Alpha News

Italian Referee for PAOK-Betis, Ukrainian for Ferencváros-Panathinaikos

Published January 20, 2026, 11:43

Simone Sozza from Italy has been appointed by UEFA to referee the PAOK vs. Betis match on Thursday (22/01) at Toumba Stadium (19:45) for the Europa League. His assistants will be his compatriots Alberto Tegoni and Giovanni Bacini, with Luca Zufferli as the fourth official. Daniele Chiffi and Valerio Marini will be on VAR, all Italians. For the Panathinaikos vs. Ferencváros match in Hungary on Thursday (22:00), Ukrainian Mykola Balakin has been assigned, assisted by Oleksandr Berkut and Viktor Matyas. VAR will be handled by Denys Shurman and Dmytro Pankisin, both Ukrainian. Both refereeing teams are entirely national, with Italians for PAOK and Ukrainians for Panathinaikos.