On paper, the poster is superb, between two of the most impressive teams of the season. Paris Saint-Germain indeed meets Bayern Munich on Tuesday evening in the semi-final first leg of the Champions League.
Winner of the trophy last year, authoritative winner of Chelsea and Liverpool, PSG can approach this double confrontation with confidence. But news this Sunday causes some concern for Parisian supporters.
This does not concern the state of health of Vitinha, Nuno Mendes or Achraf Hakimi, but rather the identity of the referee. It will be the Swiss Sandro Schärer, and that does not rejoice some followers of the capital club.
A German-speaking referee for PSG-Bayern
The reason? Mr. Schärer is Swiss-German, German-speaking. It may come as a surprise that he was appointed to referee a Bayern match. A few years ago, Olivier Létang, the president of Lille, expressed doubts about him after a match against Dortmund. Certain decisions had been taken against Losc, and the Mastiffs were surprised to see the referee conversing in German with the Borussia players.
This referee is, however, far from being unknown, since he officiated during the final of the Nations League in 2025. He has three Champions League matches this season, including PSG-Atalanta (4-0). Last year, he was on the whistle for the first leg between Bayern and Inter. The Germans had lost (1-2).
