European nights always bring a special kind of buzz. This week, as two of Portugal’s football giants gear up for critical Europa League clashes, the men in the middle have been confirmed. UEFA, the continent’s governing body, has tapped German officials for both high-stakes contests.
Harm Osmers, a seasoned German referee, will be the man calling the shots for FC Porto. They are set to host Red Star Belgrade at the iconic Estádio do Dragão. Kick-off for this Europa League match is scheduled for 8:00 PM on Thursday. Osmers will have fellow Germans Dominik Schaal and Christian Gittelmann assisting him on the lines. Bastian Dankert will be handling the video assistant referee duties for the game.
Osmers, at 40 years old, is no stranger to important matches. This marks his first time leading a game involving a Portuguese club team. However, he did oversee a friendly for the Portuguese national side. That was in June 2024, when Portugal suffered a 2-1 defeat against Croatia.
Meanwhile, over in Scotland, Tobias Stieler, another German official, will take charge. He will be on the whistle for Sp. Braga’s visit to Celtic Park in Glasgow. That game starts earlier, at 5:45 PM. Lasse Koslowski and Mark Borsch will assist Stieler. Christian Dingert will be the VAR for that match.
Stieler, 44, has a past with Sp. Braga. He refereed their 2-0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2016/17 Europa League group stage. That feels like just yesterday, but it was a little over nine years ago.
The refereeing news isn’t just about foreign officials coming to Portugal. Portugal’s own António Nobre has a significant European assignment too. He will be in charge when Maccabi Tel Aviv hosts Dinamo Zagreb. Nobre’s team will include Pedro Ribeiro and Nelson Pereira as assistants. André Narciso will serve as the VAR for that game.