UEFA pick “inexperienced” Italian referee for PSG-Aston Villa | OneFootball

Italian referee Maurizio Mariani has been tasked by UEFA to oversee the Champions League quarter-finals first leg between PSG and Aston Villa. The game will be played this Wednesday at 9pm CET at Paris’ Parc des Princes. UEFA’s choice is rather curious considering Mariani has never officiated a game of this magnitude, prompting L’Equipe to label him as “inexperienced.”

The 43-year-old Mariani has only overseen nine Champions League games since 2022, and five this season. The Serie A referee is not unknown to Aston Villa as he officiated in their Champions League Matchweek 6 3-2 away win to RB Leipzig on December 10. Mariani has never overseen a Champions League game involving PSG, but he does have previous with Ligue 1 clubs. Mariani controversially showed midfielder Moatasem Al-Musrati a second yellow card for dissent, leaving his AS Monaco teammates a player short against SL Benfica in the playoffs round first leg (0-1).

GFFN | Bastien Cheval