Hauge humbled by Norwegian first

Norwegian referee Terje Hauge says it is like "a dream" as he prepares to take charge of tonight's UEFA Champions League final between FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC.

Norwegian first
The 40-year-old from Bergen will become the first Norwegian to referee European club football's showpiece occasion having been appointed to officiate at the Stade de France, and is finding it hard to contain his excitement. "This is the biggest game of my career," Hauge told uefa.com. "I've been refereeing international matches since 1993 and it's fantastic to come here to Paris. To take charge of the final of the UEFA Champions League is like a dream for me."

Widespread experience
Hauge began refereeing as a teenager in 1982, was overseeing top-flight matches in Norway eight years later and made it on to the FIFA international list in 1993. He worked as a fourth official at UEFA EURO 2000™, was also involved in Portugal four years later and has been a regular in UEFA club competition since 2001. While he feels honoured to be the first Norwegian to be awarded the UEFA Champions League final, Hauge also has an eye on the bigger picture.

Future focus
"This is history for a referee from Norway as we have never had a referee in the UEFA Champions League final before. This is a result of the hard work of the Norwegian Football Association and the referees in Norway over the last ten to 15 years," he said. "Step by step we have been raising our level in Europe and now we have come to the very top. Now we must focus to stay there a long time, particularly for the generation who come after me."

Nothing special
Although the occasion is bigger than anything he has experienced before, Hauge – who will be assisted by Arild Sundet and Steinar Holvik with Tom Henning Øvrebø acting as fourth official – is determined to treat this fixture like any other. "We train all year, so there is no need for special preparation," he said. "We have a match virtually every weekend and train every day. We are prepared for a match every week and have come to Paris in the same frame of mind. So there's no special preparation. Of course it's a final, but we have trained and prepared as if it is a normal match."

Entertaining hopes
Hauge, who has been in the middle for three UEFA Champions League ties this season, including Barça's games with Werder Bremen and Chelsea FC, is thrilled at the prospect of watching two of Europe's most entertaining sides fight it out. "We have two fantastic teams and there are fantastic players on each side who are good enough to score a goal on their own. I hope for positive football, goals early in the match and lots of them - and that the best team wins. It's fantastic to come to Paris and this fantastic stadium. Everyone who loves football will stand still on Wednesday night and look at this match."