Bafana Bafana get Portuguese referee for Canada Round of 32 clash

Bafana Bafana will have Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro in charge of their Round of 32 clash against Canada at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, 28 June.

Kick-off is at 21:00 (SA time).

Kick off with the best. World Sport Betting

Pinheiro will be assisted by compatriots Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia.

The fourth official will be the UAE’s Omar Alali while his compatriot Mohamed Alhammadi will be the reserve assistant referee.

Pinheira, 38, officiates in the Primeira Liga. He has been a FIFA referee since 2016, and is ranked as a UEFA elite category referee.

Path to the Round of 32

Bafana Bafana lost their opening match 2-0 against co-hosts Mexico and followed that up with a 1-1 draw against Czech Republic.

They then beat South Korea 1-0 in what was a must-win clash to secure second place in Group A and progress to the knockout stages for the first time in their World Cup history.

Meanwhile, Canada drew 1-all with Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opener, and followed that with a 6-0 drubbing of Qatar. They then lost 2-1 to Switzerland in their final Group B match.

That set of results was good enough to see the Canadians secure the runner-up place in their group.

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