Wilton Sampaio, the heavily-criticised referee who took charge of England’s World Cup quarter-final with France, is surprisingly still in with a chance of officiating the final of the tournament.
A total of 36 referees from around the globe were selected by FIFA at the start of the competition, but that number has now been slashed to 12 for the final week of action.
Per the Daily Mail, 40-year-old Sampaio is reportedly among the dozen officials who have been asked to remain in Qatar by football’s governing body.
That’s despite a questionable showing in Saturday’s encounter at Al Bayt Stadium, which Three Lions defender Harry Maguire called “really poor” after the match.
READ MORE: England vs France: Harry Maguire’s interview about referee after World Cup defeat
Sampaio made a number of controversial decisions during England’s 2-1 defeat, including refusing to penalise Dayot Upamecano for his rash challenge on Bukayo Saka in the build-up to Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener for France.
The referee then refused to give either a penalty or a free-kick outside the box for a clumsy challenge on the very edge of the area by Upamecano on Harry Kane.
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There were also several other incidents throughout the match that left the England camp frustrated. As Maguire would later put it: “He [Sampaio] never gave us anything!”
Given the level of debate over his performance, it’s really quite a shock that Sampaio has been selected to remain at the tournament when many other established referees have been informed that their services are no longer required.
Which referees have been sent home from the 2022 World Cup after the quarter-finals?
Among those to have returned home ahead of the semi-finals include respected Premier League official Michael Oliver.
The 37-year-old was praised for his work during the three matches he took charge of in Qatar – including Croatia’s quarter-final victory over Brazil – but that hasn’t resulted in any further assignments for the Northumberland-based man.
Joining Oliver in departing the Gulf state will be all three female officials who were breaking new ground at this World Cup.
Stephanie Frappart of France, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan were all absent from FIFA’s final list of 12.
Elsewhere, Argentina fans will be pleased to hear that Antonio Mateu Lahoz’s tournament is over.
The Spanish official was described as “useless” by Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martinez after he lost all control of Friday’s quarter-final against the Netherlands.
The 45-year-old brandished no less than 17 yellow cards in the ill-tempered showdown. However, he won’t be adding to his tally of cards at this edition of the World Cup as he’s among those who have been cut by FIFA.
Which referees could potentially officiate the World Cup final?
The 2022 World Cup final could still be overseen by an Englishman.
Premier League official Anthony Taylor remains part of the contingent of officials still involved at the tournament, together with his assistants Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn.
Another official who remains in contention to take charge of the final is Dutch referee Danny Makkelie.
2022 World Cup quiz: Can you name these 32 players that starred in Qatar?
Makkelie was the man who ultimately awarded Argentina a penalty in the group stages after Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny was deemed to have fouled Lionel Messi by putting his hands in the face of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
You can check out the full list of referees remaining at the tournament below:
Anthony Taylor (England)
Daniele Orsato (Italy)
Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
Muhammad Abdulla Hassan Muhammad (UAE)
Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)
Cesar Ramos (Mexico)
Ismail Elfath (USA)
Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela)
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