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German referee Siebert gets Arsenal-PSG in Champions League final after missing out on World Cup

By The Associated Press

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — German referee Daniel Siebert was picked Monday by UEFA for the Champions League final after FIFA left him off its World Cup list.

The game between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain on May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest will be Siebert’s 10th in the Champions League this season — and the third straight round he will have worked an Arsenal match.

Siebert handled Arsenal’s 1-0 wins at Sporting Lisbon in the quarterfinals first leg, and at home to Atletico Madrid in the semifinals second leg.

He refereed PSG once this season, in a league phase game at Athletic Bilbao that ended 0-0.

In his nine Champions League games this season Siebert has shown two red cards and awarded just one penalty kick.

FIFA did take Seibert to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where he worked two group-stage games, Tunisia-Australia and Ghana-Uruguay. He was not picked for the 2026 tournament in North America, with FIFA selecting his fellow German Felix Zwayer.

Siebert worked at the past two European Championships, handling a total of five games.

Other UEFA club finals

The Women’s Champions League final between Barcelona and OL Lyonnes will be refereed by Tess Olofsson of Sweden. The game is on May 23 in Oslo, Norway. Olofsson worked the women’s final at the 2024 Paris Olympics tournament, won by the United States 1-0 against Brazil.

French referee François Letexier, who handled the men’s Euro 2024 final, was picked by UEFA for the Europa League final. Aston Villa will play Freiburg on May 20 in Istanbul.

The Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano on May 27 in Leipzig, Germany, will be refereed by Maurizio Mariani of Italy. Mariani worked the Champions League quarterfinals, second-leg game at Anfield last month where he awarded a penalty to Liverpool against PSG then overruled himself after a video review.

Letexier and Mariani are both among the 52 referees FIFA is taking to the World Cup where 104 games will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

By WTOP Staff
▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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