In the 84th minute of the opening match at Azteca Stadium, after reviewing the VAR video, Brazilian referee Sampaio used English to explain and announce his decision to issue a direct red card to Themba Zwane. However, his Brazilian accent left those around him unable to understand what was being said. Even South African players, where English is one of the most common languages, appeared confused by the referee's words. Media organizations reacted similarly.

"The problem is that nobody understood what the referee was saying", Portuguese newspaper A Bola commented. "This was not a situation where players tried to appear surprised to pretend they didn't know what happened. The fault lies with the referee's poor English. Perhaps he should study more." This topic also sparked discussion on social media. "The new era of refereeing. Now, even the referee's ability to speak English is part of the game", one user commented on X.

Referee Sampaio issues a red card to Zwane during the World Cup 2026 opening match, Mexico 2-0 South Africa on 11/6. *Photo: AP*

During the match, referee Sampaio also issued direct red cards to Sphephelo Sithole (South Africa) in the 49th minute and Cesar Montes (Mexico) in the 90+2 minute, in addition to three other players receiving yellow cards. Mexico ultimately won 2-0 with goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez.

Sampaio, 44, became a FIFA referee in 2013. He officiated four matches in the World Cup 2022, including two group stage matches, the Netherlands-US round of 16 match, and the England-France quarter-final.

Following the opening match in Mexico, Sampaio may officiate at least one more group stage match in this year's tournament. According to FIFA's projections, if South American teams are eliminated early, he could be a candidate to officiate the semi-finals and final.

Brazil has two other referees working at the World Cup 2026: Ramon Abatti and Raphael Claus. Another South American nation, Argentina, also contributes three referees: Yael Falcon, Dario Herrera, and Facundo Tello. Referee Tello officiated two group stage matches and the Portugal-Morocco quarter-final in the World Cup 2022. Following that match, center-back Pepe criticized the assignment of an Argentinian referee for a Portugal match. In 2024, Tello was the only non-European referee invited to work at the Euro, officiating two group stage matches.

FIFA invited 51 main referees for the World Cup 2026, comprising: 12 from South America, 15 from Europe, 9 from the CONCACAF region, 8 from Asia, 6 from Africa, and one from Oceania.

Africa was supposed to have 7 referees, but Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry upon arrival in Miami, US on 6/6. According to an anonymous US official, the reason was Artan's alleged "links to suspected members of terrorist organizations". Meanwhile, some sources attributed the denial to strict security checks and tight immigration restrictions implemented by President Donald Trump's administration. After an 11-hour immigration interview, referee Artan stated that US officials did not provide a clear explanation despite him having all necessary travel documents, suggesting his Somali nationality might have been a factor.

*By Thanh Quy (according to A Bola, X)*