UEFA has handed the whistle for Hapoel Beer Sheva's Champions League playoff second leg against Sabah to István Kovács, the Romanian referee who took charge of last season's Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, ONE reports.
The Israeli champions travel to Azerbaijan for Tuesday's return fixture holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg, meaning a draw alone is enough to send Ran Kozhoharov's side into the Champions League league phase for the first time in the club's history. It is the third time Beer Sheva have reached this playoff round, having lost narrowly on both previous occasions.
Kovács, 41, is one of UEFA's most established senior officials. Beyond last season's final in Munich, he has taken charge of finals in all three UEFA club competitions and has worked the past two European Championships and the past two World Cups, where he was the referee for the 1,000th match in World Cup history.
His reputation, however, is a mixed one. Kovács is known as a strict, card-heavy official, and he was suspended by UEFA until the end of last season after a contentious decision in a Champions League quarter-final between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.
He will be assisted on the touchline by fellow Romanians Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi, with Germany's Bastian Dankert operating the video assistant referee system.
The first leg, played at Bucharest's Ghencea Arena as Beer Sheva's designated home fixture, swung Israel's way after Veljko Simić had put Sabah ahead early. Igor Zlatanović and Javon East scored to complete the turnaround and hand the Israeli champions the advantage heading into Azerbaijan.
Tuesday's second leg kicks off at 19:45 Israel time at the Bank Respublika Stadium in Masazir, on the outskirts of Baku. Victory or a draw there would guarantee Beer Sheva a place — and a substantial financial windfall — in next season's Champions League league phase for the first time in the club's history.
