Irish Cup Final 2022

George Argyropoulos Assistant Referee 1

Ken Ross Assistant Referee 1

George, who is currently the Honorary Consul of Greece in Northern Ireland, started refereeing in 2006 in parallel with his studies for a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Biotechnology. He officiated at his first Irish League match in 2012 and was promoted on to the FIFA list in 2016. This is his second Irish Cup Final. He has more than 30 international appointments under his belt with highlights including an Israel v Latvia Euro 2020 qualifier, an Estonia v Serbia friendly in Tallinn and a Malta v Iceland friendly in Valletta. He said: ‘’It’s an honour to referee at the highest level in Northern Ireland and also to represent the country in international games as a FIFAAssistant Referee.’’

Ken began refereeing in 2009 in the BB Old Boys League before becoming an assistant referee in 2011. He then gained promotion to the Irish FA Premier Assistant Referees panel in 2012. His achievements have included involvement in various referee exchanges, including withMalta and Latvia, a Europa League qualifyingmatch in the Faroe Islands and officiating in the Setanta Sports Cup Final. Ken officiated in the 2015 Irish Cup Final as fourth official. He said: "It’s great to be appointed as assistant referee for such a prestigious final.”

Lee Tavinder Fourth Official

John Doherty Reserve Assistant Referee

Lee started refereeing in 1997, progressing to refereeing at National League level in England. He refereed the Staffordshire County Cup final at Stoke City’s ground and a quarter-final of the FA Youth Cup at Anfield before moving to Northern Ireland in 2007. He has been refereeing in Northern Ireland’s top flight since 2014 and has refereed over 120matches in the NIFL Premiership. He said: “I have been privileged to officiate in games in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and U21 internationals as well as being involved in League Cup and Irish Cup semi-finals. Being part of the Irish Cup final team is another great career highlight and it’s an honour to be involved in the showpiece event.”

John began refereeing in 2015 and, after specialising as an assistant in the 2017-18 season, was promoted to the NIFL Premiership panel in the 2020-21 season. He has taken part in referee exchange programmes in Liverpool andMalta and later this month will participate in the UEFA CORE programme. His officiating highlights include twoMid Ulster Senior Cup finals, a NIFL League Cup semi-final and a UEFA Youth League match in Denmark. John said he is honoured to be involved in the biggest game in the domestic football calendar.

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