Controversial Referee Appointed for FC Bayern’s Champions League Clash Against Viking Stavanger

Georgi Kabakov assigned to officiate FC Bayern Champions League fixture

FC Bayern München travels to Norway to face Viking Stavanger in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday at 21:00 CEST, with Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov appointed to officiate the match, as reported by web.de. The fixture brings together the German club and a match official who faced an indefinite domestic suspension just over a year prior.

Unusual synthetic pitch adjustments made in Stavanger

Vincent Kompany’s squad encounters an unfamiliar surface at Viking Stavanger, marking only the second competitive fixture in Bayern’s history played on an artificial turf pitch. Club records show the previous instance occurred on November 22, 2006, ending in a 2:2 draw away against Spartak Moscow. To prepare for the synthetic conditions, the team completed its final training session directly in Norway on Monday rather than at the usual training ground on Säbener Straße, as detailed by web.de. For the Bayern squad, the sporting challenge takes absolute priority in Norway following a 2:2 draw in the Bundesliga against FC Augsburg, where the team was denied a legitimate goal by the officiating crew, as noted by Absolut Fussball.

Domestic suspension and controversial VAR decisions examined

The appointment of Georgi Kabakov has drawn attention due to disciplinary action taken by the Bulgarian Football Union on October 7, 2025. According to reports from web.de and t-online, the referee commission suspended Kabakov and assistant Wladimir Walkow indefinitely from domestic matches following their video assistant referee duties in an efbet-League fixture between Slavia Sofia and Lokomotiv Sofia. State news agency BTA reported that Slavia player Martin Georgiev handled the ball with both hands prior to setting up Emil Stoev for an opening goal that was allowed to stand. Absolut Fussball noted that the match ended in a 2:0 victory for Slavia, with media reports highlighting additional controversial decisions during the encounter.

International clearance and quick return to domestic action

While the suspension marked an unprecedented measure in Bulgarian football, its duration lasted roughly a month. Kabakov returned to domestic officiating duties on November 7, 2025, for a fixture between Spartak Varna and Septemvri Sofia. UEFA permitted him to continue officiating international competitions during his domestic ban, assigning him to an October 2025 Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Midtjylland, according to web.de and FCBinside. Following that clearance, he also handled further assignments in the Europa League, the Conference League, and domestic league play.

Referee statistics ahead of the European encounter

Entering Tuesday’s fixture, Kabakov has managed eight matches during the current season, issuing 40 yellow cards, four yellow-red cards, and one straight red card, averaging five cautions per game, according to statistics cited by FCBinside. Beyond his domestic league duties, he recently drew attention in the Nations League surrounding a controversial goal celebration by Israel striker Abu Farkhi.

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