Big stage beckons for Mejuto

By David Baño & Mark Chaplin

A 41-year-old accounts manager from La Felguera in Asturias, Spain, Manuel Enrique Mejuto González faces the biggest challenge of his career when he takes charge of the UEFA Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool FC at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

Just reward
Mejuto was delighted to have been chosen by UEFA to referee the match, and vowed that the final will bring the best of out of him. "When you are a boy, you never think this could happen to you," he said. "It is also the reward for many years of work. I'm grateful for the opportunity that has been offered to me, because there are many referees all over the world, and very few have this chance."

'Important nights'
"It is very important to be physically, technically and psychologically at your best. These are the most important nights of football, and you have to approach them with all your energy and a willingness to do things the right way."

'Step by step'
Some referees set themselves career goals and targets, but Mejuto has always had a more pragmatic approach. "I don't particularly like to impose objectives - you could get obsessed by this," he said. "It's better to take it step by step, and enjoy every moment. The most important thing is the next game you have to referee. You have to trust in your own ability."

Sense of perspective
Mejuto is determined to enjoy every moment of tonight's final, while keeping a calm sense of perspective. "It is important to continue working as I would on any other day, training as normal, as I would if I was preparing for a Spanish Primera División game or any other international game."

Good start
He is hoping to impose his authority early in the game. "That is vital," he emphasised. "It is most important to control the game at all times and for the players to respect you. Refereeing is 80 per cent psychology. It's mental. And you have to know when the right moment comes to intervene during the game."

Team support
Will any nerves appear as the first whistle approaches? "I always say to myself not to be nervous, but to feel the excitement and be motivated by it," he said. "It's in the warm-up that we achieve higher concentration. And the refereeing team will be supporting and encouraging each other and we trust each other." Mejuto's Spanish assistant referees are Oscar Martínez Samaniego and Clemente Ayete Plou, and the fourth official is Arturo Daudén Ibáñez.

No rituals
There will be no room for superstition or rituals in Mejuto's pre-match plans. "I don't particularly like them," he said. "There are referees that don't wear a certain colour - or I know one referee who doesn't change his tie if he has been unlucky. The most important thing is to trust in your abilities and to be above these things."

Happy future
Mejuto's ability has seen him come a long way in the refereeing world, but his ambitions remain simple. "I always say the same thing - I want to be happy," he said. "I want to try to help young referees and to be fulfilled. I'm already very happy with the objectives I have achieved in refereeing. I want to continue working in the way that has brought me to where I am now."