Irfan Peljto

Irfan Peljto, born on July 18, 1984 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is an internationally renowned football referee. Since 2015, he has been part of the FIFA referees list and in 2023, he was promoted to the Elite category of UEFA, being the only Bosnian referee to reach this level. 

His career in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina started in 2013, debuting on July 27 in a match between Rudar Prijedor and Radnik Bijeljina. Since then, he has officiated numerous matches both nationally and internationally.

On November 24, 2021, Peljto made history by becoming the first Bosnian referee to officiate a UEFA Champions League group stage match, in the game between Beşiktaş and Ajax. Subsequently, on February 13, 2024, he refereed his first knockout stage match in this competition, between RB Leipzig and Real Madrid.

In addition, Peljto has been involved in controversial decisions. For example, in the match between Belgium and France on October 14, 2024, he showed 8 yellow cards and 1 red card, sparking debates about his strictness in applying the rules.