FIFA referee Sergei Karasev told RB Sport that he was not sure that he would have been able to work at significant matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, even if his team had gone there.

– I did not regret for a second that I was not at the World Championships. Honestly. I’ll explain why. Since February, we have understood that it is unlikely that we will be able to work in Qatar, that is, a lot of time has passed. This is the first. And the second – as practice has shown, at FIFA tournaments, where we were, practically nothing was judged. Although the level of our work was highly appreciated.

If I went to Qatar, I’m not sure that I would refere any significant matches. The youth world championship, the world championship in Russia, the football tournament of the Olympics … We stayed everywhere until the end of the tournament, but worked at best as a reserve. Therefore, a light scar remained on my heart: I went to tournaments, but I didn’t really have to work there, – said Karasev.

Karasev was included in the preliminary list of judges for the 2022 World Cup, but he was not on the final list of arbitrators. In total, 36 chief referees, 69 assistants and 24 VAR referees worked at the tournament.