FIFA Decides: Frenchman to Referee Croatia vs. England Match; Vatreni Have Perfect Record With Him

French referee Clément Turpin has been appointed to officiate the highly anticipated World Cup match between Croatia and England on Wednesday, June 17th. Turpin, 43, is regarded as one of Europe's top referees and brings extensive experience from major tournaments, including the 2022 Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.

His assistants will be fellow Frenchmen Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages, with Mexican official Katia Garcia serving as the fourth official. The appointment comes just three days before the match, which is set to take place in Dallas at 10 p.m. Croatian time.

For Croatia, Turpin's appointment is seen as a potentially good omen. He has previously refereed four matches involving the Croatian national team, and in each instance, Croatia emerged victorious. These wins include a 3-1 friendly victory over Russia in 2015, a 3-1 win against Slovakia in the Euro 2020 qualifiers, a 3-0 triumph over Slovenia in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, and a 1-0 win against Armenia in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

This strong track record with Turpin in charge offers a psychological boost to the Croatian team as they prepare for their opening game of the tournament against a strong English side.