Who is the referee for FA Cup final? Meet man with whistle for Manchester City vs Manchester United

A Manchester derby will take place in the FA Cup final for the first time in the competition’s history.

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are looking to keep their dream of doing the treble alive. The Citizens were crowned Premier League champions last month - their third consecutive title.

Erik Ten Hag and his Manchester United side are aiming to win their second domestic cup of the year - having already triumphed at Wembley Stadium in the League Cup final earlier in the season. The Red Devils have won the FA Cup 12 times, while their rivals across the city have won the competition six times.

But who will be the match officials for the titanic clash on Saturday, 3 June? Here’s all you need to know:

Who is referee for FA Cup final?

The FA announced last month that Paul Tierney would have the whistle for the match at Wembley Stadium. He will lead the team of officials taking charge of the FA Cup final.

Tierney said: “Obviously, I was really pleased to get the call on Monday morning, so it was a good start to the week as I was on my way to a training camp at St. George’s Park. It’s a real honour for me and the rest of the team, and we’re all thrilled to have been appointed for this game.“It’s a great fixture to be refereeing too and although there is the common assumption that because I’m from Wigan I must support one of them, I was actually born in Belfast and only moved to Wigan when I was eleven and it’s actually going to be the first time that I’ve refereed a Manchester derby so I’m looking forward to it.

“To referee the FA Cup Final is one of those things that you strive to do and it’s always been one of my targets but it still takes a bit of time to sink in. The first time I was involved at Wembley was as an assistant referee for the 2009 FA Cup semi-final between Arsenal and Chelsea and it’s just the best place to be involved in a football game.“I’ve since been fortunate to referee there and be involved in more games and it’s something that always sticks with you. Obviously, this game is going to top the lot on a personal level, so I’m looking forward to it and hopefully the Final will be a great game.”

Tierney is a Lancashire-based official from Wigan.

Who are the assistant referees?

Joining Tierney on Saturday afternoon will be assistant referees Neil Davies and Scott Ledger, fourth official Peter Bankes and reserve assistant referee Adrian Holmes.

Who is VAR for the game?

VAR will be in operation for the FA Cup final with David Coote taking charge. He will be joined by assistant VAR Simon Long.