UEFA referees suspended after drunken antics before Champions League match

On August 6, hours before a Champions League qualifying match between Rangers and Dynamo Kyiv in Lublin, Poland, UEFA referees Szymon Frankowski and Tomasz Musial were detained by police after being caught carrying a road sign while intoxicated. This forced UEFA to replace them with Tomasz Kwiatkowski and Pawel Malec for the game’s VAR operations.

Police reported that the referees were found with blood alcohol levels above 1.5 per mille and were taken to a sobering-up center. Following the incident, Frankowski issued a statement expressing deep regret, calling the prank “stupid” and acknowledging the damage it could cause to his 22-year refereeing career. He apologized to the Polish FA and his family, noting that while no law was broken, the act was irresponsible.

Both Frankowski and Musial have been suspended by UEFA until June 30 as a reminder of the lasting consequences of poor judgment in professional sports.