Kim Milton Nielsen
Encyclopedia
Kim Milton Nielsen is a former international football referee. An IT
manager by trade, Nielsen is noted for his impressive height of 1.96m, making him taller than most players. Nielsen began refereeing at 15 years of age, as he wanted to know the Laws of Football
. A decade later, he began taking charge of Danish top-flight games, and he was awarded his FIFA
international badge in 1988 when he was still in his late 20s.
His career includes 154 internationals and 53 UEFA Champions League
games. In 1993, he earned his first major UEFA
call-up for the UEFA Super Cup first leg between SV Werder Bremen
and FC Barcelona
. An appointment for a final followed the next year - the 1994 UEFA Cup
final first leg between SV Austria Salzburg and Inter Milan.
Nielsen refereed the Russia
-Germany
match at UEFA Euro 96 in England
, and followed this up with duty at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
in France
. He took charge of two matches, including the clash between England
and Argentina
in Saint-Étienne
, where he is remembered for sending off England's David Beckham
for kicking out at Argentina's Diego Simeone after the Argentinian had fouled him. England went on to lose the match on penalties, and Beckham was blamed and vilified by the English tabloids for causing the loss as a result of his sending-off. He was noted as the newsmaker of June 1998 on the BBC
website where he gave his thoughts about the match and Beckham's sending off.
At UEFA Euro 2000, Nielsen was put in charge of the Germany-Romania
and Turkey
-Belgium encounters, although the latter match ended in disappointment as he was forced out of the competition with a leg injury. He was replaced by Gunter Benko
. The 2002 FIFA World Cup
represented another milestone, as he officiated the semi-final between Brazil
and Turkey
.
He received another accolade after being appointed as the referee for the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League final between AS Monaco FC
and FC Porto at the Arena aufSchalke
in Gelsenkirchen
. He was on duty in Portugal
as one of the 12 UEFA Euro 2004 referees.
Nielsen attracted further controversy in a UEFA Champions League 2005-06
Group Stage match between Spanish side Villarreal CF
and Manchester United
, when he immediately showed a second yellow card and sent off Manchester United's Wayne Rooney
for sarcastically clapping in his face after he had initially been shown a yellow card. 'Even sarcastic play is not allowed, the referee cannot accept that,' Nielsen said of his decision to BBC Radio 5 Live
.
In 2006, Nielsen reached the UEFA regulated age limit of 45. He ended his UEFA refereeing career on May 16, 2006, following the last game of the Danish Superliga
championship.
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
manager by trade, Nielsen is noted for his impressive height of 1.96m, making him taller than most players. Nielsen began refereeing at 15 years of age, as he wanted to know the Laws of Football
Laws of football
Laws of football may refer to:* Laws of rugby league* Laws of rugby union* Laws of the Game * Laws of Australian football* American football rules...
. A decade later, he began taking charge of Danish top-flight games, and he was awarded his FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
international badge in 1988 when he was still in his late 20s.
His career includes 154 internationals and 53 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
games. In 1993, he earned his first major UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
call-up for the UEFA Super Cup first leg between SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
and FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. An appointment for a final followed the next year - the 1994 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
final first leg between SV Austria Salzburg and Inter Milan.
Nielsen refereed the Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
-Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
match at UEFA Euro 96 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and followed this up with duty at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He took charge of two matches, including the clash between England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
and Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
in Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
, where he is remembered for sending off England's David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
for kicking out at Argentina's Diego Simeone after the Argentinian had fouled him. England went on to lose the match on penalties, and Beckham was blamed and vilified by the English tabloids for causing the loss as a result of his sending-off. He was noted as the newsmaker of June 1998 on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
website where he gave his thoughts about the match and Beckham's sending off.
At UEFA Euro 2000, Nielsen was put in charge of the Germany-Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
and Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
-Belgium encounters, although the latter match ended in disappointment as he was forced out of the competition with a leg injury. He was replaced by Gunter Benko
Günter Benkö
Günter Benkö is a retired football referee from Austria, best known for supervising two matches during the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He also led two matches at the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship held in Belgium and Holland...
. The 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
represented another milestone, as he officiated the semi-final between Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
and Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
.
He received another accolade after being appointed as the referee for the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League final between AS Monaco FC
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
and FC Porto at the Arena aufSchalke
Veltins-Arena
Veltins-Arena is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001, as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04....
in Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
. He was on duty in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
as one of the 12 UEFA Euro 2004 referees.
Nielsen attracted further controversy in a UEFA Champions League 2005-06
UEFA Champions League 2005-06
The 2005–06 UEFA Champions League was the 51st staging of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, and the 14th since it was rebranded from the European Cup in 1992. 74 teams from 50 football associations took part, starting with the first qualifying round played...
Group Stage match between Spanish side Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, when he immediately showed a second yellow card and sent off Manchester United's Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
for sarcastically clapping in his face after he had initially been shown a yellow card. 'Even sarcastic play is not allowed, the referee cannot accept that,' Nielsen said of his decision to BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
.
In 2006, Nielsen reached the UEFA regulated age limit of 45. He ended his UEFA refereeing career on May 16, 2006, following the last game of the Danish Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
championship.