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Michael Oliver has the whistle for Spain vs. Belgium Friday at SoFi Stadium.
The English official was the Premier League's youngest referee at 25, and now at 41, he has worked more than 425 matches in that league and 47 in the Champions League. Friday will be his seventh World Cup game. The previous six include the Croatia-Brazil quarterfinal in Qatar and three at this tournament. His last game was Morocco's 3-0 win over Canada in the round of 16.
Oliver averages 5.17 yellow cards per World Cup match, according to Transfermarkt, against a career rate of 3.28. Morocco and Canada combined for eight bookings under his watch. He has never shown a red card at a World Cup, and he has awarded one penalty.
FIFA only barred referees from working their own country's matches, which is why an English official can work a quarterfinal while England is still in the tournament. The winner of this game would not face England until the final.
Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, who are both also English, run the lines. Brazil's Ramon Abatti is the fourth official. Oliver has never been in charge of Spain or Belgium at a major tournament, so both teams will find out what he's like at the same time.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who are the Spain vs. Belgium refs? Meet the World Cup officials
Continue reading...
The English official was the Premier League's youngest referee at 25, and now at 41, he has worked more than 425 matches in that league and 47 in the Champions League. Friday will be his seventh World Cup game. The previous six include the Croatia-Brazil quarterfinal in Qatar and three at this tournament. His last game was Morocco's 3-0 win over Canada in the round of 16.
Oliver averages 5.17 yellow cards per World Cup match, according to Transfermarkt, against a career rate of 3.28. Morocco and Canada combined for eight bookings under his watch. He has never shown a red card at a World Cup, and he has awarded one penalty.
FIFA only barred referees from working their own country's matches, which is why an English official can work a quarterfinal while England is still in the tournament. The winner of this game would not face England until the final.
Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, who are both also English, run the lines. Brazil's Ramon Abatti is the fourth official. Oliver has never been in charge of Spain or Belgium at a major tournament, so both teams will find out what he's like at the same time.
Who are Spain vs. Belgium referees?
- Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
- Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (England)
- Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring (England)
- Fourth Official: Ramon Abatti (Brazil)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who are the Spain vs. Belgium refs? Meet the World Cup officials
Continue reading...
