Valentin Ivanov (footballer, born 1961), Date of Birth, Place of Birth

Valentin Ivanov (footballer, born 1961)

Russian association football referee

Date of Birth: 04-Jul-1961

Place of Birth: Moscow, Russia

Profession: association football referee, association football player

Nationality: Russia

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Valentin Valentinovich Ivanov (Russian: ???????? ???????????? ??????; born 4 July 1961) is a Russian former international football referee and player.
The son of two Olympic champions of 1956, Valentin Ivanov and Lidiya Ivanova, he lives in Moscow where he works as a physical education teacher. As a player, he reached the final of the Soviet Cup in 1983. He speaks Russian and English and has been an international referee since 1 January 1997.
The first international game he refereed was Luxembourg–Poland in 1999.
Before his qualification he served as an assistant referee and officiated 3 games in the 1994 World Cup. He refereed the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, UEFA Euro 2004, and 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. In 2005, he officiated the World Cup qualifiers between Wales and England, and Sweden and Iceland.
Both England and Sweden qualified, and were drawn in the same group in the World Cup proper.
He was also selected to referee the UEFA Champions League semifinal match between Villarreal and Arsenal in 2005–06 season. In Euro 2004, he officiated in 3 games, issuing 15 yellows and 1 red.