Daniel Siebert and Viktor Gyokeres in conversation. (Image: Getty Images)
Edinson Cavani once called for the referee overseeing the 2026 Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain to be “put in jail.” German official Daniel Siebert, amongst the Bundesliga’s most experienced referees, became embroiled in controversy during Uruguay’s 2-0 victory over Ghana at the World Cup 2022.
Despite securing the win, Uruguay crashed out at the group stage on goals scored, as South Korea’s late triumph over Portugal proved critical in the final table. Emotions boiled over at the final whistle. Cavani, clearly distraught, was among several Uruguay players who confronted match officials – and he also struck a VAR monitor in anger at the end of the match.
Speaking about the officiating, the former Manchester United forward pulled no punches. “They have to put him in jail,” he said. “But if they penalise me for hitting the VAR, the referee, for having taken us out of the World Cup, they have to put him in jail.”
Throughout the encounter, Uruguay had multiple penalty appeals dismissed, fuelling their sense of injustice at the final whistle. Some players even followed Siebert down the tunnel after full-time.
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When questioned about the prospect of disciplinary action for his reaction, Cavani called for greater empathy towards players’ emotions during crucial moments.
“These are things that happen… they have to get a little on the footballer’s side, not only the referee and others, on the footballer’s side to see what has happened, why it has happened and why things have happened the way they have,” he said.
“It’s okay that we have to maintain a behaviour and so on but we are human beings and when sometimes the things that happen [on the pitch] are lived with passion and you work so hard to get there and compete and this and the other… It may also be that the reaction of a footballer inside can be, not justified, but a little more forgiven.”
Siebert officiated additional matches at Euro 2024, but was not selected for the 2026 World Cup. This Saturday, he is scheduled to oversee the Champions League final for the first time in his career.
Luis Suarez and Darwin Nunez of Uruguay protested to referee Daniel Siebert (Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal enter the match as underdogs, with PSG seeking to become only the second club in Champions League history to retain the trophy. The Gunners, meanwhile, will be hoping to keep refereeing controversies to a minimum following the anguish of their sole previous final appearance in 2006 against Barcelona.
Midway through the first half, Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off and, despite the English side subsequently taking the lead through Sol Campbell, late strikes from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti ultimately swung the match in Barcelona’s favour.
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Mikel Arteta’s squad will head into the final brimming with confidence that they can sidestep any disciplinary drama, having gone the entire season without receiving a single red card. Arsenal may draw further encouragement from their previous encounters with Siebert this campaign.
The German official has overseen two of their Champions League fixtures — a 1-0 quarter-final triumph over Sporting CP and an identical 1-0 victory against Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals. Siebert has also refereed one PSG match this season: their goalless draw with Atletic Club during the league phase.