Istvan Kovacs, aged 41, has returned to Romania following his officiating of two matches during this summer’s World Cup. After not being assigned a game in the first round of the Superliga, the Central Commission of Referees (CCA) has appointed him to oversee the derby in the second round, featuring Dinamo and Universitatea Craiova.
Kovacs’s brief break concluded after participating in the final tournament of the World Cup, where he officiated matches including Tunisia vs. Japan (0-4) and Jordan vs. Argentina (1-3), two of the 104 matches held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He has now returned to his home country.
Although he was not assigned a match in the opening round of the new Superliga season, he has now received a delegation from Kyros Vassaras, president of the CCA.
Istvan Kovacs Assigned to Dinamo vs. Universitatea Craiova
According to GSP.RO, Kovacs has been chosen to officiate the most significant match of the second round, taking place at the Arcul de Triumf stadium on Saturday, July 26, at 20:30.
This match will mark Kovacs’s 383rd officiated game in the Superliga, placing him second in the all-time ranking for referees with the most matches officiated at this level. He follows Sebastian Colțescu, who officiated 423 matches before his retirement at the beginning of this season and is now a CCA member and observer in the Superliga.
Dinamo’s Struggles with Kovacs as Referee
Statistics compiled by Liviu Manolache from GSP.RO indicate that Kovacs has officiated 57 matches involving Dinamo in the top league, yielding a record of 18 wins, 14 draws, and 25 losses for the team. Notably, Dinamo’s last victory with Kovacs as the referee was in May 2024, when they defeated UTA Arad 2-0. That match was critical as it ensured Dinamo’s survival from direct relegation.
Since then, Kovacs has officiated four more Dinamo matches, resulting in three losses and one draw, including defeats against FCSB (1-2) and U Cluj (1-3) during the 2024-2025 season, along with losses to Rapid (1-3) and a draw with Universitatea Craiova (1-1) the previous season.
Craiova’s Luck with Kovacs
Universitatea Craiova, the reigning champions of Romania, has seen Kovacs at the center for 51 matches, with a record of 19 wins, 12 draws, and 20 losses. Interestingly, in the previous Superliga season, despite their impressive title-winning run, Craiova did not secure a victory in any match officiated by Kovacs. They played four matches with him, resulting in two draws against CFR Cluj (0-0) and Dinamo (1-1), and two losses against U Cluj (0-4) and FCSB (0-1).
For Istvan Kovacs, the upcoming clash at the Arcul de Triumf between Dinamo and Universitatea Craiova will be his first Superliga match since officiating the playoff encounter between CFR Cluj and Universitatea Craiova on May 8, 2026.
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