Steve Bennett will referee the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium. The Kent official has been selected to take charge of the showpiece event between Manchester United and Chelsea on May 19, having previously been used as a linesman and a fourth official for the 1995 and 2001 finals respectively.

He will be assisted by Peter Kirkup (Northamptonshire) and Dave Bryan (Lincolnshire). Howard Webb (Sheffield and Hallamshire) will act as fourth official. Bennett has previously refereed the 2005 Carling Cup final.

Meanwhile Chelsea have regsieted their disappointment about the allocation of tickets for the FA Cup Final. Chelsea and Manchester United have each been given 25,000 tickets, with a further 17,000 seats taken by Club Wembley members on 10-year leases. The remaining 23,000 tickets will go to other clubs alongside grass roots and other football organisations.

These include the 92 Premier League and Football League clubs, the 134 full member clubs, the Football Foundation, the Professional Footballers' Association, international associations, FIFA, UEFA and county football associations, as well as FA representatives.

"We were very disappointed to receive this news as many of our regular fans will now miss out on a great day for both clubs," read a Chelsea club statement.

The FA have already come under fire for their ticket pricing for the match, with critics claiming that the cost of an adult ticket, between £35 and £95, is too high and out of step with other European nations.