Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed that he was shocked when refereeing legend Pierluigi Collina informed him that he will be officiating the Champions League final this month.
Clattenburg will take charge of the meeting between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the San Siro on May 28th, where he will be assisted by Simon Beck and Jake Collin.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Clattenburg said: “I was stunned when I received the call from Pierluigi Collina. Stunned but absolutely delighted.
“It will be a huge challenge but ultimately one that I’m massively looking forward to. I’m going to be representing my country and the 27,000 referees in England and the great thing is that I can share the success with my team of officials.”
Prior to the Champions League final, Clattenburg will oversee the FA Cup final between Manchester United and Crystal Palace, as he further enhances his reputation as one of England’s most prominent referees.
The game between Real and Atletico is sure to be a hugely entertaining encounter. Atletico, who have created 138 chances in the Champions League this season, will be determined to exact revenge on their rivals for the 2014 final, when Los Blancos triumphed.
Clattenburg has taken charge of 43 games in all competitions this term, giving out 146 yellow cards and six red cards in the process. Five of those fixtures have been Champions League games, including Real’s victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the group stages, and Atletico’s successes against PSV Eindhoven and Bayern Munich.
Clattenburg will certainly hope that the Champions League final won’t be quite as ill-tempered as the recent encounter between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, during which he gave out 12 yellow cards.
COMMENTS