| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 6 February 1969 Bellinzona, Switzerland |
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| Other occupation | Business proprietor | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1996–2011 | Swiss Super League | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1999–2011 | FIFA listed | Referee | |
Massimo Busacca (born 6 February 1969 in Bellinzona) is a Swiss former football referee. He lives in Monte Carasso, Ticino, near Bellinzona, and is also the proprietor of a business.[1]
Busacca used to play football in a lower division in Ticino, then he worked for a petroleum company in the Middle East. He became a referee in 1990.[2] He has been a referee in the Swiss Super League since 1996, and a FIFA referee since 1999.
Busacca was chosen to be a referee at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
While refereeing a World Cup match between Ukraine and Spain, Busacca made a decision against Vladislav Vaschuk, giving the player a red card and awarding a penalty kick against Ukraine in the 47th minute of the match. Multiple angles of the infraction showed no physical contact inside the penalty area, preceded by a tug on the pants of Fernando Torres in the penalty area by Vladislav Vaschuk. David Villa of Spain slotted home the resulting penalty against Ukrainian keeper Oleksandr Shovkovsky. It is unlikely that the outcome of the match might have been altered as, before that penalty kick, Spain were up 2-0 and dominating the game both in possession and goal chances. In a similar situation involving Ukraine's Andriy Voronin and the Spanish defence, the referee decided no foul had occurred.
In a later match in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Busacca did not show the red card to Argentinian defender Gabriel Heinze after an errant throw by Argentinian goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri resulted in a breakaway by Mexican striker Francisco Fonseca and a subsequent foul by Heinze. Bussacca instead gave Heinze a yellow card.
Busacca was one of the twelve referees who remained in the play-off rounds from the quarter finals onwards.
Busacca refereed an infamous Swiss Super League match on the last day of the 2005-2006 season between FC Basel and FC Zürich at St. Jakob Park in Basel. Basel, who hadn't lost at home in the past 59 league matches at St. Jakob Park, only needed a draw to secure their fourth championship in five years. The game was still tied at the 90-minute mark, but at the end of the very last minute of stoppage time, Zürich defender Iulian Filipescu scored the winning goal, immediately followed by Busacca's final whistle. At that point, many fans, mostly Basel fans, stormed the field. Basel supporters attacked Zürich players and fought with Zürich supporters. More trouble continued outside the park throughout the night.
Busacca took charge of the 2007 UEFA Cup Final at Hampden Park on 16 May, one of the biggest appointments for a UEFA referee. Busacca sent off RCD Espanyol midfielder Moisés Hurtado for a second bookable offence during the match.
| 16 May 2007 20:45 CEST |
Espanyol | 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) (1 – 3 pen.) |
Sevilla | Hampden Park, Glasgow Attendance: 52,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riera 28' Jônatas 115' Hurtado 13', 68' |
(Report) | 18' Adriano 105' Kanouté 62' L. Fabiano 82' Kanouté 115' Puerta |
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| Penalties | ||||
| Luis García Pandiani Jônatas Torrejón |
1 – 3 | Kanouté Dragutinović Dani Alves Puerta |
Busacca was selected to referee at the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland.[3]
At the tournament, Busacca was the referee for the:
Busacca was selected to referee the UEFA Champions League Final in Rome on 27 May 2009 between FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
| 27 May 2009 20:45 CEST |
Barcelona | 2 – 0 | Manchester United | Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 62,467[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eto'o 10' Messi 70' |
Report |
He was chosen as a referee for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, refereeing the United States-Brazil match on 18 June 2009 in which Busacca showed Sacha Kljestan a red card and Brazil went on to win 3-2.
On 19 September 2009, Busacca was the referee in a Swiss Cup match between FC Baden and BSC Young Boys. After crowd trouble disrupted the game after home side Baden took an unlikely lead, Busacca raised his middle finger to the crowd.[6] Busacca had initially denied making the obscene gesture but was handed a three match ban by the Swiss Football Association and was forced to issue an apology.[7][8]
Several days after the incident Busacca was accused of urinating on the pitch whilst officiating a game in Qatar.[9][10]
He was selected as a referee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and refereed the South Africa vs. Uruguay game.
He awarded a penalty and showed the red card to the South African goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune, in the 77th minute, for tripping the Uruguay striker, Luis Suárez. South Africa went on to lose the game 3-0, and Khune became just the second goalkeeper to be sent off in World Cup history. South Africa boss Carlos Alberto Parreira claimed that "Myself and everyone else said it was the worst refereeing performance in this competition so far".[11] This proved to be Busacca's only match at the tournament, as he was released after the Round of 16.
| 16 June 2010 20:30 |
South Africa | 0 – 3 | Uruguay | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria Attendance: 42,658 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Forlán 24', 80' (pen.) Á. Pereira 90+5' |
In the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League tournament, Busacca was appointed to referee the second leg of the round-of-16 tie between Barcelona and Arsenal, with Arsenal taking a 2–1 lead into the match from the first leg.
In the 55th minute and with the score tied at 1–1, he issued a second yellow card to dismiss Arsenal's Robin van Persie for time wasting.[12] Van Persie had been cautioned for a foul in the first half; then, in the process of an attack in the second half, he was flagged offside but took a shot at goal after Busacca had blown his whistle signalling the offence.[13][14] Van Persie claimed not to have heard the whistle over the noise of the crowd, having shot at goal a second after the whistle had already been blown.[15][16] Despite being within the rules of the game, the decision was heavily criticized by Arsene Wenger and Arsenal players for sending off a player for such a perceived minor infraction.[17] Some football critics also criticised the decision[18][19] while Rio Ferdinand praised Busacca as "the best around".[20] Arsene Wenger and Samir Nasri both were banned for one match by UEFA due to improper conduct following their criticism of Busacca after the match. Wenger was also fined €10,000.[21]. Following the game, Van Persie called the sending-off and the referee a "joke".[22]
| 18-05-2011 18:30 |
Apollon | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Omonia | GSZ Stadium, Larnaca Attendance: 13,000 Referee: Massimo Busacca |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elias Charalambous(og) 84' | Michalis Konstantinou 12' | |||
| Penalties | ||||
| Mrdaković Bangura Stavrou Semedo Erice |
3 – 4 | Konstantinou Efrem Rueda Aguiar |
It was announced on 14 July 2011 that Busacca had taken up the position of Head of Refereeing Development with FIFA, retiring from active refereeing duties in the process.[23]
Busacca is a devout Catholic and was crowned Switzerland's non-smoker of the year in 2006.[24]
| Preceded by UEFA Cup Final 2006 Herbert Fandel |
UEFA Cup Final Referees Final 2007 Massimo Busacca |
Succeeded by UEFA Cup Final 2008 Peter Fröjdfeldt |
| Preceded by UEFA Champions League Final 2008 Ľuboš Micheľ |
UEFA Champions League Referees Final 2009 Massimo Busacca |
Succeeded by UEFA Champions League Final 2010 Howard Webb |
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