1. Massimo Busacca was born on 6 February 1969 and is a Swiss former football referee, who is FIFA Director of Refereeing, overseeing the protection of football's core values and the continuous improvement of the game through the development of match officials and referee coaches.
Massimo Busacca used to play football in a lower division in Ticino.
Massimo Busacca was a Swiss Super League Referee from 1996 to 2011 and a FIFA referee from 1999 to 2011.
In 2006, Massimo Busacca refereed the Swiss championship-deciding match at St Jakob-Park, between FC Basel and FC Zurich that resulted in the 2006 Basel Hooligan Incident.
Massimo Busacca took charge of the 2007 UEFA Cup Final at Hampden Park on 16 May, one of the biggest appointments for a UEFA referee.
Massimo Busacca sent off RCD Espanyol midfielder Moises Hurtado for a second bookable offence during the match.
Massimo Busacca was selected to referee at the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland.
At the tournament, Massimo Busacca was the referee for the Group C game between Netherlands and Romania, the Group D game between Greece and Sweden and the semi Final match between Germany and Turkey.
Massimo Busacca was selected to referee the UEFA Champions League Final in Rome on 27 May 2009 between FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
On 19 September 2009, Massimo Busacca was the referee in a Swiss Cup match between FC Baden and BSC Young Boys.
Massimo Busacca initially denied making the obscene gesture but was handed a three-match ban by the Swiss Football Association and was forced to issue an apology.
Massimo Busacca was chosen to be a referee at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Massimo Busacca was selected as a referee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and refereed the South Africa vs Uruguay game.
Massimo Busacca awarded a penalty and showed the red card to the South African goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune, in the 77th minute, for tripping the Uruguay striker, Luis Suarez.
Massimo Busacca has overseen refereeing matters at the 2014,2018 and 2022 editions of the FIFA World Cup, as well as at the 2015,2019 and 2023 versions of the Women's World Cup.
Massimo Busacca currently serves as FIFA Director Refereeing and as such, he has promoted the development of refereeing on a worldwide basis, including the use of technology and the promotion of female referees who now officiate at the highest level of the game.
Massimo Busacca is a devout Catholic and was crowned Switzerland's non-smoker of the year in 2006.