FIFA President: The referees are the most important team at the World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has expressed his full support to the match officials at the FIFA World Cup, praising their dedication, professionalism and ability to cope with pressure.

“These 129 match officials are doing the most difficult job of all of us, either here in Qatar or at home” he said. “They are top professionals; they are motivated in an incredible way.”

“The referees are for us are not only one team, but they are Team One. They are the most important team at the World Cup because without the referees’ team, there is no World Cup.”

“I am as much a fan as everyone else and I get upset as much you when there is a mistake or when I simply don't agree with the decision of the referee because I support a particular team,” he said.

“I am asking everyone to try to put yourselves in the shoes of the referees just for a moment – (imagine) you were on the ground in front of 80,000 people in a stadium, a few hundred million on television and you have to take instant decisions which can affect entire countries.”