Spanish referee Carlos del Cerro Grande will be the referee in charge of Inter’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Benfica on Wednesday evening at the San Siro.
This is confirmed by an official announcement of the officiating crews for all the Championes League matches in this round of fixtures, as reported by FCInterNews.
47-year-old referee del Cerro Grande has been in charge of matches at the La Liga level since 2011, whilst he has also been a FIFA-listed referee who has overseen international matches since 2013, including at the Euros in 2021.
Del Cerro Grande was the official for a group stage match between Germany and France during the Euros two summers ago.
Assisting del Cerro Grande in his duties will be Diego Barbero and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso, whilst the role of fourth official will be filled by Cesar Soto Grado.
In the VAR room, another Spanish referee in the form of Juan Martinez Munuera will oversee the match to ensure that any errors made by the on-pitch crew are corrected, whilst he will be assisted in his duties by Alejandro Hernandez to complete an all-Spanish officiating team.
Inter will be hoping that the focus can be on the action on the pitch rather than any officiating controversies with a place in the semifinals of Europe’s top competition.
During the first leg of the tie, the one major officiating controversy came in the form of English referee Michael Oliver‘s decision to award Inter a penalty during the second half.
The English official was advised by the VAR to look at a Joao Mario handball in the box, giving the spot kick from which Romelu Lukaku scored the Nerazzurri’s second goal.
Benfica players and staff felt that the decision was harsh, although there was significant contact by the 29-year-old’s arm on the ball.
