England’s opening match against Croatia on Wednesday will be refereed by Frenchman Clement Turpin, who was once labeled “Grade E” by Thomas Tuchel, who is now the coach.
Turpin sent then Bayern Munich boss Tuchel to the stands for protesting during his team’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-final second leg in April 2023 after showing the German two yellow cards.
Turpin made a total of five bookings in the first half and initially gave Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano a straight red card, which was later overturned following a VAR offside decision.
City defeated Bayern 4–1 on aggregate.
Turpin’s decisions infuriated Tuchel.
“Two things could not keep up with the level: the field was not in good condition and unfortunately the referee was also from class E,” Tuchel said after the match.
«I would give him a 1 out of 10. He was absolutely terrible. It’s unbelievable at this level. He whistled for anything and everything. Everything was against us.»
«Ultimately, we were never in a position to turn things around with three men against us. That’s a fact.»
England’s Jude Bellingham also clashed with the French referee, who pushed the Real Madrid player away from the penalty area as he tried to distract Bayern’s Harry Kane as he took a penalty in the 2024 Champions League semi-final.
“I’m sure (Bellingham) said something to put me off, but luckily it was OK,” Bellingham’s England teammate Kane told reporters after the match. «I don’t know what he said. I saw him mumbling something there.»
Turpin has taken charge of the 2021 Europa League final, the 2022 Champions League final and England’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia at the 2024 European Championship.
Published on June 15, 2026
