Refereeing: Clément Turpin makes Champions League history

Clément Turpin has etched his name into the history books of the UEFA Champions League after awarding a penalty on Wednesday night in the Champions League.

While officiating his 59th Champions League match, the French referee pointed to the spot for Chelsea following a handball by Juan Jesus on a Reece James free-kick.

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Enzo Fernandez converted from the spot in the 19th minute, and Chelsea went on to claim victory against Napoli (2-3), but it’s the referee’s record that takes center stage.

According to X account Statdufoot, Turpin has now become the referee to have awarded the most penalties in the history of the Champions League, with a total of 32 spot-kicks given.

An international referee since 2010 and a Champions League regular since 2014, the 40-something Frenchman was in charge of the 2022 final between Real Madrid and Liverpool (1-0), as well as the 2024 semi-final between Barcelona and Inter Milan (3-3).

Légendaire.https://t.co/kWXKxa4oJr

— SO FOOT (@sofoot) January 28, 2026

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.