Referee Once Labeled "Grade E" by Tuchel to Officiate England's World Cup Opener

Thomas Tuchel, head coach of the England national football team, is set to reunite with a referee he once harshly criticized as "Grade E."

This reunion will take place on the biggest stage: England's opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, where the team aims to reclaim the world title for the first time in 60 years.

According to FIFA on June 15 (KST), French referee Clément Turpin has been appointed to officiate the Group L opening match between England and Croatia, scheduled for 5:00 a.m. on June 18 at Dallas Stadium in Texas, USA.

Coach Tuchel shares a history of bad blood with Turpin.

The conflict dates back to April 2023, when Tuchel was at the helm of Bayern Munich (Germany).

During the home leg of the 2022-2023 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against Manchester City (England), Tuchel was sent off after receiving two consecutive yellow cards from referee Turpin for vehemently protesting decisions late in the second half.

On that day, Bayern Munich received five yellow cards in the first half alone.

In the 18th minute, central defender Dayot Upamecano was initially shown a red card for a foul on Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, but the decision was overturned after an offside was confirmed.

Tuchel’s long-standing frustration with the officiating boiled over at that moment.

Although the match ended in a 1-1 draw, Bayern Munich was eliminated from the tournament with a 1-4 aggregate score, following a 0-3 defeat in the first leg.

According to the BBC, Tuchel openly expressed his dissatisfaction with Turpin after the match, stating, "Two things were not at the level of the game. One was the pitch, and the other was the referee, unfortunately, who was Grade E."

Tuchel added, "I would give him a 1 out of 10. He was really poor," and remarked, "He whistled for everything. And it was all against us."

Despite Tuchel's criticism, Turpin is widely regarded as one of the top referees in Europe.

He served as the referee for the 2020-2021 UEFA Europa League final and the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League final.

Before Tuchel took charge of the England national team, Turpin was also selected as a referee for the 2024 UEFA European Championship (Euro 2024), where he officiated the 0-0 draw between England and Slovenia.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.