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Topics: Football, England, France, Football World Cup
Chris Byfield
Topics: Football, England, France, Football World Cup
England take on reigning champions France in a tantalising World Cup quarter-final at Qatar's Al Bayt Stadium.
The Three Lions dismantled Senegal 3-0 to advance to the last eight, while Didier Deschamps' side overcame Poland 3-1 to keep their dream of back-to-back World Cups alive.
It’s the first major tournament knockout match between the two neighbouring nations, and it's likely to be decided by key battles across the pitch.
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Kylian Mbappe, arguably the world’s best player, will likely go toe-to-toe with Kyle Walker, perhaps the only full-back in world football able to keep up with the PSG star.
Meanwhile, Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson will be hoping to keep an in-form Antoine Griezmann at bay in midfield while the dazzling Jude Bellingham will be looking to get the better of his counterpart Adrien Rabiot.
Keeping an eye on these key battles, and the proceeding as a whole will be Wilton Sampaio. Here is everything you need to know about the official.
Designated the best referee in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A in 2012, Sampaio, career has since gone from strength to strength.
Sampaio was a designated official in Russia four-and-a-half years ago, and has already taken charge of three fixtures in Qatar - the Netherlands' 2-0 win over Qatar, Poland's victory over Saudi Arabia and the Dutch's 3-1 round-of-16 win against the United States.
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The Brazilian is notorious for the frequency with which he hands out yellow cards. The Brazilian produced 14 yellow cards and one red card while officiating three Copa Libertadores matches last season.
Meanwhile, he has handed out 12 yellow cards in just two Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A matches.
Here are the other confirmed match officials for England vs France:
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (BRA)
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Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Boschilia (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Pires (BRA)
Fourth Official: Mohamed Mohammed (UAE)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mohamed Alhammadi (UAE)
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Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo (COL)