Carlos Velasco Carballo has been selected to referee the 2011 UEFA Europa League final between FC Porto and SC Braga in Dublin. Spanish referee Velasco Carballo has handled one UEFA Europa League and six UEFA Champions League matches this season, including the first leg of the semi-final between FC Schalke and Manchester United. An engineer from Madrid, Velasco Carballo became a FIFA Referee in 2008. He was promoted onto the UEFA Elite Referees list on 1 January 2011 and only five months later was appointed for the Europa League final. Only Collina, with an Olympic Games final after only one year on the FIFA List, climbed the ladder faster than Velasco Carballo! As a coincidence (or maybe not?), Collina will be his observer in the UEL Final.
18 May 2011
FC Porto – SC Braga
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Calvo Guadamuro (ESP)
Additional Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Clos Gomez (ESP)
Additional Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Rubinos Perez (ESP)
Fourth Official: David Fernandez Borbalan (ESP)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Juan Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Referee Observer: Pierluigi Collina (ITA)