The Man In The Middle

Herbert Fandel, a 43-year-old concert pianist from Kyllburg, Germany, who runs his own music school, was picked to referee the Champions League final on Wednesday. He's the same ref who sent off Paul Scholes in Rome last month.

An interesting side note: Milan, has outscored opponents 9-1 in the five Champions League matches Fandel has officiated. Liverpool has had two losses and a draw, without scoring, when the German has held the whistle. He was most recently in charge of a Liverpool game in March, a 1-0 defeat to Barcelona in the second-leg of their round-of-16 tie.

Who gets a yellow card first, Javier Mascherano or Gennaro Gattuso?

Fandel to keep order in Athens [UEFA official site]

-ac