Why is Argentinian Facundo Tello refereeing matches at Euro 2024?

Euro 2024 may be a shootout of the best European football nations on the continent – but there will be a South American presence in one match.

Only European countries and players can compete in this summer's competition in Germany. However, Turkey's clash against Georgia at 5pm this afternoon (Tuesday, June 18) will be overseen by an Argentinian official.

Fans would presume that as a result of the players all being European, the football officials would also follow suit. This is not necessarily the case when it comes to those who blow the whistle, hold the flag or operate the Video Assistant Referee.

Argentine official Facundo Tello is the only non-European referee to take charge of the opening group stage matches. And there is a special dispensation allowing Tello to take charge of the clash.

Tello's inclusion as part of the 18 refereeing teams is as a result of an ongoing partnership between UEFA and South American equivalent CONMEBOL. The agreement sees the two football governmental bodies share officials between each other.

Born in Bahia Blanca, Tello has refereed at the highest levels of the game in Argentina. He refereed his first official match for the Argentine Soccer Association all the way back in 2011.

The first major match of his career was all the way back in 2018, when he was in charge of the dreaded Superclasico clash between River Plate and Boca Juniors. One year later, he was called up by FIFA as a member of its roster of international referees in 2019.

He has since established himself as a disciplined task master who does not tolerate any nonsense. Argentinian giants Boca and Racing both found that out the hard way.

In 2022, Tello dished out a whopping 10 red cards in their heated clash. He stepped in when a late winner from Carlos Alcaraz in the Champions Trophy final provoked a huge melee in the middle of the pitch.

Tello sent Alcaraz off as well as five Boca players and their manager Hugo Ibarra – he had already sent off three players before the mass brawl. Turkey and Georgia will have to ensure they are behaving themselves when they are on the pitch with Tello.

The clash could be particularly emotional as Georgia will be competing in their first ever European Championship match. Meanwhile, Turkey will be looking to avenge their nightmare performance at Euro 2020 which saw them exit at the group stages.

As the 75th ranked team in the world, they are the lowest ranked country in the whole competition. Georgia finished fourth behind Scotland, Spain and Norway in their qualification groups, but qualified via a successful UEFA Nations League campaign.

Their performances in the controversial competition earned them a place in the playoffs. After overcoming Luxembourg 2-0, they saw off Greece on penalties after a 0-0 draw.