István Kovács (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈiʃtvaːn ˈkovaːt͡ʃ]; born 16 September 1984) is a Romanian football referee who primarily officiates in the Liga I.

[7] [8][9][10] The same year, István Kovács was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, along with his compatriot assistant referees Vasile Marinescu and Mihai Artene.

In the latter game, Kovács broke the European Championship record for the most cautions between both teams in a single match, handing out sixteen yellow cards and two reds.

By sending off Czech midfielder Antonín Barák for a second bookable offence only 20 minutes into the match, he also broke the record for the fastest red card in the history of the European Championship.

Czech striker Tomáš Chorý was shown a direct red card during a melée between the two teams after the end of the match.