István Kovács
Kovács in 2020
Born (1984-09-16) 16 September 1984
Carei, Romania
Other occupation PE teacher
Domestic
Years League Role
2007– Liga I Referee
International
Years League Role
2010– FIFA listed Referee
2019– UEFA Elite Referee
2021– FIFA listed Video match official

István Kovács[1] (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈiʃtvaːn ˈkovaːt͡ʃ]; born 16 September 1984) is a Romanian football referee who officiates primarily in the Liga I.[2] He has been a full international for FIFA since 2018 and a UEFA elite referee since 2019.[3][4]

Career

Kovács was selected for Euro 2020 alongside his compatriot Ovidiu Hațegan.[5][6] He was in charge of one group stage game between the Netherlands and North Macedonia.[7]

On 26 April 2022, Kovács officiated the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid, which the English side won 4–3.[8] After a good performance, Kovács was praised by the media especially for the advantage let before Bernardo Silva's goal.[8][9] As a reward, the UEFA Referees Committee chose him to officiate the 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League final.[10]

On 25 May 2022, Kovács was in charge of the 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League final between A.S. Roma and Feyenoord, the first final in this competition.[7]

István Kovács was appointed for the 2022 FIFA World Cup along with his compatriot assistant referees Vasile Marinescu and Mihai Artene.[11] He was the fourth official in eight matches, but did not referee any games at the tournament.[12]

On 19 January 2023, Kovács refereed the final of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup between Iraq and Oman.[13]

In January 2023, he was one of six match officials appointed for the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco.[14] On 7 February, he oversaw the semi-final between Flamengo and Al Hilal.[15]

In June 2023, Kovács was appointed as the fourth official for the UEFA Champions League final.[16]

Personal life

Born in Carei to a Hungarian father and a Swabian mother, Kovács is a dual citizen,[17] having acquired Hungarian citizenship in 2011.[18] His younger brother, Szabolcs, is also a referee in the Liga I.[19]

Honours

  • Honorary Citizen of Carei (2023)[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "GNK Dinamo Zagreb – Chelsea FC Match press kit" (PDF). UEFA.com. UEFA. 5 September 2022. p. 2. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Crăiţoiu, Andrei; Manolache, Liviu (6 December 2021). "Istvan Kovacs intră în istoria arbitrajului din România! Doar 3 "centrali" au mai bifat această performanță importantă" [Istvan Kovacs enters Romanian refereeing history! Only 3 "central" referees have ever achieved this important performance]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "2023 Refereeing International Lists" (PDF). FIFA Digital Assets Hub. FIFA. January 2023. p. 161. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "Istvan Kovacs, promovare în Elite Class" [Istvan Kovacs, promotion to Elite Class]. Romanian Football Federation (in Romanian). 14 December 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  5. ↑ Serban, Teodor (21 April 2021). "Doi romani alesi de UEFA sa arbitreze meciuri la EURO. Cine sunt acestia" [Two Romanians chosen by UEFA to referee matches at the EURO. Who they are]. Ziare.com (in Romanian). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "Referee teams for UEFA EURO 2020 appointed". UEFA.com. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Heady times for Tirana final referee Kovacs". UEFA.com. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  8. 1 2 Hytner, David (26 April 2022). "Manchester City edge Real Madrid in 4-3 thriller but Benzema keeps tie alive". The Guardian. Manchester. ISSN 1756-3224. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  9. ↑ Brus, Mark (27 April 2022). ""Fantastic" decision to give advantage for Man City goal against Real Madrid, says Mark Halsey". CaughtOffside. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "Istvan Kovacs appointed referee for Conference League final between Roma and Feyenoord". RomaPress. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "List of appointed FIFA Match Officials" (PDF). FIFA Digital Assets Hub. FIFA. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "De ce Istvan Kovacs nu a arbitrat la CM 2022 și a fost de 8 ori rezervă: "I-au zis să stea pe margine pentru că e prea bun"" [Why Istvan Kovacs did not referee at World Cup 2022 and was a reserve 8 times: "They told him to stay on the sidelines because he is too good"]. Digi Sport (in Romanian). 16 December 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  13. ↑ Salem, Amr (18 January 2023). "Iraq, Oman get ready for 25th Gulf Cup final". Iraqi News. Baghdad. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  14. ↑ Reidy, Paul (21 January 2023). "Referees named ahead of FIFA Club World Cup". Diario AS. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  15. ↑ Osornio, Alan (7 February 2023). "Flamengo y Al Hilal protagonizan un polémico cierre de primer tiempo: ¡VAR, penalti y expulsión!" [Flamengo and Al Hilal star in a controversial closing of the first half: VAR, penalty and sending off!]. Marca Claro México (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  16. ↑ "Referee teams appointed for 2023 UEFA club competition finals". UEFA. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "An interview with elite FIFA referee István Kovács". Hungarian Football. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  18. ↑ Somogyi, Zsolt (13 January 2020). "Kovács István: Semmiféle hátrányom nem származott a származásomból" [István Kovács: I had no disadvantages because of my origin]. Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). Retrieved 25 February 2023. Anyai ágon sváb a családunk, apai ágon magyar, így kétezertizenegyben kettős állampolgár lettem, és erre nagyon büszke vagyok. [My family is Swabian on my mother's side and Hungarian on my father's side, so I became a dual citizen in 2011, and I'm very proud of that.]
  19. ↑ Nazare, Daniel; Toma, Răzvan (22 December 2020). "Szabolcs, fratele lui Istvan Kovacs, a debutat ca arbitru de centru în Liga 1. Au mai existat astfel de cazuri în fotbalul românesc?" [Szabolcs, Istvan Kovacs' brother, made his debut as a central referee in Liga 1. Have there been such cases in Romanian football?]. Prosport (in Romanian). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  20. ↑ "Istvan Kovacs, Cetățean de Onoare al Careiului" [Istvan Kovacs, Honorary Citizen of Carei]. Romanian Football Federation (in Romanian). 26 January 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.


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