It has been a year to savour for István Kovács. Twelve months ago, the Romanian was rounding off an impressive club season by taking the whistle for Atalanta's UEFA Europa League triumph in Dublin before going on to officiate two matches at EURO 2024. At the same time, he also became a father for the first time, and despite the impact of a busy family life, has enjoyed another excellent campaign during 2024/25, leading to his appointment for Saturday's Champions League final in Munich. It will make Kovács the first man to have refereed the final of each of UEFA's current major club competitions, having taken charge of the inaugural Conference League final in 2022. It will be a proud moment for the 40-year-old, himself a former player in Romania's third tier, and below he discusses the appointment, his approach to games and just what the Champions League means to him.
- István, congratulations on the appointment. How did it feel when you received the news?
- It was amazing to receive the call from [UEFA managing director for refereeing] Roberto Rosetti. It was a very happy call, and it's an overwhelming feeling after so many years of hard work, to be awarded the biggest club competition match in the world. At the start of every season, you dream of refereeing a final, the Champions League is the biggest thing you can achieve, and I am very pleased, not just for me, but for my colleagues as well. I'd like to thank UEFA, the Referees Committee, the Romanian Football Federation, and everybody who has helped us along the way, in particular our referees’ chairman, Kyros Vassaras, who has done a fantastic job over the past eleven years, and my mentor, István Szilágyi who has been with me since I started refereeing.
- It has been a very special year for you…
- Yes, the arrival of our son, who is ten months old now, has really changed our lives in a positive way. As referees, we travel a lot, but when I arrive home, I try to spend all of my time with the family. I am lucky to be able to do this.
- Do you have your own favourite UEFA Champions League memories from down the years?
- Yes, of course. One was 1997 with Borussia Dortmund, when Lars Ricken was substituted in and with his first touch of the ball, scored a very nice goal from about 35 metres. The second for me was 1999, when Manchester United turned the result at the very end. Each Monday, I would watch a show called Euro Goals, one hour of European football, and I was desperate to be a part of this competition.
- Does it help you as a referee to have played at a high level?
- I was a midfielder and played in the third division, not bad, and I think it can help to understand the feelings and emotions of the players. I can relate a little bit to what they are going through on the pitch. Sometimes, you can also get a feel for when a physical contact was intentional or not. I understand the tactics quite well and this is also a big part of our preparation. UEFA provides technical analysis for the officials, and I like to spend hours going through this. Of course, physical fitness is also important. Today's football is very physical, very dynamic and demanding, with a lot of fast transitions, so it's important to be fit.
- What is your preparation like on the day of a match?
- Usually, I don’t take breakfast. I'll go with my team for a short walk for around an hour and have a drink of tea and some cookies. At around one o'clock, I take lunch, usually chicken and pasta with salad, and after that will sleep for one to two hours. Three hours before the game, I'll be up and listening to some music, shower and shave and then I'm ready to go to the stadium, completely focused and ready to go. (Source: UEFA)
Paris St. Germain – Inter Milano
Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi (ROU)
Fourth Official: Joao Pinheiro (POR)
Reserve AR: Bruno Jesus (POR)
VAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
AVAR: Catalin Popa (ROU)
SVAR: Paulus van Boekel (NED)
Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers (NED)
