44-YEAR-OLD CLEMENT TURPIN TO OFFICIATE COLOMBIA VS GHANA IN THE 2026 WORLD CUP 

By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike)

• The FIFA referees appointment committee has selected French referee Clement Turpin to officiate the Colombia and Ghana Round of 32 fixture of the FIFA World Cup on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at the Kansas City Stadium in the USA.

• Clement Turpin was born on May 16, 1982, in Oullins, France, and has been listed as a FIFA referee to officiate international matches since 2010 and an UEFA Elite Group referee since 2012.

• Refereeing career:

• Clement Turpin became a FIFA referee in 2010, and served as a referee in the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

• For UEFA club competitions, Turpin became a referee from the 2010-11 UEFA Europa League.

• The French Football Federation named Clement Turpin the best French referee in May 2016, and the same year, he officiated at the UEFA Euro 2016 in France and was one of the five (5) UEFA referees for the Men's Olympic Games football tournament in Brazil.

• The following year, Turpin refereed in the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup in India.

• On March 29, 2018, FIFA announced that Turpin would officiate at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, with Cyril Gringore and Nicolas Danos as assistant referees.

• On July 4, 2020, he officiated the Oldest capital derby of Bulgaria between Levski Sofia and Slavia Sofia.

On May 26, 2021, he refereed the 2021 UEFA Europa League Final between Villarreal and Manchester United.

• UEFA selected Clement Turpin to officiate the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. And that same year, Turpin took part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar.

• In April 2024, Turpin was selected to officiate at the UEFA 2024 Euro in Germany.

• The following year, Turpin was selected to officiate at the 2026 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

• FIFA World Cup matches officiated by Clement Turpin so far:

• June 20, 2018 (Group Stage) [2018 World Cup]
Venue: Rostov Arena, Russia 
Uruguay                        1-0 Saudi Arabia 

• June 27, 2018 (Group Stage) [2018 World Cup]
Venue: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Russia 
Switzerland                  2-2 Costa Rica 

• November 24, 2022 (Group Stage) [2022 World Cup]
Venue: Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar 
Uruguay                        0-0 South Korea 

• November 29, 2022 (Group Stage)
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar 
Ecuador                         1-2 Senegal 

• December 5, 2022 (Round of 16) [2022 World Cup]
Venue: Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar 
Brazil                             4-1 South Korea 

• June 17, 2026 (Group Stage) [2026 World Cup]
Venue: AT & T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, USA
England                         4-2 Croatia 

• June 25, 2026 (Group Stage) [2026 World Cup]
Venue: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California, USA
Paraguay                      0-0 Australia 

• A yellow card is a formal warning for minor fouls or unsportsmanlike behavior and is also known as getting "booked," while a red card means immediate ejection from the match for serious offenses, violent conduct, or receiving two yellow cards in the same game.

• The yellow and red card system was invented in 1966 by FIFA referee Kenneth George Aston after he observed traffic lights, realizing a color-coded system could instantly overcome language barriers on the pitch.

• Yellow card - caution, and red card - expulsion were first used in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. These cards have also been adopted with appropriate differences depending on the rules - in rugby, water polo, and other sports. 

Clement Turpin has so far issued 13 yellow cards in his previous FIFA World Cup games officiated since the 2018 edition. Details below 👇:
• 2018 World Cup (6 yellow cards)
• 2022 World Cup (5 yellow cards)
• 2026 World Cup (2 yellow cards)

• Clement Turpin is yet to issue a red card in any of his FIFA World Cup games officiated so far in his career since 2018 (7 games).

• French referee officiating Colombia and Ghana games at the FIFA World Cup tournament:

• This fixture will be the first time a referee from France will officiate a Colombia game at the FIFA World Cup but the 17th time a referee from Europe to handle a Colombia game at the tournament since 1962 in Chile (W9 D1 L6 GF24 GA15). 

• Colombia have failed to score in 1 out of 16 previous FIFA World Cup matches officiated by a European referee since 1962:
June 14, 1990 (Group Stage) [1990 World Cup]
Venue: Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna
Yugoslavia                    1-0 Colombia
Referee: Luigi Agnolin (Italy)

• This fixture will be the first time a referee from France will officiate a Ghana game at the FIFA World Cup but the 10th referee from Europe to have handled a Ghana game at the competition since 2006.

• Nine (9) referees from Europe have officiated Ghana games at the FIFA World Cup since 2006 with the record of 4 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses.

• Except for Ghana 1-0 Panama, which is the only game officiated by a European referee that the Black Stars did not concede. 
June 17, 2026 (Group Stage) [2026 World Cup]
Venue: Toronto Stadium, Canada 
Ghana                            1-0 Panama 
Caleb Yirenkyi 90+5'
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)

• On Saturday, July 4, 2026, a European referee from France, Clement Turpin, will officiate the Colombia and Ghana Round of 32 fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Kansas City Stadium in the USA.