Champions League final referee announced as Mateu Lahoz appointed for Man City vs Chelsea match
The 44-year-old La Liga official has history with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
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Your support makes all the difference.UEFA have announced that Mateu Lahoz will referee the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea on 29 May.
The Spanish official will referee the Champions League final for the first time and is set to take charge of matches at Euro 2020 this summer.
Lahoz sent off City manager Pep Guardiola during his side’s Champions League exit to Liverpool in 2018, and has not refereed a match involving the team since.
Guardiola was sent to the stands after protesting a disallowed goal shortly before half time in the quarter-final second leg defat, and was critical of the Lahoz after the match.
“I didn’t insult him, I was polite, I was correct. Mateu Lahoz is a special guy, he likes to be different, he likes to be special,” Guardiola said.
The referee also took charge of City’s first-leg tie against Monaco in 2016 in which Guardiola’s side were denied a penalty.
Lahoz has refereed Chelsea twice in the Champions League but not since a group stage match against Porto in 2015.
A venue for the final is yet to be announced by UEFA but the match is expected to be moved from Istanbul to Porto to allow fans, media and sponsors to attend without having to quarantine.
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