Who is Clément Turpin, the referee for the Champions League final?
For the Champions League final at the Stade de France, Turpin will be assisted by countrymen Nicolas Danos and Cyril Gringore.
Clément Turpin will referee the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris on Saturday.
Turpin has been an international referee since 2010. He refereed Liverpool in last season’s Champions League, taking charge of the last-16 match between the Reds and RB Leipzig.
Turpin was in charge of Real Madrid’s quarter-final first leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April. For the 2021/22 Champions League final at the Stade de France, Turpin will be assisted by countrymen Nicolas Danos and Cyril Gringore, while another Frenchman, Benoît Bastien, will be the fourth official.
The VAR role has been assigned to Jérôme Brisard (France), and he will be assisted by Willy Delajod (France) and two Italians, Massimiliano Irrati and Filippo Meli.
“I’ve refereed two French Cup finals at the Stade de France,” Turpin told UEFA.com. “Anyone in France who loves our game considers it as the “French football church”, because France won the World Cup there in 1998 – the national team’s first-ever major trophy. It’s a special place, to be sure.”
Champions League final
“I feel privileged,” Turpin says when discussing refereeing this year’s Champions League final.
“I’ve achieved two of the biggest dreams that a referee can have. I think it’s important to believe that you have a star above your head, as we say – at the moment, it feels like there’s an entire constellation of stars above me!”
He believes that Saturday’s assignment is a reward for the team, particularly his assistants Danos and Gringore. The trio took charge of last season’s UEFA Europa League final between Villarreal and Manchester United in Gdańsk.
“We’ve been together for many years; we’re a family – and like any family, we’ve experienced highs and lows,” Turpin continues. “We’re very strong together. It’s a fantastic challenge to be chosen for this match, and we’ll prepare in our normal concentrated way. It would be a mistake to change any of the normal routine.”
European experience
The 40-year-old has been a member of the referee teams at the UEFA EURO 2016 and 2020 final tournaments, as well as at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Turpin has experience in handling Liverpool vs Real Madrid having acted as fourth official at the 2018 UEFA Champions League final between the sides in Kyiv. This season, he has officiated seven Champions League matches as of the play-off round.