Ghosts of North Macedonia haunt Italy with refereeing selection for Bosnia play-off

A troubling echo of the past looms over Italy's crucial World Cup play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The same referee who officiated their devastating 2022 semi-final defeat to North Macedonia has been appointed to oversee Tuesday's decisive match, prompting concern among the Azzurri camp.

French official Clément Turpin will be the man in the middle for the play-off final, which kicks off at 19:45 BST. He will be assisted by Nicolas Dagos and Benjamin Pages, with Jose Maria Sanchez from Spain acting as the fourth official. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties will be handled by Jerom Brisard and Willy Delajod.

This appointment is particularly unsettling for Italy, as Turpin was the referee during their infamous 1-0 loss to North Macedonia in the 2022 World Cup play-off semi-final. That shocking defeat famously cost Roberto Mancini’s squad, then the reigning European champions, a spot at the global tournament later that year.

The game culminated in heartbreak for Italy when former Palermo striker Alesandar Trajkovski netted in the 92nd minute, preventing their World Cup qualification for a second consecutive cycle.

Italy last qualified for the World Cup in 2014. Should they fail to qualify for 2026, it would mark their third consecutive absence from the global showpiece. Their last knockout stage appearance was in 2006, when they famously lifted the trophy by beating France in the final.

This time, Gennaro Gattuso's squad faces a challenging away fixture in Zenica, Bosnia, to secure their place at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

Having finished second behind Norway in their World Cup qualifying group, the Azzurri find themselves in the play-offs for the third consecutive tournament cycle. They secured their spot in the final by defeating Northern Ireland 2-0 in the semi-final in Bergamo, thanks to second-half goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean.

Bosnia, meanwhile, advanced to the final after eliminating Wales in a tense penalty shootout in Cardiff.