Referees removed from Champions League game for stealing road sign while drunk

Two VAR officials had to be replaced hours before Tuesday’s Champions League third round qualifying first leg match between Dynamo Kyiv and Rangers after they reportedly stole a road sign while drunk on the day of the game.

According to Polish media outlet TVP Sport, Bartosz Frankowski and Tomasz Musiał, who are from Poland, were arrested by police at two o’clock on Tuesday morning after they, along with a third person, were caught trying to make off with a souvenir from their (presumably) impromptu night out. They were found with over 1.5 per milligrams of alcohol in their blood and taken to a sobering-up centre.

Although Dynamo Kiev were the home team for the fixture, it was scheduled for Lublin in Poland, as Ukrainian clubs are unable to play in their home country due to the ongoing conflict between Russian and Ukraine.

Who is Bartosz Frankowski, one of Poland’s top referees?

37-year-old Frankowski is one of Poland’s most highly-rated referees, having first officiated in the Polish top division in 2012 at the age of 25. A FIFA referee since 2014 and ranked as a first category referee by UEFA, Frankowski acted as a support referee at Euro 2020 and a video match official at Euro 2024.

The Polish duo were replaced by compatriots Tomasz Kwiatkowski and Pawel Malec on the day of the game.

2024/25 Champions League qualifying dates

Qualification for the 2024/25 Champions League, which will have 36 teams in the group stage for the first time, started with the first qualifying round on July 9 and will conclude with the playoff round on August 28. By then, we will know which seven teams will join the 29 that have already qualified for the league phrase, which begins on September 17.