Paris Saint-Germain finally gets its revenge and continues to write its beautiful story. After a completely crazy double confrontation against Bayern Munich in the semi-final of the Champions League, the Parisian club validated its ticket for the final at the end of an unbreathable scenario which will remain etched in the memories of supporters for a long time. Between the electrifying intensity, the reversals of the situation and the XXL performances of Luis Enrique’s executives, PSG showed a conquering face to return to the bottom step of the most prestigious European competition, only one year after the beautiful night in Munich against Inter Milan. Opposite, Arsenal will arrive in Budapest with enormous confidence and a fierce desire to prevent Paris from winning the Grail again. The Gunners, impressive throughout their European campaign, also arrive with the firm intention of making their mark in the history of the London club. While tension is already rising around this exceptional poster, UEFA formalized this Monday the identity of the refereeing team which will direct this highly anticipated final at the Puskás Aréna.
The UEFA Referees Committee has therefore appointed the German Daniel Siebert to referee this Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal scheduled for May 30, 2026 in Budapest. The 42-year-old international referee will be accompanied by his compatriots Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn as assistants, while the Swiss Sandro Schärer will occupy the role of fourth referee. At VAR, Bastian Dankert will be supported by Robert Schröder, with Carlos Del Cerro Grande as video support and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso as reserve video referee. A nomination far from trivial since Daniel Siebert is preparing to lead his first European interclub final of his career. This season, he has already officiated in nine Champions League matches, including the quarter-final first leg between Sporting and Arsenal as well as the semi-final second leg between Arsenal and Atlético de Madrid. A designation which is causing a lot of talk even before kick-off as the precedents surrounding certain members of this refereeing team are already fueling debate among Parisian supporters.
Troubling history with the Gunners
Because on the PSG side, the appointment of Daniel Siebert is already causing a huge wave of distrust. The German referee has officiated several matches for the Parisian club in recent seasons against Maccabi Haifa, Athletic Bilbao, Girona and even Bruges. But it is above all his history with Arsenal which fuels the discussions. The Gunners have never lost under his command and several observers notably recall the very controversial semi-final return against Atlético de Madrid this season. Several contested arbitration decisions then triggered immense anger on the Spanish side with accusations of favorable treatment towards the London club. This reputation is already starting to worry PSG supporters who take a very dim view of the appointment of a referee considered particularly favorable to Arsenal in major European meetings. Especially a week after the semi-return against the Colchoneros which caused a lot of ink to flow.
And the controversy does not stop there since other names from this refereeing team also bring back very bad memories at PSG. The Swiss Sandro Schärer, appointed fourth referee for this final, was already on the whistle during the first leg against Bayern Munich, a match marked by several contentious situations which had provoked Parisian anger. Same observation with Carlos Del Cerro Grande who will be part of the VAR team after having already been involved in the first leg against Liverpool in a match where several decisions were strongly contested by the Parisian camp. On social networks, PSG supporters are already denouncing an extremely disturbing designation a few weeks before the final. With a history with Arsenal, recent European controversies and the gigantic pressure surrounding this event, Daniel Siebert and his refereeing team will arrive in Budapest with all the spotlights on them.
