Poland’s Marciniak to referee Sunday’s final match
DOHA, Dec 16: Polish referee Szymon Marciniak will make history as the first man from his country to take charge of a FIFA World Cup final when France meet Argentina at Lusail Stadium on Sunday. Marciniak, who oversaw France’s group-stage victory over Denmark and Argentina’s Round of 16 defeat of Australia, will be assisted by compatriots Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz for the hotly-anticipated contest. The 41-year-old has extensive UEFA Champions League experience and was in the middle for Liverpool’s first-leg semi-final victory over Villarreal last season. Marciniak additionally refereed three matches at the 2016 UEFA EURO. Meanwhile, Abdulrahman Al Jassim of Qatar will officiate the play-off for third place between Morocco and Croatia at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday. The 35-year-old was referee for USA and Wales’ 1-1 group stage draw on the tournament’s second day. He oversaw the FIFA Club World Cup final between Liverpool and Flamengo in December 2019. Al Jassim will have fellow Qataris Taleb Al Marri and Saoud Ahmed Almaqaleh as assistant referees for this weekend’s fixture. (IANS)
Fernando Santos steps down as Portugal head coach
Lisbon, Dec 16: Fernando Santos has stepped down as the head coach of Portugal following their disappointing 2022 FIFA World Cup exit. The 68-year-old leaves after Portugal’ shock 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Morocco at the World Cup in Qatar. Santos spent eight years in charge of Portugal, guiding the team to victory at two international competitions for the first time: Euro 2016 in France, and the inaugural Uefa Nations League in 2019. “The Portuguese Football Federation and Fernando Santos agreed to end the highly successful journey that began in September 2014”, the Portuguese Football Association (FPF) said in a statement on Thursday night. “After one of the best participation ever by the National Team in the final stages of the World Championship, in Qatar, FPF and Fernando Santos understand that this is the right time to start a new cycle”, it added. Santos took the bold decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo following the group stage. The move paid off in the last 16, as Ronaldo’s replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Switzerland. (IANS)