Some in the Spanish media have aired their worries over the choice of official for the Champions League last-16 first-leg clash between Real Madrid and Man City
Sections of the Spanish media have raised grave concerns over the official taking charge of Manchester City’s Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid. The two giants will face off at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.
The game will be overseen by Italian official Maurizio Mariani, but Spanish radio network Cadena SER has shared their reservations about the 44-year-old, just hours before the two sides meet. Speaking on air, former Spanish referee Iturralde Gonzalez admitted that he doesn’t feel that Mariani is the best fit for a game of such magnitude.
“Italian referees aren’t having a good run right now,” he said. “He doesn’t let the game flow, he prefers to steer it where he wants, and I don’t like that kind of refereeing.
“He might not see a foul depending on where it is, for example, on the edge of the penalty area. Instead of letting the game unfold, he takes the game where he wants, and that’s why I don’t like it.”
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Mariani has overseen just one City game in the Champions League – the 5-0 win over Sparta Prague in the 2024/25 group stage at the Etihad. That game saw the referee issue two yellow cards and give a penalty to City, which was scored by Matheus Nunes.
Yet this will be the third time Mariani has officiated a Madrid match in the competition. To date, the Italian has presided over Madrid’s 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig in the 2022/2023 campaign and their defeat to Lille in the 2024/2025 group stage.
Despite Madrid having first-leg home advantage, Gonzalez claimed that it will be incidental under the eye of Mariani. The Italian is not an official who favours the home side, according to the 59-year-old former official, with teams playing at home under Mariani in Serie A this season having a 42% win rate, as per Sportradar.
The referee has been FIFA-listed since 2019. He has taken charge of 67 Champions League fixtures and several major finals, including last year’s U20 World Cup final between Morocco and Argentina, as well as the Coppa Italia final between AC Milan and Bologna.
Mariani is known for being no-nonsense on the pitch. According to Transfermarkt, in the 421 games he has taken charge of across his career, he has issued 1,848 yellow cards, 83 red cards and awarded 143 penalties.
Wednesday’s game between Madrid and City marks a historic milestone, as it is the first fixture ever to be played in the knockout stages of the Champions League for five consecutive seasons.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s side are aiming for a record-extending 16th European Cup and had to navigate the knockout round play-offs after finishing ninth in the league phase – just one place and one point behind Pep Guardiola’s team.
Madrid have lost their last four matches against English clubs. Yet they remain a force at home, with just three defeats in their last 25 Champions League games at the Bernabeu.
They’ve also advanced from 13 of their previous 15 last-16 ties, winning the first leg in 10 of their last 12. City, meanwhile, bounced back from last season’s play-off exit to Madrid by finishing this year’s league phase with 16 points from eight games to qualify automatically.
Their 2-1 win at the Bernabeu in December – only their second in eight visits – was among five group victories. City’s away form in Europe has been inconsistent, however, with just two wins in their last eight Champions League games on the road.
