Sources close to FIFA World Cup referee Mark Geiger have denied that he asked for Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt while refereeing Portugal’s 1-0 victory over Morocco on Wednesday.
Morocco complained afterward about Geiger’s performance in the match, which was his first on-field assignment, and midfielder Nordin Amrabat raised the prospect of impartial behaviour by the referee in an interview with Dutch broadcaster NOS.
“I don’t know what [Geiger] is used to, but he was very impressed by Cristiano,” Amrabat said. “I’ve been just told by Pepe that in the [first half], he asked if he could have his shirt. Come on, man. What are we talking about? … We are at the World Cup, not a circus here.”
But sources close to Geiger denied that he made such a request.
“It’s laughable, these allegations,” said one source, who asked to remain anonymous because he is not authorised to comment on refereeing issues at the World Cup. “We saw it on Twitter last night and laughed at the ridiculousness of it.”
With the implementation of video assistant referee (VAR) technology throughout the event, all communication between the referee, his assistants, and those in the VAR booth are recorded. The recordings are later used for training and to provide feedback on a referee’s performance.
If Geiger said what is alleged, the source said, “the audio would be recorded and it would be on tape. It’s a live [microphone] at all times and there is no way for Mark to mute it.”
In a statement, FIFA said that Geiger has refuted the claims to the organisation and condemned Amrabat’s “allegations.”
“FIFA referees are under clear instructions with regard to their behaviour and relationship with the teams at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and it can be confirmed that Mr. Geiger has acted in an exemplary and professional manner as an appointed match official.”