FIFA have announced that referee Michael Oliver is set to return to action this week after being forced to withdraw from his first scheduled match through injury. The English official had been due to take charge of the clash between Ecuador and the Ivory Coast in the early hours of Monday morning, but was replaced by French referee Francois Letexier.
The injury appears to have been relatively minor, with FIFA confirming he would be available for selection again 'in the coming days'. That now appears to be the case, as it has been confirmed he has been handed the Group F fixture between the Netherlands and Sweden on Saturday (6pm kick-off).
Match Details
The match will be held at Houston Stadium in Texas. Oliver will be assisted by fellow Premier League officials Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, while South African officials Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela will serve as fourth official and reserve assistant referee respectively.
Oliver's World Cup Experience
This is not Oliver's first experience of refereeing at a World Cup, having been appointed for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where he oversaw the quarter-final between Croatia and Brazil. Oliver has held international referee status since 2012 and has been part of UEFA's elite group of officials since 2018.
He is one of six English FA on-field officials at the tournament, with Anthony Taylor being the other referee. Oliver will take charge of the group stage encounter between Uzbekistan and Colombia in the early hours of Thursday morning, with the match being held at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn have been named as assistant referees for the fixture, while fellow Premier League official Jarred Gillett has been appointed as Video Match Official - a game that will mark his third appearance in that role so far.
