A familiar referee for the Galatasaray-Atletico Madrid match!
Experienced Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs will officiate the Galatasaray vs. Atletico Madrid match to be played in Istanbul on January 21 in the UEFA Champions League.
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In the 7th week of the UEFA Champions League, Galatasaray will host Spanish side Atletico Madrid at home. The referee for the match, which will take place on Wednesday, January 21, has been announced. Following a UEFA appointment, Istvan Kovacs from the Romanian Football Federation will officiate the match.
The 41-year-old Kovacs, who has officiated significant matches in his career, also blew the whistle in the 2025 Champions League final last season, where Paris Saint-Germain won the trophy with a 5-0 score. The Romanian referee, who draws attention with his performance in Europe's top-tier organizations, is not a foreign name to Turkish football fans.
To date, Kovacs has been on the pitch in 11 international matches involving Turkish teams. Our representatives have achieved five wins, four losses, and two draws in these matches officiated by Kovacs.
The matches in question and the results obtained are as follows:
- Fenerbahçe 5-2 Feyenoord
- Lille 2-1 Fenerbahçe
- Czech Republic 1-2 Turkey
- PSG 5-0 Galatasaray
- Turkey 0-1 Sweden
- Burnley 1-0 Başakşehir
- Başakşehir 2-0 Club Brugge
- Zorya 1-1 Fenerbahçe
- Midtjylland 0-1 Osmanlıspor
- Rosenborg 1-1 Karabükspor
- Turkey U21 6-1 Liechtenstein U21