FIFA Sparks Controversy With Jérôme Brisard’s Var Appointment for Norway vs. England

FIFA has appointed French official Jérôme Brisard as VAR for the Norway-England World Cup quarterfinal, despite the controversy surrounding his role in the highly debated Argentina-Egypt match.

FIFA has once again found itself at the center of controversy after appointing French official Jérôme Brisard as the VAR referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal between Norway and England.

Brisard recently served as the VAR official during the highly debated Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt, where several key decisions triggered strong protests from the Egyptian Football Association.

Among the most disputed moments were the review that disallowed an Egyptian goal and the decision not to intervene in Argentina's decisive 3-2 winner. Despite the criticism, FIFA's chairman of referees, Pierluigi Collina, publicly defended both decisions, stating that the officiating team had applied the Laws of the Game correctly.

Now, Brisard has been assigned to another high-profile match, working alongside fellow French referee Clément Turpin, who will officiate the Norway-England quarterfinal.

Turpin is widely regarded as one of Europe's top referees and will oversee his fourth match of the tournament. He previously refereed England's 4-2 victory over Croatia during the group stage.

The appointment comes despite Egypt's formal request that neither Brisard nor referee François Letexier officiate any additional matches at the World Cup following the controversial encounter with Argentina.

Spanish officials will also be part of the refereeing crew, with Alejandro Hernández Hernández serving as the fourth official and Carlos del Cerro Grande assigned as the reserve assistant VAR.