UEFA has decided: it is Maurizio Mariani who will be on the whistle for the clash of the 4e day of the Champions League between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, Tuesday evening at the Parc des Princes (at 9 p.m. on Canal+ Foot). A choice which raises questions, in Germany as in Italy, where the 43-year-old referee is “increasingly controversial”says the daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.
If Mr. Mariani has already crossed paths with PSG on April 9 during the first leg of the C1 quarter-final against Aston Villa (3-1), he has been at the heart of the controversy since the Naples-Inter Milan match (3-1) on October 25, in Serie A. That evening, he awarded a disputed penalty to Napoli for a foul by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, contenting himself with the judgment of his assistant, without using VAR.
This decision earned him very strong criticism and did not at all please Gianluca Rocchi, the boss of Italian referees, who made him pay for his error. The transalpine official and his assistant, Daniele Bindoni, were sent to Serie B this weekend to direct a bottom-of-the-table match between Virtus Entella and Empoli (1-0), in front of just over 2,000 spectators.
From Serie B to PSG-Bayern
Three days later, here he is at the heart of the game for the poster between the Parisian leader of the league phase and his Bavarian runner-up. A big gap. “Let’s hope that the management of the match will not give rise to discussions concerning the referee…”writes the German newspaper Bildwhile Sport1 is also concerned about this designation of Maurizio Mariani by UEFA.
“I do not wish to interfere in the process of appointing the referee for a Champions League matchtempered Max Eberl, the sporting director of the Munich club. Everyone has to learn and gain experience. This is the only way to train young referees at this level. »
Even before kick-off, the pressure is already on his shoulders.
