Pay attention to nationality prior to bet on Euro 2012 final ref
Published:A massive range of markets are available regarding Euro 2012, and Ladbrokes punters can now bet on which referee will officiate the tournament final, with Hungarian Viktor Kassai 5/1 favourite.
Kassai’s price comes not only in light of his officiating skills, but also due to the fact that his native country will not compete in Poland and Ukraine, which undoubtedly bolsters his chances.
Referees would not be allowed to take charge of matches featuring their own country, for obvious reasons, so Kassai, who was the man in the middle of the 2011 Champions League final, is comfortable favourite.
Next in the betting are referees whose countries similarly have no chance of making the final of the championships, due to their homeland sides not travelling to Poland and Ukraine.
Scot Craig Thomson, Slovenian Damir Skomina, and Turk Cuneyt Cakir are each 7/1 shots to be given the honour of officiating the final.
Whilst each of these refs have experience in Champions League matches, amongst other high-profile games, the fact that they have never previously taken charge of a match at a major international tournament could stand against them, hence Kassai’s shorter price.
One man who does have experience in major tournaments though, is England’s Howard Webb.
An 8/1 chance to officiate the final, it would complete a double for the Rotherham-born official, who oversaw the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and Holland.
He would appear to have a very real chance should England fail to make the final.
Portugal’s Pedro Proenca and Swedish ref Jonas Eriksson are the same price as Webb to take the final whistle meanwhile, though again experience in major international tournaments could count against the pair.
Elsewhere, German Wolfgang Stark is lengthier at 12/1, in light of Germany’s side’s touted prospects in the competition.
He, along with 16/1 Carlos Velasco Carballo, who is of Spanish descent, appear to have the most far-fetched of chances bearing in mind that Spain/Germany tops the ‘name the finalists’ betting at 8/1.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
