--- title: "Balakin to Referee PSG: Ukrainian Referee Team Appointed for Champions League Match in Paris" description: "UEFA's Refereeing Committee has entrusted a Ukrainian team led by Mykola Balakin with the PSG — Slovan match in the first round of the Champions League. The fixture will be played on 9 September in Paris." date: 2026-09-07T09:52:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/balakin-psg-slovan-champions-league-appointment tags: [champions-league, referees, psg, slovan-bratislava, balakin, uefa, ukrainian-football] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Balakin to Referee PSG: Ukrainian Referee Team Appointed for Champions League Match in Paris ![Referee Serhiy Balakin in an orange UEFA Match Official kit blowing the whistle during a Champions League match](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/07/balakin-rassudit-pszh-slovan-liga-chempionov/balakin-rassudit-pszh-slovan-liga-chempionov-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - A Ukrainian referee team led by Mykola Balakin will officiate the PSG — Slovan match in the first round of the 2026/27 Champions League main round. - The main referee's assistants will be Oleksandr Berkut and Viktor Matyash, with Dmytro Panchyshyn as the fourth official. - The VAR system will be staffed by the Englishman Michael Salisbury and the Slovenian Matej Jug — the only foreign specialists on the team. - For Balakin, this is his fifth match at the level of the Champions League main stage in his career. - Ukrainians feature in both squads: Ilya Zabaunny (PSG), Danylo Ignatenko and Nikolay Kucharevych (Slovan). - The match will be played on 9 September at the Parc des Princes in Paris, with kickoff at 22:00 Kyiv time. UEFA's Refereeing Committee has entrusted a Ukrainian referee team with officiating one of the opening fixtures of the main round (league phase) of the 2026/27 Champions League season. The Ukrainian officials will work at a match in Paris involving the reigning champions. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the official website of the Ukrainian Association of Football. The appointment is a notable event for Ukrainian refereeing, as the match pits a French giant against a Slovakian club at the level of the most prestigious European club competition. ### Team appointment: who will be on the pitch The main referee for the clash between France's PSG and Slovakia's Slovan from Bratislava has been appointed as Mykola Balakin. On the touchlines he will be assisted by assistant referees Oleksandr Berkut and Viktor Matyash, while the duties of the fourth official will be assigned to Dmytro Panchyshyn. Thus, on the pitch and in reserve, exclusively Ukrainian referees will be working, which underscores UEFA's trust in the domestic refereeing school. ### Video replays: foreign specialists The only foreign members of the refereeing team will be the VAR system specialists. The main video referee has been appointed as the Englishman Michael Salisbury, and his assistant (AVAR) will be the Slovenian Matej Jug. This combination — a Ukrainian on-field team paired with foreign video referees — is standard practice for top-level matches and helps preserve objectivity when reviewing controversial episodes. ### Balakin's fifth match at the top level For Mykola Balakin, the upcoming fixture will already be his fifth in his career at the level of the main stage of the most prestigious European club tournament. Regular appointments to matches of this scale testify to the referee's consistently high status within the UEFA system and to the fact that he is among the officials trusted to officiate games involving the continent's strongest clubs. ### Ukrainian trace in both squads The appointment takes on a special resonance given that Ukrainian footballers feature in both clubs' squads. The Parisian giant fields defender Ilya Zabaunny, while the colours of the Bratislava club are defended by midfielder Danylo Ignatenko and forward Nikolay Kucharevych. In effect, the match becomes a contest with a notable Ukrainian undertone: referees from Ukraine will officiate a game in which representatives of the national school take the field on both sides. ### Where and when: match details The encounter between PSG and Slovan will take place on Wednesday, 9 September, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. Mykola Balakin's opening whistle will sound at 22:00 Kyiv time. According to the source, the reigning champions will take part in the match, which further raises the significance of the appointment and fans' attention to the refereeing team's work. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Ukrainian referees to officiate PSG in the Champions League: details of the high-profile appointment](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/ukrayinski-arbitri-suditimut-pszh-lizi-chempioniv-1788774546.html) - Базовый источник: состав бригады (Балакин, Беркут, Матяш, Панчишин), ВАР (Салсбери, Юг), пятый матч Балакина, украинские футболисты в составах, дата 9 сентября и время 22:00 по киевскому времени. - [Balakin to referee PSG. Ukrainian referees receive prestigious appointment for Champions League match](https://www.ua-football.com/foreign/champions_league/1788769440-balakin-rassudit-pszh-ukrainskie-arbitry-poluchili-prestizhnoe-naznachenie-na-match-ligi-chempionov.html) - Подтверждает назначение Балакина и украинской бригады на матч Лиги чемпионов с участием ПСЖ. - [Ukrainian referees receive unexpected appointment for top-club match in the Champions League](https://sport.nv.ua/football/pszh-slovan-balakin-budet-sudit-match-ligi-chempionov-50639128.html) - Подтверждает факт назначения украинской бригады на матч ПСЖ — «Слован» в Лиге чемпионов. - [A gesture of goodwill from UEFA. Ukrainian referees to officiate a match of a distant Champions League team](https://www.ua-football.com/foreign/champions_league/1783103745-schedrost-ot-uefa-ukrainskie-arbitry-obsluzhat-match-odnoy-dalney-komandy-ligi-chempionov.html) - Подтверждает назначение Балакина и украинской бригады на матч Лиги чемпионов с участием ПСЖ. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who will referee the PSG — Slovan Champions League match? **A:** The main referee has been appointed as Mykola Balakin, with Oleksandr Berkut and Viktor Matyash as assistants, and Dmytro Panchyshyn as the fourth official. The VAR system will be staffed by the Englishman Michael Salisbury and the Slovenian Matej Jug. ### Q: When and where will the PSG — Slovan match be played? **A:** The fixture will take place on Wednesday, 9 September, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. The opening whistle will sound at 22:00 Kyiv time. ### Q: Are there any Ukrainian footballers in the squads? **A:** Yes. PSG fields defender Ilya Zabaunny, while Slovan features midfielder Danylo Ignatenko and forward Nikolay Kucharevych. ### Q: How many Champions League main-stage matches has Balakin officiated? **A:** For Mykola Balakin, this fixture will be his fifth in his career at the level of the Champions League main stage.