Thomas Tuchel’s men secured their spot in the final four following a tough 2-1 victory over Norway in extra time. Lionel Messi’s Argentina also triumphed in extra time, beating Switzerland 3-1. However, the fact that historic rivals England and Argentina remain in the competition means Oliver and Taylor, as the only two English referees, will no longer feature at the World Cup. FIFA’s regulations state that a referee cannot officiate their home nation. This means the pair cannot take charge during England vs Argentina, or should England reach the final.
Referees cannot be assigned to a match which has a direct bearing on their home country in the subsequent round – in this instance the final – either, ruling them out of France vs Spain in the other semi-final. Yet, Taylor and Oliver cannot take charge of the final even if Argentina beat England and end up facing the winner of France vs Spain.
A FIFA spokesperson has already confirmed that the 1982 Falklands War is among the factors considered when selecting a referee. Consequently, an English official is not permitted to take charge of an Argentina game, nor of a game that has a direct next-game consequence for Argentina, and vice versa. It was reported in 2022 that Taylor and Oliver were prevented from refereeing the 2022 World Cup final due to Argentina’s participation.
The Falklands War remains a politically delicate subject, while conflicts dating back as far as the Second World War are not taken into account. The war was also referenced by Argentina players when they sang a song called ‘Muchachos’ in the dressing room after their quarter-final win over Egypt. As a result, neither of the experienced Premier League referees will have any further involvement in the tournament, despite being initially considered based on their performances.
Oliver has taken charge of four matches throughout the World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden, Norway vs France, Canada vs Morocco and the quarter-final encounter, Spain vs Belgium. During the latter, Oliver experienced an awkward moment as he accidentally obstructed Dani Olmo during a Spain attack, after which he apologised and stopped play.
Even so, Oliver had been among the frontrunners to officiate the final had both Argentina and England been eliminated. Taylor, meanwhile, refereed Uzbekistan vs Colombia, Senegal vs Iraq and Portugal vs Spain in the last-16.