Referee Removed from Champions League Match After Alleged Threat to Kill Player
Fabio Maresca was slated to serve as the fourth official for PSV's match against Sporting CP but was removed from the role due to concerns over his conduct during a previous match in Kuwait.
Fabio Maresca was pulled from his Champions League duties after allegedly threatening to kill a player. He was originally scheduled to be the fourth official for the match between PSV Eindhoven and Sporting CP, but was replaced by Daniele Doveri. The officiating team was led by Marco Guida, with Ciro Carbone and Giorgio Peretti assisting. Maresca now faces the possibility of being banned from officiating Serie A matches for a month.
A decision is expected soon from Gianluca Rocchi, head of CAN (the body responsible for match assignments in Serie A), following allegations concerning Maresca’s conduct during a game involving Al Arabi Kuwait SC. According to Corriere della Sera, the incident occurred when Maresca clashed with player Khaled Al Murshed, who had accidentally bumped into him. Maresca allegedly reacted aggressively, not considering it an accident.
Al Arabi board member Adnan Abdul claimed that Maresca threatened Al Murshed, saying he would “kill the player.” Abdul posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Heading to the Adailiya police station to file a case against the Italian referee who threatened Khaled Al-Murshed with the phrase ‘I will kill you.’ This is proven by video and evidence.”
This is not Maresca’s first controversy. In 2021, former Chelsea and Tottenham manager Antonio Conte was sent off by Maresca while managing Inter Milan after protesting his decisions in a match against Udinese. Conte was banned for two matches and fined £16,700 after an altercation with the referee in the tunnel.
The former Juventus star, Antonio Conte, was reported to have confronted referee Fabio Maresca “in a threatening manner, shouting a seriously offensive expression at him.” Conte’s outburst came after he was sent off during stoppage time in the game, sarcastically shouting: “It’s always you, Maresca. It’s always you. Even in VAR, it’s always you, Maresca. Well done, Maresca.”
Conte’s frustration stemmed from his belief that Udinese midfielder Tolgay Arslan should have been shown a red card. He also felt Maresca’s officiating led to too many fouls, disrupting the flow of the game and creating a fragmented match.
