View source for Anders Frisk

{{Short description|Swedish football referee (born 1963)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2009}}
{{Infobox person
| image       = <!-- Only freely-licensed images may be used to depict living people.  See [[WP:NONFREE]].  -->
| name        = Per Stefan Anders Frisk
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1963|2|18|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Gothenburg]], Sweden
| death_date  =
| death_place =
| occupation  = [[Insurance]] agent, [[referee (association football)|football referee]]
| spouse      = [[Erika Larhag Frisk]]
| children    = 4
}}

'''Anders Frisk''' (born 18 February 1963) is a Swedish insurance agent by trade and a former [[Referee (association football)|football referee]]. Frisk chose to go into early retirement from refereeing due to pressure from death threats made against him and his family.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/mar/13/football.deniscampbell|title=Top referee Anders Frisk quits|author=The Guardian | location=London | date=13 March 2005 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> He is fluent in several languages including his native [[Swedish (language)|Swedish]], English and German.

==Career==
Frisk was born on 18 February 1963 in the Swedish city of [[Gothenburg]], and lives in [[Mölndal]], his hometown, where he runs a historic cinema.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gp.se/kulturnoje/1.1989030-anders-frisk-bakom-ny-biosatsning|title=Anders Frisk bakom ny biosatsning|last=Domellöf-Wik|first=Maria|date=2 September 2013|work=[[Göteborgs-Posten]]|language=sv|access-date=2 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231052914/http://www.gp.se/kulturnoje/1.1989030-anders-frisk-bakom-ny-biosatsning|archive-date=31 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> He began refereeing in 1978 and took charge of [[Allsvenskan|Swedish top-division]] matches for the first time in 1989. He was awarded his [[FIFA]] badge in 1991. In addition to refereeing at the highest level, Frisk also acts as an [[ambassador]] for the [[UEFA]]/[[International Committee of the Red Cross]] campaign highlighting the plight of children in war. He travelled to [[Sierra Leone]] for a first-hand view of the ICRC's work, and declared himself deeply moved by the scenes of reunited families.

In 1991, he travelled to [[Switzerland]] to take charge of matches in the UEFA European Under-16 Championship final round. He became a [[FIFA]] international referee at the age of 28, his first international match was Iceland against Turkey on 17 July 1991. A stint at the [[Football Under-17 World Championship|FIFA Under-17 World Championship]] in Japan two years later was followed by recognition at elite UEFA levels.

Picked for [[1996 UEFA European Football Championship|Euro 96]] in England, Frisk refereed the 3-3 group match between [[Russia national football team|Russia]] and the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]] in [[Liverpool]]. He was forced to miss the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]] in France in 1998 with a back injury, but recovered in time to take charge of the 1999 [[Confederations Cup]] final between [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] and [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] in the [[Estadio Azteca]], [[Mexico City]]. Soon after, he was selected to officiate the [[2000 UEFA European Football Championship|Euro 2000]] final between [[France national football team|France]] and [[Italy national football team|Italy]] at the [[Feijenoord Stadion]] in [[Rotterdam]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=26 June 2000 |title=Frisk in charge of final |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/euro2000/806920.stm |work=[[BBC]] |location=London, England |access-date=June 4, 2024}}</ref>

After that appointment, he took charge of two matches in the [[Football World Cup 2002|2002 World Cup]] in [[Korea]] and Japan: a group match between Brazil and China, and a second-round match between the Republic of Ireland and Spain. The referee for the Final, [[Pierluigi Collina]], later wrote in his autobiography that Frisk had been the only other official that he had considered to have the credentials to receive the appointment. Later in 2004, Frisk took charge of the [[2003–04 UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] semi-final, second leg between [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] and [[AS Monaco|Monaco]]. He also appeared at [[2004 UEFA European Football Championship|Euro 2004]], refereeing the semi-final between [[Dutch national football team|Netherlands]] and [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] and he was [[Fourth official#Fourth official|fourth official]] in the final.

In September 2004, Frisk was forced to abandon a match he was refereeing between [[A.S. Roma|Roma]] and [[FC Dynamo Kyiv|Dynamo Kyiv]] at the [[Stadio Olimpico]] in the group stage of the [[2004–05 UEFA Champions League|2004–05 Champions League]] after he was hit by a coin thrown from the stands as he walked off the field at half-time. He was seen to be bleeding, and subsequently abandoned the match.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated-->|date=17 September 2004 |title=Referee abandons Roma-Kiev clash |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2004/09/17/2003203309 |work=[[Taipei Times]] |access-date=June 4, 2024}}</ref> UEFA eventually awarded the match to Kyiv as a 3–0 forfeit, and ordered that Roma play its remaining two home fixtures in the group stage behind closed doors.

On 12 March 2005, Frisk announced his immediate retirement, citing threats made against his family following a UEFA Champions League tie between [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] and Chelsea, during which he sent off Chelsea's [[Didier Drogba]] for receiving two cautions.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/mar/13/football.deniscampbell|title = Top referee Anders Frisk quits| newspaper=The Observer |date = 13 March 2005 | last1=Campbell | first1=Denis }}</ref> Chelsea's manager, [[José Mourinho]], accused Frisk of inviting Barça manager, [[Frank Rijkaard]], into his room at half-time.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/4420769.stm|title=Uefa report backs Blues on Frisk|date=7 April 2005|work=BBC News|access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> UEFA charged Chelsea with inappropriate conduct following the match and Mourinho received a touchline ban for both legs of Chelsea's quarter-final against [[Bayern Munich]].<ref name=":0" />

On 19 December, Frisk was awarded [[FIFA Presidential Award|FIFA's Presidential Award]] as "recognition for a career cut short following death threats against his family".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4486166.stm | work=BBC News | title=Ronaldinho wins world award again | date=19 December 2005 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> He presided over 118 international games during his 18-year career.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{WorldReferee.com}}
* {{Soccerway referee|anders-frisk/106465}}
* {{EU-Football.info referee}}
* {{WorldFootball.net referee}}
* {{Soccerbase referee}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} Anders Frisk
{{Succession box
 | before = {{flagicon|Thailand}} [[Pirom Un-prasert|Pirom Un-Prasert]]
 |  after = {{flagicon|United Arab Emirates}} [[Ali Bujsaim]] 
 |  title = [[1999 FIFA Confederations Cup Final]] Referee
}}
{{Succession box
 | before = {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Pierluigi Pairetto]]
 |  after = {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Markus Merk]] 
 |  title = [[UEFA Euro 2000 Final]] Referee
}}
{{s-end}}

{{UEFA Euro 1996 referees}}
{{UEFA Euro 2000 referees}}
{{Referees 2002 World Cup}}
{{UEFA Euro 2004 referees}}
{{UEFA Euro finals referees}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frisk, Anders}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Swedish football referees]]
[[Category:2002 FIFA World Cup referees]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 1996 referees]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 2000 referees]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 2004 referees]]
[[Category:UEFA European Championship final referees]]
[[Category:People from Gothenburg]]
{{Sports-official-bio-stub}}