Их Британи болон Аргентины хоорондох улс төрийн маргаантай холбоотойгоор Английн шүүгчид ДАШТ-ий шигшээ тоглолтыг шүүх боломж хязгаарлагдмал байна.
Их Британийн шүүгч Майкл Оливер Лос-Анжелес хотноо болох Испани болон Бельгийн шөвгийн наймын тоглолтыг дэнсэлснээр ДАШТ-д нийт долоон тоглолт шүүсэн анхны англи шүүгч болно. Гэсэн хэдий ч тэрээр болон түүний хамтрагч Энтони Тэйлор нар зургаадугаар сарын 19-нд болох шигшээ тоглолтыг шүүх магадлал тун бага байна. Учир нь ФИФА-гийн дүрэм ёсоор шүүгчид өөрийн улсын шигшээ багийн тоглолтыг шүүхийг хориглодог бөгөөд 1982 оны Фолклендын дайнаас үүдэлтэй улс төрийн мэдрэмжтэй асуудлаас шалтгаалан тэд Аргентины оролцсон тоглолтыг удирдах эрхгүй юм.
ФИФА-гийн шүүгч сонгон шалгаруулах журамд геополитикийн хүчин зүйлсийг чухалчилдаг бөгөөд үүний дагуу талуудын хооронд үл ойлголцол үүсгэж болзошгүй тохиолдолд шүүгчдийг томилдоггүй. Үүнтэй төстэй жишгээр АНУ-ын шүүгчид Ираны тоглолтыг шүүх боломжгүй байдаг. Түүнчлэн, Английн шүүгчид тус улсын шигшээ багийн хэсгийн тоглолтууд болон хасагдах шатны замналд нөлөөлөхүйц тоглолтуудад оролцох боломжгүй юм.
Пьерлуижи Коллинагаар удирдуулсан ФИФА-гийн шүүгчийн алба тухайн тоглолт бүрийн онцлог, улс төрийн нөхцөл байдлыг харгалзан шүүгчдийг томилдог. Оливер болон Тэйлор нар зөвхөн Норвеги эсвэл Швейцар улсууд шигшээ тоглолтод шалгарсан тохиолдолд л финалын шүүгчээр ажиллах боломжтой. Өмнөх Катарт болсон ДАШТ-ий үеэр ч Энтони Тэйлор ижил шалтгаанаар шигшээ тоглолтыг шүүх боломжгүй байсан юм.
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Referee Michael Oliver will take charge of his seventh World Cup match — more than any other Englishman — when Spain play Belgium in Thursday’s quarter-final in Los Angeles but his chances of officiating this edition’s final on June 19 appear slim.
Oliver — or fellow Englishman Anthony Taylor — will not be allowed to take charge of the showpiece at MetLife Stadium later this month if it includes either their native England or Argentina, who are on the same side of the draw and on course to meet in a possible semi-final.
Officials are not allowed to take charge of their own nations to avoid potential conflicts of interest and ensure neutrality, but Oliver and Taylor cannot officiate Argentina matches for political reasons: namely the legacy of the 1982 Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina.
The match officials for @FIFAWorldCup match 98 have been appointed. 🤝
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) July 8, 2026
The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine surrender, returning the islands to British control. 649 members of the Argentine military, 255 members of the British military, and three Falkland Islanders were killed.
The subject continues to generate strong feeling in Argentina, with the country’s current president Javier Milei strongly reaffiriming his belief in Argentine sovereignty over the territories.
For the 2026 World Cup it means both Oliver and Taylor will only be considered for the final if either Norway (who play England in Saturday’s last-eight tie) or Switzerland (who play Argentina) advance to the tournament decider.
Indeed, Taylor was under consideration for the final last time out in Qatar four years ago after an impressive tournament but was unable to do so when Argentina advanced to meet France.
What are FIFA’s rules for referee selection?
Referees for each World Cup match are allocated by FIFA on a case-by-case basis, with geopolitical factors one of the issues considered for each appointment.
The dispute between England’s government and that of Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands would be classified as a geopolitical issue in this context, meaning that referees from those nations cannot oversee games involving the other.
There are multiple other examples of geopolitical disputes which could theoretically impact official selection for matches, such as a referee from the U.S. not being considered for matches involving Iran, and vice versa.
Such selections could lead to perceived suggestions of bias from players and coaches, much like how referees are not allowed to officiate international games involving their own national sides.
This criteria would extend to matches which have direct implications for their own nationalities too, so English referees such as Oliver and Taylor were not considered to officiate other matches in England’s Group L earlier in the tournament, including games between Croatia, Ghana and Panama, their group opponents.
This is also the case for officials not being in the frame to officiate matches which would be in their own nation’s pathway, so neither English nor Norwegian referees would be considered to oversee Switzerland’s quarter-final against Argentina — as those two last-eight ties are paired for a semi-final encounter.
This approach is similar to that in club football. For example, in England’s Premier League, referees are not allowed to officiate games linked to a club they have an affinity to or which is from an area where they were born.
Oliver cannot referee Newcastle United or Sunderland games in the Premier League because he’s from the North East.
A team led by FIFA’s chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina makes the calls on who officiates in which games with the Italian former referee having final say.
