....Herbert Fandel.
Germany's Herbert Fandel will referee Wednesday night's UEFA Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool FC in Athens. He will be accompanied by assistant referees Carsten Kadach and Volker Wezel, while Florian Meyer will act as fourth official.
Both finals
The appointment means that Fandel will have taken charge of both of UEFA's major club competition finals in successive seasons after the 43-year-old concert pianist, who runs his own music school, officiated in the UEFA Cup final between Sevilla FC and Middlesborough FC.
Music career
A father of two from Kyllburg, close to the Luxembourg border, Fandel has carved out a career in music, and the piano has accompanied the referee's whistle as his passport to professional and personal fulfillment. "I was seven when I started to play the piano," he reflected. "There have always been two centres in my life - music and refereeing. My brothers were also musicians - and referees! It was clear that I would do both."
Bundesliga debut
Born on 9 March 1964, Fandel started his refereeing career in 1979. He made his Bundesliga bow in 1996, and became an international referee in 1998. His debut came at the European UEFA European Under-16 Championship in Scotland that year and since then he has been selected for the 1999 Meridian Cup in South Africa, the 2000 European Under-21 finals in Slovakia, the 2000 Olympic Games and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005.
Champions League games
Fandel's curriculum vitae includes 17 UEFA Champions League games in a 69-match international career so far, including an Under-21 game between Italy and England in May 2000 in which Milan's Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo (who scored the penalty that clinched a 2-0 win) were in action against Liverpool's Jamie Carragher.
Athens first
It will be the first time that he has handled a game in Athens, but he is no stranger to the two finalists. He has officiated Milan games five times starting with a 2-0 home win in the UEFA Cup against Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC in March 2002. He then handled three 1-0 UEFA Champions League victories - way to Club Brugge KV in November 2003; at FC Shakhtar Donetskin September 2004; and at home to Manchester United FC in March 2005. This season, he was the referee in Milan's 4-1 win against RSC Anderlecht at San Siro - finally seeing the Serie A side concede a goal.
Liverpool goals
On the other hand, he has never seen Liverpool FC score a goal. He handled their 2-0 defeat at Valencia CF in September 2002; the goalless draw away against Chelsea FC in December 2005; and the 1-0 defeat by FC Barcelona at Anfield in this season's first knockout round.
Rome match
His most recent UEFA Champions League outing was also at an 'Olympic Stadium'. He was at the Stadio Olimpico for AS Roma's 2-1 win against Manchester United FC fixture in the quarter-finals. His assistants on that night were the same as he will lead out in Athens.
http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl...id=540619.html
Germany's Herbert Fandel will referee Wednesday night's UEFA Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool FC in Athens. He will be accompanied by assistant referees Carsten Kadach and Volker Wezel, while Florian Meyer will act as fourth official.
Both finals
The appointment means that Fandel will have taken charge of both of UEFA's major club competition finals in successive seasons after the 43-year-old concert pianist, who runs his own music school, officiated in the UEFA Cup final between Sevilla FC and Middlesborough FC.
Music career
A father of two from Kyllburg, close to the Luxembourg border, Fandel has carved out a career in music, and the piano has accompanied the referee's whistle as his passport to professional and personal fulfillment. "I was seven when I started to play the piano," he reflected. "There have always been two centres in my life - music and refereeing. My brothers were also musicians - and referees! It was clear that I would do both."
Bundesliga debut
Born on 9 March 1964, Fandel started his refereeing career in 1979. He made his Bundesliga bow in 1996, and became an international referee in 1998. His debut came at the European UEFA European Under-16 Championship in Scotland that year and since then he has been selected for the 1999 Meridian Cup in South Africa, the 2000 European Under-21 finals in Slovakia, the 2000 Olympic Games and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005.
Champions League games
Fandel's curriculum vitae includes 17 UEFA Champions League games in a 69-match international career so far, including an Under-21 game between Italy and England in May 2000 in which Milan's Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo (who scored the penalty that clinched a 2-0 win) were in action against Liverpool's Jamie Carragher.
Athens first
It will be the first time that he has handled a game in Athens, but he is no stranger to the two finalists. He has officiated Milan games five times starting with a 2-0 home win in the UEFA Cup against Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC in March 2002. He then handled three 1-0 UEFA Champions League victories - way to Club Brugge KV in November 2003; at FC Shakhtar Donetskin September 2004; and at home to Manchester United FC in March 2005. This season, he was the referee in Milan's 4-1 win against RSC Anderlecht at San Siro - finally seeing the Serie A side concede a goal.
Liverpool goals
On the other hand, he has never seen Liverpool FC score a goal. He handled their 2-0 defeat at Valencia CF in September 2002; the goalless draw away against Chelsea FC in December 2005; and the 1-0 defeat by FC Barcelona at Anfield in this season's first knockout round.
Rome match
His most recent UEFA Champions League outing was also at an 'Olympic Stadium'. He was at the Stadio Olimpico for AS Roma's 2-1 win against Manchester United FC fixture in the quarter-finals. His assistants on that night were the same as he will lead out in Athens.
http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl...id=540619.html
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