The referee team appointed for the UEFA Champions League third qualifying-round second-leg match between Sabah and Aarhus has been changed due to a potential conflict of interest.
İdman.Biz reports, citing UEFA, that the governing body has changed its decision regarding the Portuguese officials originally appointed for the match in Baku.
The appointment of the Portuguese referee team, led by João Pinheiro, has been cancelled. The officials had been scheduled to travel to Baku on 9 August.
Instead, UEFA has appointed a team of referees from France for the Sabah vs Aarhus clash.
Willy Delajod will serve as the referee, with Erwan Finjean and Valentin Evrard as his assistants. Eric Wattellier has been appointed as the fourth official. Bastien Dechepy will operate as the VAR, while Nicolas Rainville will serve as the AVAR.
The change was prompted by the possibility that the loser of the Sabah-Aarhus tie could face Portuguese side Benfica.
According to the draw for the play-off round of the European competitions, the loser of this tie will face the winner of the Benfica-Hearts tie in the UEFA Europa League play-offs. Benfica won the first leg 6-1.
UEFA cancelled the appointment of the Portuguese referees to eliminate any potential concerns over bias.
The Sabah vs Aarhus match will be played at Bank Respublika Arena on 11 August. Aarhus won the first leg 2-1 in Denmark.
