The Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio remains in Qatar, even after the criticism received after the French victory against England in the quarterfinals. This indicates that the referee from Goiás is being considered for one of the games of the weekend in the World Cup: the dispute for third place and the very final.
According to the English newspaper The Times, unlike Sampaio, other referees who officiated in the quarterfinals have already left the host country, such as the Englishman Michael Oliver, who led Brazil vs Croatia, and the Spaniard Mateu Lahoz, who has been much criticized by the Argentines in the confrontation with the Netherlands.
Interestingly, Sampaio was also heavily criticized by players such as Harry Maguire, journalists and fans after his performance in the duel that decreed the English elimination.
Some fans even invaded their page on Wikipedia, in the English version, to edit the text and include that “Wilton Pereira Sampaio is a blind French referee, who lost his guide dog. Please return the dog if you find him, the dog has a match to whistle.”
A journalist from the English The Guardian posted on the website that “it looked like he was guessing [as marcações]🇧🇷
The English question an unmarked penalty on Harry Kane in the first half, a foul on Saka in the move that led to the first French goal and the delay in scoring the second penalty in the final stage, appointed only after VAR intervention.
Before the match in the quarterfinals, the Brazilian refereed three other games in Qatar: Netherlands 2 x 0 Senegal, Poland 2 x 0 Saudi Arabia and, in the round of 16, Netherlands 3 x 1 United States.
As a seasoned news journalist, I bring a wealth of experience to the field. I’ve worked with world-renowned news organizations, honing my skills as a writer and reporter. Currently, I write for the sports section at News Bulletin 247, where I bring a unique perspective to every story.
