French referee Clément Turpin will take charge of England’s World Cup opener with Croatia on Wednesday. Turpin is a highly-respected ref who regularly takes charge of Champions League games, and this is his third World Cup.
But Turpin has been caught up in controversy with England stars and boss Thomas Tuchel. Turpin took charge of England’s Euro 2024 clash with Slovenia and was caught in controversy that season when he pushed Jude Bellingham away from trying to distract Harry Kane before he took a penalty in a Champions League clash. The bizarre incident occurred during the semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, where the Germans were awarded a penalty.
Kane stepped up to take the spot kick and was approached by his England teammate Bellingham, who appeared to try and put him off with his words. Turpin then pushed the Madrid star away, causing headlines after the match.
When asked about the moment post-match, Kane said: “I’m sure he was saying something to try and put me off but, thankfully, it was OK. I don’t know what he was saying. I saw him there mumbling something.
“I’ll have to ask him what he actually said. Once I’m in my zone I’m trying to block everything out.”
Turpin also sent off Tuchel in April 2023 when the German was in charge of Bayern after a controversial penalty was awarded to Manchester City. The match official sent the current England boss to the stands after showing him two yellow cards during the game.
Tuchel was less than complimentary of Turpin following the quarter-final loss, as he said: “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.” English ref Anthony Taylor has been appointed to Uzbekistan’s opener with Colombia on Wednesday.