Champions League Playoff Referees: Style, Stats and VAR Guide for Every Second Leg

The Champions League playoff round reaches its decisive stage this week, and UEFA has responded by sending some serious refereeing experience into the seven second legs.

Szymon Marciniak, István Kovács, Michael Oliver and Clément Turpin are all involved. José María Sánchez Martínez, Maurizio Mariani and Alejandro Hernández Hernández complete a referee list that looks much closer to a Champions League knockout round than a traditional August qualifier.

That makes sense.

Seven places in the 36-team league phase are being decided. Four ties begin their second legs either level or separated by only one goal, while LASK and NEC need aggressive comebacks against Celtic and Bodø/Glimt.

These are exactly the matches where referee style becomes important.

A team defending an aggregate advantage wants control. A team chasing two or three goals wants tempo. Tactical fouls become more valuable. Time management becomes more sensitive. Every penalty appeal suddenly feels season-defining.

Here is The VAR Verdict guide to every Champions League playoff referee.

Champions League playoff second-leg referee appointments

Tuesday, August 25

Sabah vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva — István Kovács (Romania)
VAR: Bastian Dankert
First leg: Hapoel Beer-Sheva 2-1 Sabah

LASK vs Celtic — Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
VAR: Pol van Boekel
First leg: Celtic 3-0 LASK

Bodø/Glimt vs NEC Nijmegen — Michael Oliver (England)
VAR: Michael Salisbury
First leg: NEC 1-3 Bodø/Glimt

Wednesday, August 26

AEK Athens vs Levski Sofia — Clément Turpin (France)
VAR: Jérôme Brisard
First leg: 0-0

Viking vs Dinamo Zagreb — José María Sánchez Martínez (Spain)
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández
First leg: 2-2

Celje vs Slovan Bratislava — Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Spain)
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande
First leg: 1-1

Lyon vs Fenerbahçe — Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
VAR: Marco Di Bello
First leg: 1-1

The appointments have been published for both second-leg matchdays, while UEFA confirms the aggregate positions going into the return fixtures.

Sabah vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva: István Kovács

Referee style: authoritative, physical, comfortable with major sanctions

This may not be the biggest match commercially, but UEFA has given it one of the biggest referees.

István Kovács has handled Champions League knockout matches, major international tournaments and some of UEFA’s most difficult appointments.

Sabah trail only 2-1, so this tie remains completely open.

That is an important detail for Kovács.

His matches can become disciplinary quite quickly when players begin stopping transitions. In nine Champions League appearances during 2025/26, available statistical records put him at roughly 4.5 yellow cards per match. Across his wider 2025/26 schedule, he was also regularly involved in penalties and dismissals.

Kovács is not normally a referee who needs every physical contact to become a foul.

He tends to allow strong challenges when they are made fairly, but he is comfortable escalating once tackles become reckless or players begin using fouls tactically.

That should suit this match.

Sabah need to attack. Hapoel have an advantage to protect.

The dangerous refereeing moment often comes when the defending team loses possession and deliberately stops the counterattack before it develops.

The VAR Verdict watch

Tactical fouls by Hapoel while protecting the 2-1 advantage.

If Sabah start breaking quickly, Kovács may have to use yellow cards early enough to stop repeated transition fouls becoming a strategy.

LASK vs Celtic: Szymon Marciniak

Referee style: game manager, relatively high physical threshold, rarely intimidated by atmosphere

This is probably the most recognisable appointment of the round.

Szymon Marciniak will referee LASK against Celtic, with Pol van Boekel on VAR.

Celtic arrive in Austria with a huge 3-0 advantage after their first-leg victory in Glasgow.

That changes the refereeing challenge completely.

LASK need an early goal.

Celtic do not.

Whenever one team is protecting a three-goal aggregate lead, we start watching areas that receive less attention in normal league games: delaying restarts, goalkeeper possession, small confrontations, tactical fouls and attempts to break the rhythm of the match.

Marciniak is a very good referee for that environment.

His reputation is sometimes associated with cards because of several intense major matches, but his 2025/26 Champions League numbers were actually quite controlled: 18 yellow cards in six matches, an average of three per game.

That fits his style.

Marciniak often prefers presence and communication before punishment. He is physically imposing, confident around players and generally willing to allow the game to breathe.

But there is a limit.

If LASK become desperate and challenges start arriving late, he will move quickly into disciplinary control.

The VAR Verdict watch

Managing frustration if Celtic still lead comfortably after an hour.

The most dangerous point may not be the first 20 minutes.

It could be the final 30, when LASK realise qualification is slipping away.

That is when late tackles, confrontations and off-ball incidents become more likely.

Marciniak’s experience is probably the main reason UEFA chose him.

Bodø/Glimt vs NEC: Michael Oliver

Referee style: flow-oriented, low-intervention when possible, strong on transition fouls

Michael Oliver takes charge in Norway, with Bodø/Glimt carrying a 3-1 lead from Nijmegen. UEFA’s official match page confirms Oliver, Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring on the field, with Michael Salisbury on VAR.

Oliver is another interesting choice for a tie where one team must chase the match.

His overall 2025/26 numbers were relatively moderate compared with some of his Spanish colleagues: around 3.7 yellow cards per match across his tracked schedule, with very few red cards.

His Premier League style is familiar.

Oliver generally wants the game to move.

He is unlikely to stop every shoulder challenge or minor contact and is comfortable allowing advantages when possession can continue.

That can be particularly useful at Bodø, where the home side like playing at tempo.

But NEC’s situation creates an obvious tactical risk.

They need goals. If Bodø break through the first line of pressure, NEC may have no choice but to stop attacks before they become one-on-one situations.

That is where Oliver must distinguish ordinary fouls from cynical ones.

The VAR Verdict watch

DOGSO and transition fouls.

If NEC push numbers forward, Bodø could repeatedly attack open space.

One badly timed foul could turn into a major disciplinary decision very quickly.

AEK Athens vs Levski Sofia: Clément Turpin

Referee style: composed, relatively low card threshold only when necessary, very experienced in tactical matches

This may be the most delicate Wednesday tie because it starts 0-0.

There is no aggregate cushion.

One goal could completely change the tactical structure.

UEFA’s official match page confirms Clément Turpin as referee, with Jérôme Brisard on VAR.

Turpin is generally one of the more flow-oriented elite UEFA referees.

His 2025/26 numbers came in at around 3.3 to 3.5 yellow cards per match across competitions, lower than several of the other officials on this list. He also averaged only around 21 to 23 fouls per game depending on the statistical sample.

That does not mean he is soft.

Turpin is simply comfortable managing matches without turning every incident into a disciplinary event.

For AEK vs Levski, that could be valuable.

Athens will be loud. The score is level. Both benches know one decision could decide whether their season includes Champions League football.

The main requirement is emotional control.

Turpin has refereed enough major Champions League matches to understand when players are genuinely fouled and when they are trying to use the atmosphere to sell a decision.

The VAR Verdict watch

Penalty-area contact.

A 0-0 first leg makes every penalty appeal enormous.

Turpin and Brisard will need a very clear intervention threshold.

Small contact cannot suddenly become a penalty because of the importance of the match.

Viking vs Dinamo Zagreb: José María Sánchez Martínez

Referee style: strong disciplinary presence, high foul count, prepared to use cards

If you are looking for the appointment most likely to produce cards, this one stands out.

Viking and Dinamo drew 2-2 in Zagreb, so everything is still open.

Sánchez Martínez averaged about 4.7 yellow cards per match in La Liga last season, and his Champions League number was even slightly higher at roughly 4.9 yellows per match across seven appearances.

His foul average is also high.

That gives us a clear profile.

Sánchez Martínez is not afraid to interrupt the game when he believes challenges are crossing his threshold.

He also tends to punish repetitive misconduct more aggressively than some of UEFA’s more flow-oriented officials.

That may become relevant because this looks like a tie where neither side has any reason to sit back from kickoff.

At 2-2, there is no advantage to protect.

Viking will attack at home. Dinamo have far more European experience and will know exactly when to slow the match down.

The VAR Verdict watch

Midfield discipline and repeated fouls.

This is the fixture where an early yellow could have the biggest tactical effect.

If an important defensive midfielder or full-back is cautioned inside 20 minutes, the entire way he defends transitions changes.

Celje vs Slovan Bratislava: Alejandro Hernández Hernández

Referee style: card-heavy domestically, more selective in Europe

Hernández Hernández is one of the more interesting statistical cases.

In La Liga last season, he was one of Spain’s highest-card referees.

One database records 105 yellow cards across 19 league fixtures, around 5.5 per match, plus six red cards.

But in the Champions League his numbers were much lower.

Across seven Champions League appointments in 2025/26, he averaged only around 2.3 yellows per game.

That difference is important.

Referees do not officiate every competition identically.

UEFA often encourages officials to protect match flow and reserve cards for clear tactical or reckless offences rather than using the same disciplinary rhythm they may use domestically.

Celje vs Slovan begins at 1-1, which means Hernández could be tested if the game opens up.

Carlos del Cerro Grande will be on VAR, giving the Spanish team a very experienced video official.

The VAR Verdict watch

The first yellow card.

With Hernández, it will be interesting to see which version we get.

The card-heavy La Liga referee?

Or the more restrained European version?

The first 20 to 25 minutes should tell us.

Lyon vs Fenerbahçe: Maurizio Mariani

Referee style: balanced, calm, comfortable in high-intensity European games

If there is one appointment I would circle before Wednesday night, it is this one.

Lyon and Fenerbahçe are level at 1-1 after the first leg in Istanbul.

Two major clubs.

A completely open tie.

Fenerbahçe pressure.

A French home crowd.

And Champions League qualification at stake.

UEFA has given the match to Maurizio Mariani, with Marco Di Bello on VAR.

Mariani’s profile is relatively balanced.

During the 2025/26 Champions League he averaged around 3.4 yellow cards per match across eight fixtures, while his Serie A number was just under four.

He is capable of very low-card matches when players cooperate, but his Marseille-Newcastle Champions League assignment last season produced eight yellows.

That tells us something useful.

Mariani does not arrive with a fixed card number in mind.

If the match stays technical, he generally lets it run.

If players turn it into a confrontation, he is prepared to change approach.

Lyon-Fenerbahçe has the potential to test exactly that flexibility.

The VAR Verdict watch

Bench behaviour and match temperature.

Fenerbahçe European matches can carry an enormous emotional edge, while Lyon will know the home crowd can influence momentum.

Mariani cannot allow players or benches to dictate the foul threshold through constant pressure.

This may be the hardest pure game-management assignment of the round.

Which referee has the toughest assignment?

For us, there are three contenders.

1. Maurizio Mariani — Lyon vs Fenerbahçe

The tie is 1-1, both clubs have significant European expectations and the emotional temperature could be high from kickoff.

Difficulty: 9/10

2. Clément Turpin — AEK vs Levski

A completely level tie in Athens creates a different challenge.

The referee needs to handle atmosphere, pressure and potentially decisive penalty-area incidents.

Difficulty: 8.5/10

3. Sánchez Martínez — Viking vs Dinamo Zagreb

Another level tie, but likely to be much more transition-heavy.

His ability to manage tactical fouling may decide whether this becomes an excellent football match or a stop-start card battle.

Difficulty: 8/10

Which referee is most likely to show cards?

Based on last season’s numbers, Sánchez Martínez and Hernández Hernández stand out.

Sánchez maintained a card average close to five in both La Liga and the Champions League.

Hernández was even higher domestically, although his Champions League numbers were much more restrained.

Kovács is another referee to watch if the match becomes confrontational.

Marciniak, Oliver and Turpin generally sit closer to the game-management end of the spectrum.

They prefer not to use a card when presence, communication and advantage can solve the problem.

Best appointment of the round?

Szymon Marciniak for LASK vs Celtic.

Not because it is the closest tie.

It isn’t.

But that is exactly why the appointment makes sense.

A team trailing 3-0 has to attack aggressively from the first whistle, while the team leading 3-0 needs to remain calm and avoid becoming dragged into confrontations.

If the comeback never arrives, frustration becomes the refereeing challenge.

If LASK score early, the entire stadium changes and Marciniak suddenly has a Champions League elimination match on his hands.

Few referees in Europe have more experience with that type of pressure.

The VAR Verdict overall view

UEFA has clearly not treated these second legs as routine qualifying matches.

Marciniak, Kovács, Oliver and Turpin have all handled games deep into the Champions League knockout stage. Sánchez Martínez and Mariani are established European officials, while Hernández Hernández brings extensive La Liga and UEFA experience.

The assignments also make tactical sense.

Marciniak gets the comeback-management game.

Oliver gets a fast transition-heavy match.

Turpin gets a level tie where calm decision-making matters.

Sánchez Martínez gets a potentially physical 2-2 contest.

Mariani gets arguably the hottest emotional fixture.

For supporters, the most important thing is not how many cards each referee usually shows.

It is whether his normal style fits the game in front of him.

That is where elite refereeing matters.

In a Champions League playoff second leg, the difference between one correctly ignored piece of contact and one correctly awarded penalty can be worth tens of millions of euros.

The referees cannot think about that.

Their job remains exactly the same.

Judge the challenge.

Understand the context.

Use VAR only when the protocol demands it.

And make sure the final seven Champions League places are decided by football rather than officiating controversy.