In the 1,000th match in World Cup history—which István Kovács, born in Carie (Nagykároly), officiated without any significant difficulties—the Japanese clearly dominated the game and became the first Asian team to score four goals in a World Cup match. For the Hungarian referee, this match was a significant milestone in his career.
On Sunday, the Japanese national team defeated the Tunisian team 4–0 in the second match of Group F of the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, thereby eliminating the North African team from the tournament after the group stage following its second loss.
For 41-year-old referee István Kovács, who officiated the match and had previously refereed the Europa League final two years ago as well as last year’s Champions League final, this match was another milestone in his career. Although he was part of the officiating squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he did not officiate a single match at that time; instead, he served as an assistant referee in eight matches.
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) posted a video on social media in which the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Italian Pierluigi Collina, first presented the special jersey that those involved in the match will wear—featuring gold stripes and a special logo highlighting this unique World Cup match—and then presented it to Kovács.
Collina emphasized that the appointment was not made because of the anniversary, but because, in the organization’s view, Kovács was the most suitable referee for this match. He added that officiating the 1,000th World Cup match is a special honor, which is why the refereeing team is wearing a jersey custom-made for the occasion.
The 41-year-old referee received his FIFA certification in 2010 and was admitted to UEFA’s elite category in 2019. His continental experience includes the 2020–21 European Championship, where he officiated the match between the Netherlands and North Macedonia. At the club level, he has achieved a unique feat: he is the first referee to have officiated the finals of all three current European cup competitions—the Conference League (2022), the Europa League (2024), and the Champions League (last season).
Via m4sport.hu, regioradio.info; Featured image: Pexels
