French referee Clément Turpin will oversee England’s World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday.
Turpin is a highly-regarded official who routinely handles Champions League fixtures, and this marks his third World Cup. However, he has found himself embroiled in controversy involving England stars and manager Thomas Tuchel.
Turpin officiated England’s Euro 2024 encounter with Slovenia and sparked headlines that season when he physically moved Jude Bellingham away as he attempted to distract Harry Kane before a penalty in a Champions League tie.
The peculiar incident unfolded during the semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, when the Germans were handed a spot kick.
Kane prepared to take the penalty and was confronted by his England colleague Bellingham, who seemed to be attempting to unsettle him verbally. Turpin then physically intervened, pushing the Madrid player aside, generating significant post-match discussion.
When questioned about the moment afterwards, 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.”, reports the Express.
“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 dismissed Tuchel in April 2023 when the German was managing Bayern following a disputed penalty awarded to Manchester City. The match official ordered the current England manager from the technical area after brandishing two yellow cards during the encounter.
View 2 ImagesJude Bellingham was previously involved in a bizarre incident with Turpin(Image: Getty)
Tuchel was far from flattering about Turpin in the wake of the quarter-final defeat, saying: “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 referee Anthony Taylor has been handed the role of officiating Uzbekistan’s opening clash with Colombia on Wednesday.
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