# Muhammad Taqi (referee)

Muhammad Taqi Al-Jaafari bin Jahari (born 25 October 1986) is a Singaporean international football referee. He has been a FIFA listed referee since 2012, 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.
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. 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.
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.
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 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.
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 on 17 September 2024 and also between Chinese club Shanghai Shenghua and Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale on 23 October 2024. Taqi was then selected to officiate the group stage fixture in the west region of the tournament between Emirati club Al Wasl and Qatari club Al Rayyan on 2 December.
In February 2025, Taqi was selected by Liga Indonesia Baru to officiate a match in Liga 1. He officiate a league match on 21 February 2025 between Dewa United and Persebaya Surabaya and also on 24 February between Arema and PSIS Semarang.

## Personal life

Taqi is married and has two sons and a daughter.
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 | 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 | FIFA | 2019 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) | FIFA | 2015– | 12 | 337 | 0 |
| International Friendlies | FIFA | 2016– | 10 | 36 | 0 |
| AFC Asian Cup | AFC | 2019, 2023 | 3 | 11 | 0 |
| AFC U-23 Championship | AFC | 2018, 2020 | 4 | 18 | 1 |
| AFC U-23 Championship qualification | AFC | 2020 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| AFC Challenge Cup qualification | AFC | 2014 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| AFC Champions League | AFC | 2014– | 37 | 141 | 0 |
| AFC Champions League qualification | AFC | 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 | FAS | 2008– | 31 | 137 | 2 |
| Singapore League Cup | FAS | 2012–2017 | 16 | 47 | 1 |
| Chinese Super League | CFA | 2013–2019 | 6 | 20 | 0 |
| Chinese FA Cup | CFA | 2019 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| China League Two play-offs | CFA | 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 | Totals | 2006– | 382 | 1,532 | 27 |
| Matches as referee are correct as of 1 February 2024 ||||||

## Honours

* S. League Referee of the Year, 2014
* AFF Referee of the Year, 2017