Cüneyt Çakır to officiate Manchester United, Real Madrid game

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced on Sunday that Turkish referee Cüneyt Çakır has been appointed to officiate the Champions League game between Manchester United and Real Madrid on Wednesday. The team of referees for the game will comprise Turkish assistant referees Bahattin Duran and Tarık Ongun, as well as two other Turks -- Hüseyin Göcek and Mete Kalkavan. The fourth official will be Emre Eyisoy. Çakır, who is known as one of three best referees in Europe, is in the “elite referee” category of the UEFA. He also became the youngest referee, at 35, to take part in a European championship when he officiated several games at Euro 2012, including the semifinal game between Spain and Portugal. Çakır is also one of 19 candidate referees for the world's most prestigious football event, the World Cup, which will take place in 2014 in Brazil. If the world's football governing body, FIFA, is suitably impressed with his performance, he may have the honor of officiating in the worldwide competition for the first time.