Daniel Siebert to referee Arsenal against PSG in Champions League final
German official Daniel Siebert has been appointed by Uefa to referee the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Saturday, 30 May.
The 42-year-old brings significant experience to the showpiece event, having already taken charge of nine matches in Europe’s elite club competition this season.
A familiar face for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta’s side boast a flawless record under the veteran official during their current continental campaign.
Siebert oversaw the quarter-final first-leg victory against Sporting Lisbon, as well as the crucial semi-final second-leg triumph over Atletico Madrid.
The north London club secured hard-fought 1-0 victories on both of those high-pressure nights.
Remarkably, the German has yet to show a single yellow card to an Arsenal player across those two pivotal fixtures.
Contrasting records and statistics
Paris Saint-Germain have only encountered the official once this term during a goalless draw at Athletic Bilbao in December.
The French champions saw four players booked by the disciplinarian in that tense group-stage encounter.
Statistics show the referee averages 4.44 yellow cards per game in European competition this season, notably higher than his domestic rate of 3.20 in the Bundesliga.
He also brings major international tournament pedigree to Hungary, having previously officiated at both Euro 2024 and Euro 2020.
Arteta demands officiating consistency
The appointment comes shortly after the Arsenal manager publicly praised the bravery of video assistant referees during a recent domestic victory over West Ham.
“When I had to be critical, I have been.”
Arteta told Sky Sports regarding the immense pressure placed upon modern match officials.
“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.”
A fully German video assistant referee team, led by Bastian Dankert, will support the on-field crew in Budapest.
Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn will serve as assistant referees, while Switzerland’s Sandro Schärer takes up duties as the fourth official.