For its entry into the Champions League this Wednesday against Slovan Bratislava, PSG will discover Mykola Balakin. The 37-year-old Ukrainian referee will be leading a Parisian match in the competition for the first time, but he already knows the French clubs well on the European scene. Since his debut in the Champions League in 2023, Balakin has gradually established himself in the European landscape and is now preparing to officiate for the fifth time in the most prestigious club competition.
And PSG will not be the first French club to cross paths with the Ukrainian. Balakin notably refereed Marseille against Brighton in the Europa League in 2023, a match which ended in a spectacular draw (2-2), before returning to Strasbourg last season in the Conference League, during the round of 16 second leg against Rijeka (1-1). In the Champions League, it is Brest who has already had to deal with him, during the 2024-2025 league phase, with a defeat on the lawn of Sparta Prague (2-1). An experience which makes Mykola Balakin a referee who is still inexperienced at the highest level, but already familiar with French clubs.
