Busacca handed Hampden honour
Monday, May 14, 2007
Article summary
Swiss referee Massimo Busacca will take charge of the UEFA Cup final between RCD Espanyol and Sevilla FC at Hampden Park, Glasgow on Wednesday evening.
Article body
Swiss referee Massimo Busacca will take charge of the UEFA Cup final between RCD Espanyol and Sevilla FC at Hampden Park, Glasgow on Wednesday. He will be accompanied by three compatriots - assistant referees Matthias Arnet and Stéphane Cuhat, and fourth official Carlo Bertolini.
European experience
Busacca, 37, has officiated at 14 UEFA Champions League games, the most recent of which was the FC Porto v Chelsea FC fixture on 21 February, but this week's showpiece will be the first time the 37-year-old has officiated at a game involving either of the two finalists. It will be the Swiss official's third professional visit to Hampden Park - and his second for a UEFA final. He refereed Scotland's 1-0 victory over France in a UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier last October, and was the fourth official in the team that another Swiss referee, Urs Meier, took to Glasgow for the 2002 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid CF and Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
'Great honour'
Speaking to uefa.com, Busacca spoke of his pride at the appointment. He said: "This is a great honour, because we work hard, we make sacrifices, and not every referee can be given a final. It means that I've been able to show my qualities. Of course there are a few nerves in the stomach before such an important game - but they will go before the start of the match. I'm looking forward to a great final at Hampden Park, where I have refereed before, and where the atmosphere is incredible for a big match."
Elite referee
Busacca, born in Bellinzona on 2 June 1969, started his refereeing career in 1990. He made his top-flight debut in 1996 and soon gained his international spurs. He was promoted to the European premier category in 2002 and has been in the elite squad since 2003. He was selected for the UEFA European Under-18 Championship finals in 2001 and the FIFA World Youth Championships in 2003 and 2005 before claiming a place in the refereeing team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, where he handled the Spain-Ukraine and Argentina-Mexico games in Leipzig as well as the Sweden-England match in Cologne.
