Nicola Rizzoli appointed the referee for the Barcelona-Bayern Champions League tie

Nicola Rizzoli during the 2014 World Cup Final

Madrid, May 4 (IANS)

Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli has been appointed to officiate Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg clash between Spanish club FC Barcelona and German champions Bayern Munich. Rizzoli, 43, was named as the best referee in 2014 according to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and refereed the 2014 World Cup final between Germany and Argentina, which Germany won, reports Efe.

During the same tournament that took place in Brazil, Rizzoli also refereed the games between the Netherlands and Spain, Argentina and Nigeria and Argentina and Belgium.

During the current season, the Italian referee headed the game between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in the group stage of the Champions League, which ended in a 3-2 win for the Parisian club.

Rizzoli also refereed the 1-0 win of Spanish club Atletico Madrid over German team Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid's 3-0 victory against England's Liverpool.