World Cup referee to take Championship play-off final as EFL announce match officials

Premier League referee Michael Oliver will take charge of Luton Town’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final against Coventry City on Saturday after the EFL announced the match officials for the fixture.

The 38-year-old from Northumberland was one of England’s representatives at the World Cup in Qatar recently, taking three matches, Japan versus Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia against Mexico and Brazil’s clash with Croatia.

He has also officiated the FA Cup final twice, plus the League Cup final once and the FA Community Shield final, while this term, he had the whistle for the European Super Cup final between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Oliver has been a top flight official for a number of years now, with extensive Champions League experience too, although he has had one Luton match before, that back in March 2008, a League One clash against Crewe at Kenilworth Road, Town winning 2-1 as Matthew Spring scored twice, one from the penalty spot.

He has also taken four Coventry games in his career as well, the most recent a 3-2 Championship defeat to Ipswich in January 2010, the Sky Blues winning one and drawing the other two.

This term, Oliver has refereed 45 games, handing out 157 yellow cards and just two reds.

The fourth official at Wembley will be Graham Scott, with the VAR referee Andre Marriner.

Stuart Burt and Lee Betts are the referee’s assistants, with Mark Scholes the reserve AR and the AVAR, Richard West.