Referee appointed for 2009/10 UEFA Europa League Final

030 – Referee appointed for 2009/10 UEFA Europa League Final

The UEFA Referees Committee today announced the referee for the first-ever UEFA Europa League final between Club Atlético de Madrid and Fulham FC to be played at the Hamburg Arena on Wednesday 12 May, kicking-off at 20.45 CET.

The match will be handled by 39-year-old Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli, who has been an international referee since 2007 and has officiated in a total of 28 UEFA matches in his refereeing career.

Nicola Rizzoli has handled eight UEFA Champions League matches since the beginning of the current season, including, among others, the quarter-final return leg between Manchester United FC and FC Bayern München in Manchester and the knock-out round return leg between Real Madrid CF and Olympique Lyonnais in Madrid.

At the final in Hamburg, Nicola Rizzoli will be assisted by his fellow countrymen Cristiano Copelli and Luca Maggiani. The 4th Official will be Gianluca Rocchi. The referee team will be complemented by two additional assistant referees, Paolo Tagliavento and Andrea De Marco, also of Italy. This is a continuation of the experiment with two additional assistant referees that has been trialled at all UEFA Europa League matches since the beginning of the current season.