England vs Ukraine referee: Felix Brych to officiate Euro 2020 quarter-final tonight
The German official has a wealth of experience at the top level, having officiate at two World Cups and taken charge of the 2017 Champions League final
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Felix Brych will take charge of England vs Ukraine in Rome this evening.
The German official will referee the Euro 2020 quarter-final, which will be his fourth match of the tournament.
Brych was in charge when Ukraine lost 3-2 to the Netherlands in Amsterdam during the group stage.
And the choice from Uefa may not go down well with Ukraine boss Andriy Shevchenko, who could be seen visibly remonstrating with Brych on the touchline of the Johan Cruyff ArenA that evening.
The 55-year-old booked Ukraine midfielder Serhiy Sydorchuk in his only yellow card of the first two games.
Brych also took charge of Belgium’s 2-0 win against Finland, with a clean game in Saint Petersburg not requiring a card throughout the 90 minutes.
His first knock-out game of the tournament came in Belgium’s 1-0 victory over Portugal in the round of 16 last weekend.
This is where Brych was more liberal with his cards, showing five in total, three for Portugal (João Palhinha, Pepe and Diogo Dalot), with two more for Belgium (Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Vermaelen).
Brych was accused of being lenient in that game with Thorgan Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne targeted with heavy treatment from the Selecao.
Assistant referees Mark Borsch and Stefan Lupp will join Brych for the quarter-final, with the four-man Video Assistant Referee team, led by Marco Fritz, also all German.
Carlos del Serro Grande from Spain is the fourth official for the game.
Brych has experience from the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, Euro 2016 and the 2012 Olympics.
Brych, a qualified lawyer, also took charge of the 2017 Champions League final when Real Madrid beat Juventus 4-1, and has been officiating since 2000, with 17 years of Bundesliga experience.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has described Brych as “excellent”.
“There might be a few eyebrows raised at Uefa’s appointment of Felix Brych for England’s quarter-final with Ukraine, just days after they knocked out the Germans,” Halsey told The Sun.
“But Germany’s top referee is excellent and has a wealth of experience. Saturday’s Rome showdown is fitting for an official of his calibre.
“I’ve no problem with the appointment. He’s a top professional and will be assessed by a Uefa observer, like every game at the Euros, and will want to give his best performance.”
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