Thursday 16 June 2016 13:35, UK
Referee Felix Brych has been appointed to officiate England's Group B match against Wales on Thursday - here's all you need to know about him...
The German has regularly taken charge of Bundesliga and Champions League matches this season but has never refereed at a European Championship finals before.
Wales currently sit top of Group B following their 2-1 win over Slovakia on Saturday.
England go into their second group game two points behind their British rivals, after drawing their opener against Russia.
Who is Felix Brych?
Name: Felix Brych
Age: 40
Place of birth: Munich, Germany
2015/16 Stats: 29 matches - 130 cards shown; 125 yellow, 5 red.
International Experience
Though a newcomer to the European Championship finals, Brych has previously refereed a number of international fixtures, two of those at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he sent off Maxi Pereira in Uruguay's 3-1 loss to Costa Rica.
The 40-year-old has presided over four England matches, including a 3-2 friendly win over Scotland, which saw Rickie Lambert score a debut goal just three minutes after coming on.
Brych has also taken charge of two Wales games, most notably their 1-0 win over fellow finalists Belgium in the tournament qualifiers last year.
Controversies
Like most referees, Brych has had his share of criticism. In 2011 he dismissed Nemanja Vidic in Manchester United's 2-0 win away to Romanian side Otelul Galati in the Champions League, a decision which then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson described as "a little harsh".
In the 2014 final of the Europa League, he failed to penalise Sevilla goalkeeper Beto for moving off his line during the penalty shoot-out. The Portuguese stopper saved two Benfica penalties to give the Spaniards victory.
He was accused of bias following his sending-off of Fernando Torres in the Champions League tie between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, showing the striker two yellow cards in the space of six minutes. Statistics revealed post-game that Atletico committed three fewer fouls than their hosts, but received five more yellow cards.
The decision not to dismiss Luis Suarez in the same match was also criticised, with Atletico defender Filipe Luis saying: "I don't know what game the referee was watching. It's shocking… I think Barca are protected. I don't know what a Barcelona player has to do to get sent off."
Other incidents of note
Brych is no stranger to dismissing players from English clubs. In 2011 he sent off Peter Crouch 15 minutes into Tottenham's Champions League match at Real Madrid. Already a goal down, the Londoners went on to lose 4-0.
He also showed a red card to Manchester City's Gael Clichy in their tie against Juventus in 2015.
Brych refereed two matches at the London 2012 Olympic Games, showing two red cards. He also officiated in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Barcelona in the first-leg of the Champions League semi-finals in 2012.
Did you know…
The German is a doctor of law and so is entitled to be referred to as Dr. Felix Brych.
