Who is Serdar Gozubuyuk, the referee for Atlético vs Tottenham in the Champions League?
The Dutchman will be refereeing a match for the red and whites for the third time in Europe.
Dutch referee Serdar Gözübüyük will take charge of Wednesday’s Champions League round-of-16 first leg between Atlético Madrid and Tottenham at the Metropolitano Stadium. The official will lead an all-Dutch refereeing crew, with Patrick Inia and Rogier Honig serving as assistant referees, Jeroen Manschot as the fourth official, and Pol van Boekel alongside Rob Dieperink handling VAR duties.
Gözübüyük, who was born in Haarlem – a city just outside Amsterdam in the northwest of the Netherlands – on October 29, 1985, is regarded as one of Europe’s most experienced referees. An international referee since 2012, he belongs to UEFA’s elite category and has built a long résumé across both continental competitions and the Dutch Eredivisie. Over the course of his career, he has officiated more than 400 official games and averages close to 3.5 yellow cards per game, reflecting a relatively balanced disciplinary profile by European refereeing standards.
He has had some controversy before...
“Serdar Gozubuyuk, the referee criticised following Scotland's disallowed goal against Spain, was censured by his own Dutch FA last year after a hugely controversial VAR mistake involving Cyriel Dessers when the Rangers striker was playing for Feyenoord.”
— Football Park Scotland (@FP_Scotland) October 14, 2023
(The Herald)
😳 pic.twitter.com/OWrgjHyzOe
As for Atlético Madrid, the Dutch official has previously overseen the Spanish club on two occasions in European competition. The record for Diego Simeone’s side stands at one win and one defeat. The victory came during the 2023–24 Champions League group stage, when Atlético defeated Lazio 2–0 at the Metropolitano. The defeat followed in the 2024–25 season during the league phase of the competition’s new format, when Atlético suffered a 4–0 loss away to Benfica in Lisbon.
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