the Czechia-Turkey match drew criticism, with some fans’ posts on X noting disputes over few of his decisions.

Additionally, his appointment over Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, who was a frontrunner but sidelined after a contentious performance in the Inter-Barcelona semifinal, has fuelled debate.

Barcelona’s complaints, including a formal request by midfielder Pedri for an investigation into Marciniak’s calls, led UEFA to prioritise Kovács to maintain the competition’s integrity, according to Tribuna.com.