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Raphael Claus

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Raphael Claus
Claus refereeing in 2023
Born (1979-09-06) 6 September 1979 (age 46)
Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil
Domestic
Years League Role
2010– FPF Referee
2014– CBF Referee
International
Years League Role
2015– FIFA Referee
CONMEBOL Referee

Raphael Claus (born 6 September 1979) is a Brazilian football referee. He was a referee for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar[1] and is a referee at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.[2]

Early life

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Claus was born in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil. He was born to a family of professional athletes—including his father, Antônio Carlos Claus (who played for União Barbarense), and his brother, Niltinho Claus (a center-forward and top scorer for XV de Jaú during their 1995 promotion campaign, who also helped União Barbarense win promotion in 1998 and starred for Cúcuta Deportivo in Colombia). In 2002, he enrolled in the São Paulo Football Federation (FPF) referee training course, despite having no prior experience officiating amateur matches.[3]

Career

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Early career

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Claus started as a referee for the São Paulo Football Federation (FPF). In 2014 the Brazilian Football Confederation's (CBF) National Referees Commission nominated him to be listed on the FIFA table, which he has been since the beginning of 2015.[3]

He served as the VAR official for the 2018 Copa Libertadores finals in Madrid, Spain, and for the 2019 Copa Libertadores semifinal match between River Plate and Boca Juniors. That same year, he officiated the Copa Sudamericana final between Colón and Independiente del Valle.[4]

He officiated nine Paulistão finals: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

He refereed in several international competitions, such as the 2021 Copa América and the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He also refereed the 2024 Copa América final.[5]

2022 FIFA World Cup

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He was one of the referees selected to represent the CBF and CONMEBOL at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, alongside Wilton Pereira Sampaio,[6] and at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alongside Ramon Abatti and Wilton Sampaio.[7]

Claus took charge of two group stage matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He was the referee for the England's 6-2 win over Iran, and Morocco's 2-1 win over Canada.[8]

2023 match fixing allegations

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In 2023, he was accused of match fixing by the owner of Brazilian football club Botafogo. The owner claimed that Claus was giving out "irregular red cards" and was taking bribes. Both Brazilian authorities, and FIFA have found no evidence of wrongdoing by Claus.[9][10]

2026 FIFA World Cup

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In the 2026 World Cup, Claus was appointed a group stage match between Spain and Saudi Arabia and a round of 32 knockout match.[8] In the knockout match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Claus sent off Folarin Balogun with a red card after the VAR asked him to review the possible foul. [10]

2026 Trump–FIFA red card controversy

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The day before the United States was set to play Belgium in the Round of 16, FIFA suspended the ban[11] following a request by US president Donald Trump, who claimed Claus was "very suspect".[12] The Brazilian Football Confederation later issued a statement in defense of Claus and criticizing what they perceived as "insinuations that challenge Raphael Claus's integrity".[13] The FIFA referee chairman, Pierluigi Collina also defended Claus by calling him a highly respected official who he has full confidence in.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "36 referees, 69 assistant referees, and 24 video match officials appointed for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". FIFA (Press release). 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Final List of Match Officials FWC 2026" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Raphael Claus". Associação de Árbitros da Grande São Paulo [Association of Referees of Greater São Paul] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Um ano daquela mágica Final Única da CONMEBOL Sul-Americana" [One year since that magical CONMEBOL Sudamericana Single Final]. CONMEBOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). 9 November 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Argentina edge Colombia to win record 16th Copa América title". ESPN. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "Escalada em 25% dos jogos, arbitragem brasileira é destaque na Copa do Mundo" [Brazilian referees, who officiated in 25% of the matches, are a highlight of the World Cup]. Confederação Brasileira de Futebol [Brazilian Football Confederation]. 18 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Masters, Tom (2 July 2026). "World Cup 2026 referees: Complete list of officials and VAR teams". ESPN UK. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 Brennan, Joe (1 July 2026). "Who is Raphael Claus, referee for USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2026 World Cup round of 32?". AS USA. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Heyen, Billy (2 July 2026). "Ref who gave Folarin Balogun a red card was previously accused of match fixing". The Sporting News. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 Pager, Tyler; Panja, Tariq (5 July 2026). "Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player's Suspension. Now He's Eligible to Play". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "USMNT's Folarin Balogun has red card suspended by FIFA, striker available to face Belgium". ESPN. ESPN News Services. 5 July 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Graham, Bryan Armen (6 July 2026). "Trump confirms he asked Infantino for review of Folarin Balogun red card". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  13. ↑ Siqueira, Igor (6 July 2026). "CBF defende Claus após Trump dizer que árbitro é suspeito: 'Conduta ética'". UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). Grupo Folha. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "FIFA referees' chief Pierluigi Collina praises World Cup referee labelled 'suspect' by Trump". ESPN. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
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