UEFA announced today that 35-year-old Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai has been selected to referee the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Kassai has been a FIFA referee since 2003 and is widely considered to be a world class official.
UEFA Champions League Final, 2011: Viktor Kassai Appointed Referee
Kassai was the referee in the 2010 World Cup semifinal game between Spain and Germany, which had about as little referee controversy as any game I can remember from the World Cup. His other career highlight is refereeing the 2008 Olympic gold medal match. Englishman Howard Webb was the referee in last year's Champions League final and the World Cup final, but seeing as Manchester United is an English club, Webb is ineligible to referee this match.
Kassai has called three Manchester United matches in his career, all resulting in wins for United. The most recent one of those was a match against Valencia at the Mestalla in the Champions League group stages, in which Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez scored a stoppage time winner in a 1-0 win over Los Che.
For news, opinion, and feature articles leading up to the UEFA Champions League final, bookmark this StoryStream and check it often. We'll have new posts right here throughout the week, during the game, and after the game. For more on the entire world of footy, check out SB Nation Soccer. Manchester United fans should head over to The Busby Babe, while Barcelona fans should check out Barca Blaugranes.
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