On Saturday, May 30, in the 2025-2026 Champions League final, Paris Saint-Germain will face Arsenal at the Puskás Arena in Budapest (kick-off at 6 p.m., CET). The referee for the match has been chosen: Daniel Siebert (42 years old). He has considerable Champions League experience, having officiated 27 matches.
The referee will be assisted by Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn. The fourth official will be Sandro Schärer. Video assistance will be provided by Bastian Danker, Robert Schröder, and Carlos Del Cerro Grande.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Siebert as referee, we can expect yellow cards to be shown very early in the match. Indeed, while the French average per match is 3.53 yellow cards (standard deviation of 0.39), the referee of the final has issued an average of 4.52 yellow cards per match throughout his Champions League career (Transfermarkt figures). This is very high; let’s hope this is done without neglecting dialogue and in favor of a tension-free match.
Direct Red Cards –
The man in charge of the final is much less severe when it comes to direct red cards. In fact, Siebert averages 0.15 dismissals per match in his career, while the French average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). This suggests a more controlled approach, rather than resorting to indiscriminate punishment.
Second Yellow Cards –
Daniel Siebert tends to send off a player after their first yellow card in a match, as he has issued a second yellow card to the same player an average of 0.11 times per match. This is higher than the French average, which stands at 0.09 (standard deviation of 0.03). With many yellow cards initially, this still supports the idea of using warnings to calm tempers and issuing more “difficult” red cards.
Penalties –
Regarding penalties, the referee who will officiate the final is below average with 0.30 penalties awarded per match, while in Ligue 1 the average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
History –
Siebert has refereed PSG four times: a 5-0 victory against Club Brugge (2019-2020 group stage), a 3-1 victory against Maccabi Haifa (2022-2023 group stage), a 1-0 win against Girona (2024-2025 league stage), and a 0-0 draw against Athletic Bilbao (2025-2026 league stage).
He has refereed Arsenal three times: a 3-0 victory against Dinamo Zagreb (2025-2026 league stage), a 1-0 victory against Sporting Lisbon (2025-2026 quarter-final first leg), and a 1-0 victory against Atlético Madrid (2025-2026 semi-final second leg).
