The FIFA-appointed referee for Group G matches at the Qatar World Cup
The 44-year-old Iranian referee Alireza Faghani was selected by FIFA to oversee the Group G clash featuring Brazil and the other teams in the group, a lineup that includes Serbia, Cameroon, and Switzerland. In Qatar, Faghani is the official at Lusail Stadium for a game in this pool. He has a long track record from Russia 2018, where he officiated several matches, including the thrilling Argentina vs France knockout affair that went to extra time and penalties and helped set the tone for a dramatic tournament arc. In Russia 2018 he also served as the fourth official in the opening match where Brazil defeated Croatia 3-1 and appeared in the third-place playoff between Belgium and England in Saint Petersburg.
The assistant referees for this match are his fellow Iranians Mohammadreza Mansouri and Mohammadreza Abolfazli, with Maguette Ndiaye from Senegal acting as the fourth official. The VAR team includes Abdulla Al-Marri from Qatar, Muhammad Bin Jahari from Singapore, Anton Shchetinin from Australia, and Paulus van Boekel from the Netherlands.
Who is Alireza Faghani?
FIFA recognizes the Kashmar-born official as an international referee since 2008. His first match in that status came a year later on April 16, 2009, when he directed the game between the Maldives and the Philippines. He began his career as a player and reached the third tier of the Iranian league before following in his father Mohammed’s footsteps into refereeing, carving out a distinguished path that would take him to football’s biggest stages.
Among his notable international assignments are the 2014 AFC Champions League Final, the 2015 Asian Cup Final, and the 2015 Club World Cup Final where River Plate faced Barcelona. He also refereed the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic final between Brazil and Germany, and was on the field for the 2017 Confederations Cup semi-final in which Alexis Sánchez’s Chile faced Portugal. By the end of that season, he earned the title of Best Iranian Referee for the second time, following an earlier recognition in 2013/2014. Across his career, he officiated hundreds of matches, issuing numerous yellow cards and a number of penalties while building a reputation for composure and consistency under pressure.
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