Former FIFA World Cup referee Urs Meier resigned from the Head of Refereeing position that he had occupied at the Swiss Football Association for the last 4 years. "After careful consideration, I have decided to resign my position as a Head of the Swiss refereeing immediately. At the end of 2007, I took over the post from my predecessor, Markus Nobs, with the belief that I will be able to make a crucial contribution to the professionalization of refereeing in Switzerland. Unfortunately, that task is incredibly difficult and I did not feel a strong support in this aspect and had to admit that it would make no sense to continue my work. I hope that my successor will have more luck in this regard. I also wish for my colleagues, especially, that they will be met in the future with not only the respect they deserve, but also that a more professional environment will be made available”, said Meier after his resignation. His successor will be determined over the next few months.
Urs Meier began his career as a referee 1977, was promoted to the National League in 1991 and was a FIFA referee for 10 years (1994 – 2004). He was selected for two World Cups (1998 and 2002) and two European Championships (2000 and 2004). In 2002, he refereed the UEFA Champions League final Real Madrid – Bayer Leverkusen. Meier was voted by IFFHS as the world’s second-best referee in 2002 and the third-best referee in 2004.
