Former Premier League and FIFA referee Mark Clattenburg has suggested that an Italian official is likely to be appointed to oversee the 2026 World Cup final. Clattenburg, who presided over the 2016 EURO final, stated the selection would “upset a lot of people” during the latest installment of the Daily Mail’s Whistleblowers podcast.
Should an Italian referee be handed the final, it would mark the fourth occasion since 1978 that an official from the country has been entrusted with the sport’s most prestigious match.
Italy has just one representative at this year’s World Cup, Maurizio Mariani, who has already taken charge of three games at this summer’s tournament. The 44-year-old Rome native has officiated Saudi Arabia’s draw with Uruguay, Colombia’s victory over DR Congo, and Brazil’s win against Japan in the Round of 32.
While Clattenburg stopped short of naming Mariani directly, he contended that concerns are further amplified by the significant influence Italian officials hold in football’s top refereeing roles, with Pierluigi Collina serving as chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee and Roberto Rosetti heading UEFA’s refereeing department.
Were Mariani to be selected for the final, the decision would add to an expanding catalog of allegations FIFA has faced regarding alleged preferential treatment at this year’s tournament, most notably surrounding the case of the USA’s Folarin Balogun.
Italian referee Maurizio Mariani is the country’s only representative at this year’s World Cup (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Despite Balogun’s straight red card in the USA’s Round of 32 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the governing body lifted the American’s automatic suspension after President Trump personally raised concerns about the red card with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“I am hearing again that it could be an Italian referee,” Clattenburg said. “Infantino’s Italian, Collina’s Italian. Most of the power in the refereeing and wider football world is Italian.
“FIFA needs to keep everybody happy, all of the six confederations. If we go Italian again, are we saying there’s no other referees but Italian?”
Clattenburg stopped short of naming Mariani directly for the final (Image: Getty)
“If this year an Italian referee gets the chance again, bearing in mind what’s happened with FIFA at this tournament, it would be a big shock to me.”
Clattenburg emphasized that his criticism wasn’t about Mariani’s ability to handle the final, but rather about questions of equity. “I am not saying an Italian doesn’t deserve it, but there’s an awful lot of talented referees that could referee that match.”
With France, England and Argentina all remaining in the competition, top officials from those countries may only be considered if their respective teams are knocked out.
Additionally, English officials cannot oversee an Argentina match due to the political tensions between the two nations, and the same applies in reverse.
Consequently, the selection of referees available to officiate the final could be restricted, despite Clattenburg’s assertion that “it would upset a lot of people” if another Italian official were chosen to oversee the biggest match in world football.
