Daniel Siebert, a seasoned German referee, has been selected to officiate the highly anticipated UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest. This prestigious assignment comes from the UEFA Referees Committee, and Siebert will be responsible for overseeing one of the most significant matches in football history at the Puskas Arena on Saturday, 30 May.
At 42 years old, Siebert brings a wealth of experience to the role, having been active in his career since 2015. His resume includes nine UEFA Champions League matches this season alone, showcasing his capability to handle high-stakes games. Notably, he was the referee in the quarter-final first leg between Sporting Lisbon and Arsenal, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Gunners. He also officiated the semi-final second leg between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, another 1-0 win for the team, which is a positive sign for fans of the club ahead of the final.
Throughout his tenure with the Gunners, Siebert has not shown a single yellow card to an Arsenal player, and across the two matches, he has only issued three yellow cards in total. In contrast, during the goalless draw between PSG and Athletic Bilbao in December, he handed out four yellow cards.
According to data from Who Scored, Siebert averages 4.44 yellow cards per game in the Champions League this season, with 0.22 red cards per game. This is slightly higher than his Bundesliga average, where he averaged 3.20 yellow cards per game and 0.13 red cards per game over 15 matches this term.
Siebert’s experience extends beyond the Champions League. He was involved in last year’s UEFA Europa League semi-final between Manchester United and Athletic Bilbao, and he has also officiated games at the UEFA Euro 2024 and UEFA Euro 2020 tournaments. These experiences have further solidified his reputation as a reliable and capable referee.
In the wake of Arsenal’s recent victory over West Ham, there was a notable incident involving the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) that sparked discussion. The incident involved Callum Wilson’s equaliser being ruled out due to Pablo’s arm impeding David Raya. Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, publicly acknowledged the pressure that officials face during such critical moments.
Arteta specifically praised Chris Kavanagh for his thorough review of the incident, which involved 17 replays over four minutes and 17 seconds before the decision was made. “When I had to be critical, I have been,” Arteta said. “Today I have to congratulate them [VAR]. You needed a lot of courage and bravery to stand out and give the opportunity to the referee to have a look at the action.”
He continued, “When you see the picture, there is no question that it is a clear foul. They were very brave. The action deserved that. In my opinion, it is very clear. They are the rules and we ask for consistency.”
The refereeing team for the upcoming UEFA Champions League final in 2026 has been announced, with Daniel Siebert leading the line. Here is the full list of officials:
- Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
- Assistants: Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn (both from Germany)
- 4th Official: Sandro Schärer (Switzerland)
- Reserve AR: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (Spain)
- VAR: Bastian Dankert (Germany)
- Assistant VAR: Robert Schröder (Germany)
- VAR Support: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (Spain)
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