SOCCER
Who is Umut Meler, the referee for Real Madrid - Stuttgart? Champions League 2024/25
Meler will be the match referee as Real Madrid open up their Champions League title defence at the Bernabéu.
Turkish referee Umut Meler will take charge of Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with VfB Stuttgart today, as Los Blancos begin their title defence in Europe’s revamped premier club competition.
Madrid host Stuttgart on matchday one of the new league phase, in which each team plays eight games (four at home, four away) against eight different clubs. Rather than being placed in groups of four, all clubs will be ranked in one 36-team table, with the top eight qualifying automatically for the last 16. Clubs finishing ninth to 24th will go into a knockout-stage playoff round.
Madrid are aiming to become the first team to retain the Champions League title since they themselves won three in a row between 2016 and 2018. Stuttgart, meanwhile, are in the tournament for the first time since 2009/10.
Who is Umut Meler?
A Champions League referee since 2020/21, Meler has overseen 10 games in the competition, mostly in the group stages; his only knockout-phase assignments were two last-16 second legs, including Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with Sporting CP in 2021/22.
The 38-year-old has crossed paths with Madrid once before in the Champions League, overseeing the Spaniards’ 3-0 group-stage win over Braga last season. He has never previously been appointed to a match involving Stuttgart.
Hospitalised by club president assault
In the Turkish game, Meler has refereed in the Super Lig, the top flight of Turkish soccer, since 2015. Last December, he made international headlines when he was hospitalised after being assaulted by Faruk Koca, the president of MKE Ankaragucu, after a league game against Caykur Rizespor.
Following a 1-1 draw, Koca strode onto the pitch and punched Meler in the face, causing the referee to fall to the floor. In the melée that ensued, the 37-year-old was then kicked by other individuals.
In an interview with the Turkish media outlet Hurriyet, Meler said he has no plans to forgive Koca for the assault. “No, I did not forgive [Koca], I will not forgive,” Meler told Hurriyet, per ESPN. “The person who did this punched me, I collapsed and fell to the ground. But the actual kicking while I was on the ground will be something I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
Koca, who resigned as Ankaragucu president in the aftermath of the attack, has been permanently banned by the Turkish Football Federation, and has also faced criminal consequences over the incident.
Among Euro 2024 referees
In international soccer, Meler refereed three matches at this summer’s European Championship in Germany. They included England’s 2-1 last-16 win over Slovakia - a game in which Madrid star Bellingham forced extra time in spectacular fashion, equalising for the Three Lions with a 95th-minute overhead kick.
See also
Who are Meler’s assistants at the Bernabéu? Who is the VAR?
Meler’s assistants will be compatriots Kerem Ersoy and Ibrahim Caglar Uyarcan, and the fourth official will be Arda Kardesler, also from Turkey. The video assistant referee (VAR) will be the Netherlands’ Rob Dieperink, and the assistant VAR will be Dieperink’s countryman Pol van Boekel.
Real Madrid vs Stuttgart: start time, how to watch
Real Madrid host VfB Stuttgart today, Tuesday September 17, 2024, at 3pm ET/12 noon PT. Viewers in the United States will be able to watch the Champions League clash on TUDN USA, UniMás, Paramount+ and ViX.