36-year-old Singaporean referee Muhammad Taqi, will be officiating at the Qatar World Cup that is set to kick off later tonight at 12am.
Taqi, who has 20 years of refereeing experience after starting his career at the age of 16, is one of 24 Video Match Officials (VMOs) at this year’s world cup.
He will be operating the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, which utilises video technology to help referees make more accurate decisions.
He is the 5th Singaporean ever to officiate in a World Cup, and will be the first Asian VMO.
Taqi spoke to McDonald’s and said that he signed up for a refereeing course when he was 16-years-old with his friends, and he then officiated his first Singapore Premier League (then-S League) game at the age of 19.
He then became a FIFA-listed referee in 2012, and has over the years officiated at major events such as the AFC Asian Cup and the Tokyo Olympics.