Media Release Date: 01/05/2005 Communiqué aux médias No. 059 Medien-Mitteilung Referee appointed for semi-final in Liverpool The UEFA Referees Committee today announced that Slovakian referee Lubos Michel will officiate at the second leg of the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League semi-final between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC to be played at Anfield Road in Liverpool on Tuesday 3 May, kicking-off at 19.45 local time (20.45 CET). His assistant referees will be Roman Slysko and Martin Balko, while the 4th Official will be Anton Stredak. All four members of the team are from Slovakia. Lubos Michel, although only 36, has been a referee for 18 years; made his first division debut 12 years ago; has been a FIFA referee since 1994; and has refereed over 100 international fixtures. He officiated at the final between Greece and Spain in the final of the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Bucharest and handled two matches – neither of them involving European teams – during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. He was selected for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, handling the 2-2 draw between Paraguay and South Africa in Busan. At UEFA EURO 2004™, he was the referee of three matches: Greece v Spain (again), Switzerland v France and the Sweden v Netherlands quarter-final. Despite his long track record, Lubos Michel has had minimal contacts with the two teams who will take the field at Anfield and this is his first visit to Liverpool. It will be the first time he has officiated at a match involving Liverpool FC and his only previous encounter with Chelsea FC came earlier in the UEFA Champions League campaign (on 20 October), when he officiated at the London club’s 2-0 win over PFC CSKA Moskva at Stamford Bridge. However, his presence may well bring back happy memories for José Mourinho, Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho, bearing in mind that Lubos Michel was the referee when FC Porto beat Celtic FC 3-2 after extra-time at the Estadio Olímpico in Seville to take the UEFA Cup in 2003. For further information: UEFA Media Services: ++41-22 99 44 55 9 .