Canadian Joe Fletcher to referee Portugal vs. Morocco game

Canadian assistant referee Joe Fletcher has been assigned to work Wednesday's World Cup match between Portugal and Morocco in Moscow.

41-year-old assistant ref became viral sensation for missed handshake at 2014 World Cup

The Canadian Press ·
Canadian assistant referee Joe Fletcher has been assigned to officiate the Group B match between Morocco and Portugal on Wednesday June 20. (Stephen Brashear/Associated Press)

Canadian assistant referee Joe Fletcher has been assigned to work Wednesday's World Cup match between Portugal and Morocco in Moscow.

Fletcher, fellow assistant referee Frank Anderson and referee Mark Geiger will work the Group B game at Luzhniki Stadium.

Fletcher and Geiger, like Anderson an American, previously served as VAR (video assistant referee) officials for Saturday's Argentina-Iceland game at Moscow's Spartak Stadium.

Fletcher, a 41-year-old chartered accountant from St. Catharines, Ont., by way of Niagara Falls, is working his second World Cup.

At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Fletcher became a viral sensation following a missed handshake with a FIFA official prior to the group stage match between Spain and Chile. 

With files from CBC Sports

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