| István Kovács | |
| Birth Date: | 16 September 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Carei, Romania |
| Otheroccupation: | PE teacher |
| Years1: | 2007 - |
| League1: | Liga I |
| Role1: | Referee |
| Internationalyears1: | 2010 - |
| Confederation1: | FIFA listed |
| Internationalrole1: | Referee |
| Internationalyears2: | 2019 - |
| Confederation2: | UEFA Elite |
| Internationalrole2: | Referee |
| Internationalyears3: | 2021 - |
| Confederation3: | FIFA listed |
| Internationalrole3: | Video match official |
István Kovács (in Hungarian pronounced as /ˈiʃtvaːn ˈkovaːt͡ʃ/; born 16 September 1984) is a Romanian football referee of Hungarian ethnicity, who primarily officiates in the Liga I. He has been a full international for FIFA since 2018, and a UEFA elite referee since 2019.[1] [2] [3] [4]
Kovács was one of two Romanian referees selected to officiate in UEFA Euro 2020, the other being Ovidiu Hațegan. He was in charge of one group stage game, the Group D fixture between the Netherlands and North Macedonia on June 21st 2021 in Amsterdam, which ended in a 3-0 victory for the Dutch.[5] [6]
On April 26, 2022, he refereed the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid in Manchester, which City won 4-3. Because of the good performance, Kovács was praised by the media, especially for the advantage he allowed in the build-up to Bernardo Silva's goal. As a reward for his good performance, the UEFA Referees Committee chose him to officiate the 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League final between A.S. Roma and Feyenoord, the first ever final of the competition. Roma won the final in Albania 1-0 and became the first title holders of the UEFA Europa Conference League.[7] [8] [9] [10]
The same year, István Kovács was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, along with his compatriot assistant referees Vasile Marinescu and Mihai Artene. He wasn't ultimately picked as overall referee for any match, but he was the fourth official in eight fixtures.[11] [12]
On January 19th 2023, he refereed the final of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup between Iraq and Oman. That same month, he was one of six match officials appointed for the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco. On February 7th, he oversaw the semi-final between Brazilian side Flamengo and Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, which Al Hilal won 3-2.[13] [14] [15]
In June 2023, Kovács was appointed as the fourth official for the UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan, which City won 1-0.[16]
In April 2024, he refereed the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, where his performance was criticised by Barcelona' manager Xavi after PSG eventually beat Barcelona 4–1 (6–4 on aggregate). Kovacs sent off Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo after he fouled Bradley Barcola in first half. He also sent off Xavi and goalkeeping coach Jose Ramon De la Fuente in the second half.
The following month, he was selected by UEFA to referee the UEFA Europa League Final between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen, on May 22nd in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Atalanta won the match 3-0, breaking Leverkusen's record-break winning streak. [17] As expected, he was picked for UEFA Euro 2024, where he officiated two group stage fixtures–Slovenia vs. Serbia on June 20th, and Czech Republic vs. Turkey on June 26th. In the latter game, Kovács broke the European Championship record for the most cautions between both teams in a single match, handing out sixteen yellow cards and two reds. By sending off Czech midfielder Antonín Barák for a second bookable offence only 20 minutes into the match, he also broke the record for the fastest red card in the history of the European Championship. Czech striker Tomáš Chorý was shown a direct red card during a melée between the two teams after the end of the match.[18]
Kovács is part of the Hungarian minority in Romania, and is also part-German through his maternal side. He holds both a Romanian and a Hungarian passport. His younger brother, Szabolcs, is also a referee in the Romanian Liga I.[19] [20]
He was born in Carei, Satu Mare County, and currently resides in Cluj-Napoca. In recognition of his refereeing career, he became a Honorary Citizen of Carei in 2023.[21]
István Kovács