Clement Turpin has been appointed by FIFA to referee the World Cup quarter-final between England and Norway in Miami, setting up a reunion with England manager Thomas Tuchel, who previously launched a furious tirade against the French official.
Tuchel's history with Turpin
In a 2023 Champions League quarter-final between Bayern Munich and Manchester City, Turpin sent off Tuchel, then Bayern's coach, after showing a yellow card for sarcastic applause and then a red for further dissent. After the match, Tuchel said: 'The referee, unfortunately, was Grade E. I'd give him a one out of 10. He was absolutely terrible. It's unbelievable at this level. He was whistling for everything and anything. Everything was against us. In the end, we were never in a position to turn things around with three men against us. That's a fact.'
Turpin's experience
Turpin, regarded as one of the most well-known referees in football, began officiating in Ligue 1 at age 26 and was taking charge of European matches two years later. He refereed the 2021 Europa League final and the 2022 Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. He also officiated England's opening group game against Croatia at this World Cup, ordering a retake of Harry Kane's saved penalty due to goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic coming off his line early and encroachment by Josko Gvardiol.
England's fitness concerns
England are looking to reach their second World Cup semi-final in the last three tournaments but are beset by fitness concerns. Marc Guehi and Declan Rice are dealing with injury and illness respectively, while Jarell Quansah is suspended for the next two games following his red card against Mexico, leaving Tuchel short of options at right-back. If England beat Norway, they could set up a potential semi-final meeting with Argentina, who take on Switzerland on Sunday morning. Lose, and England will exit the World Cup at the quarter-final stage for the second time in a row.
Norway's historic run
Norway are riding high after beating Brazil 2-1 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history. Erling Haaland has been keen to play up England's tag as 'clear favourites' heading into the game. England won 5-0 away to Serbia in September in Turpin's most recent match involving the Three Lions before the World Cup. Turpin has now refereed seven England matches in his career, including a 0-0 draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024.
