Clement Turpin 'has history with Thomas Tuchel' as England sent warning ahead of Croatia

Thomas Tuchel's previous run-in with FIFA referee Clement Turpin could play a role in England's 2026 World Cup opener against Croatia.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the Three Lions boss would have already warned his players about the official.

Back in 2023, during a Champions League clash between Bayern Munich and Manchester City, Tuchel labelled Turpin a "Grade E" referee and "absolutely terrible".

Ahead of a reunion on Wednesday, 17 June, the England squad have been warned about the referee's "selfish" approach to his performances, with a spot in the World Cup final at stake.

While the Three Lions will be expected to top Group L, a poor result against Croatia would certainly throw a spanner in the works for Tuchel's side this summer.

The players will need to be on their very best behaviour at the Dallas Stadium, even more so with Turpin in charge, it would seem.

Clement Turpin to take no-nonsense approach in England vs Croatia

Turpin is seen as one of FIFA's most experienced and brightest referees at the tournament, and all the eyes and attention on this game could bring controversy.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: "With the England game on Wednesday night, they’ve put Clemente Taupin in charge. He's not slow at producing cards.

"And I think that he is in with a very strong chance of securing the World Cup final. He's in that small group that will have been earmarked by FIFA.

"So, his approach will be a selfish one. Any doubt about anything, and he will go with his own view and punish. He will not allow anything to go past him where he can be criticised.

"He's got a history with certain English players in Europe. I'm not criticising the fact that he didn't do what he needed to do. He did. He is a very good referee. No question about that.

"We're fortunate to have this guy officiating. But he's also got history with Thomas Tuchel. At one stage, Tuchel was very critical of this referee.

"So he'll be aware of him, and hopefully he'll be saying, rightly, to his players, ‘Take care’."

Jude Bellingham also had major run-in with the FIFA official

Tuchel is not the only one who could be nervous about a reunion with Turpin. Jude Bellingham has crossed paths with him before as well.

During a Champions League semi-final between Bayern and Real Madrid, Turpin pushed the England star out of the way as Harry Kane prepared to take a penalty.

It was a moment that attracted a lot of attention at the time, but others will come into the game with a clean slate.

This history might play into Tuchel's decision-making, with the head coach given a huge decision to make between Bellingham and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.