Muhammad Taqi (referee)

Muhammad Taqi
Full name	Muhammad Taqi Al-Jaafari bin Jahari
Born	25 October 1986 (age 37); Singapore
Domestic
Years	League
2006–	Singapore Premier League
2013, 2017, 2019	Chinese Super League
2016, 2018, 2020	Indian Super League
International
Years	League
2012–	FIFA listed

Last updated October 20, 2024

Muhammad Taqi Al-Jaafari bin Jahari (born 25 October 1986) is a Singaporean international football referee.^[1] He has been a FIFA listed referee since 2012,^[2] and has also refereed a number of AFC Champions League matches. He has also won the 2014 S.League Referee of the Year and the AFF Referee of the Year in 2017.

Taqi refereed the matches in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. He has also officiated in the 2012, 2014, 2019 Singapore Cup Final, the 2019 Indian Super League Final, the 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship, the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship as well in the Chinese Super League and the Indian Super League.

Taqi was selected as a Video Assistant Referee at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup becoming the first Singaporean to officiate at both the men's and women's World Cup tournaments. He also was selected as the assistant VAR referee in the 2020 Olympic football final between Brazil and Spain.

Taqi is the fifth Singaporean referee to officiate at a FIFA World Cup after George Suppiah (1974), Shamsul Maidin (2006), K. Visvanathan (2002) and Jeffrey Goh (2010).

Early life

Taqi's road to the pinnacle of football refereeing began when he accompanied his friends who had fathers and uncles as a match officials where it prompt him to take his first refereeing course at 15-year-old at the old National Stadium.

Taqi underwent a football trials with Clementi Khalsa back in the days but things didn't quite work out for him being an actual footballer so he quickly developed a curiosity and understanding for the Laws of the Game, and was actively involved as a Class 3 referee after he completed his O-levels. When he was 19, he was promoted to a Class 2 referee to officiate in the Prime League matches, before stepping up as a Class 1 referee the same year to be involved in S.League (now known as Singapore Premier League) matches.

Refereeing career

Taqi started his referee career in 2006 where on 27 April 2006, he officiate his first match in the 2006 S.League contested between Geylang United and Balestier Khalsa. Taqi became a FIFA-listed referee in 2012.^[3]

In February 2014, Taqi had a double in his career where he refereed the 2014 Singapore Charity Shield and the 2014 Singapore Cup Final. In the opening ceremony at the new Singapore National Stadium, Taqi refereed the first match on 16 August 2014 between Italian giants, Juventus and Singapore Selection which saw Juventus winning the match 5–0. In the same year, he was also awarded with S.League Referee of the Year.

In 2015, Taqi was sent to Australia for being one of the support referees for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in January with his assistant, Jeffrey Goh. In July 2015, he refereed in the 2015 Premier League Asia Trophy between Stoke City and Singapore Selection where Stoke City won 2–0.

In May 2017, Taqi was a video assistant referee (VAR) for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup In South Korea.^[3] On 25 July 2017, he officiated the 2017 International Champions Cup match in Singapore between English champions Chelsea and German champions Bayern Munich. Bayern won the match 3–2. In October 2017,

Taqi was sent to India to officiate 2 group stage matches in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. On 26 November 2017, Taqi officiated the 2017 Singapore Cup Final between Albirex Niigata (S) and Global Cebu. Taqi was named 2017 AFF Referee of the Year.^[4]

On 30 July 2018, Taqi officiated the 2018 International Champions Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid at the Singapore National Stadium in which PSG won the match 3–2.

In January 2019, Taqi was selected by AFC for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup held in the UAE to officiate some matches. He was sent to Poland to officiate some matches for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup where he was the tournament match opening referee between Tahiti and Senegal on 23 May 2019 and on 30 May 2019, he also saw the tournament biggest ever win of 12–0 between Norway and Honduras where Erling Haaland scored nine goals in the match. On 7 August 2019, Taqi officiated in the 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship between Shonan Bellmare and Athletico Paranaense. During the Brazil Global Tour in Singapore. Taqi officiate the match between Brazil and Senegal on 10 October 2019.

In 2021, Taqi was Singapore's first FIFA video assistant referee (VAR) and officiated at the 2020 Summer Olympics held at Japan being the assistant VAR in the men's football final between Brazil and Spain.^[3]^[5]

On 15 July 2022, Taqi officiated the match between both English Premier League clubs, Liverpool and Crystal Palace at the Singapore National Stadium.

Taqi was also selected to officiate as a VAR for the 2022 FIFA World Cup ^[3] and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, making him the first Singaporean to officiate at both the men's and women's World Cup tournaments.^[6]

On 14 September 2023, the AFC announced that Taqi and 32 other referees were selected as referees for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. On 14 January 2024, he was selected to officiate a match between UAE and Hong Kong which UAE won the match 3–1. Taqi also saw Hong Kong midfielder Chan Siu Kwan who scored the 1,000th goal in the AFC Asian Cup history.

On 13 February 2024, Taqi was selected to officiate the opening 2023–24 AFC Champions League Round of 16 match between Shandong Taishan and Kawasaki Frontale.

Taqi was selected to officiate a match in the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite fixtures between Thailand club Buriram United and Japanese club Vissel Kobe.

Personal life

Taqi is married and has two sons and a daughter.^[3]

Taqi also received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree whilst studying at the University of London in 2009.

Notable matches

FIFA tournament


2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup – India
Date	Match	Location	Venue	Round
9 October 2017	Turkey – Mali	Navi Mumbai	Dr. DY Patil Stadium	Group stage
14 October 2017	France – Honduras	Guwahati	Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium	Group stage


2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup – Poland
Date	Match	Location	Venue	Round
23 May 2019	Tahiti – Senegal	Lublin	Lublin Stadium	Group stage
30 May 2019	Norway – Honduras	Lublin	Lublin Stadium	Group stage

Video Assistant Referee (VAR)
2022 FIFA World Cup – Qatar
Date	Match	Location	Venue	Round
23 November 2022	Spain – Costa Rica	Doha	Al Thumama Stadium	Group stage
24 November 2022	Brazil – Serbia	Lusail	Lusail Stadium	Group stage
25 November 2022	Netherlands – Ecuador	Al Rayyan	Khalifa International Stadium	Group stage

Video Assistant Referee (VAR)
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup – Australia/New Zealand
Date	Match	Location	Venue	Round
24 July 2023	Germany – Morocco	Melbourne	Melbourne Rectangular Stadium	Group stage
26 July 2023	Spain – Zambia	Auckland	Eden Park	Group stage
1 August 2023	Haiti – Denmark	Perth	Perth Rectangular Stadium	Group stage
3 August 2023	South Korea – Germany	Brisbane	Lang Park	Group stage
8 August 2023	France – Morocco	Adelaide	Hindmarsh Stadium	Round of 16

AFC tournament


2019 AFC Asian Cup – United Arab Emirates
Date	Match	Location	Venue	Round
12 January 2019	Vietnam – Iran	Abu Dhabi	Al Nahyan Stadium	Group stage
22 January 2019	Qatar – Iraq	Abu Dhabi	Al Nahyan Stadium	Round of 16


2018 AFC U-23 Championship – China
Date	Match	Location	Venue	Round
12 January 2018	Uzbekistan – China	Changzhou	Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre	Group stage
23 January 2018	Qatar – Vietnam	Changzhou	Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre,	Semi-finals


2020 AFC U-23 Championship – Thailand
Date	Match	Location	Venue	Round
10 January 2020	Vietnam – United Arab Emirates	Buriram	Buriram Stadium	Group stage
15 January 2020	Qatar – Japan	Bangkok	Rajamangala Stadium,	Group stage


2023 AFC Asian Cup – Qatar
Date	Match	Location	Venue	Round
14 January 2024	United Arab Emirates – Hong Kong	Al Rayyan	Khalifa International Stadium	Group stage

Others notable matches


Date	Match	Venue	Location	Tournaments
28 October 2012	SAFFC – Tampines Rovers	Kallang, Singapore	Jalan Besar Stadium	2012 Singapore Cup Final
8 November 2013	Tampines Rovers – Home United	Kallang, Singapore	Jalan Besar Stadium	2014 Singapore Charity Shield
7 November 2014	Balestier Khalsa – Home United	Kallang, Singapore	Jalan Besar Stadium	2014 Singapore Cup Final
16 August 2014	Juventus – Singapore Selection	Kallang, Singapore	Singapore National Stadium	1st official match at the new Singapore National Stadium
18 July 2015	Stoke City – Singapore Selection	Kallang, Singapore	Singapore National Stadium	2015 Premier League Asia Trophy
25 July 2017	Chelsea – Bayern Munich	Kallang, Singapore	Singapore National Stadium	2017 International Champions Cup
30 July 2018	Paris Saint-Germain – Atletico Madrid	Kallang, Singapore	Singapore National Stadium	2018 International Champions Cup
11 September 2018	Japan – Costa Rica	Suita, Japan	Panasonic Stadium Suita	2018 Kirin Challenge Cup
17 March 2019	Bengaluru – FC Goa	Mumbai, India	Mumbai Football Arena	2019 Indian Super League Final
7 August 2019	Shonan Bellmare – Athletico Paranaense.	Hiratsuka, Japan	Shonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka	2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship
19 August 2019	Dalian Yifang – Shanghai Greenland Shenhua	Dalian, China	Dalian Sports Center Stadium	2019 Chinese FA Cup Semi-finals
10 October 2019	Brazil – Senegal	Kallang, Singapore	Singapore National Stadium	2019 Brazil Global Tour
2 November 2019	Tampines Rovers – Warriors FC	Kallang, Singapore	Jalan Besar Stadium	2019 Singapore Cup Final
15 December 2019	South Korea – China	Busan, South Korea	Busan Asiad Main Stadium	2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
1 March 2020	Bengaluru – ATK	Bengaluru, India	Sree Kanteerava Stadium	2019–20 Indian Super League playoffs
22 September 2022	Thailand – Malaysia	Chiang Mai, Thailand	700th Anniversary Stadium	2022 King's Cup
25 September 2022	Trinidad and Tobago – Thailand	Chiang Mai, Thailand	700th Anniversary Stadium	2022 King's Cup
28 March 2023	Japan – Colombia	Osaka, Japan	Yodoko Sakura Stadium	2023 Kirin Challenge Cup

Statistics

Statistics as main referee
Tournaments	Contester	Years	Matches
FIFA U-17 World Cup	FIFA	2017	2	6	0
FIFA U-20 World Cup		2019	2	8	1
FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)		2015–	12	337	0
International Friendlies		2016–	10	36	0
AFC Asian Cup	AFC	2019, 2023	3	11	0
AFC U-23 Championship		2018, 2020	4	18	1
AFC U-23 Championship qualification		2020	1	5	0
AFC Challenge Cup qualification		2014	2	6	0
AFC Champions League		2014–	37	141	0
AFC Champions League qualification		2015–	4	12	0
EAFF E-1 Football Championship	EAFF	2019	2	6	0
J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship	CONMEBOL – JFA	2019	1	0	0
Singapore Premier League	FAS	2006–	23	932	20
Singapore Cup		2008–	31	137	2
Singapore League Cup		2012–2017	16	47	1
Chinese Super League	CFA	2013–2019	6	20	0
Chinese FA Cup		2019	1	2	0
China League Two play-offs		2018	1	5	0
Indian Super League	AIFF	2016–2020	11	43	1
Indian Super League play-offs	AIFF	2019–2020	2	11	1
Totals		2006–	382	1,532	27
Matches as referee are correct as of 1 February 2024

Honours

S. League Referee of the Year, 2014^[7]
AFF Referee of the Year, 2017^[4]

Related Research Articles

Shamsul Maidin is a Singaporean association football referee. He first became a referee in 1996 and retired in 2007.

Bishan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Bishan, Singapore. It is the main home ground of Singapore Premier League side, Lion City Sailors, and used mostly for football matches. The stadium was constructed in 1998 and is managed by Sport Singapore. The stadium is also third-in-line to host international football matches, behind the Singapore National Stadium and Jalan Besar Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalan Besar Stadium</span> Stadium in Singapore

Jalan Besar Stadium, officially the Jalan Besar ActiveSG Stadium, is a football stadium located in Kallang, Singapore. The stadium is part of the Jalan Besar Sports and Recreation Centre, a community sports facility that includes the stadium as well as a swimming complex.

Peter Daniel Green is a retired Australian soccer referee in the Australian A-League. Green has been FIFA listed since 2006 and a member of the AFC Elite Referees Panel since 2008. He has refereed in three A-League Grand Final matches. He was the A-League referee of the year in 2013 and 2014.

Benjamin Jon Williams, better known as Ben Williams, is a retired Australian football referee.

Ravshan Sayfiddin oʻgʻli Irmatov is an Uzbek professional football referee. He officiated in the Uzbek League from 2000-2019 and internationally from 2003-2019. Irmatov holds the record for officiating the most FIFA World Cup matches with 11.

Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh is a Malaysian retired football referee who currently resides in Parit Buntar. He has been refereeing in the Super League Malaysia since 1995. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2000. In 2008, Subkhiddin became an AFC Elite referee. He is the only referee in Malaysia to be an AFC Elite Referee

Yuichi Nishimura is a Japanese football referee. He has refereed in the Japanese J. League Division 1 since 1999 and has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2004.

Strebre Delovski is a retired Australian soccer referee in the A-League. He previously officiated in the Illawarra Premier League and during the A-League off-season has been refereeing in the NSW Premier League competition. In 2005 and 2007 he was named NSW Premier League Referee of the Year.

Chris James Beath is an Australian former football referee in the A-League.

Alan Kelly is a former FIFA Referee from the Republic of Ireland. He has officiated primarily in the Munster Senior League, the League of Ireland and Major League Soccer and was first appointed to the FIFA list in 2002. He has been regarded as Ireland's top referee for the last number of years.

Alireza Faghani is an Iranian-Australian international football referee and former player, who has been on the international referees list for FIFA since 2008.

Mark William Geiger is an American sports administrator and former soccer referee. He is the senior director of match officials at the Professional Referee Organization (PRO), which oversees domestic referees in Major League Soccer (MLS). Geiger previously officiated in MLS and was on the FIFA International Referees List from 2008 to 2019. At the international level, Geiger refereed the 2012 Olympics, the 2013, 2015, and 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cups, and the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups. At the 2014 World Cup, he became the first referee from the United States to officiate a knockout match at a World Cup tournament. Before becoming a full-time referee, Geiger was a high school mathematics teacher.

Sivakorn Pu-udom is a Thai football referee. He referees for the Thai League 1, Chinese Super League, V.League 1 and other international competitions. Sivakorn was selected to officiate the Final of the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship

Fahad Al-Mirdasi is a Saudi Arabian football referee who served as a full international for FIFA from 2011 to 2018, when he was banned for life for match fixing.

The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in association football who assists the referee by reviewing decisions using video footage and providing advice to the referee based on those reviews.

Muhammad Nazmi Bin Nasaruddin also known as Nazmi Nasaruddin, is a Malaysian professional football referee FIFA since 2016 and has also refereed a number of AFC Champions League matches. Nazmi was selected to be referee of the Final of the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup held in Uzbekistan.

Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al-Jassim is a Qatari football referee who has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2013.

Juan Martínez Munuera is a Spanish football referee who officiates in La Liga. He has been a FIFA referee since 2015, and is ranked as a UEFA second category referee.

Piero Daniel Maza Gómez is a Chilean football referee who officiates in the Chilean Primera División. He has been a FIFA referee since 2018.

References

↑ "WorldReferee.com – referee – Aljafaari Muhammad Taqi – bio".
↑ "Education & Technical – Referees by Association". FIFA. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007.
1 2 3 4 5 Auto, Hermes (20 May 2022). "Football: S'porean referee Muhammad Taqi selected to officiate at World Cup as video match official | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
1 2 Auto, Hermes (9 November 2019). "Football: Lions star Safuwan Baharudin, assistant referee Ronnie Koh feted as region's best | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
↑ Ong, Jeremiah (2 August 2021). "Singapore ref Taqi reaches another milestone with Olympic appointment". The New Paper. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
↑ "Football: Singaporean referee Muhammad Taqi to officiate at Women's World Cup". The Straits Times . 10 January 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
↑ Aziz, Sazali Abdul (16 October 2016). "Local referee set to officiate in India's star-studded league". The New Paper. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "WorldReferee.com – referee – Aljafaari Muhammad Taqi – bio".

[2] "Education & Technical – Referees by Association". FIFA. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007.

[:0-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Auto, Hermes (20 May 2022). "Football: S'porean referee Muhammad Taqi selected to officiate at World Cup as video match official | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

[:1-4] 1 2 Auto, Hermes (9 November 2019). "Football: Lions star Safuwan Baharudin, assistant referee Ronnie Koh feted as region's best | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

[5] Ong, Jeremiah (2 August 2021). "Singapore ref Taqi reaches another milestone with Olympic appointment". The New Paper. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

[6] "Football: Singaporean referee Muhammad Taqi to officiate at Women's World Cup". The Straits Times . 10 January 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.

[7] Aziz, Sazali Abdul (16 October 2016). "Local referee set to officiate in India's star-studded league". The New Paper. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]