Benoit Bastien appointed to officiate Rayo Vallecano vs AEK Athens

UEFA has appointed 43-year-old Elite-category French referee Benoit Bastien to officiate the first leg of the Conference League quarter-final between Rayo Vallecano and AEK Athens. The match is scheduled to take place this coming Maundy Thursday in Madrid at 19:45. Bastien will be assisted by fellow French officials Hicham Zakrani and Aurelien Berthomieu, with Jeremy Stinat serving as the fourth official. The VAR team consists of Belgian Bram Van Driessche and Frenchman Bastien Dechepy. While this is Bastien's first time officiating an AEK Athens match, he has previously presided over five games involving Greek clubs. Ahead of the fixture, Spanish media outlet Marca has expressed criticism regarding the appointment, recalling controversies from Bastien's past officiating, specifically a 2022 match between Real Sociedad and Manchester United. Spanish reports describe that previous performance as controversial, though official UEFA disciplinary records have remained consistent with his assignment.