Turpin Named England-Croatia Ref After Tuchel 'Grade
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- Clement Turpin has been appointed referee for England's opening World Cup game against Croatia on Wednesday, a high-profile assignment for the French official.
- Thomas Tuchel, then Bayern Munich boss, labelled Turpin 'Grade E' and gave him 'one out of 10' after the referee sent him to the stands during Bayern's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City in April 2023.
- Turpin produced five yellow cards in the first half at Allianz Arena and a straight red for Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano for a last-man challenge on Erling Haaland, though the red was reversed by VAR for offside.
- Jude Bellingham was personally pushed away from the penalty spot by Turpin while playing for Real Madrid in an attempt to put Bayern's Harry Kane off taking a penalty.
- Despite those flashpoints, Turpin is regarded as one of Europe's elite officials, having taken charge of the 2021 Europa League final and the 2022 Champions League final.
- Turpin also officiated England's 0-0 draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024, meaning he already has recent experience refereeing England at a major tournament.
Why it matters: England's World Cup opener will be officiated by a referee who has directly clashed with Tuchel and Bellingham in recent seasons, meaning every marginal decision against England in a tournament-defining match will face heightened scrutiny and accusations of bias from both sides.
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