FIFA make thoughts clear on England vs France referee with World Cup response

Wilton Sampaio was widely criticised for his performance during England's defeat to France in the quarter-finals, but he is not part of ...

Wilton Sampaio was widely criticised for his performance during England's defeat to France in the quarter-finals, but he is not part of the latest group of referees to be sent home from the World Cup

Referee Wilton Sampaio has been handed the chance to take charge of the World Cup final, despite being widely slammed for his performance during England's defeat to France.

Sampaio has come under fire for several decisions he made during the quarter-final clash, which led to England crashing out. Many pundits believe he should have awarded a free-kick to the Three Lions in the build-up to Aurelien Tchouameni's opener for a foul on Bukayo Saka.

He then failed to award a penalty when Harry Kane was taken down by Dayot Upamencano and require VAR to give England a spot-kick when Theo Hernandez barged into Mason Mount just after Olivier Giroud had put France back in front.

In the face of that criticism though, The Times report that Sampaio has been kept at the World Cup by FIFA. Several officials have been sent home though, including English referee Michael Oliver.

The decision means that Sampaio stands a chance of taking charge of the final on Sunday. He is yet to be given an appointment for the semi-finals, with Argentina taking on Croatia on Tuesday and France facing Morocco on Wednesday.

The Brazilian will battle the likes of Anthony Taylor for the honour of taking charge of football's biggest game. The fact he has been kept on will be a surprise to many, not least England star Harry Maguire, who slammed Sampaio for his performance on Saturday