FIFA World Cup 2022: Who is the referee for Croatia vs Morocco third place playoff?

Al-Jassim officiated the Group B game between Wales and the United States on 21 November which ended in a 1-1 draw. He produced six yellow cards during the course of the game.

Abdulrahman Al Jassim reacts as the USA players protest against his decision to give Wales a penalty during the FIFA World Cup 2022 Group B match at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Doha, on November 21, 2022. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Croatia and Morocco will be going head-to-head at the Khalifa International Stadium in the third-place play-off on December 17. The match will kick off at 8:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

Croatia and Morocco - both unbeaten until their defeat in the semifinals - lost to finalists Argentina 3-0 and France 2-0, respectively.

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Morocco rewrote history along the way when Walid Regragui’s fearless squad became the first African team to reach the last four of football’s showpiece event. The Atlas Lions beat European giants Belgium, Spain and Portugal en route to the semifinal.

Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia, meanwhile, knocked out Brazil in the quarterfinal to secure its second successive semifinal berth at the FIFA World Cup.

Croatia and Morocco met only twice, including the Group F clash in this World Cup when the two sides settled for a draw and their first meeting came way back in 1996 in the Hassan II Trophy. There too they played out a 2-2 draw.

Qatari official Abdulrahman Al-Jassim will be in charge of the proceedings tonight.

Who is Al-Jassim?

At 35-year, Al-Jassim is one of the youngest referees at the FIFA World Cup 2022. He has experience officiating FIFA Club World Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup, Chinese Super League, Swiss Challenge League, Qatar Stars League, AFC Asian Cup, Asian Champions League and FIFA World Cup matches.

Saturday’s match will be the Qatari referee’s second and final appearance at this World Cup. He officiated the Group B game between Wales and the United States on 21 November which ended in a 1-1 draw. Al-Jassim produced six yellow cards during the course of the game.

In Portugal vs Uruguay Group H clash, he was the fourth official.

Al-Jassim made his debut in February 2012 when he oversaw an international friendly between Jordan and Iran.

Prior to the World Cup, he officiated two Qatar Stars League matches - Al Wakrah vs Al Sadd and Al Arabi vs Al Duhail - and produced nine yellow cards.

In Croatia-Morocco’s third-place playoff, Al-Jassim will be assisted by compatriots Taleb Al Marri and Saoud Al Maqaleh, while Brazilian Raphael Claus will be the fourth official. Chilean Julio Bascunan will be the Video Assistant Referee (VAR

Match officials for Croatia vs Morocco FIFA World Cup 2022 third-place playoff

Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Assistant Referees: Taleb Al Marri (Qatar) and Saoud Al Maqaleh (Qatar)

Fourth Official: Raphael Claus (Brazil)

VAR: Julio Bascunan (Chile)