Clement Turpin will referee England vs Norway in the World Cup, with the respected Frenchman having recently taken charge of the Three Lions’ 4-2 win over Croatia.
Turpin officiated England’s opening game of the tournament and has been the man in the middle for Paraguay’s draw with Australia and Colombia’s win over Ghana in the round of 32.
The French official once riled Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel three years ago during his time as Bayern Munich boss.
Indeed, Tuchel branded Turpin “Grade E” after receiving two yellow cards in the German club’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City in 2023.
Tuchel was especially upset after Turpin brandished five yellow cards in the first half at Allianz Arena, while also handing Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano a straight red card as the last man for a challenge on Erling Haaland, though the French defender survived after VAR reversed the call due to offside.
Tuchel said of Turpin: “Two things couldn’t keep up with the level – the pitch wasn’t in good condition and also the referee, unfortunately, was Grade E. I’d give him a one out of 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.”
Despite this disagreement, Turpin is widely respected in Europe and has forged a reputation as one of the continent’s finest officials with a wealth of experience on the biggest stages in football.
Turpin has experience dealing with Jude Bellingham, too, with the official firmly dealing with the Real Madrid superstar after his attempts to unsettle Harry Kane around the penalty spot in the Champions League.
Major assignments in Turpin’s career to date include the 2021 Europa League final and 2022 Champions League final, while the Three Lions had their goalless draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024 officiated by Turpin too.
