Bio
Urs Meier
Born: 1959-01-22
Intl. since: 1994-01-01
Hometown: Würenlos
Country: Switzerland
Speaks: German
Occupation: shopkeeper of household goods
Hobbies: Refereeing, Football, Travelling, Reading, Motorbiking

Urs Meier is one of the great Swiss referees. Two world Cups (1998 and 2002), two European Championships (2000 and 2002) and a Champions League final, are just the top of the iceberg. See his palmares (8 consecutive CL semi-finals!).

Euro's

In 2000 Meier took charge of the semi-final between the Netherlands and Denmark. In 2004 he lead the the quarter-final between England and Portugal. In this match Meier disallowed a goal by English player Sol Campbell in the 89th minute. Consequently England lost in a penalty shootout.

best

In 2002 Meier was chosen second best referee by an expert jury.
In 2004 he was chosen third-best .

business

Meier has a book out, is a motivational speaker and tv personality. You can hire him see http://www.ursmeier.ch.

the man


Did you know
WORLD CUPS

  • Meier's face in the role of referee is used in the games FIFA 2005 and FIFA 06.
  • Meier's fondest memory was his first FIFA World Cup match in 1998 between USA and Iran. Meier said he even shed tears before the match started, because it was the moment he achieved his greatest goal, "reaching the summit of Mount Everest if you will. "
  • Urs Meier has been named in connection with the great Italian match fixing scam. Around 2006 this scam came full in the open. It was lead by Juventus' general manager Luciano Moggi. On 15 September 2004 Urs Meier took charge of the match between Juventus and Ajax in Amsterdam. Juventus won by 1-0. About Moggi and his connections with referees the following statement have been sent to us: "No one has proved that the referees have done anything criminally wrong and though it is clear from the transcripts that some were preferred by Moggi, presumably because they favoured Juventus, there is no evidence of cash exchanging hands. There is some evidence of the gift of a few tickets, a mobile phone, a short cut to the front of the lengthy waiting list for a Maserati, but nothing serious. Perhaps evidence of big cash gifts will emerge, but perhaps it won't. Many think that there were no such gifts." Maybe this is all small talk, but we prefer to list it as long as what actually happened stays unclear.
  • Swiss female referee Nicole Petignat used to live with Urs Meier for 8 years until he left her for a "German blonde". According to Petignat her former partner is a liar and a cheat.
  • "URS HOLE" was the Daily Star headline after the 2004 European Championship quarter-final England-Portugal. After one paper published his email address, Meier received more than 16 thousand angry emails.
  • In the book Verdachte voorzetten by Jurriaan van Wessem, Urs Meier is mentioned. According to Van Wessen Meier gave a suspicious penalty to Lyon in a Champions League match against Celtic. Lyon won 3-2, Celtic missed the next round.
  • Meier's speeches and book seem to be about translating football metaphors to business: making decisions under pressure, fair play in business, the qualities necessary in a leader etc.


Statistics
Statistics for URS MEIER
Totals Home Away Total
Penalties 13 6 19
Fouls 0 0 0
Yellow 122 168 290
YellowRed 0 0 0
Red 3 10 13
Averages Home Away Total
Penalties 0.14 0.06 0.1
Fouls 0 0 0
Yellow 1.28 1.77 1.53
YellowRed 0 0 0
Red 0.03 0.11 0.07

Based on 95 international matches

Matches
MATCHES FOR URS MEIER
Date Score Yellow Red Penalties Fouls
WC 2006 qualifiers - Europe
MacedoniaCzech Republic2004-11-170 - 2 2 (2-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 2004-2005
group stageBarcelonaAC Milan2004-11-022 - 1 4 (1-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageValenciaInternazionale2004-10-201 - 5 5 (3-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageAjaxJuventus2004-09-150 - 1 4 (3-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
qualifiers 3rd roundSparta PragueFerencváros2004-08-252 - 0 7 (3-4)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Euro 2004
1/4 finalsPortugalEngland2004-06-242 - 2 6 (3-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageItalySweden2004-06-181 - 1 5 (3-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageSpainRussia2004-06-121 - 0 9 (3-6)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Euro 2004 qualifiers
play-offsSloveniaCroatia2003-11-190 - 1 3 (1-2)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
ArmeniaSpain2003-10-110 - 4 3 (3-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
DenmarkRomania2003-09-102 - 2 4 (1-3)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
EnglandTurkey2003-04-022 - 0 5 (2-3)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 2003-2004
1/2 finalsMonacoChelsea F.C.2004-04-203 - 1 4 (1-3)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
1/4 finalsDeportivo La CorunaAC Milan2004-04-074 - 0 3 (2-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
1st knockoutReal MadridBayern Munich2004-03-101 - 0 3 (2-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageLyonCeltic2003-12-103 - 2 3 (0-3)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
group stageAjaxAC Milan2003-11-260 - 1 3 (2-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageGalatasarayOlympiakos2003-10-211 - 0 6 (3-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
qualifiers 3rd roundBenficaLazio2003-08-270 - 1 5 (0-5)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 2002-2003
1/2 finalsJuventusReal Madrid2003-05-143 - 1 7 (3-4)0 (0-0)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)
2nd group stageArsenalAS Roma2003-03-111 - 1 4 (1-3)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
2nd group stageInternazionaleBarcelona2003-02-260 - 0 5 (2-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
2nd group stageAC MilanReal Madrid2002-11-261 - 0 3 (1-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageAjaxInternazionale2002-11-121 - 2 6 (1-5)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
WC 2002
1/2 finalsGermanyKorea Republic2002-06-251 - 0 3 (2-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageKorea RepublicUSA2002-06-101 - 1 3 (1-2)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
WC 2002 qualifiers - Europe
play-offsBelgiumCzech Republic2001-11-101 - 0 2 (2-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
PortugalNetherlands2001-03-282 - 2 8 (3-5)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
NorwayUkraine2000-10-110 - 1 2 (1-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
WC 2002 qualifiers - S. America
ArgentinaBrazil2001-09-052 - 1 5 (3-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 2001-2002
finalLeverkusenReal Madrid2002-05-151 - 2 2 (0-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
1/4 finalsBarcelonaPanathinaikos2002-04-093 - 1 6 (3-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
2nd group stageArsenalDeportivo La Coruna2002-03-120 - 2 5 (1-4)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
2nd group stageGalatasarayLiverpool2002-02-261 - 1 4 (2-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
2nd group stageJuventusLeverkusen2001-11-294 - 0 3 (2-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageLille OSCManchester United2001-10-311 - 1 4 (2-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageArsenalPanathinaikos2001-10-162 - 1 7 (4-3)0 (0-0)2 (1-1)0 (0-0)
qualifiers 3rd roundGlasgow RangersFenerbahce SK2001-08-080 - 0 7 (1-6)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 2000-2001
1/2 finalsValenciaLeeds United2001-05-083 - 0 2 (2-0)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
2nd group stageDeportivo La CorunaPSG2001-03-074 - 3 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
2nd group stageLyonArsenal2001-02-130 - 1 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
2nd group stageAC MilanGalatasaray2000-11-212 - 2 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
1st group stageBarcelonaBesiktas2000-11-085 - 0 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
1st group stageReal MadridSporting2000-10-254 - 0 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
1st group stageJuventusDeportivo La Coruna2000-09-260 - 0 0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
UEFA Cup 2000 - 2001
1/2 finalsLiverpoolBarcelona2001-04-191 - 0 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
Euro 2000
group stageEnglandRomania2000-06-202 - 3 6 (1-5)0 (0-0)2 (1-1)0 (0-0)
group stageDenmarkNetherlands2000-06-130 - 3 5 (1-4)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
UEFA Cup 1999 - 2000
3rd roundGlasgow RangersDortmund1999-11-252 - 0 5 (1-4)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 1999-2000
1/2 finalsValenciaBarcelona2000-05-024 - 1 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
1st group stageArsenalBarcelona1999-10-192 - 4 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)
1st group stageBordeauxSpartak Moskva1999-09-282 - 1 3 (2-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
1st group stageGalatasarayHertha BSC1999-09-152 - 2 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
Euro 2000 qualifiers
play-offsSloveniaUkraine1999-11-132 - 1 9 (4-5)2 (0-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
play-offsSlovakiaUkraine1999-10-132 - 1 4 (3-1)2 (0-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
SwedenPoland1999-10-092 - 0 5 (1-4)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
SwedenPoland1999-10-092 - 0 5 (1-4)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
IrelandMacedonia1999-06-091 - 0 1 (0-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
HungaryPortugal1998-09-061 - 3 3 (0-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
friendly
BrazilGermany2004-09-081 - 1 3 (1-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
NetherlandsPortugal2003-04-301 - 1 3 (2-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
NetherlandsBelgium1999-09-045 - 5 9 (4-5)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
GermanyScotland1999-04-280 - 1 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
EnglandCzech Republic1998-11-102 - 0 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
FranceSpain1998-01-281 - 0 3 (0-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 1998-1999
1/2 finalsJuventusManchester United1999-04-212 - 3 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
1/4 finalsKaiserslauternBayern Munich1999-03-170 - 4 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)
group stageAthletic BilbaoGalatasaray1998-12-091 - 0 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageSpartak MoskvaInternazionale1998-11-041 - 1 4 (1-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
qualifiers 2nd roundClub BruggeRosenborg1998-08-264 - 2 4 (1-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
UEFA Cup 1998 - 1999
1st roundSteauaValencia1998-09-153 - 4 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
WC 1998
round of 16NigeriaDenmark1998-06-281 - 4 2 (1-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageUSAIran1998-06-211 - 2 3 (1-2)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
UEFA Cup 1997 - 1998
1/4 finalsInternazionaleSchalke 041998-03-031 - 0 8 (3-5)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
2nd roundAjaxUdinese1997-10-211 - 0 5 (2-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 1997-1998
1/2 finalsMonacoJuventus1998-04-153 - 2 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageBesiktasBayern Munich1997-11-260 - 2 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageSportingMonaco1997-09-173 - 0 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 1996-1997
1/2 finalsManchester UnitedDortmund1997-04-230 - 1 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
group stageSteauaAtlético de Madrid1996-11-201 - 1 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
qualifiersAlania VladikavkazGlasgow Rangers1996-08-212 - 7 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)1 (1-0)0 (0-0)
European Cup2 1996 - 1997
1/4 finalsPSGAEK1997-03-060 - 0 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
UEFA Cup 1996 - 1997
2nd roundAS RomaKarlsruhe1996-10-292 - 1 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
1st roundArsenalBorussia Mönchengladbach1996-09-102 - 3 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
WC 1998 qualifiers - Europe
Czech RepublicSlovakia1997-10-113 - 0 5 (2-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
PolandEngland1997-05-310 - 2 6 (4-2)0 (0-0)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)
SloveniaDenmark1996-09-010 - 2 5 (4-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Champions League 1995-1996
group stageBlackburn RoversLegia Warszawa1995-11-010 - 0 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
UEFA Cup 1995 - 1996
1st roundSporting FarenseLyon1995-09-120 - 1 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
Euro 1996 qualifiers
GeorgiaBulgaria1995-10-112 - 1 4 (3-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
AlbaniaMoldova1995-03-293 - 0 2 (1-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
UEFA Cup 1994 - 1995
2nd roundNapoliBoavista FC1994-11-022 - 1 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
1st roundFenerbahce SKCannes1994-09-271 - 5 0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
1st roundOlimpijaEintracht Frankfurt1994-09-151 - 1 6 (3-3)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)
qualifiersSkontoAberdeen1994-08-090 - 0 0 (0-0)1 (0-1)0 (0-0)0 (0-0)