World Cup ref Rizzoli in charge of ROI v Scotland qualifier
- By Adam Higgins
- Jun 10, 2015
- 4 min read
WORLD Cup Final 2014 referee Nicola Rizzoli will be the man in the middle for the crucial Euro 2016 qualifier between the Republic of Ireland and Scotland in Dublin this weekend.
The 43-year-old Italian has been assigned to the Group D clash at the AVIVA Stadium on Saturday evening (KO 5pm, live on Sky Sports 5) which is critical for both nations' chances of reaching the tournament in France next summer.
He will be assisted by fellow countrymen with linesmen Elenito Di Liberatore and Gianluca Cariolato, fourth official Matteo Passeri and additional assistant referees Luca Banti and Davide Massa.
Rizzoli took charge of four matches in Brazil last year, including Germany's 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina in the showpiece at the Maracana Stadium.
In the build-up to the World Cup, he oversaw four qualifying games including Portugal’s play-off first leg against Sweden.
He last oversaw a Republic of Ireland match in October 2012 when Germany ran out 6-1 winners in a World Cup qualifier during which he awarded a penalty to Joachim Low's team.
But the architect has never encountered Scotland in an international match before.
The reverse fixture in November, which Scotland won 1-0 at Celtic Park through Shaun Maloney's strike, was officiated by Serbia's Milorad Mazic.
Rizzoli was in control of two European Championship qualifiers last Autumn - Sweden's 1-1 draw with Russia in Group G in October and a shock 1-0 win for the Faroe Islands over Greece in Group F in November.
Last time: Rizzoli's previous international match was Brazil's 3-1 friendly win over France in Paris back in March (Picture from Sky Sports)
The Modena-born whistler also featured prominently in the Champions League with three group games - Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield, winners Barcelona's 3-2 defeat at PSG and Benfica's 1-0 defeat at Zenit St Petersburg.
He then issued 10 yellow cards when handling Atletico Madrid's 1-0 last-16 second leg win over Bayer Leverkusen before a less imposing performance at the Nou Camp in Barcelona's 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their semi-final.
Rizzoli was also in charge of the Europa League semi-final second leg between Zenit and Sevilla in Russia as the Spanish side progressed 4-3 on aggregate.
The Bologna referee - voted the best in Serie A in 2011, 2012 and 2013 - only officiated 17 Italian league matches during the 2014-15 season, the lowest total since his debut campaign 13 years ago.
Rizzoli has been officiating in the Italian top-flight since 2002 and joined the Fifa list in 2007.
In his debut season as a Uefa Elite Category referee in 2009-10, he stirred controversy when sending off Manchester United's Rafael in their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich as they crashed out of the competition at Old Trafford.
His first high-profile appointment was the 2010 Uefa Europa League final where he was in control of Atletico Madrid's 2-1 extra-time win over Premier League side Fulham in Hamburg.
At his first major tournament in Poland and Ukraine for Euro 2012, Rizzoli took charge of England’s opening match against France, Portugal’s 2-1 group stage win over Holland and Spain’s quarter-final victory over the French.
He was then selected for the prestigious Champions League final between German rivals Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in 2013, awarding a second-half penalty for Dortmund.
In 2014, Rizzoli was in the middle for Arsenal's Champions League last 16 defeat to Bayern and Chelsea's semi-final second leg defeat to Atletico Madrid.
RIZZOLI'S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2002: Becomes a Serie A referee
2007: Becomes a Fifa referee
2008: Refereed his first Champions League group stage match 2009: Promoted to the Uefa Elite Category
2010: Referees the Europa League Final
2012: Referees three matches at the European Championships
2013: Referees the Champions League Final
2013: Takes charge of two matches at the Under-20s World Cup finals
2014: Referees four matches at the World Cup, including a quarter-final and the final 2015: Oversees Europa League and Champions League semi-finals
At the halfway mark in the six-team group, third-placed Scotland are three points and one place above the Republic of Ireland going into the make-or-break contest in Dublin.
Gordon Strachan's Tartan Army have won three, drawn one and lost one of their five games thus far and face Georgia next in Tbilisi in September.
Meanwhile, Martin O'Neill's Ireland have won two, drawn two and lost once with their next qualifier against Gibraltar in Portugal in three months' time.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Northern Ireland's key Group F encounter with Romania at Windsor Park will be refereed by Spain's Carlos Velasco Carballo.
Felix Brych of Germany will take charge as Wales and Belgium, who are joint leaders of Group B on goal difference, meet at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Also on Friday night, England's Michael Oliver and Martin Atkinson and Scotland's Willie Collum will also be in action across Europe.
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