Busacca to referee Champions League Final
Swiss referee Massimo Busacca has been chosen as the referee for the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United.
Wednesday’s match in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico will be Busacca’s second European club final after the all-Spanish Uefa Cup title match between Sevilla and Espanyol in 2007.
Forty-year-old Busacca was in charge when Barcelona and Manchester United met in the semifinal of last season’s Champions League.
He awarded visiting United a penalty for handball after only three minutes of the first-leg match, though Cristiano Ronaldo shot wide. The match ended scoreless and United won 1-0 at home to reach the final, where they beat Chelsea.
Busacca has officiated in 32 Champions League matches in his career, including Manchester United’s 1-0 win at FC Porto to advance to the semifinal as one of six this season.
European football’s governing body Uefa, which made the announcement on Monday, also appointed Busacca to referee the 2008 European Championship semifinal between Germany and Turkey.
Fifa, the international governing body of football, has placed Busacca on its list of referees for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
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