UEFA has banned two referees for life for stealing a traffic sign while under the influence of alcohol.

Two UEFA referees were banned from football after stealing a road sign while intoxicated before the Rangers-Dynamo Kiev Champions League match. The incident occurred on the night of August 6 in Lublin, Poland.

VAR referee Bartosz Frankowski and his assistant Tomasz Musial were caught on security cameras stealing a road sign at 1:40 AM with a friend, hours before the match. The referees, who had 1.5 promille of alcohol in their blood, were taken to a sobering center by the police.

The UEFA Disciplinary Committee banned the referees, who "violated fundamental rules of conduct," from football until June 30, 2025. The Polish Football Federation quickly appointed new referees.

Experienced referee Frankowski, who officiated in the last two European Championships, expressed his regret, saying, "I ruined my 22-year career with a moment of stupidity. We didn't think that taking the sign from a construction site would have such serious consequences. We were not aggressive; it was just a foolish joke."

Frankowski also stated, "I am very sorry for what happened. This unfortunate behavior has overshadowed my years of hard work. I acted completely irresponsibly and unprofessionally."