Picture Credit: Twitter
Wilton Sampaio, the Brazilian referee who received a lot of criticism for his performance in England’s World Cup quarter-final defeat by France could officiate in the final of the World Cup. Whereas, the English referee Michael Oliver has been sent home. Sampaio will be competing against another English referee Anthony Taylor among others for a possible chance to be in the final. The Brazilian referee was slammed on social media for being biased against England.
In the game, fans and players alike called out Wilton Sampaio for missing major calls which could completely change the complexion of the fixture. One of these calls was a foul on winger Bukayo Saka which led to the first French goal. Similarly, in the second half, Harry Kane went down under contact from Upamecano near the edge of the penalty area but a spot kick wasn’t given.
After the game England defender, Harry Maguire was extremely critical of the referee’s performance. He stated that Sampaio missed around ‘five, six early fouls’ by France. He said, "I thought the referee’s decision-making throughout the game was really poor. We always stand here, we as players, we get criticised, so it would be nice to see if he comes out and says whether he’s had a good game or not. There were so many decisions in that first half where France made five, six early fouls. I think [Kane] was outside the box but it was a clear foul.”
Maguire then called out the referee for missing multiple big calls in the second half as well. He said, “He doesn’t initially give the penalty in the second half. The one on Bukayo is a clear foul, leading up to their first goal. Just big moments, big decisions, and you expect a referee to get some right. Unfortunately tonight, he didn’t get any."
