Football’s biggest game of the season will have an experienced Italian official blowing the whistle
The UEFA Referees Committee has confirmed Daniele Orsato will officiate the 2019-20 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
Orsato is no stranger to the competition having refereed eight matches this season alone, including Real Madrid’s round of 16 first leg meeting with Manchester City in February where he sent off Sergio Ramos.
The 44-year-old Italian will be helped by linesmen Lorenzo Manganelli and Alessandro Giallatini, who are both also from Italy, while Romanian Ovidiu Hategan will serve as the final’s fourth official.
Another Italian in the form of Massimiliano Irrati will take charge of VAR and will be assisted by Marco Guida, while Spanish duo Roberto Diaz Perez del Palomar and Alejandro Herandez Hernandez will also provide support for the officiating technology.
Orsato was the fourth official for last year’s Europa League final between Arsenal and Chelsea – which the Blues won 4-1 with the help of a brace from Eden Hazard.
The Italian became a FIFA referee in 2010 and served as a VAR referee for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
In 2017, Orsato was singled out for praise by former Premier League referee Graham Poll after officiating a fiery Champions League match between Leicester City and Sevilla.
“Italian referee Daniele Orsato made some huge calls which showed confidence but were absolutely correct,” Poll wrote at the time in his column for the Daily Mail.
“Samir Nasri was dismissed for a headbutt on Jamie Vardy, despite replays showing there was a complete over-reaction by the Leicester striker. One could argue that Vardy was ‘professional’ to ensure his opponent was dismissed or that Nasri was stupid to get involved. I just hate seeing that sort of reaction from Vardy.
“Next up was an interesting penalty as Vitolo flicked the ball over Kasper Schmeichel whose momentum took him into the Sevilla striker. Technically it was the right decision but they are seldom given.
“To round off his evening Orsato then sent Jorge Sampaoli from the technical area for his remonstrations throughout the game. Strong and consistent refereeing.”
Last season, Orsato oversaw the first leg of PSG’s last-16 Champions League clash against Manchester United where he handed out eight yellow cards and ultimately sent off Paul Pogba in a 2-0 defeat for the Red Devils.
Sunday’s Champions League final between Bayern and PSG will be Orsato’s most high-profile match to date.
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