ROMANIAN referee Ovidiu Hategan just the medicine for any controversies at this summer’s European Championships – given he is a qualified doctor.
The 40-year-old took charge of European ties involving Liverpool, Manchester United and Rangers over the past year.
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Hategan also refereed the first leg of the Champions League quarter final between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund in April, controversially ruling out a Jude Bellingham goal for the Germans.
He was also investigated over failing to implement racism protocols but cleared of all offences.
Who is Ovidiu Hategan?
Born in Arad, Hategan initially graduated in medicine and later worked as a GP in his homeland.
After switching to refereeing, Hategan was given his big break in 2006 where he whistled in Romania’s Liga 1.
By 2008 he became a Fifa listed referee and four years later, made his bow in the Champions League group stage.
Why was Hategan investigated by Uefa?
In 2013, Hategan became embroiled in controversy when the then Uefa President Michel Platini called for an investigation after Hategan failed to apply the protocol for dealing with alleged racial chanting aimed at Yaya Toure during CSKA Moscow’s game with Manchester City.
Hategan was later cleared of any blame.
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During a Nations League game between Netherlands and Germany in 2018, Hategan was informed at half-time that his mother had passed away.
After being given the option to be replaced, he chose to continue and officiate the second half.
Visibly upset, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk consoled Hategan at the end of the game.
In 2018 Hategan was also dropped from the Fifa World Cup referees list after admitting a mistake, wrongly awarding Switzerland a penalty kick in their win over Northern Ireland, which denied Michael O’Neil’s side a shot at the finals.
Hategan was also embroiled in controversy last year when he sent off Istanbul Basaksehir assistant coach Pierre Webo.
Cameroonian Webo claimed his fourth official Sebastian Coltescu called him “the black one” on the bench during a Champions League game between Istanbul Basaksehir and Paris Saint-Germain.
Coltescu was later suspended for the rest of the season for inappropriate behaviour, despite being found not guilty of racism, after BOTH sets of players walked off the pitch before the game was finished a day later.
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What games is he taking charges of at Euro 2020?
Hategan’s first Euro 2020 match will be Poland vs Slovakia.
