Argentina's Horacio Elizondo was selected to referee tomorrow's World Cup final between three-time champion Italy and 1998 winner France.
Elizondo, a 42-year-old physical education teacher, officiated in Portugal's quarter-final victory over England, when he sent off England striker Wayne Rooney for stepping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho.
The Argentine official also was the referee at the opening match on June 9, when host Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 in Munich.
Dario Garcia and Rodolfo Otero, also of Argentina, will work the sidelines for the match at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi said on Thursday.
"We've had lots of American, South American and Latin American referees and we've been treated well," said Giancarlo Abete, the chief of Italy's World Cup delegation. "We've shown a lot of respect for the referee's decisions and those of the disciplinary committee."
Japan's Toru Kamikawa will handle today's third-place match between Germany and Portugal in Stuttgart. Yoshikazu Hiroshima of Japan and Kim Dae-young of South Korea will run the lines.
FIFA vice president Lennart Johansson said Elizondo was a good choice, and he backed the official's decision to send Rooney off against Portugal.
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