Paolo Tagliavento has been selected to referee the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final between Switzerland and Spain in Aarhus, Denmark, on Saturday, 25 June. The 38-year-old Italian match official will lead a multinational refereeing team that features assistant referees Damien MacGraith and Vytautas Simkus, from the Republic of Ireland and Lithuania respectively, and fourth official Robert Schorgenhofer from Austria. For Tagliavento, a hairdresser by trade and a FIFA official since 2007, the Aarhus Stadion encounter will be his fifth engagement of the U21 Championship. He refereed the Denmark-Belarus and England-Czech Republic group games, and was fourth official at yesterday's semi-final between Spain and Belarus, having fulfilled the same function for the Spain-England group match. Saturday's final also represents the latest high-profile assignment of his refereeing career. Tagliavento was appointed as an additional assistant referee for the 2010 UEFA Europa League final between Club Atletico de Madrid and Fulham FC, before taking charge of his first UEFA Champions League game, between Arsenal FC and FK Partizan, last December. Saturday's UEFA European Under-21 Championship final "absolutely" represents a watershed match for the 38-year-old official from Terni in Umbria. "I refereed the final of the UEFA Regions' Cup in 2007 but this is very different", said Tagliavento. "I'm very happy and now I'm concentrating on making the day a success. I hope everything will be good." (Source: UEFA)
Final Switzerland – Spain Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Damien MacGraith (IRL)
Assistant Referee 2: Vytautas Simkus (LTU)
Fourth Official: Robert Schorgenhofer (AUT)
Match for Third Place Czech Republic – Belarus Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marcin Borkowski (POL)
Fourth Official: Markus Strombergsson (SWE)
