This evening, Norwegian football fans and supporters of England will be focusing on the pitch, but one man in particular will be under the spotlight - referee Clement Turpin. As a highly experienced official, Turpin will be taking charge of his fourth match at the finals, following previous appearances in Paraguay vs Australia and Colombia vs Ghana.
Turpin has a long and distinguished career, having refereed at the World Cup twice before, with previous appearances in Russia and Qatar. His peak in club football came when he took charge of the 2022 Champions League final, overseeing a thrilling match between Real Madrid and Liverpool.
However, Turpin has not been without controversy. The Frenchman's performance in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Bayern Munich and Manchester City in April 2023 drew criticism from Bayern's manager, Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel was shown two yellow cards by Turpin, and afterwards, he described the referee's performance as "Grade E."
Turpin has also faced criticism from Tuchel at previous tournaments. In a Champions League match between the two teams three years ago, Turpin sent Tuchel off the field. Tuchel has not forgotten the incident and expressed his disappointment with Turpin's performance in a recent match. Despite this, Turpin has shown his ability to make good decisions, as in the case of a penalty awarded to England against Croatia.
For tonight's match, Turpin will be joined by a team of officials, including assistant referees Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages, as well as VAR team members Jerome Brisard and Armando Villarreal. The match is expected to be a closely contested one, with four England players at risk of missing the potential semi-final if they receive yellow cards.
