By Stuart Newman
July 23 – Kari Seitz will enjoy the honour of taking charge of the opening match of London 2012 when she referees the tussle between hosts Team GB and New Zealand on Wednesday (July 25), the FIFA Organising Committee for Olympic Football Tournaments has announced.
The United States official (pictured top), who will be serving at her third Olympic Games, will blow the whistle to kick off the women’s tournament at Cardiff’s 74,500-capacity Millennium Stadium.
Affairs in Group E get underway at 4pm and is one of six women’s matches scheduled for the opening day.
The 41-year-old Seitz, considered one of the world’s most seasoned women referees, has plenty of big-match experience having also officiated at four FIFA Women’s World Cup finals between 1999 and 2011.
Meanwhile, Pavel Královec (pictured below) has been nominated by world football’s governing body to handle the opening game of the men’s tournament – between Honduras and Morocco on Thursday (July 26).
The Group D encounter, at Glasgow’s Hampden Park which boasts a capacity of 52,000, kicks off at 12 noon and will be followed by seven further men’s ties that day.
Czech-born Královec, 34, has – like Seitz – FIFA World Cup experience having made the panel of referees for the 2011 Under-17 tournament.
The referees chosen for the opening day’s action in the women’s and men’s tournaments, on July 25 and July 26, respectively, are:
Women’s: Kirsi Heikkinen, Finland (Japan versus Canada – City of Coventry), Sachiko Yamagishi, Japan (United States v France), Jenny Palmqvist, Sweden (Cameroon v Brazil – Millennium Stadium), Jessica Di Iorio, Argentina (Sweden v South Africa – City of Coventry), Carol Anne Chenard, Canada (Colombia v North Korea)
Men’s: Mark Geiger, USA (Spain versus Japan – Hampden Park), Slim Jedidi , Tunisia (Mexico v South Korea – St James’ Park), Peter O’Leary, New Zealand (UAE v Uruguay – Old Trafford), Wilmar Roldan, Colombia (Gabon v Switzerland – St James’ Park), Bakary Gassama, Gambia (Belarus v New Zealand – City of Coventry), Lianluca Rocchi, Italy (Brazil v Egypt – Millennium Stadium), Ravshan Irmatov, Uzbekistan (Great Britain v Senegal – Old Trafford)
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