Who is the referee for Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina?
After Mexico took the spotlight on Thursday, it is Canada's turn to introduce themselves as World Cup hosts on Friday.The co-hosts will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto, with kick-off set for 3pm local time (8pm UK time).The officials have been confirmed for Canada's opener – and there's a familiar face holding the whistle.The referee for Canada vs Bosnia and HerzegovinaFacundo Tello will need little introduction having previously officiated at the 2022 World Cup and at Euro 2024.The latter was a tad unusual, given that Tello is not European at all: he and his assistants hail from Argentina.
Facundo Tello refereed at Euro 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)44-year-old Tello has been officiating in the Argentine top flight for over a decade, most infamously taking charge of a Champions Trophy final between Boca Juniors and Racing Club in which he showed ten red cards.That does seem to be something of an aberration, to be fair. So far this season, Tello has taken charge of 14 games in all competitions and shown just two red cards (0.14 per game), one of which was for a second bookable offence. That is on top of 67 yellow cards, or 4.78 per game.The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.It should be noted that the Argentine league is particularly noted for being feisty, and Tello's record on the international stage is somewhat more reserved.Tello didn't show any red cards at all in his two games at Euro 2024 (but did show nine yellows), nor in any of his seven games in the South American section of World Cup qualifying (26 yellows).His only sending off in three games at the 2022 World Cup was a second yellow card for Morocco's Walid Cheddira in their quarter-final victory over Portugal.
Facundo Tello is used to fiery occasions (Image credit: Getty Images)The VAR lead is another Argentinian, Hernan Mastrangelo, who will be backed up by Uruguay's Antonio Garcia and Nicaragua's Tatiana Guzman.The fourth official and reserve assistant are Khalif Alturais and Mohammed Alabakry, both from Saudi Arabia.Got any thoughts on Tello's performance? Let us know below…
