2018 FIFA World Cup officials
The following is a list of match officials (referees, assistant referees, and video assistant referees) who officiated at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Referees and assistant referees[]
On 29 March 2018, FIFA published the list of 36 referees and 63 assistant referees, on the basis of nationality, from all six football confederations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[1] These were selected from a longlist of 53 trios.[2]
Out of these, one referee and one assistant referee were dropped from the list and were not replaced. The two assistant referees associated with the dropped referee also withdrew, but were replaced in the roster.[3][4]
On 12 July 2018, FIFA announced that Argentine referee Néstor Pitana would take charge of the final.[5]
Video assistant referees[]
On 30 April 2018, FIFA announced 13 video assistant referees (VARs) had been appointed.[6][7] For each World Cup game, there will be one VAR and three AVARs (Assistant Video Assistant Referees), each responsible for different situations. They will be supporting the main referee from the Video Operation Room based at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Moscow.[8]
Referees withdrawn and replaced[]
Referee Fahad Al-Mirdasi (Saudi Arabia) was withdrawn due to attempted match-fixing at the 2018 King Cup Final.[9] His assistant referees were also withdrawn:
- Mohammed Al-Abakry (Saudi Arabia)
- Abdulah Al-Shalwai (Saudi Arabia)
No referee was called up to replace Al-Mirdasi, but two assistant referees were called up to complete the referee teams of Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates) and Ryuji Sato (Japan), respectively:[10][11]
- Hasan Al Mahri (United Arab Emirates)
- Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japan)
Assistant referee Marwa Range (Kenya) also withdrew after the BBC released an investigation conducted by a Ghanaian journalist which implicated Marwa in a bribery scandal.[12]
References[]
- ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of match officials" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 29 March 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ "36 referees and 63 assistant referees appointed as Russia 2018 Match Officials". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: Updated list of match officials" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "Referees of the 2018 FIFA World Cup: Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "Néstor Pitana to referee the World Cup Final".
- ^ FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - News - Thirteen video assistant referees appointed for 2018 FIFA World Cup - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Video match officials" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ "VAR at the 2018 FIFA World Cup". Football Technology. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "World Cup 2018: Referee Fahad Al-Mirdasi dropped for attempted match fixing in Saudi Arabia". BBC Sport. 30 May 2018.
- ^ "FIFA statement on the situation of the Saudi Arabian referee Fahad AL MIRDASI". FIFA.com. 30 May 2018.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: Updated list of match officials" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. May 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "Betraying the Game: African officials filmed taking cash". BBC. 7 June 2018.
External links[]
- 2018 FIFA World Cup
- FIFA World Cup referees