Mejuto in the middle for Istanbul

By Mark Chaplin

Spanish referee Manuel Enrique Mejuto González will take charge of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool FC in Istanbul. The appointment was officially announced by UEFA today, and is another honour in the 40-year-old match official's career.

'Big joy'
"It is a big joy," Mejuto told uefa.com. "When you are a boy, you never think this could happen to you. It is also the prize for many years of work. I'm grateful for the opportunity that has been offered to me, because there are many referees all over the world, and very few have this chance."

International experience
Mejuto was born in La Felguera in Asturias on 16 April 1965. A managing accountant, he took up refereeing in his teens, and moved into the Spanish top-flight bracket in 1995 before being added to the FIFA international list in 1999. UEFA's first major call for Mejuto came in 2000, when he was part of the UEFA European Under-18 Championship refereeing team in Germany. His career was given a tremendous boost the following year with his appointment by FIFA for the World Youth Championship in Argentina, where he was put in charge of the final between Argentina and Ghana in Buenos Aires. He also officiated at the South American Under-20 Championship in Ecuador in the same year.

EURO 2004™ team
Mejuto took charge of the FIFA centennial match between France and Brazil last May. He then refereed two matches at UEFA EURO 2004™ and has officiated at seven UEFA Champions League matches this season, including Liverpool FC's home match against Olympiacos CFP in December, and AC Milan's game at Manchester United FC in February.

'Feel proud'
"It is already difficult to reach your country's first division, then to achieve international respect, and finally to belong to this élite that takes part in events such as EURO 2004™, and now the Champions League final," Mejuto said. "I feel proud as a referee, because you know all the referees in the world are watching the game and you are representing them."

Spanish team