FIFA have not announced who will officiate the World Cup final in New Jersey at the weekend, but England’s Michael Oliver will definitely not be selected.
Refereeing decisions are naturally at the center of any soccer games, with this World Cup providing plenty of refereeing controversies.
Oliver is considered one of the best referees available to FIFA at this summer’s World Cup, yet he will not be able to oversee the main event on Sunday.
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The England-born official has been in charge of four World Cup games, with his last outing during Spain’s quarter-final victory against Belgium.
However, that game in Los Angeles will mark the end of Oliver’s World Cup holding the whistle.
FIFA block Michael Oliver from refereeing World Cup final
The World Cup final will see either France/Spain and England/Argentina battle it out for the illustrious trophy in New Jersey this weekend.
A decision on which officials will be in charge of the game will be announced in the coming days, but Oliver will not be selected.
It has been revealed that FIFA will not allow Oliver to oversee the final because the game will feature either England or Argentina.
Naturally, a referee cannot officiate a game which their respective home nation is playing in.
Therefore, if England make it past their semi-final on Wednesday, that would immediately rule Oliver out of the running for the final.
However, this is where it gets interesting: FIFA have blocked Oliver from refereeing a game involving Argentina due to the political tensions between the two nations.
Argentina’s players have been singing about the Falkland Islands, which saw Britain and Argentina battle back in 1982.
Making Oliver unable to officiate an Argentina game will remove any potential claims of favoritism – especially in a game of that magnitude.
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