FIFA have confirmed that referee Michael Oliver is poised to return to duty this week following an injury that forced him to pull out of his first scheduled World Cup fixture. The English official had been set to oversee the encounter 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 fairly minor, with FIFA stating he would be available for selection again 'in the coming days'. That has now proven to be the case, as it has been announced that Oliver will take charge of the Group F clash between the Netherlands and Sweden on Saturday. The fixture will take place at Houston Stadium in Texas.
Supporting Officials and Experience
Oliver will be supported by fellow Premier League officials Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, while South African officials Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela will act as fourth official and reserve assistant referee respectively.
This is not Oliver's maiden experience of officiating at a World Cup, having been selected for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where he took charge of the quarter-final between Croatia and Brazil.
Career Highlights
Oliver has held international referee status since 2012 and has been amongst 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 has since been assigned to a new fixture. He will oversee the group stage clash between Uzbekistan and Colombia in the early hours of Thursday morning, with the fixture taking place at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn have been appointed as assistant referees for the match, while fellow Premier League official Jarred Gillett will serve as Video Match Official — a role he will be fulfilling for the third time at the tournament so far.
