Romanian Ovidiu Haţegan to take charge of Spain's quest for first place

Referee Ovidiu Haţegan will take charge of an international fixture for only the third time in his 15-year career as an international referee, he will referee a match for the Spanish national team, having overseen draws against Finland in 2013 and England in 2016.

Born 43 years ago in the Transylvanian town of Arad, Haţegan graduated in Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Timisoara, combining these activities with a prolific refereeing career in Romania and at the most prestigious international competitions.

On a personal level, two momentous events have happened to him on the field of play: firstly, in 2018, the sad news of the death of his mother was broken to him during the half-time break of a Nations League match and he decided to finish the match. Secondly, he suffered a heart attack, which he thankfully overcame, after a training session last year.

Ovidiu Haţegan will be assisted on the sidelines by his compatriots Mircea Mihail Grigoriu and Sebastian Gheorghe for Sunday's Spain-Georgia match in Valladolid, where the national team will be playing for top spot in the group and to be a top seed for next year's European Championship group stage. Radu Petrescu is also Romanian, while the VAR studio will be manned by Romania's Cătălin Popa and Sebastian Colţescu.