This evening, football lovers will have something for themselves. Several shocks are on the menu for this 4th day of the UEFA Champions League championship phase. Indeed, Liverpool will face Real Madrid at Anfield. At the same time, PSG, title holders, will host Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes. A team that is in good shape and undefeated so far this season. In Germany, we strongly believe in the victory of the Bavarians. This is the case of Bild which wrote: “Bayern Munich faces Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in a decisive match. Could this meeting between the two best teams in the championship determine who is currently the best team in Europe? In reality, this match is much more than just a Champions League encounter; it is the biggest test of their European journey so far. With 15 victories in 15 matches, the stars of Kompany can now demonstrate their full value against other European teams.
The choice of the referee raises questions
Our colleagues from Football Transfers are of the same opinion. “Bayern are favorites. They lost in the Club World Cup against PSG and, in our opinion, they were better. It will be a close match. Bayern are currently in great shape. As for PSG, last year’s key players, Donnarumma and DembĂ©lĂ©, are no longer there or on the bench this evening. » Lothar Matthaus shares this sentiment. “Paris Saint-Germain will be the next opponent. On Tuesday, two of Europe’s best teams will face off. Both have high-quality squads, but Paris does not have Kane, Olise, Kimmich or Neuer. The French team has had an exceptional run in the Champions League so far, but they have already conceded points and lost a match in Ligue 1. Bayern are a well-oiled machine, full of confidence. Therefore, I say it: Paris is absolutely not favorite.” Everything is in place for the Bavarians to perform well this evening.
But we must not underestimate PSG who, despite some absences, remain a formidable team. You will also have to deal with the match referee. This is the Italian Maurizio Mariani. The latter has already whistled a PSG match. It was during the quarter-final first leg of C1 last year against Aston Villa (3-1). But the choice of this 43-year-old referee is controversial since he was recently suspended. On the whistle during the match between Inter and Naples, he awarded a controversial penalty in the 28th minute of play on October 25, after contact deemed light between Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who fell in the area. The man with the whistle allowed the game to continue before awarding a penalty, following a suggestion from his assistant Daniele Bindoni. Which infuriated Gianluca Rocchi, the boss of referees in Italy.
It was recently suspended in Italy
“In recent years we have sought to expand the responsibilities of linesmen, as the introduction of VAR for offside decisions has restricted their work. However, I absolutely did not appreciate Bindoni’s intervention in this matter. She went beyond what we asked of her. We expected video verification. I believe that a lot of the responsibility lies with the assistant referee, of course also with the main referee and the VAR. In summary, we want clear sanctions and decisive interventions to prevent obvious goals, as well as a lower threshold for serious misconduct and violent behavior. In short, we want to be strict and consistent in our disciplinary approach, but we require that decisive sanctions meet standards of excellence, and this sanction fell short of those standards.”
In the process, Mariani, who did not leave a good memory in Monaco who considered the refereeing against Benfica scandalous last year in the 1/8 final (expulsion of Al-Musrati), was suspended from Serie A for at least one match. He was only allowed to referee the Italian second division match between Virtus Entella and FC Empoli last weekend. His designation is causing a lot of talk in Germany. Bild wrote about this: “what surprises many supporters is the appointment of the referee by UEFA! The association appointed Maurizio Mariani (43 years old) as arbitrator. However, the Italian has recently been the subject of strong criticism in his country (…) Let’s hope that the management of tomorrow evening’s match will not give rise to discussions concerning the referee…” Sport 1 also discusses the subject.
Germany is already worried
“Controversy surrounding the FCB referee. The Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich is already on everyone’s minds. As kick-off approaches on Tuesday, the question from referee Maurizio Mariani is being debated. He was recently suspended in his country, as was his assistant, Daniele Bindoni. The duo have made some blatantly wrong decisions in Serie A recently, earning them a suspension last week. He ultimately only refereed the Serie B match between Virtus Entella and FC Empoli (1-0) this weekend. Corriere dello Sport wrote: “Mariani is increasingly controversial.” (…) Mariani, originally from Rome, refereed the Under-20 World Cup and has therefore hardly officiated this season. He has only managed two Serie A matches and also refereed Liverpool’s 3-2 victory against AtlĂ©tico Madrid in the Champions League in September.
In Germany, we are therefore wondering about his presence this evening in the Champions League, while he was recently sanctioned in Italy. But Max Eberl, the sporting director of Bayern Munich, does not want to add fuel to the fire. “I do not wish to interfere in the process of appointing the referee for a Champions League match. Everyone has to learn and gain experience. This is the only way to train young referees at this level. I was not aware of the circumstances. I didn’t know the referee until now, because these are things over which I have no influence.” The man with the whistle and his assistants will nevertheless be closely observed and under pressure during this clash between PSG and Bayern Munich, who filed a complaint last night with UEFA.
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