UEFA changes referees of match over APOEL’s disagreement

Cyprus APOEL, Qarabag’s rival in the Europa League group stage protested the appointment of Turkish referees for the match against Luxembourg Dudelange within the fifth round.

Report informs that UEFA entrusted this match to Halis Özkaya, but the Nicosia representative disagreed with the decision. APOEL complained to UEFA and asked for a change of referees.

The club stressed that they did not accept the appointment of the Turkish referee for the Cyprus match for the first time in the European Cup. According to APOEL, this appointment is not synonymous due to the close relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Taking into account all these factors, UEFA accepted the Cypriots' objection and entrusted the match to a team of referees from Italy led by Gianluca Rocchi.