The referee of the final worked on the front line against COVID-19

Riam Hussein will be the referee for the Champions League final between Chelsea and Barça. With extensive international experience, the German will make her debut as the main referee in a final after being the fourth referee at Cardiff 2017. She was also part of the refereeing team of the European Championship in the Netherlands 2017 and the World Cup in France 2019.

A trajectory that goes beyond the grass. And it is that Hussein combines arbitration with his profession as a pharmacist. A position that put him in the front line during the complicated beginnings of the pandemic, in which he received advice from scientists to keep his clients informed of the recommendations to stop the virus.

“We were on the front line every day, but we weren't afraid. We were open to the public and we were one of the first attention services to respond to the many questions and doubts of citizens. We have advised, reassured, cared for and supplied them “Riam said in a talk with FIFA, in which he assured that refereeing helps him “to recharge the batteries” in this situation. His figure is another of the many that are leaving an exemplary role in football.

In the Gothenburg final, Hussein will be assisted by Katrin Rafalski, from Germany, and Sara Telek, from Austria. The fourth referee is Katalin Kulcsár from Hungary. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has been assigned to the German Bastian Dankert, and will be accompanied by his compatriot Christian Dingert. The alternate assistant referee is Julia Magnusson from Sweden.