Mark Clattenburg has claimed appointing Italian official Maurizio Mariani to referee the 2026 World Cup Final would provoke widespread frustration, despite the 44-year-old emerging as the leading candidate for the showpiece match.
The former Premier League referee, speaking on the Daily Mail’s Whistleblowers podcast, argued that selecting Mariani would continue a pattern of Italian influence in football’s most prestigious officiating roles. Italy has supplied three World Cup Final referees since 1978, and Clattenburg highlighted the presence of Italians in key administrative positions, including Pierluigi Collina as chair of FIFA’s referees committee and Roberto Rosetti holding UEFA’s equivalent role.
“I am hearing again that it could be an Italian referee,” Clattenburg stated. “Infantino’s Italian, Collina’s Italian. Most of the power in the refereeing and wider football world is Italian.”
However, this claim contains a factual error. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is Swiss, though his parents had Italian origins.
Mariani’s credentials
Mariani’s case for the final rests on extensive recent experience at major finals. He officiated the 2025-26 Conference League Final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano, and also took charge of the 2025 Under-20 World Cup Final where Morocco defeated Argentina. During the current tournament, he has managed Saudi Arabia’s draw with Uruguay, Colombia’s victory over DR Congo, and Brazil’s Round of 32 win against Japan.
Selection criteria and recent history
FIFA tradition prevents officials from nations still competing in the tournament from refereeing the final. With Italy having failed to qualify for the 2026 edition, Mariani would technically be eligible under standard protocols, whereas colleagues from quarter-finalist nations would be excluded.
Clattenburg, who refereed the EURO 2016 Final, contrasted this potential appointment with recent World Cup Final officials. “If you look at it, in 2010 the referee was English, in 2014 Italian, in 2018 Argentinian and in 2022 Polish,” he noted. “If we go Italian again, are we saying there’s no other referees but Italian?”
He acknowledged that Italian officials are widely considered among the world’s best, despite domestic criticism of their performances. Nevertheless, he urged FIFA to consider the broader global picture. “FIFA needs to keep everybody happy, all of the six confederations,” he added. “If this year an Italian referee gets the chance again, bearing in mind what’s happened with FIFA at this tournament, it would be a big shock to me. There’s an awful lot of talented referees that could referee that match.”
The appointment would make Mariani the fourth Italian to referee a World Cup Final in the modern era, following Sergio Gonella (1978), Pierluigi Collina (2002) and Nicola Rizzoli (2014).