The current version of the 2022 World Cup, which Qatar is hosting, witnessed the reliance of the FIFA Referees Committee on 29 referees of different nationalities, but the referees who fall under the banner of the European Union (UEFA) were the most present during the 56 matches that took place until the final price of Qatar. 2022, with 10 referees, while 10 were also appointed from the South American Confederation (COMNPOOL) and Central and North America (CONCACAF), while the rest of the nine referees belonged to the African Union (4 referees) and the Asian Confederation.

And regarding the most appointed referees in the World Cup so far, there is a six-party grouping in the first place with 3 matches, for each of: Brazilian Pereira Sampaio, Salvadoran Barton Cisneros, American Ismail Al-Fateh, French Clement Tropan, Argentine Fernando Andres Rapalini, and Mexican Ramos Palazuelos.

American referee Ismail Al-Fateh managed 3 matches in Qatar 2022, which is the highest number with 5 other referees (Reuters)

15 referees also managed two matches, led by Italian Daniele Orsato, who officiated the opening match of the 2022 World Cup between Qatar and Ecuador, then was assigned to the Argentina-Mexico match for the third round of Group C.

Frappar in the history of the World Cup

The selection of a female referee from the Qatar World Cup referees list was a prominent event in football circles, but the FIFA Referees Committee waited until the third round match of the group stage, to grant French Stephanie Frappar the honor of managing the Germany-Costa Rica match in Group E.

And on the first of December, Farabar - (38 years old) - entered the history of the World Cup, after she became the first woman referee to run a match in the World Cup.

Frappar mediates her assistants Newsa Pack, Karen Diaz Medina, and fourth referee Hector Martinez (Reuters)

During that match - which ended (4-2) for the Germans, and Frappar raised one warning to Costa Rican defender Oscar Duarte - two assistant referees were appointed;

They are: Mexican Karen Diaz Medina - (37 years old) - and Brazilian Newsa Pak - (38 years old) -.

The International Federation selected 6 women among the final list of World Cup referees;

They are: Stephanie Frappar from France, Salima Mukasanga from Rwanda, and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan, along with assistants: Noiza Pak from Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico, and Kathryn Nesbitt from the United States.

Controversial Gassama achieves a special number

Gambian referee Bakari Gassama has officiated a single match so far in the 2022 World Cup, which brought together Qatar and the Netherlands in the third round of Group A, but it was enough to become the controversial referee in African football, and the first African referee to run matches in 3 versions of the World Cup;

As he managed one match in the 2018 finals between Denmark and Peru, and another in the 2014 World Cup, between the Netherlands and Chile.

Gambian referee Gassama is the only African to have participated in 3 versions of the World Cup (Reuters)

Gassama - (43 years old) - was one of the most controversial rulers in Africa.

As he led the famous match between Algeria and Cameroon last March in the second leg of the decisive round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which witnessed the qualification of the untamed Lions team in the last seconds of the match, at a time when the football community in Algeria accused the Gambian referee of depriving the Desert Warriors team of qualification, And with the help of Cameroon to win (2-1).

Gassama also refereed the 2019 CAF Champions League final match between Esperance de Tunis and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, which was stopped in the second half after the Moroccan team withdrew from the field, in protest at the cancellation of a goal by striker Walid El Karti on the grounds of offside.

The Wydad players had asked Gassama to return to the video technology (Var) before they withdrew from the stadium and the referee announced - at that time - the end of the match, with the victory of Esperance (1-0).

Disqualifications and penalties

Until the match, the number 56 in the World Cup raised two red cards for Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy in the Iran match, and referee Mario Escobar from Guatemala raised them.

Mario Escobar was the first referee to raise a red card in the World Cup in Qatar, and it was in the face of Welsh goalkeeper Hennessy (Anatolia)

As for the second red card, it was in the face of Cameroonian striker Vincent Abu Bakr in the Brazil match, and it was raised by American referee Ismail Al-Fateh, and South Korea coach Paulo Bento was excluded in his team’s match against Ghana, by English referee Anthony Taylor.

Orsato is the oldest of the rulers

The Italian Daniele Orsato - born on November 23, 1975 - is the oldest arena referee in the World Cup.

As he managed his second match between Mexico and Argentina on November 30, when he was 47 years and a week old.

As for the youngest referee in the current version of the World Cup;

He is Salvadoran Barton Cisneros, born on January 27, 1991 (31 years old).