Pedro Proença | |||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Proença in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| President of thePortuguese Football Federation | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 18 February 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Fernando Gomes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Pedro Proença Oliveira Alves García (1970-11-03)3 November 1970 (age 55) Lisbon, Portugal | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Pedro Proença Oliveira Alves García (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈpeðɾupɾuˈẽsɐ]; born 3 November 1970) is a Portuguese formerfootballreferee who has served as the president of thePortuguese Football Federation since February 2025.[1][2]
Proença refereed several notable matches domestically and internationally, including theSupertaça Cândido de Oliveira,Taça de Portugal finals,Taça da Liga finals, as well as the 2012 finals of both theUEFA Champions League andUEFA European Championship, becoming the first referee to overview both finals of the main European competitions for clubs and national teams in the same year.[3]
In 2006–07, he was named as the Portuguese Referee of the Year. He was promoted to UEFA's Elite category at the start of the 2009–10 season. On 22 June 2011, he was named as "Best Referee" for the 2010–11 season by thePortuguese Football Federation. In January 2013, he was voted by theIFFHS as the Best Referee of 2012.[4]
Proença retired from refereeing in January 2015. In July 2015, six months after retiring from refereeing, he was elected president of thePortuguese Professional Football League, a position he retained until 2025.[5]
Proença started refereeing in thePortuguese Liga in 1998, being promoted to the FIFA international referee list in 2003.
On 10 August 2003, he officiated theSupertaça Cândido de Oliveira, his first final in Portuguese competitions. The match, which took place atEstádio D. Afonso Henriques, featurePorto andUnião de Leiria. A year later, he took charge of three matches at the2004 UEFA Under-19 Championships, including the final betweenTurkey andSpain.
In December 2004, he officiated his firstUEFA Cup match, the second leg of the first round tie betweenAEK Athens andGorica. He was appointed to lead the 2007 Taça de Portugal Final, in a match betweenSporting CP andBelenenses.
After refereeing qualifying matches in the previous two seasons, he refereed his firstUEFA Champions League group stage match in September 2007, a 2–1 win forPSV Eindhoven overCSKA Moscow.
On 22 March 2008, he refereed the final of the first edition of theTaça da Liga. The final was played at theEstádio Algarve inFaro, betweenVitória de Setúbal and Sporting CP. Vitória de Setúbal won 3–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw.
In 2010 he refereed theTaça de Portugal final betweenChaves andPorto (2–1). The following year he once again officiated theTaça da Liga final, betweenPaços de Ferreira and the title holdersBenfica. Benfica went on to win 2–1 to take their fourth Taça da Liga in a row.
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On 13 May 2012, he was chosen to referee the2012 UEFA Champions League Final, betweenChelsea andBayern Munich.[6]
He was named one of the 12 referees selected by UEFA to take charge of games at theUEFA Euro 2012. He was in charge of theGroup C fixture betweenSpain andRepublic of Ireland on 10 June 2012,Group D fixture betweenSweden andFrance on 19 June 2012 and thequarter-final betweenEngland andItaly on 24 June 2012. On 29 June 2012, UEFA announced that he would referee thefinal betweenSpain andItaly,[7] thus becoming the first Portuguese to referee a European Championship final. LikeHoward Webb, who refereed the2010 FIFA World Cup Final, he also refereed the Champions League final in the same year as taking charge of the final of a major international tournament.
On 22 January 2015, Proença announced his retirement from refereeing.[8][9]
On 3 July 2015, he was elected for the UEFA Referees Committee.[10] Later that month, on 28 July, he was elected the new president of theProfessional Football League.[11]
In February 2025, he announced his candidacy for the presidency of thePortuguese Football Federation.[12]
In the summer of 2011, Proença was assaulted by aBenfica supporter at theColombo Centre in Lisbon. He washeadbutted in the face, leaving him with two broken teeth. Three years later, the aggressor was sentenced to 18 months in prison with suspended sentence.[13][14]
Proença has one daughter.[15] He was married to Carla Rufino from 2014 to 2021.[16][17]
| Preceded by | UEFA Champions League Final referee 2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | UEFA European Championship Final referee 2012 | Succeeded by |
Men's winners
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