Portugal’s Pedro Proença to referee UEFA Euro 2012 final

PanARMENIAN.Net - Pedro Proença of Portugal has been selected to referee the UEFA EURO 2012 final between Italy and Spain at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv on Sunday, July 1 (kick-off 20.45CET), UEFA official website said.

The appointment completes a memorable end to the season for the financial director from Pinhal Novo, who oversaw last month's UEFA Champions League showpiece in Munich, where Chelsea FC defeated FC Bayern München on penalties.

Sunday's fixture will be the 41-year-old's fourth of the tournament, having taken charge of two group stage matches – Spain's 4-0 victory against the Republic of Ireland on June 14 and Sweden's 2-0 defeat of France five days later – as well as the England-Italy quarter-final in the Ukrainian capital.

Proença will be assisted by countrymen Bertino Cunha Miranda and Ricardo Jorge Ferreira Santos, with Manuel Jorge Neves Moreira De Sousa and Duarte Nuno Pereira Gomes acting as additional assistant referees. The fourth official will be Cüneyt Cakır and the reserve assistant referee Bahattin Duran, both from Turkey.

Proença has been on the rise in European refereeing circles since handling the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final in 2004. Promoted to UEFA's Elite category at the start of 2009/10, he was in the middle for four games in that season's UEFA Champions League, five in the 2010/11 edition and six this term, culminating in the Fußball Arena München decider on May 19.