Why Champions League final referee is a good omen for Inter | OneFootball

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.

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 Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

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.

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.