Italian referee Fabio Maresca has been suspended from officiating UEFA Champions League matches following allegations that he threatened to kill a player during a match between Kuwait SC and Al-Arabi.
According to Corriere della Sera, the incident occurred when Maresca collided with Al-Arabi player Khaled Al Murshed, leading to a confrontation. A board member of Al Arabi, Adnan Abdul, claimed that Maresca responded by threatening to “kill the player.”
As a result, Maresca was replaced as the fourth official for the UCL tie between PSV and Sporting CP by his compatriot Daniele Doveri, with Marco Guida officiating the game, which ended 1-1.
In addition to his UEFA suspension, Maresca also faces a potential one-month ban from refereeing duties in Italy’s Serie A.