Concetto Lo Bello (13 May 1924 – 9 September 1991) was an Italian association football international referee. He holds the record for refereeing the most games in Serie A (328).
Career Lo Bello's career spanned from 1944 to 1974, refereeing his first international match in 1958.
He officiated in 34 international matches, including the West Germany–USSR semi-final at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. He had been provisionally chosen to referee the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final, but the Italian team reached the final, so he could not officiate.
Lo Bello also refereed the European Cup finals of 1968 and 1970, as well as the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1967, the second leg of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final in 1966, the second leg of the 1966 Intercontinental Cup, and the second leg of the UEFA Cup final in 1974. He was also the referee for the final of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, between Yugoslavia and Denmark, as well as the play-off match between France and Bulgaria to qualify for the 1962 World Cup in Chile, and the bronze medal match at Euro 1964 in Spain, between USSR and Denmark. Including both international matches and international club competitions, Lo Bello took charge of 93 games as a referee.
After retirement After retirement, Lo Bello entered politics in 1972, as a member of parliament for the Christian Democrat party. He was Minister of Sport for a spell, and, briefly, was Minister for Drought. In 1986, he was elected mayor of Syracuse, but was only in the job for five months. In 2012, he was posthumously inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.
Personal life Lo Bello's son, Rosario, was also a referee.
Major matches refereed +DateMatchTournamentVenueResultRef10 September 1960Yugoslavia vs. Denmark1960 Summer Olympics finalStadio Flaminio, Rome3–121 September 1966Zaragoza vs. Barcelona1966 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final (second leg)La Romareda, Zaragoza2–4 (3–4 on aggregate)26 October 1966Real Madrid vs. Peñarol1966 Intercontinental Cup final (second leg)Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid0–2 (0–4 on aggregate)31 May 1967Bayern Munich vs. Rangers1967 European Cup Winners' Cup final Städtisches Stadion, Nuremberg1–0 (a.e.t.)29 May 1968Benfica vs. Manchester United1968 European Cup Final Wembley Stadium, London1–4 (a.e.t.)6 May 1970Feyenoord vs. Celtic1970 European Cup FinalSan Siro, Milan2–1 (a.e.t.)29 May 1974Feyenoord vs. Tottenham Hotspur1974 UEFA Cup Final (second leg)De Kuip, Rotterdam2–0 (4–2 on aggregate)
Honours Giovanni Mauro Award for Best Italian International Referee of the Season: 1963 Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2012
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