Swedish referee Mohamed Al-Hakim appointed for CSKA vs Panathinaikos

UEFA has appointed Swedish referee Mohamed Al-Hakim to officiate the Conference League third round match between Panathinaikos and CSKA. Al-Hakim, 41, will be assisted by Mehmet Çulum and Fredrik Klüver, with Joakim Särs serving as the fourth official. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team will consist of Polish officials Pavel Małecki and Kornel Paszkiewicz.

Al-Hakim has significant experience officiating matches involving Bulgarian clubs, having previously served as a fourth official for Levski Sofia and as a referee for Ludogorets matches in the Europa League. He also has extensive experience in the Greek league, having officiated multiple matches for teams such as Aris, Panathinaikos, and AEK Athens.

Born in Iraq, Al-Hakim moved to Sweden at age eight. While he has been ranked as a top referee in Scandinavia since 2015, he faced media scrutiny in 2021 regarding unpaid taxes on his UEFA match fees. Outside of football, he is employed by the Swedish Armed Forces.