João Pinheiro to referee Bayern Munich vs. PSG second leg

joão pinheiro will be the lead official for Bayern Munich against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League tie. PSG go in with a 5-4 aggregate lead, and the assignment puts a Portuguese referee back in charge of a match that already carries a one-goal margin.

Pinheiro and Bayern Munich

Pinheiro has already handled two Bayern games in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League. He oversaw Bayern’s 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava and the 1-0 win over Benfica, giving him a clear recent record with the German club before this return leg.

That history cuts both ways for Bayern. The previous two assignments ended in wins, but the second leg against PSG arrives with a different kind of pressure because the aggregate score is still tight at 5-4.

Kompany and PSV Eindhoven

The matchup also carries a more direct point of friction for Bayern. Pinheiro issued a yellow card to Vincent Kompany during the PSV Eindhoven match, and that booking helped lead to Kompany’s suspension for the first leg against PSG.

So the officials’ role is not an abstract detail here. Bayern are dealing with a referee who has already been part of their Champions League path this season, and Kompany’s suspension showed that one disciplinary decision can carry into the next round of the tie.

PSG lead 5-4

PSG’s 5-4 advantage leaves Bayern needing to chase the tie from behind in the second leg. Pinheiro’s appointment adds another layer to a return match that already asks Bayern to recover from a one-goal deficit and do it under a referee they know from two earlier wins.