Portuguese referee João Pinheiro has been appointed to officiate the opening match between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait at the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup in Jeddah on Wednesday, September 23. The Gulf Football Federation confirmed that Pinheiro will be assisted by compatriots Pedro Ribeiro and Luciano Maia, while Qatar’s Mohammed Ahmed Al Shammari will serve as the fourth official. The VAR team will include China’s Fu Ming and Morocco’s Hamza Al Fariq.
اضافة اعلان
Who Is João Pinheiro?
Pinheiro, 38, has held FIFA international status since 2016 and has extensive experience officiating European and international matches.
He recently refereed the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland, which Argentina won 3-1 after extra time. He also officiated the second leg of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
His previous assignments include the 2025 UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur, while he served as fourth official for the 2025 UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan.
Messi Asked Pinheiro for Respect
Pinheiro attracted attention during Argentina’s quarter-final against Switzerland at the 2026 World Cup after a tense exchange with Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
The incident occurred in the first half, when Messi objected to the way the Portuguese referee had spoken to him. Television footage showed Messi gesturing toward Pinheiro and appearing to demand that he speak to him respectfully. Media reports and lip-reading analysis quoted Messi as saying, in essence, “Speak to me with respect. Don’t disrespect me. I spoke to you with respect.”
Pinheiro did not issue Messi a card over the exchange. Argentina went on to beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time.
The referee later discussed the incident in an interview, explaining that exchanges between referees and players are a normal part of football and that the presence of Messi made this particular exchange attract greater attention.
Pinheiro now returns to the spotlight in the Gulf region, having been selected to referee Saudi Arabia’s opening Gulf Cup 27 match against Kuwait in Jeddah.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
