Meier resigned as Swiss Referee Chief

Former FIFA World Cup referee Urs Meier resigned from the Head of Refereeing position that he had occupied at the Swiss Football Association for the last 4 years. "After careful consideration, I have decided to resign my position as a Head of the Swiss refereeing immediately. At the end of 2007, I took over the post from my predecessor, Markus Nobs, with the belief that I will be able to make a crucial contribution to the professionalization of refereeing in Switzerland. Unfortunately, that task is incredibly difficult and I did not feel a strong support in this aspect and had to admit that it would make no sense to continue my work. I hope that my successor will have more luck in this regard. I also wish for my colleagues, especially, that they will be met in the future with not only the respect they deserve, but also that a more professional environment will be made available”, said Meier after his resignation. His successor will be determined over the next few months.
Urs Meier began his career as a referee 1977, was promoted to the National League in 1991 and was a FIFA referee for 10 years (1994 – 2004). He was selected for two World Cups (1998 and 2002) and two European Championships (2000 and 2004). In 2002, he refereed the UEFA Champions League final Real Madrid – Bayer Leverkusen. Meier was voted by IFFHS as the world’s second-best referee in 2002 and the third-best referee in 2004.