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Who is the referee for Spain vs. Costa Rica Group E match?

Here’s a look at the referee and crew for Spain vs. Costa Rica.

Al Ahly SC v FC Bayern Muenchen - FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020
Match referee Mohammed Abdulla Mohammed gestures during the Semi-Final match between Al Ahly SC and FC Bayern Muenchen at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on February 08, 2021 in Doha, Qatar.
Photo by David Ramos - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Spain and Costa Rica will play in the early afternoon window to continue play in Group E. The Spanish enter as heavy favorites to win this matchup but Costa Rica did surprise the last time it was placed in a “Group of Death”, so there might be some value in taking the underdog.

Mohammed Abdulla of the United Arab Emirates will be the main referee for this contest. He’ll be supported by two UAE assistant referees. Abdulla has officiated several matches in the AFC Champions League and UAE domestic league, but he’s only only done one World Cup match before this contest. He has handed out 4.4 cards per game in UAE’s domestic competition but that number goes down slightly to 4.0 in AFC Champions League games.

The over/under on cards for this matchup is set at 3.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the over priced at +100. Given Abdulla’s record and his potential hesitancy to give out less cards as the match becomes more prominent, the under might be the play.