Romanian Referee István Kovács Appointed for 1,000th FIFA World Cup Match
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RIYADH, June 20 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - FIFA has appointed Romanian referee István Kovács to officiate the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history, the Group F fixture between Tunisia and Japan at Monterrey Stadium on June 20.
Kovács will be assisted by Romanian officials Ferencz Tunyogi and Mihai Marica.
Costa Rican officials Juan Calderón and Juan Carlos Mora will serve as fourth official and reserve assistant referee.
FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina said the appointment was based on the regular criteria used to select the best referee for the match.
“We selected the referee that we think is the best referee for this match. And of course, by coincidence, he is also appointed for the 1,000th match,” Collina said.
Collina said officiating a FIFA World Cup match is a major honour and that being appointed for the 1,000th match adds historical significance.
FIFA also created a special match kit to mark the fixture, featuring golden details, stripes and a patch with the trophy and the number 1,000.
Kovács, 41, was part of the match officials panel at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, where he served as fourth official in eight fixtures.
His appointment to the Tunisia-Japan match marks his first match as a referee at a FIFA World Cup.
Source: FIFA
