League of Ireland referee Paul McLaughlin to referee Europa League qualifier in Hungary

A League of Ireland team of officials led by referee Paul McLaughlin will take charge of Thursday night’s Europa League first qualifying round second leg between Fehérvár and Zeta in Hungary.

The Donegal man will lead a team featuring assistant referees Robert Clarke and Emmett Dynan and fourth official Graham Kelly for the game at Puskás Akadémia in Budapest.

Hungarian runners-up Fehérvár lead 5-1 following the first leg in Montenegro thanks to a hat-trick from stirker Loic Nego and one each from captain Roland Juhász and Szabolcs Huszti.

Garda McLaughlin, who hails from the Inishowen peninsula in Donegal, has been on the League of Ireland referees panel since 2008.

In 2017, he took charge of the FAI Cup final between Cork City and Dundalk, which the Rebel Army won 5-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

McLaughlin was fourth official to fellow League of Ireland ref Rob Harvey for the Euro 2020 qualifier between Sweden and Malta last month, a game the Swedes won 3-0.

He also represented Ireland at home during the 2019 European Under-17 Championships as a fourth official.