Who is João Pinheiro, referee for Bayern Munich vs PSG, Champions League semifinal 2nd leg?
This is the Portuguese referee’s fourth season officiating in the Champions League and his second encounter with both semifinalists.
Arsenal became the first finalists in this year’s Champions League after eliminating Atlético in last night’s second leg in London. Joining them will be the winners of the other semi-final tie between Bayern Munich and PSG which will be resolved this evening.
In charge of ensuring the game flows without any major incidents will be Portuguese referee João Pinheiro and his team.
The 38-year-old has been an international referee since 2016 and has overseen 49 UEFA club competition matches - 21 of them in the Champions League.
During the 2024-25 season, he officiated five knockout stage matches, including the second leg of the Conference League semi-final between Chelsea and Djurgården. Pinheiro was the fourth official in last year’s Champions League final between PSG and Inter in Munich.
In this season’s tournament, he was allocated five league stage games and oversaw two playoff games: Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus vs Galatasaray.
Pinheiro’s record with Bayern and PSG
Pinheiro has crossed paths with Bayern on two occasions. Back in January he was designated to oversee the matchday 8 trip to PSV Eindhoven. Harry Kane’s late strike made it 1-2 on the night. Seven PSV players went into the book, including Mauro Júnior who was ordered off for a second booking. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany’s name was also taken down for contesting a decision.
He also reffed Bayern’s final league game of the 2024/25 edition at home to Slovan Bratislava which ended in a comfortable 3-1 win for the hosts.
A ref who keep discipline to a minimum
Pinheiro is a ref who likes to keep the game moving with as little interruption as possible. He has only sent two players off in the competition - both in this current edition: PSV’s Mauro Júnior as mentioned, and a straight red for Juve’s Lloyd Kelly in the playoffs.
In total, he has dished out 52 yellow cards and awarded two penalties with Aston Villa and Juventus the beneficiaries.
Tonight, Pinheiro will be assisted by his compatriots Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia manning both lines, while Norway’s Espen Eskas will act as the fourth official. Marco Di Bello (Italy) will be manning the VAR room, supported by Tiago Martins (Portugal).
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