Meier given final role

Swiss referee Urs Meier has been appointed to take charge of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Real Madrid CF at Hampden Park, Glasgow.

Swiss team
Meier, who is 43, will be accompanied by a Swiss team of assistant referees Francesco Buragina and Felix Züger, and Massimo Busacca, the fourth official.

Seventy-two internationals
Meier has taken charge of 72 international matches, and began his international career at Under-16 level with a game between the Republic of Ireland and England in April 1994. His first Champions League outing was a goalless draw between Blackburn Rovers FC and Legia Warszawa in November 1995.

World Cup choice
Chosen for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Meier refereed two matches - United States against Iran, and Nigeria versus Denmark - and is one of 14 European referees who will officiate at the coming World Cup final round in Korea/Japan. He also officiated at two matches at EURO 2000™ in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Leverkusen again
Meier's meetings with Bayer 04 Leverkusen this season have been a particular experience for the Swiss match official, who comes from Würenlos, near Zürich. He twice had to postpone last October's Champions League match between Juventus FC and Leverkusen because the Stadio Delle Alpi in Turin was shrouded in thick fog.

Level head
In an interview to be published on uefa.com's Training Ground this week, Meier says he is unbothered by the thought of refereeing the world's top players in occasions such as the Champions League final. "I'm proud to be at the same level as the players," said Meier, "but once I'm on the field with them, I don't consider them as stars - my job is to take charge of them and keep control of the match."