Cesar Ramos: The referee officiating France vs Morocco at the World Cup
Wednesday's World Cup semi-final will see reigning champions France take on surprise package Morocco for a spot in Qatar's final.
Les Bleus survived some penalty scares in their victory over England and will hope for a more comprehensive display against an Atlas Lions side that has conceded just one goal all tournament.
With a place in the final up for grabs, FIFA have given refereeing duties for this game to Cesar Ramos, one of the more consistent officials at the tournament so far.
Who is Cesar Ramos?
Ramos is a 38-year-old referee from Mexico and one of the youngest officials at the tournament. He made his professional debut in 2006 in the Mexican second division and was added to FIFA's elite list in 2014.
From there, he officiated games in Liga MX and the CONCACAF Champions League. He met stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos when he officiated the FIFA Club World Cup final between Real Madrid and Gremio in 2017.
After taking charge of qualification games, Ramos made his debut at the World Cup in 2018, where he took charge of three games.
He has handed out only seven yellow cards in the three games he's refereed at the 2022 World Cup so far.
Has Cesar Ramos ever refereed a France game?
Ramos has never taken charge of an international game involving France.
Has Cesar Ramos ever refereed a Morocco game?
Ramos was the ref with the whistle for Morocco's 2-0 victory over Belgium during the group stage.
He chalked off a goal for offside with the help of the video assistant referee when Romain Saiss was deemed to have interfered with Thibaut Courtois' line of sight.
The result had little to do with Ramos' display as Morocco outplayed Belgium to win all three points.
What matches has Cesar Ramos refereed at the 2022 World Cup?
Alongside the aforementioned Belgium vs Morocco fixture, Ramos officiated the goalless 0-0 draw between Denmark and Tunisia.
There was a 95th-minute pause in that game when Ramos was called over to the pitchside monitor to view a potential handball against Tunisia, but he elected against giving what would have been a harsh penalty.
Ramos also presided over the last 16 clash between Portugal and Switzerland. He gave out a couple of yellow cards in the 6-1 victory for the Selecao.
Who will the assistant referees be for France vs Morocco?
The following team will support Ramos during France's clash with Morocco.
- Alberto Morin Mendez (Assistant referee)
- Miguel Angel Hernandez Paredes (Assistant referee)
- Jesus Valenzuela Saez (Fourth official)
- Drew Fischer (VAR)
- Nicolas Gallo (Assistant VAR)
- Neuza Back (Offside VAR)
- Armando Villarreal (Support VAR)