Damian Sylwestrzak appointed to referee UEFA Europa League match

UEFA has appointed Polish referee Damian Sylwestrzak to lead the Europa League match between Ferencváros and Viktoria Plzeň, scheduled for October 15 in Budapest. Sylwestrzak will be supported by an all-Polish officiating crew, including assistants Paweł Sokolnicki and Adam Karasiewicz, technical referee Marcin Kochanek, and VAR officials Piotr Lasyk and Paweł Pskit.

The appointment follows significant controversy regarding Sylwestrzak’s performance in a recent Polish Ekstraklasa match between Legia Warsaw and Wisła Kraków. Following that game, Wisła Kraków officials and experts criticized several decisions, including a missed penalty and a disputed goal. Sylwestrzak addressed the criticism, explaining his reasoning for not awarding a penalty during the Legia-Wisła match.

Despite the domestic criticism, this assignment marks Sylwestrzak’s sixth appearance in the Europa League knockout stages, following previous experience officiating matches such as Olympiakos vs. SC Braga and FC Porto vs. Hoffenheim.