The time for talking is over, with England’s World Cup campaign set to get underway this evening against Croatia. It’s a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which Croatia went on to win, with England having got their initial revenge during the group stage of Euro 2020.
England enter the opening match of the World Cup as heavy favourites, with a team full of exciting talent being tipped to go all the way. Whether they manage that will depend on how Thomas Tuchel and co. fare across the next five weeks, with the dream being a World Cup final win at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
The first step of that journey begins in Dallas, and taking charge of the game will be a familiar face for football fans in England. That’s because the referee is Frenchman Clement Turpin, who is considered one of the best UEFA referees and is a regular in the Champions League.
Turpin's Refereeing Career
Turpin has been on the UEFA list since 2010 and part of the elite group since 2012. In 2022, Turpin took charge of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, while he has previously officiated at three European Championships in the past.
Life Away from Football
Away from football, though, Turpin is also a PE teacher by trade and is believed to still work in schools. Meanwhile, he also played football at an amateur level before turning his hand to refereeing.
Speaking about his route into refereeing, the official said: “No referees were appointed for the children’s matches, so instructors and parents refereed the games. I was asked if I’d like to take a refereeing course – I thought ‘why not?’, and it started from there.
“I continued to play football until the age of 19 – one day of the weekend I was a player, the next a referee. The refereeing side was going well, so from then on, I decided to concentrate on being a referee.”
Past Clashes with England Camp
He could have his work cut out this evening, given Turpin has come to blows with Tuchel in the past. The Three Lions boss was sent off by Turpin during a game against Manchester City when Tuchel was the manager of Bayern Munich.
Tuchel responded after the game by saying: “I’d give him a 1/10. 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.”
Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham has also felt the wrath of Turpin before, this time during Real Madrid’s 2024 Champions League semi-final with Bayern Munich. Bellingham was pushed away by Turpin as he tried to put penalty taker and England team-mate, Harry Kane, off his spot kick.
