Why Champions League final referee is a good omen for Inter
Istvan Kovacs has been officially confirmed as the referee for the upcoming Champions League final between Inter and Paris Saint-Germain, which brings a good omen for the Nerazzurri given that an Italian side has gone on to win each UEFA final that the Romanian official has taken charge of in his career to date.
Kovacs, 40, will be the man with the whistle for the Champions League final between Inter and PSG at the Allianz Arena on May 31.
Advertisement
Kovacs will be joined by Romanian assistants Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi, fourth official Joao Pedro Silva Pinhero from Portugal and VARs Catalin Sorin Popa of Romania and Johan Higler of the Netherlands.
Why Referee selection is a good omen for Inter
MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 06: Referee Istvan Kovacs shows the yellow card to FC Internazionale coach Simone Inzaghiduring the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between FC Internazionale Milano and Arsenal FC at Stadio San Siro on November 06, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by)
This will be the third UEFA final that Kovacs has taken charge of.
In a positive sign for Inter, an Italian team has gone on to win each of the other two UEFA finals that Kovacs has officiated: Atalanta's 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2023-24 Europa League final and Roma's 1-0 win over Feyenoord in the inaugural Conference League final in 2021-22.
Advertisement
Additionally, Inter also won their most recent game that Kovacs took charge of, which was the 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the league phase of this season's Champions League.
Kovacs has refereed two matches involving PSG this season: A 1-0 loss against Bayern Munich in the league phase of the Champions League and the second leg of their round of 16 tie against Liverpool, which the Parisians won on penalties at Anfield.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Inter hesitant to activate Zalewski's option
With the departure of Simone Inzaghi and the arrival of Christian Chivu, Inter's transfer plans may change. One of the players that may feel the consequences of Inter's managerial switch is Nicola Zalewski who is currently there on loan from Roma. Advertisement In fact, as reported by Filippo Biafora of Il Tempo, the Nerazzurri have not yet decided whether to exercise the buy option for the Pole set at 6.5 million. Inter have until June 18 to decide. Zalewski enjoyed Inzaghi's trust, and until a few days ago the permanent agreement seemed like a formality. Now, however, it will be Chivu, former Giallorossi player, who will have to decide whether to rely on Zalewski next season or send him back to the capital.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool contract rebel drops HUGE hint over future
© IMAGO - Ibrahima Konate Konate will likely remain a Red next season Of course, contract talks with the club are currently stalled, so our optimism around the Frenchman's future should be muted to an extent, but a summer move away has now been cast into doubt. Advertisement Speaking with The Athletic earlier this week, Konate opened up and gave us an insight into where his head is at after an extremely busy season and we're led to believe his focus is only on Liverpool. He said: "The most important thing is not to rest on our laurels. "We've won the Premier League, which is magnificent and which made everyone happy, but it's not an end in itself. I want to win it again next year. Or win the Champions League. "When next season begins, we shouldn't forget about the title, because we won it and it's etched in history, but we'll need to set it aside and say to ourselves, 'That's behind us. Now, do we have the desire and the physical and mental strength to do what we did last season again?'".
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski says ‘mental tiredness' behind absence from Poland squad
Robert Lewandowski said he was not included in Poland's June international matches due to feeling 'mentally tired'. Lewandowski was absent as his nation beat Moldova 2-0 in a friendly on Friday. The 36-year-old will also miss Poland's World Cup qualifier against Finland on June 10 after making himself unavailable for this month's international window. Advertisement 'I know that I am often judged as a professional, not a person,' Lewandowski told Polish broadcaster TVP Sport. 'Returning from injury, I played two league games and told coach (Michal) Probierz that I did not feel good physically, but especially mentally. 'With all due respect to journalists, none of you thought about the fact that you can be mentally tired. Who among you can know better how I feel?' Lewandowski played 52 times and scored 42 goals for Barcelona this term, his highest number of appearances in a single season during his career, as the Catalan side clinched La Liga and the Copa del Rey title. The striker suffered a hamstring injury during his side's 4-3 victory over Celta Vigo in April and, despite playing in extra time for the 4-3 (7-6 aggregate) defeat against Inter in the Champions League semi-final, was an unused substitute for the subsequent victory over Real Madrid. He played in each of Barcelona's final three matches of the season, scoring twice against Athletic Club on the final day. Poland lead Group G in UEFA's World Cup qualifying standings with two wins from two matches. Their 1-0 victory over Lithuania to open the campaign was decided by an 81st-minute Lewandowski goal in March. (Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Images)
