Referee Ishmael Barbara to take charge of League Phase UEFA Conference League match

Maltese official Ishmael Barbara will be taking charge of a League Phase match in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday.

FIFA Referee Ishmael Barbara, who was recently officially promoted to the UEFA First Category, has been selected to officiate the UEFA Conference League match between HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH) and SK Rapid Wien (AUT). He will be assisted by FIFA Assistant Referees Luke Portelli and Duncan Sultana, with FIFA Referee Philip Farrugia serving as Fourth Official.

VAR will be in use for this encounter, and Michael Fabbri (ITA) and Daniele Paterna (ITA) will serve as Video Assistant Referee and Assistant Video Assistant Referee, respectively.

This will be the third time this season that a Maltese official has been appointed to officiate a League Phase match of the UEFA Conference League, an increase over recent years.

The match will take place on Thursday 18th December 2025 at the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with kick-off at 21:00hrs (CET).