Massimo Busacca

Busacca was born in Bellinzona, Switzerland, to Italian parents from Sicily.{{cite web|url=https://www.tio.ch/ticino/492136/t-rkyilmaz-difende-busacca---lui-il-siciliano--io-il-turco-|title=Türkyilmaz difende Busacca: "Lui il siciliano, io il turco"|date=22 September 2009}} Busacca used to play football in a lower division in Ticino. After a successful career as a top referee he became Head of FIFA Refereeing in July 2011.

Busacca was a Swiss Super League Referee from 1996 to 2011 and a FIFA referee from 1999 to 2011.{{cite web|url=http://worldreferee.com/site/copy.php?linkID=29&linkType=referee&contextType=dyk|title=WorldReferee.com - referee - Massimo Busacca - dyk|first=WorldReferee -|last=www.worldreferee.com|website=worldreferee.com}}

In 2006, Busacca refereed the Swiss championship-deciding match at St. Jakob-Park, between FC Basel and FC Zurich that resulted in the 2006 Basel Hooligan Incident.

Busacca took charge of the 2007 UEFA Cup Final at Hampden Park on 16 May, one of the biggest appointments for a UEFA referee. Busacca sent off RCD Espanyol midfielder Moisés Hurtado for a second bookable offence during the match.

Busacca was selected to referee at the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland.[http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=1/newsid=639895.html Referees named for EURO 2008] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514005045/http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=1/newsid=639895.html |date=2008-05-14 }}, uefa.com, 19 December 2007

At the tournament, Busacca was the referee for the Group C game between Netherlands and Romania, the Group D game between Greece and Sweden and the semi Final match between Germany and Turkey.[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g1Yj8CjSTou1MIXgDpcpv6q57DXQ Referee Rosetti gets Euro 2008 final] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628195739/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g1Yj8CjSTou1MIXgDpcpv6q57DXQ |date=2008-06-28 }}, Agence France-Presse, June 24, 2008

Busacca was selected to referee the UEFA Champions League Final in Rome on 27 May 2009 between FC Barcelona and Manchester United.

He was chosen as a referee for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, refereeing the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final game between South Africa and Brazil match on 25 June 2009 in Johannesburg and Brazil went on to win 1–0.

On 19 September 2009, Busacca was the referee in a Swiss Cup match between FC Baden and BSC Young Boys. After crowd trouble disrupted the game after home side Baden took an unlikely lead, Busacca raised his middle finger to the crowd.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/european/6217809/Swiss-referee-Massimo-Busacca-banned-for-giving-fans-the-finger.html|title=Swiss referee Massimo Busacca banned for giving fans the 'finger'|last=Wilson|first=Steve|date=22 September 2009|work=The Telegraph|location=London|access-date=9 March 2011}} Busacca had initially denied making the obscene gesture but was handed a three-match ban by the Swiss Football Association and was forced to issue an apology.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8268036.stm|title=Swiss ref banned over fan insult|date=21 September 2009|work=BBC News|access-date=9 March 2011}}

File:Massimo Busacca, Referee, Switzerland (03).jpg

Busacca was chosen to be a referee at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

He refereed three games:

• 14 June 2006 (group stage): Spain vs. Ukraine 4–0
• 20 June 2006 (group stage): Sweden vs. England 2–2
• 24 June 2006 (round of 16) : Argentina vs. Mexico 2–1. ET.

He was selected as a referee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and refereed the South Africa vs. Uruguay game.

He awarded a penalty and showed the red card to the South African goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune, in the 77th minute, for tripping the Uruguay striker, Luis Suárez. Hosts South Africa went on to lose the game 3–0, and Khune became just the second goalkeeper to be sent off in World Cup history.{{cite news|title=Khune second goalkeeper to be sent off at World Cup finals (Extra)|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1563844.php/Khune-second-goalkeeper-to-be-sent-off-at-World-Cup-finals-Extra|date=16 June 2010|access-date=21 June 2024|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120703024638/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/africa/news/article_1563844.php/Khune-second-goalkeeper-to-be-sent-off-at-World-Cup-finals-Extra|archive-date=3 July 2012}}

On 8 March 2011, Busacca was the referee in a UEFA Champions League 2010–11 Round of 16 match between Arsenal F.C. and FC Barcelona controversially sending Robin Van Persie off for kicking the ball after the whistle, with some commentators suggesting that he had cemented his place in the hall of fame of worst refereeing decisions of all time.

• FIFA World Cup in Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010.
• Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria.
• UEFA Champions League Final 2009: FC Barcelona – Manchester United.
• UEFA Cup Final 2007: Sevilla – Espanyol Barcelona.
• IFFHS World's Best Referee: 2009{{cite web|url=http://iffhs.de/former-results/|title=Former Results|publisher=IFFHS.de|access-date=3 December 2017}}
• UEFA Super Cup Final 2010: Inter Milan – Atlético Madrid.
• 42 UEFA Champions League games, 45 UEFA Cup games.
• 245 games in the Swiss Super League.

It was announced on 14 July 2011 that Busacca had taken up the position of Head of Refereeing Development with FIFA, retiring from active refereeing duties in the process.{{cite news| url=http://www.rodvand.net/martin/blog/2011/07/14/massimo-busacca-retires-moves-into-fifa-position/|title=Massimo Busacca retires, moves into FIFA position |url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425151000/http://www.rodvand.net/martin/blog/2011/07/14/massimo-busacca-retires-moves-into-fifa-position/| archive-date=2012-04-25}} Busacca has overseen refereeing matters at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions of the FIFA World Cup, as well as at the 2015, 2019 and 2023 versions of the Women’s World Cup. He currently serves as FIFA Director Refereeing and as such, he has promoted the development of refereeing on a worldwide basis, including the use of technology and the promotion of female referees who now officiate at the highest level of the game.

Busacca is a devout Catholic and was crowned Switzerland's non-smoker of the year in 2006.

{{reflist}}

• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081005220755/http://www.ratetheref.net/ref/view/28/massimo-busacca Rate Massimo in the Euro 2008 Finals]}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070324002618/http://www.weltfussball.de/schiedsrichter_profil.php?id=17028 Weltfussball Profile] {{in lang|de}}
• [http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/ref/1135_BUSACCA_Massimo.html FIFA Profile]

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{{succession box|title=UEFA Cup Final referee|before=2006
{{flagicon|GER}} Herbert Fandel |after=2008
{{flagicon|SWE}} Peter Fröjdfeldt |years=2007
{{flagicon|SUI}} Massimo Busacca}}

{{succession box|title=UEFA Champions League Final referee|before=2008
{{flagicon|SVK}} Ľuboš Micheľ |after=2010
{{flagicon|ENG}} Howard Webb|years=2009
{{flagicon|SUI}} Massimo Busacca}}

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{{Referees 2006 World Cup}}

{{UEFA Euro 2008 referees}}

{{2009 FIFA Confederations Cup referees}}

{{Referees 2010 World Cup}}

{{UEFA Champions League Final referees}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Busacca, Massimo}}

Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century Roman Catholics

Category:21st-century Roman Catholics

Category:2006 FIFA World Cup referees

Category:2010 FIFA World Cup referees

Category:People from Bellinzona

Category:Swiss football referees

Category:Swiss people of Italian descent

Category:Swiss Roman Catholics

Category:UEFA Champions League referees

Category:UEFA Euro 2008 referees