Referees list announced for the Champions League round of 16
The Union of European Football Associations has officially announced the list of referees for the Round of 16 stage of its most prestigious club competition, the Champions League. Zamin.uz reported on this.
The tournament has entered a serious knockout phase, where every match holds decisive importance for the teams. Therefore, to ensure fair and high-quality matches, the most experienced referees on the continent have been selected.
The initial matches taking place on March 13 will be in the spotlight. The intriguing clash between Ankara and Liverpool will be officiated by Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano.
On the same day, Norwegian Espen Eskås will referee the match between Atalanta and Bayern Munich, while Italian Marco Guida will take charge of the Newcastle versus Barcelona encounter. Additionally, Dutch referee Serdar Gözübüyük has been appointed to officiate the battle between Atlético and Tottenham.
The return matches scheduled for the following day, March 14, are also generating significant buzz among fans. Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler will oversee the game between Bayer and Arsenal, while Spanish referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández will lead the PSG versus Chelsea match.
Italian referee Maurizio Mariani is expected to officiate the principled clash between major clubs Real and Manchester City. To ensure errors are kept to a minimum in such an important match, Slovakian referee Ivan Kružliak will also serve as the main referee for the Bodo/Glimt versus Sporting game.
The general public and football experts, having reviewed these appointments, express hope for fairness in the matches. Considering that every decision can directly affect match results and team destinies, UEFA emphasized that the quality of the competition must be enhanced by employing referees with the highest qualifications.
Source: One.uz
