Clattenburg warns fourth Italian World Cup final referee would 'upset a lot of people'

Former Premier League and FIFA referee Mark Clattenburg has predicted that an Italian official will be appointed to referee the 2026 World Cup final — a decision he says would “upset a lot of people” given the concentration of Italian power at the top of the sport’s refereeing hierarchy.

Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Whistleblowers podcast, Clattenburg — who refereed the UEFA Euro 2016 final — stopped short of naming Maurizio Mariani directly, but the 44-year-old from Rome is the only Italian referee at this summer’s tournament. Mariani has already taken charge of three matches: Saudi Arabia’s draw with Uruguay, Colombia’s win over DR Congo, and Brazil’s victory over Japan in the Round of 32.

Should Mariani be appointed to the final, it would mark the fourth time since 1978 that an Italian referee has overseen the tournament’s showpiece match. Clattenburg pointed to the broader structural picture as the source of concern, noting that Pierluigi Collina chairs the FIFA Referees Committee while Roberto Rosetti heads UEFA’s refereeing department. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is also Italian.

“I am hearing again that it could be an Italian referee,” Clattenburg said. “Infantino’s Italian, Collina’s Italian. Most of the power in the refereeing and wider football world is Italian. If we go Italian again, are we saying there’s no other referees but Italian?”

Clattenburg was careful to frame his concern as one of perception and fairness rather than a slight on Mariani’s ability. “I am not saying an Italian doesn’t deserve it, but there’s an awful lot of talented referees that could referee that match,” he said.

The question of officiating appointments has already drawn scrutiny at this World Cup. FIFA suspended the automatic ban on USA forward Folarin Balogun following a straight red card in the Americans’ Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina — a decision that came after President Donald Trump personally raised the matter with Infantino.

The pool of viable candidates for the final may be narrower than it appears. English officials are barred from overseeing Argentina matches due to the political history between the two countries, and with England, France, and Argentina still in the competition, several leading referees from those nations remain ineligible until their countries are eliminated.

“If this year an Italian referee gets the chance again, bearing in mind what’s happened with FIFA at this tournament, it would be a big shock to me,” Clattenburg added.