The VAR officials scheduled to oversee the crucial Champions League qualifier between Rangers and Dynamo Kyiv were arrested just hours before the match.
The incident occurred in Lublin, Poland, where the game was relocated due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to reports from Polish outlet TVP Sport, Bartosz Frankowski and Tomasz Musial, along with a third individual, were apprehended by police at around 1:43 AM local time.
The trio was caught carrying a stolen road sign while intoxicated. Senior Superintendent Kamil Gołębiowski of the Lublin City Police confirmed, "All of the men were intoxicated and had over 1.5 per mille of alcohol in their blood. They were taken to a sobering-up centre."
The arrests have thrown the match into chaos, forcing UEFA to replace the original VAR team with two other Polish officials, Tomasz Kwiatkowski and Pawel Malec. The on-field refereeing duties will be handled by a Lithuanian team led by Donatas Rumsas.
Rangers' coach Philippe Clement, who is in Poland with his team, emphasized the importance of the match for the club's financial health. "For the club, it would be a big world of difference, for the players also because they get better paid in the Champions League," he said.
The first leg of the third-round qualifying tie takes place tonight, with the return game scheduled for August 12 at Hampden Park.
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