Martin Atkinson has been handed the honour of officiating next month's FA Cup final between Man City and Stoke.
Yorkshireman shrugs off Fergie criticism to officiate FA Cup final
Martin Atkinson has been handed the honour of officiating next month's FA Cup final between Manchester City and Stoke.
The 40-year-old from Wakefield will referee the Wembley showpiece on 14th May with his assistants named as Adam Watts from Worcestershire and Bedfordshire's Simon Beck.
Atkinson, a police officer who was the fourth official at the 2009 FA Cup final, said it was a dream come true to be chosen.
He said: "It's such a massive game domestically and I'm very proud and honoured to be appointed.
"I started refereeing when I was 15 and never thought back then that I'd be walking out as the FA Cup final referee at Wembley Stadium one day."
Atkinson's first cup final was as a teenage junior referee in the Spen Valley League in the Dewsbury and Heckmondwike area of West Yorkshire.
Experience
He added: "I started off with those sorts of games, built up some experience there and then just moved my way up through the different levels of district football."
Other notable games he has taken charge of include the 2006 Community Shield, the 2009 FA Cup semi-final between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley, and earlier this month Schalke's UEFA Champions League quarter-final 5-2 triumph over Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Atkinson added: "My team on the day are all Fifa international officials and we've all worked together before so it's great that they're being recognised and I'm delighted for them.
"I'm great friends with Howard Webb so I'll be speaking to the likes of him, David Elleray and Mike Riley about refereeing the FA Cup final.
"They've got great experience in those sorts of games and will really help me prepare for 14 May."
But Atkinson is no stranger to controversy, having recently been at the centre of the storm that led to Sir Alex Ferguson picking up a five-match touchline ban.
The Manchester United boss criticised the referee for awarding a late penalty against his side and failing to send off David Luiz after the Red Devils lost 2-1 at Chelsea.
Ferguson, who was banned and fined, claimed that he "feared the worst" when learning of Atkinson's appointment for the match - the same official who had also angered him during the 1-0 defeat by the Blues last season.
