Ukrainian referees assigned to Champions League 2024/2025 league phase match
A Ukrainian refereeing team has been assigned to officiate the Matchday 8 league phase game of the UEFA Champions League 2024/2025 between Sturm Graz (Austria) and RB Leipzig (Germany), scheduled for January 29 in Graz. This information was confirmed by UEFA's official website.
The match will be overseen by Mykola Balakin as the main referee. He will be assisted on the lines by Oleksandr Berkut and Viktor Matyash, with Vitaliy Romanov serving as the fourth official. The VAR system will be operated by Swiss officials Fedayi San and Lukas Fähndrich.
Ukrainian Referees in Champions League matches
September 16, 1998: Vasyl Melnychuk from Simferopol officiated the match between Athletic Bilbao (Spain) and Rosenborg (Norway) as the main referee.
November 29, 2023: A Ukrainian refereeing team led by Mykola Balakin, with Oleksandr Berkut, Dmytro Zaporozhenko (assistant referees), and Yaroslav Kozyk (fourth official), worked the match between Real Sociedad (Spain) and Salzburg (Austria).
November 6, 2024: A Ukrainian refereeing team including Mykola Balakin, Oleksandr Berkut, Dmytro Zaporozhenko (assistant referees), Vitaliy Romanov (fourth official), Oleksiy Derevinskiy, and Denys Shurman (VAR officials) officiated the game between Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) and Brest (France).
November 26, 2024: Mykola Balakin, Oleksandr Berkut, Viktor Matyash (assistant referees), and Vitaliy Romanov (fourth official) officiated the match between Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) and Salzburg (Austria).