Joao Pinheiro has been appointed referee for Saturday’s Gulf Cup 27 semi-final between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, returning to the spotlight after a recent confrontation with Lionel Messi and several controversial decisions in European and international football.
The match will be played at Alinma Stadium at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, with both teams competing for a place in the final of the Arab Gulf Cup.
Saudi Arabia reached the last four as winners of Group A after taking maximum points from three matches. They began with a 1-0 victory over Kuwait, followed it with a 3-0 win against Oman and completed the group stage by beating Iraq 2-0.
Qatar finished second in Group B on seven points, level with the United Arab Emirates, who topped the section on goal difference. The Qataris defeated Bahrain 2-0 and Yemen 1-0 before drawing 1-1 with the UAE.
Saudi publication Al-Riyadiya reported that Pinheiro would take charge of the meeting, having already refereed Saudi Arabia’s opening Gulf Cup 27 match against Kuwait.
The 38-year-old Portuguese official has held FIFA international status since 2016 and has overseen major matches in European and international competitions.
Pinheiro was involved at the 2026 World Cup, including Argentina’s 3-1 extra-time victory over Switzerland in the quarter-finals. That match also brought him into a heated exchange with Messi after the Argentina forward objected to the way the referee had addressed him.
Media reports of the conversation said Messi asked Pinheiro to speak to him respectfully, while indicating that he was dealing with the referee in the same manner. Pinheiro did not show Messi a yellow card.
The Portuguese official later said such exchanges with players were a normal part of football, but that the incident attracted widespread attention because it involved a player of Messi’s standing.
Pinheiro has also faced criticism for decisions in European competition. During the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, he did not award a penalty after Bayern appealed for a handball inside the area.
He also refereed Switzerland’s group-stage match against Bosnia at the 2026 World Cup, in which Bosnia defender Tarik Mehrimovic was sent off. The game included several decisions that drew attention.
Pinheiro now faces another high-profile assignment in Jeddah, where Saudi Arabia and Qatar will meet for a place in the Gulf Cup 27 final.