Alexei Borisovich Kovalev (Russian: Алексе́й Бори́сович Ковалёв; born 10 August 1973 in Tambov, USSR[1]) is a Russian former football referee. In his youth, he was a football player. He played as a midfielder for the amateur team FC Lokomotiv Tambov.[2]
Kovalev began his refereeing career in 1993 and, since 2006, he officiated matches in the Russian championship, at a regional level. He is the Chairman of the Board of Tambov Football Federation referees.[1] in 2008, Kovalev took third place in the contest Golden mantle, awarded to the best referees of Russia.[1] He retired as a referee in 2016.