During major football tournaments, the referees assigned are, for obvious reasons, are neutral. For Switzerland v. Germany, the referees are Italian.
I’m currently watching Belgium v Romania in Euro 2024 and see at least six Belgiums who currently play in the Premier League – Castagne, De Bruyne, Doku, Onana, Tielemans, and Trossard – and Lukaku previously played in the Premier League.
Could English referees, who likely know these players well from league matches, be assigned to his match or would that be viewed as unnecessarily favoring the Belgiums? [For the record, the referees are Polish.]
German referees were assigned to Turkey v Portugal, even though Germany has a large Turkish presence, so perhaps it’s not an issue.
