Frenchman Clement Turpin was appointed to officiate on Tuesday in the Champions League semi-final second leg between rivals Milan. The Rhodanien, who had already refereed the final of the last Champions League between Liverpool and Real Madrid, will be accompanied by five compatriots, including Stéphanie Frappart as 4th official and Jérôme Brisard as video referee.
This new appointment shows the confidence that is placed in the French referee. On April 19, Clément Turpin was targeted by Thomas Tuchel, the coach of Bayern Munich, after the elimination of the Bavarians in the quarterfinals of this C1 against Manchester City. The latter reproached him in particular for a penalty whistled in the 35th minute following a hand of Dayot Upamecano.
" READ ALSO Champions League: Clement Turpin deserved so much criticism after Bayern-Manchester City?
"I give it a score of 1/10. He has been below everything. It's amazing at this level. He whistled anything and everything. Everything was against us. In the end, we were never in a position to turn the tide with three men against us. It's a fact," the German said after the match. Hasan Salihamidzic, the Bavarian sporting director, echoed this sentiment: "We played a very good game, despite the referee... »
More recently, he had also been criticized by Igor Tudor, the coach of Marseille, after the defeat of his own in Lens (2-1). It was Alexis Sanchez's cancelled goal for a slight foul that had annoyed the Croatian technician. "I told the referee that he had the courage to cancel the goal but not the courage to put a second yellow to Medina. If he has the c... In a sense, it must have the c... in the other direction," he said at a press conference.
Tuesday, it is a still decisive meeting that awaits Clément Turpin. Winner in the first leg (0-2), Inter Milan wants to return to the final of the C1 after 13 years of absence. The meeting is likely to be tense as the rivalry between the two Milan clubs is intense.