On Tuesday evening, FC Bayern faces not only an unusual challenge on artificial turf in the Champions League. The referee assignment for the away game at Viking Stavanger is also drawing attention. Georgi Kabakov will officiate the match—a referee who was suspended in his home country just about a year ago following a controversial VAR decision.
As reported by BILD, UEFA has assigned the 40-year-old Bulgarian to officiate the German record champions’ away match in Norway. Kickoff is at 9 p.m.
This marks a first for Kabakov. The experienced referee will be officiating a competitive match for FC Bayern for the first time. His past is likely to be a topic of conversation.
After a VAR error: Kabakov was suspended
In October 2025, Kabakov caused a major refereeing scandal in the Bulgarian league.
During the match between Slavia Sofia and Lokomotiv Sofia, the 40-year-old was serving as the video referee. Together with his colleague Vladimir Walkov, he failed to spot a clear handball that had occurred immediately before a goal was scored.
As the Bulgarian news agency BTA reported at the time, Slavia player Martin Georgiev had handled the ball with both hands before his assist.
Despite the incident, Kabakov, as the VAR, did not intervene. The goal that made it 1-0 was allowed, and Slavia ultimately won the match 2-0.
The Bulgarian Football Association subsequently responded with a drastic measure and suspended Kabakov and Walkow indefinitely.
Their “inadequate performance as VAR referees” was cited as the reason.
According to media reports at the time, other controversial decisions are said to have played a role as well. There had never been a comparable suspension in Bulgarian soccer before.
UEFA continued to deploy Kabakov despite his suspension
However, the suspension had no long-term impact on Kabakov’s career.
After just about a month, the Bulgarian was allowed to return to duty as a head referee in his home country.
Interestingly, Kabakov was unaffected by the suspension at the international level anyway. UEFA continued to assign him to Europa League matches as early as October 2025.
The 40-year-old is also among the referees assigned to international matches this season.
His card tally so far is quite striking. In eight matches he has officiated, Kabakov has shown a total of 40 yellow cards. In addition, he has issued four yellow-red cards and one direct red card.
On average, that amounts to five cautions per match.
Bayern aims to get back on track in Stavanger
For FC Bayern, the focus in Norway is primarily on the game itself.
Following the disappointing 2-2 draw at FC Augsburg, Vincent Kompany’s team is looking to secure another victory in the Champions League.
To do so, the Munich team will have to adjust to unfamiliar conditions. Viking Stavanger plays its home games on artificial turf, which is why Kompany has even adjusted the team’s usual pregame routine.
This time, Bayern will hold their final training session directly at the opponent’s stadium to familiarize themselves with the surface early on.
With Kabakov, the Munich team now faces a referee whose career to date has not been without controversy.
It remains to be seen whether his previous suspension during a Champions League match will play any role at all. For FC Bayern, the most important factor will likely be that the team returns to its usual form following its recent Bundesliga setback.