Some in the Spanish media have shared their worries over the choice of official for the Champions League last-16 first-leg tie between Real Madrid and Man City
Sections of the Spanish media have expressed serious concerns over the official presiding over Manchester City's Champions League last-16 first leg against Real Madrid. The two titans will clash at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.
The match will be officiated by Italian referee Maurizio Mariani, but Spanish radio network Cadena SER has voiced their reservations about the 44-year-old, just hours before the two sides meet. Speaking on air, former Spanish referee Iturralde Gonzalez said that he doesn't believe Mariani is the best choice for a game of such importance.
"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.
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"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."
Mariani has officiated just one City game in the Champions League - their 5-0 victory over Sparta Prague in the 2024/25 group stage at the Etihad. That match saw the referee issue two yellow cards and award a penalty to City, which was scored by Matheus Nunes.
Yet this will be the third occasion Mariani has officiated a Madrid fixture in the competition. To date, the Italian has overseen Madrid's 2-0 triumph over RB Leipzig in the 2022/2023 campaign and their loss to Lille in the 2024/2025 group stage.
Despite Madrid having first-leg home advantage, Gonzalez claimed that it will be inconsequential 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 matches he has taken charge of across his career, he has issued 1,848 yellow cards, 83 red cards and awarded 143 penalties.
Wednesday's encounter 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 pursuing 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 been defeated in their last four fixtures against English sides.
However, they remain formidable on home turf, suffering just three losses in their last 25 Champions League matches at the Bernabeu. They've also progressed from 13 of their previous 15 last-16 encounters, claiming victory in the first leg in 10 of their last 12. City, by contrast, recovered from last season's play-off elimination to Madrid by completing this year's league phase with 16 points from eight matches to qualify automatically.
Their 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu in December - only their second success in eight visits - was amongst five group wins. City's away record in Europe has been patchy, though, with merely two victories in their last eight Champions League fixtures on the road.