UEFA has appointed renowned Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić to officiate the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 playoff between Real Madrid and Benfica.
The referee for the first leg, François Letixter, received widespread praise for his handling of the situation when Vinicius Junior reported racist abuse. However, he also faced criticism from José Mourinho, who accused him of being clearly biased towards Real Madrid.
Now, the 46-year-old Vinčić faces a challenging task in a match expected to be physical and physical, given the events of the first leg.
Vinčić has a good track record with Real Madrid, having refereed their last Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, when Los Blancos triumphed 2-1 at Wembley to secure their 15th European title.
The Slovenian also officiated Real Madrid’s match against Juventus this season at the Bernabéu in La Liga, where Xabi Alonso’s side secured a 1-0 victory.
Overall, this will be Vinčić’s fourth time refereeing a Spanish team in European competitions. He previously officiated two other matches, including Real Madrid’s 3-1 home defeat to AC Milan last season.
The renowned referee has a balanced record with Benfica, having officiated six previous matches for the Portuguese giants, resulting in two wins, one loss, and three draws. His last match with Mourinho’s team was against Napoli, which Benfica won 2-0.
This will be Vinčić’s seventh match in this season’s Champions League, having already refereed six group stage matches.
