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English referee Michael Oliver has pulled out of refereeing his first World Cup match this year – due to injury.
The 41-year-old is one of two England-based referees that have been chosen to take charge of games in North America, with Anthony Taylor also a selected official.
Australian Jarred Gillet, who moved to England to work in the Premier League in 2019, will work as a specialist VAR official.
Oliver had been set to take charge of the Group E match between Ecuador and Ivory Coast on Sunday, with Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring assisting him.
FIFA, though, have confirmed that has changed, saying that Oliver had been replaced ‘due to a minor injury’.
They added that he ‘is expected to be available for selection again in the coming days’.
Referee Michael Oliver has pulled out of World Cup duty over the weekend due to an injury
He, alongside both assistants, has been replaced by Francois Letexier of France. Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni will assist him.
Oliver is bidding to officiate at his second World Cup having, alongside Taylor, also worked at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
He will now have to wait to see what his first game of the tournament is this time around. Taylor is yet to be assigned a game either.
Oliver has become a household name in terms of referees, with the UK Football Policing Unit leading an investigation into the abusive messages directed at him in 2025, and spoke to social media companies as it looked to quickly trace those responsible.
Oliver became the target of online trolls after his controversial decision to send off Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly against Wolves 17 months ago – a decision that was successfully appealed.
Refs’ body PGMOL said it was ‘appalled’ by the ‘abhorrent attacks’, which were thought to have included threats against Oliver’s young family and claims that his address was known. They contacted the UKFPU who launched their own probe and wasted little time in attempting to hunt the culprits down.
Which England star has 7 GCSEs? Who has lost half of his finger? Test your knowledge of Thomas Tuchel’s squad with our exclusive quiz HERE
