UEFA has made a last-minute change to the officiating team for the Champions League match between PSV and Sporting, scheduled for Tuesday evening. Italian referee Fabio Maresca, originally assigned as the fourth official, has been replaced by his compatriot Daniele Doveri.
Goal Italia report that the sudden change comes in the wake of serious allegations against Maresca stemming from a match he officiated in Kuwait last Friday. The high-profile game in the Kuwaiti top division between Al Kuwait Kaifan and Al Arabi ended in a 2-0 victory for the home team, but the match has been overshadowed by accusations of misconduct against the Italian referee.
According to the report, Maresca is accused of issuing a death threat to Al Arabi player Khaled Al-Murshed during the match. The alleged incident occurred following the expulsion of one of Al-Murshed’s teammates. It’s claimed that Maresca told the player, “I will kill you,” during a heated exchange.
The allegations were made public on social media by lawyer Adnan Mahmoud Abel, who stated that they were filing a police report in Adailiya, a suburb of Kuwait City. Abel claimed to have video evidence of the incident.
While UEFA has taken swift action by removing Maresca from his Champions League duties, both the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Italian Referees Association (AIA) have yet to comment on the matter. The allegations are still under investigation, and the full facts of the case have yet to be established.
Maresca has since returned to Italy and is awaiting further developments in this controversial situation.
