SOCCER
Who is Artur Soares Dias, the referee for England vs Brazil today?
A 44-year-old Portuguese official, Soares Dias also took charge of England and Brazil’s last meeting, at Wembley back in 2017.
Portuguese referee Artur Soares Dias will take charge of today’s box-office international friendly between England and Brazil.
An official who made his refereeing debut in Portugal’s Primeira Liga back in 2004 - amassing nearly 300 domestic top-flight appearances since then - Soares was added to FIFA’s international list in 2010.
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Soares Dias not new to England vs Brazil friendlies
The 44-year-old has crossed paths with England several times before; notably, he was also the man in the middle the last time Gareth Southgate’s men faced Brazil, in a November 2017 friendly at Wembley.
He showed just two cards that day, booking England’s Jake Livermore and Brazil’s Dani Alves, as the teams played out a 0-0 draw.
Soares also refereed England’s 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Malta in September 2017; two English victories over the Czech Republic, in a Euro 2020 qualifier in March 2019, and at the tournament itself in June 2021; and the Three Lions’ 1-0 UEFA Nations League defeat to Hungary in June 2022.
Brazil and England’s draw seven years ago is the only time Soares has ever been appointed to a game involving the South Americans.
UCL semi-final ref last year
In club soccer, his highest-profile assignment so far was Real Madrid and Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu in May 2023, in the first leg of last season’s Champions League semi-finals.
England vs Brazil: kick-off time, how to watch
England host Brazil at Wembley Stadium at 7pm local time. In the US, that’s 3pm ET/12 noon PT. Viewers in the States will be able to watch the game on Fox Network and ViX.