Fandel in tune for his referee 'recital'

Big occasion
The 42-year-old German match official, who takes charge of tonight's UEFA Cup final between Middlesbrough FC and Sevilla FC in Eindhoven, is used to the big occasion, both as a full-time pianist - who runs his own highly successful music school - and one of Europe's leading referees.

Music to his ears
A few weeks ago, Fandel, a father of two who lives in Kyllburg, close to the Luxembourg border, played George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' on stage with an orchestra. Now, a full house at the PSV Stadion awaits him as he savours a supreme moment in an outstanding international refereeing career. And he admits learning of his appointment for tonight's showdown was music to his ears. "I feel very well, it's a special feeling because it's my first international final," Fandel told uefa.com on the Eindhoven pitch a few hours before kick-off. "It was a fantastic moment, it was like a dream - refereeing is my sport."

Satisfaction and reward
Special motivation will not be needed when Fandel, his assistants and compatriots Carsten Kadach and Volker Wezel, and fourth official Florian Meyer, start their pre-match ritual in the dressing-room. Nevertheless, the feeling of satisfaction and reward for the hard work since 1996 when he became a German Bundesliga referee, and following his elevation to the FIFA list two years later, is at the forefront of his mind. "I'm very proud," he says. "You get the chance to referee a final if your performances have been good in previous years - and it will be a special moment in my career to line up with the two teams and my colleagues. I'm concentrated and relaxed, and I will do my best."

Two centres
Off the field, Fandel has carved out a splendid career in music, and the piano has accompanied the referee's whistle as his passport to professional and personal fulfillment. "I was seven years old when I started to play the piano," he reflects. "There have always been two centres in my life - music and refereeing. My three brothers were also musicians...and referees! It was clear to me that I would do both."

Love of Chopin
Referees face extreme pressure with the pace of the modern game, as well as the media and public attention. Does the pianist Fandel switch off from the referee Fandel by sitting at the keyboard and playing a classical piece by his favourite composer Frédéric Chopin? "That's perhaps a romantic point of view," he laughs. "Music is my job, it is work to me, just as your job is journalism. But I love Chopin's pieces, especially his studies Opus 10 and 25 and his Ballad in F Minor, which is a fantastic piece of music."

Music school blossoms
Fandel's music school is flourishing alongside his refereeing. "It's a very big school, we have 1,600 students, about 120 teachers, and I'm the director of the company. I have to organise the school - it's a big job for me. But it's certain that I will stay with refereeing after my career as well. I want to give concerts - but I also want to help young referees get better and develop."

Same feeling
A concert performance or refereeing assignment - which is the most nerve-wracking? "They're both the same," he laughs. "If I have a concert, I have to be very concentrated, and the feeling is nearly the same when I have a match to referee." Herbert Fandel, musician and match official, is determined to be totally tuned up for the biggest night of his refereeing life.