Luboš Michel
Encyclopedia
Ľuboš Micheľ is a former top-level Slovak football referee.
Micheľ became a FIFA
referee at the age of 25. One big milestone in his career was refereeing the 2003 UEFA Cup Final
between Porto and Celtic
. He also appeared at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
and Euro 2004
, refereeing the quarter-final between Sweden
and the Netherlands
.
Micheľ was ranked the world's third best referee in 2005 by the IFFHS, second best in 2006 and third best again in 2007. He was selected as a referee for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. He also refereed the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final
between Manchester United
and Chelsea
.
Micheľ was a manager of a car tyre factory outside of refereeing, and previously a teacher. He speaks English
, Russian
, German
and Polish
in addition to his native Slovak
. He founded the society Talent to support young Slovak football players. Micheľ has been a Member of National Council of the Slovak Republic
since 2006.
On October 23,2008 he retired from active referee activity due to problems with Achilles tendon, that should be operated on the next time. Though recovering may take up to 4 months, Ľuboš Micheľ informed the Slovak Football Association
and UEFA
, that he will not continue to referee anymore. His last match was the game Metalurh Zaporizhya
against Metalist Kharkiv
in the Ukrainian Premier League
.
On October 27, Micheľ signed a contract with Shakhtar Donetsk
as the head of the international competitions department.
v South Africa
game at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, he became the first Slovak to referee a FIFA World Cup
Finals match. (Three Slovak referees, Martin Macka (1958), Karol Galba
(1962, 1966) and Vojtech Christov
(1982, 1986) count to Czechoslovakia
).
in Seville
, Spain
, between Porto and Celtic
, one of the biggest appointments for a UEFA referee.
Controversy arose after a hard fought match in which Porto won 3-2 in extra time, where then Celtic manager Martin O'Neill
criticised Micheľ's decision to send off Celtic defender Bobo Baldé
for a second bookable offence. O'Neill, who faced a UEFA inquiry because of his complaints about Micheľ's performance, also felt that the match official tolerated an inordinate amount of time wasting.
(10), Urs Meier
(7), and Manuel Gonzalez, Valentin Ivanov
and Mike Riley
(5.5).
at Anfield
in which the visiting team lost by one goal to nil, Chelsea
manager José Mourinho
complained that Micheľ and his assistant referee, Roman Slysko, had been wrong to award Liverpool their victory, with what amounted to be a "ghost goal
". The next morning, a Sky Sports
computerised 're-enactment' suggested the ball had not crossed the line, and that Micheľ would have been unable to see it from his angle.
After studying a series of still images of the incident, motion expert Mike Spann disagreed, and concluded that Micheľ had made the correct decision.
Micheľ himself stated that his decision was based on the reaction of the assistant referee, and had he not awarded Liverpool the goal, he would have had no other alternative but to award them a penalty kick
and send off
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech
for a foul on Milan Baroš
. "I believe Chelsea would have preferred the goal to count rather than face a penalty with just ten men for the rest of the game. If my assistant referee had not signaled a goal, I would have given a penalty and sent off goalkeeper Petr Čech."
in Germany
. After his performance in the first two rounds, FIFA
chose him as one of twelve referees to officiate the final eight games of the tournament. Micheľ has handed out the second highest number of cards per match (8) of any referee in the tournament. The only person with a higher tally is Valentin Ivanov
, who has handed out an average of ten.
Micheľ matches have been considered tempestuous. In the group stage he took charge of the game between Portugal
and Mexico
; the game ending 2 - 1 to the Portuguese. He issued 8 yellow cards, sent a player off for diving, gave two penalties, and rejected a claim for one in the second half.
In the Round of 16 he took charge of the Brazil
-Ghana
match, won by Brazil 3-0. Controversy arose when his assistant failed to call an offside on a play that led to the second Brazilian goal. He sent off one Ghanaian player for diving and ordered the Ghana coach, Ratomir Dujković
, to leave the field after the coach argued with him about the offside goal. Dujković accused Micheľ of bias, but those remarks were reproached by Brazil national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira
, who said that the protesting of the sort that Dujković did is what "losers" do.
Micheľ refereed the quarterfinals loss of Argentina
to the hosts Germany
, which was tied 1-1 and went into extra time and ended on penalty kicks. He handed out seven yellows during the match. Micheľ gave a red card to Argentina's unused substitute Leandro Damián Cufré for kicking Per Mertesacker
during the post-game melee involving the two teams and some members of their coaching staffs.
, the match between Manchester United
and Chelsea
. The match went to a penalty shootout which, after much excitement, was eventually won by Manchester United. Micheľ became only the second referee to give a red card in a UEFA Champions League
Final when he sent Didier Drogba
off in extra time for a slap at Nemanja Vidić
's chin.
Micheľ became a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
referee at the age of 25. One big milestone in his career was refereeing the 2003 UEFA Cup Final
2003 UEFA Cup Final
The 2003 UEFA Cup Final was played on 21 May 2003 between Celtic of Scotland and Porto of Portugal. Porto won the match 3–2 in extra time thanks to a goal from Derlei...
between Porto and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
. He also appeared at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
and Euro 2004
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
, refereeing the quarter-final between Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
.
Micheľ was ranked the world's third best referee in 2005 by the IFFHS, second best in 2006 and third best again in 2007. He was selected as a referee for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. He also refereed the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final
2008 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2008 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 21 May 2008 at 20:45 CEST . The match was played at the Luzhniki Stadium, in Moscow, Russia, to determine the winner of the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League...
between Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
.
Micheľ was a manager of a car tyre factory outside of refereeing, and previously a teacher. He speaks English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
in addition to his native Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
. He founded the society Talent to support young Slovak football players. Micheľ has been a Member of National Council of the Slovak Republic
National Council of the Slovak Republic
The National Council of the Slovak Republic , abbreviated to NR SR, is the national parliament of Slovakia. It is unicameral, and consists of 150 MPs, who are elected by universal suffrage under proportional representation every four years....
since 2006.
On October 23,2008 he retired from active referee activity due to problems with Achilles tendon, that should be operated on the next time. Though recovering may take up to 4 months, Ľuboš Micheľ informed the Slovak Football Association
Slovak Football Association
The Slovak Football Association is the governing body of football in Slovakia. It organises the Slovak football league and the Slovakia national football team. It is based in Bratislava...
and UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
, that he will not continue to referee anymore. His last match was the game Metalurh Zaporizhya
FC Metalurh Zaporizhya
FC Metalurh Zaporizhya is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Zaporizhia. The club has always been in the top league, since the first season in 1992 until the season 2010/11 when it took the last position and was relegated to the Ukrainian First League.- Early years :The...
against Metalist Kharkiv
FC Metalist Kharkiv
FC Metalist Kharkiv is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Kharkiv. It competes in the Ukrainian Premier League, the highest football level in the country. Founded in 1925, the team worked its way up the rungs of the Soviet football system, eventually being promoted to the Soviet Top...
in the Ukrainian Premier League
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...
.
On October 27, Micheľ signed a contract with Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. Shakhtar has appeared in several European competitions and currently is often a participant of the UEFA Champions League. The club became the first Ukrainian club to win the UEFA Cup in 2009, the last year...
as the head of the international competitions department.
History maker
When Micheľ took charge of the ParaguayParaguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
v South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
game at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, he became the first Slovak to referee a FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
Finals match. (Three Slovak referees, Martin Macka (1958), Karol Galba
Karol Galba
Dr Karol Galba was the least known of the three officials who officiated the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final at Wembley Stadium....
(1962, 1966) and Vojtech Christov
Vojtech Christov
Vojtech Christov is a former Slovak football referee. He is known for having refereed two matches in the FIFA World Cup, one in the 1982 and one in the 1986. He also refereed two matches in the 1984 UEFA European Football Championship in France.-References:*...
(1982, 1986) count to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
).
2003 UEFA Cup Final
Micheľ was selected to referee the 2003 UEFA Cup Final2003 UEFA Cup Final
The 2003 UEFA Cup Final was played on 21 May 2003 between Celtic of Scotland and Porto of Portugal. Porto won the match 3–2 in extra time thanks to a goal from Derlei...
in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, between Porto and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, one of the biggest appointments for a UEFA referee.
Controversy arose after a hard fought match in which Porto won 3-2 in extra time, where then Celtic manager Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
criticised Micheľ's decision to send off Celtic defender Bobo Baldé
Bobo Balde
Dianbobo "Bobo" Baldé is a Guinean footballer who currently plays for AC Arles-Avignon. He has previously played for Mulhouse, AS Cannes, Toulouse, Celtic and Valenciennes...
for a second bookable offence. O'Neill, who faced a UEFA inquiry because of his complaints about Micheľ's performance, also felt that the match official tolerated an inordinate amount of time wasting.
UEFA Euro 2004
Micheľ officiated at Euro 2004, taking charge of 3 games, during which time he issued 16 yellow cards and 0 reds. At an average of 5.33 cards per game, he was placed sixth on the cards per game table, behind Lucílio BatistaLucílio Batista
Lucílio Cardoso Cortez Batista is a retired Portuguese football referee.A bank teller by profession, Batista started refereeing Portuguese first division matches in the mid-90s. Amongst his many games in the national territory, he was in charge for the controversial League Cup final between Lisbon...
(10), Urs Meier
Urs Meier
Urs Meier is a retired, Swiss football referee, a grocer by trade who owns a brand of household appliances in Würenlos, Switzerland. From 1994 until 2004 he was an international FIFA referee...
(7), and Manuel Gonzalez, Valentin Ivanov
Valentin Valentinovich Ivanov
Valentin Valentinovich Ivanov is a Russian international football referee and a former player. The son of two Olympic champions of 1956, Valentin Ivanov and Lidiya Ivanova, he lives in Moscow where he works as a teacher....
and Mike Riley
Mike Riley (referee)
Riley took charge of the 2004 Carling Cup final, between Bolton and Middlesbrough, in a game that saw all three goals scored within the first 25 minutes...
(5.5).
2005 UEFA Champions League
After their semi-final second leg match against LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
in which the visiting team lost by one goal to nil, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
complained that Micheľ and his assistant referee, Roman Slysko, had been wrong to award Liverpool their victory, with what amounted to be a "ghost goal
Ghost goal
Ghost goal is a term used in association football to describe a questionable decision, usually involving incertitude or controversy as to whether a ball crossed the goal line or not.- Background :...
". The next morning, a Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
computerised 're-enactment' suggested the ball had not crossed the line, and that Micheľ would have been unable to see it from his angle.
After studying a series of still images of the incident, motion expert Mike Spann disagreed, and concluded that Micheľ had made the correct decision.
The positioning and body movements of Chelsea's William Gallas, who tried to clear Luis Garcia's shot with his right foot, as well as the movement of the ball relative to Gallas, led Dr Spann to conclude: "It was a goal."
Micheľ himself stated that his decision was based on the reaction of the assistant referee, and had he not awarded Liverpool the goal, he would have had no other alternative but to award them a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
and send off
Ejection (sports)
In sports, an ejection is one of several disqualifying actions assessed to a player or coach by a game official , usually for unsportsmanlike conduct....
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech
Petr Cech
Petr Čech is a Czech footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Czech Republic as a goalkeeper. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals...
for a foul on Milan Baroš
Milan Baroš
Milan Baroš is a Czech footballer who plays as a striker for Galatasaray and the Czech national football team.In the 2008–09 season, Baroš scored 20 goals in Turkish Süper Lig, the highest total in the league...
. "I believe Chelsea would have preferred the goal to count rather than face a penalty with just ten men for the rest of the game. If my assistant referee had not signaled a goal, I would have given a penalty and sent off goalkeeper Petr Čech."
2006 FIFA World Cup
Micheľ was selected as one of 21 referees for the 2006 World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. After his performance in the first two rounds, FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
chose him as one of twelve referees to officiate the final eight games of the tournament. Micheľ has handed out the second highest number of cards per match (8) of any referee in the tournament. The only person with a higher tally is Valentin Ivanov
Valentin Valentinovich Ivanov
Valentin Valentinovich Ivanov is a Russian international football referee and a former player. The son of two Olympic champions of 1956, Valentin Ivanov and Lidiya Ivanova, he lives in Moscow where he works as a teacher....
, who has handed out an average of ten.
Micheľ matches have been considered tempestuous. In the group stage he took charge of the game between Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
; the game ending 2 - 1 to the Portuguese. He issued 8 yellow cards, sent a player off for diving, gave two penalties, and rejected a claim for one in the second half.
In the Round of 16 he took charge of the Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
-Ghana
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
match, won by Brazil 3-0. Controversy arose when his assistant failed to call an offside on a play that led to the second Brazilian goal. He sent off one Ghanaian player for diving and ordered the Ghana coach, Ratomir Dujković
Ratomir Dujkovic
Ratomir Dujković is a Serbian football manager and a former player.-Playing career:...
, to leave the field after the coach argued with him about the offside goal. Dujković accused Micheľ of bias, but those remarks were reproached by Brazil national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira
Carlos Alberto Parreira
Carlos Alberto Gomes Parreira is a Brazilian former football manager. He managed Brazil to championships at the 1994 World Cup, the 2004 Copa América, and the 2005 Confederations Cup...
, who said that the protesting of the sort that Dujković did is what "losers" do.
Micheľ refereed the quarterfinals loss of Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
to the hosts Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, which was tied 1-1 and went into extra time and ended on penalty kicks. He handed out seven yellows during the match. Micheľ gave a red card to Argentina's unused substitute Leandro Damián Cufré for kicking Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker is a German footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal and Germany. Mertesacker is a youth product of Hannover 96 and he made his senior league debut in November 2003. Mertesacker was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" by German tabloids and gained a reputation for his good...
during the post-game melee involving the two teams and some members of their coaching staffs.
2008 UEFA Champions League Final
Micheľ was selected to be the referee of the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final2008 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2008 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 21 May 2008 at 20:45 CEST . The match was played at the Luzhniki Stadium, in Moscow, Russia, to determine the winner of the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League...
, the match between Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. The match went to a penalty shootout which, after much excitement, was eventually won by Manchester United. Micheľ became only the second referee to give a red card in a UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Final when he sent Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
off in extra time for a slap at Nemanja Vidić
Nemanja Vidic
Nemanja Vidić is a Serbian footballer who captains English Premier League club Manchester United. He was part of the Serbia national football team from 2002 to 2011....
's chin.
Euro 2008
Michel was selected to be a referee at the UEFA Euro 2008:- Group A game between SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. - Group C game between FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. - Quarter Final match between NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.