England v Andorra: Who is the referee for tonight's World Cup qualifier at Villa Park?
England and Andorra will go head-to-head in a David vs Goliath clash at Villa Park tonight.
The two teams will meet as part of the ongoing World Cup qualifiers; England are top of group K, while Andorra sit fifth and last, with zero points to their name.
England manager Thomas Tuchel expects Andorra to park the bus, with the 5-4-1 being the principality’s formation of choice. Last time the two sides met, England scraped a 1-0 victory.
Ahead of tonight’s game, UEFA have confirmed who will be officiating the match - here’s everything we know about them.
Who is the referee for England v Andorra?
The referee for tonight’s game is Mohammad Al-Emara from Finland. He has been an international referee since 2021, but was only listed as a first-category referee earlier this year.
Al-Emara started refereeing in 2012, and has plenty of experience officiating in both UEFA youth competitions and the Veikkausliiga - the top-tier of Finnish football.
Initially an interpreter by trade, Al-Emara has been vocal about combatting racism and inequality in football.
Speaking to Finnish publication Ilta Sanomat - after calling off a game where a player was racially abused - he said: “I would never want to be in a situation where a player hears the shouts and reacts to them before the referee. It was only after the game that I realised that this is a pretty unique event in Finland.
“I didn't want the matter to be profiled against me, a referee with an immigrant background.
“I have had to fight prejudice my whole life, even though I grew up here and feel like I am just as Finnish as anyone else. Racism feels like a slap in the face every time.”