Turpin to Ref Etihad
Clément Turpin has been appointed to referee Manchester City vs. Real Madrid at the Etihad on Tuesday, March 17 — the match kicks off at 21:00 CET and is being billed as a season‑defining tie for both clubs [](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/referee-named-champions-league-match-114447036.html). Expect tight officiating scrutiny — Turpin’s appointment matters when margins are this small.
Clément Turpin has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2010 and a member of UEFA’s Elite group since 2012 (en.wikipedia.org). Real Madrid’s club site records this as Turpin’s eleventh time officiating a Champions League match involving Los Blancos, listing his previous Real Madrid assignments including the 2022 final and several knockout ties. (realmadrid.com). UEFA and multiple outlets note Turpin has already taken charge of previous Manchester City–Real Madrid encounters, including the December 10, 2025 Bernabéu game that finished 2-1 in City’s favour and one of the prior knockout meetings between the clubs. (11v11.com). UEFA assigned an all-French match‑officials team: Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages as assistant referees, Willy Delajod as fourth official, with Jérôme Brisard on VAR and Bastien Dechepy as AVAR. (besoccer.com). Season- and career-level discipline metrics show Turpin averaging roughly 3.37 yellow cards and 0.13 red cards per match across 126 recorded games (425 yellows, 17 reds total). (valuestats.com). Turpin’s résumé includes refereeing the 2021 UEFA Europa League Final (Villarreal v Manchester United) as announced by UEFA and selection to the 2022 Champions League Final and major tournaments such as UEFA Euro 2024 and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. (uefa.com). VAR has played a decisive role in recent Turpin matches: in the Dec. 10, 2025 Bernabéu fixture an early penalty awarded by Turpin was reviewed and ruled outside the area after VAR intervention, a sequence recorded in match reports. (espn.com).
