England players will be well acquainted with referee Felix Brych when they walk out to face Ukraine in their Euro 2020 quarter-final on Saturday.
Telegraph Sport finds out more about the official who is regarded as one of Uefa’s sterner taskmasters.
Who is Felix Brych?
Hailing from Munich, 45-year-old Brych is a doctor of law and started refereeing in the Bundesliga in 2004. He began officiating in Uefa competitions four years later.
A familiar face for seasoned Champions League watchers, Brych has taken charge of 299 Bundesliga games as well as 64 ties in the Champions League proper. He was voted World Referee of the Year in 2017.
This is Brych’s fourth appearance at an international tournament having been involved in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and Euro 2016. He has already refereed three games at Euro 2020, the last of which was Portugal’s bad tempered defeat against Belgium which kept him busy with five yellow cards. Brych is yet to award a penalty at the tournament.
Does he have history with England?
Brych last took charge of an England international in 2018, when Gareth Southgate’s team drew 0-0 with Croatia in the Nations League.
Going further back, he refereed England 2-1 win over Wales at Euro 2016, a friendly draw with Italy in 2015 and a 3-2 win over Scotland at Wembley in 2013.
The last time England lost a game Brych officiated was a friendly against Holland in 2012.
What other big games has he been involved with?
English clubs have come face to face with Brych in the Champions League on numerous occasions.
The last red card he awarded was to Idrissa Gueye in Manchester City’s 2-1 Champions League first leg win over PSG in April. Other notable occasions involving English teams in that competition include Liverpool’s defeat at Real Madrid last season as well as Tottenham’s dramatic comeback against Ajax in Amsterdam at the semi-final stage in 2019.
Brych officiated the first leg of the 2012 Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Barcelona, a match that finished with a 1-0 win for Chelsea. Brych also refereed the 2017 Champions League final in Cardiff, where Real Madrid ran out 4-1 winners against Juventus.