Kuipers to ref Champions League final

adamhigginsuk
May 7, 2014
2 min read

In the middle: Kuipers now completes the European set after previously handling the UEFA Super Cup and Europa League final (Picture from Press Association)

DUTCH referee Bjorn Kuipers will take charge of the Champions League final between Spanish giants Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid on May 24.

The 41-year-old will oversee the first final in the competition to be played between two teams from the same city.

He will be assisted on the night by fellow countrymen Sander van Roekel and Erwin Zeinstra, with Pol van Boekel and Richard Liesveld (both from the Netherlands) acting as additional assistants.

Turkey’s Cuneyt Cakir has been chosen as the fourth official for the tie, to be played at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz stadium, while Angelo Boonman (Holland) will be the reserve assistant referee.

The appointment completes a remarkable 12 months for Kuipers, who oversaw last season’s Europa League final as Chelsea beat Benfica in Amsterdam and the 2013 Confederations Cup final between Brazil and Spain at the Maracana in Rio.

The Elite category official, who was one of 12 referees at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, has been selected for this summer’s World Cup among a 25-strong group.

He was also the man in the middle for the 2011 Uefa Super Cup in Monaco, sending off Porto’s Fredy Guarin and Rolando in their 2-0 defeat by Barcelona.

Kuipers, who received his Fifa badge in 2006, becomes the fourth Dutch official to referee a European Cup final after Leo Horn in 1957 and 1962, Charles Corver in 1978 and Dick Jol in 2001.

The upcoming showpiece will be his 69th in Uefa competitions and his fifth in the Champions League this term.

The supermarket owner handled Arsenal’s win over Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich’s victory at Manchester City in the group stages as well as Manchester United's last 16 second leg against Olympiakos at Old Trafford.

Kuipers will be prepared for a highly-charged and full-blooded occasion with the four meetings in La Liga and Copa Del Rey between the sides this term producing 22 yellow cards, including eight in September’s league encounter at the Bernabeu.

Madrid thumped holders Bayern Munich 5-0 over two legs in the semi-finals while Atletico beat Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea 3-1 on aggregate after a goalless first-leg.

Kuipers takes over from Italy’s Nicola Rizzoli, who was the man in the middle for last season’s final between Munich and Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.

The appointment comes on the same day that Germany’s Felix Brych was announced as the referee for the Europa League final between Sevilla and Benfica.