UEFA has appointed Italian referee Simone Sozza, who has officiated only one previous Champions League match and faced public criticism from coach José Mourinho, to oversee Wednesday’s group stage fixture between Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen.
The 38-year-old Sozza will lead the officiating team for the match, scheduled for 8 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) at Benfica’s Estádio da Luz. He became an international referee in 2020.
Sozza’s only prior Champions League experience was a group stage match on September 18, 2024, between Club Brugge and Monaco, which Brugge won 4-1.
The referee’s appointment comes under particular scrutiny following past comments from renowned coach José Mourinho. Prior to a Europa League match between Fenerbahçe and Lyon, Mourinho had offered cautious praise for Sozza.
“Simone Sozza is a good referee – young, with potential and future,” Mourinho said then. “What that means? It means nobody remembers him at the end of the game.”
However, Mourinho’s tone shifted dramatically after the match, which ended in a draw. He heavily criticized Sozza’s performance, citing significant errors and a failure by the video assistant referee (VAR).
“There were two red cards that were not given in the game. The play where [Sael] Kumbedi tackles [Sebastian] Szymanski is a clear red card,” Mourinho stated, emphasizing the VAR’s failure to intervene.
He also detailed an instance where a wrong red card was initially given, corrected by VAR, but then the same player was not cautioned for grabbing another player’s throat. “The referee had a great influence on the match, of course,” Mourinho concluded.
Despite his limited Champions League record, Sozza has more experience in the Europa League. He has officiated seven matches in that competition, including two in the current 2024/25 season and five in 2023/24.
The full officiating team for Wednesday’s match includes assistants Filippo Meli and Alessio Berti. Davide Massa will serve as the fourth official. Aleandro Di Paolo is assigned as the VAR, with Marco Di Bello as the assistant VAR.