Howard Webb has been selected as the referee for Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Webb, who was the official in charge of the last World Cup final, will be in the middle when the competition’s most frequent winners take on the current holders.
The Yorkshire official was last in charge of the fixture when Chelsea let a three-goal lead slip to register a 3-3 draw against United at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League clash in February 2012.
The last time Webb refereed an FA Cup tie at Old Trafford, it ended in controversy after United’s win over Liverpool in January 2011.
Following that 1-0 victory in what was Kenny Dalglish’s first match back in charge of Liverpool, Dutch forward Ryan Babel tweeted a mocked-up picture of Webb wearing a United shirt along with the post: “And they call him one of the best referees? That’s a joke.”
Babel subsequently became the first footballer to be disciplined by the FA for something they posted on Twitter, and he was fined £10,000 after pleading guilty to improper conduct.
United are seeking to extend their record haul of FA Cup triumphs to 12 this season, while Chelsea are looking to lift the trophy for the fifth time in seven seasons.
[Soccernet]
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