Muhammad Taqi (referee)

Muhammad Taqi Aljaafari bin Jahari (born 25 October 1986), also known as Muhammad Taqi, is a Singaporean international football referee. He has been a FIFA listed referee since 2012, and has also refereed a number of AFC Champions League matches. He has also won the 2014 S.League Referee of the Year and the AFF Referee of the Year in 2017.

Taqi refereed the matches in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. He has also officiated in the 2012, 2014, 2019 Singapore Cup Final, the 2019 Indian Super League Final, the 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship, the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship as well in the Chinese Super League and the Indian Super League.

Taqi was selected as a Video Assistant Referee at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup becoming the first Singaporean to officiate at both the men's and women's World Cup tournaments.

Taqi is the fifth Singaporean referee to officiate at a FIFA World Cup after George Suppiah (1974), Shamsul Maidin (2006), K. Visvanathan (2002) and Jeffrey Goh (2010).

Early life
Taqi's road to the pinnacle of football refereeing began when he accompanied his friends who had fathers and uncles as a match officials where it prompt him to take his first refereeing course at 15-year-old at the old National Stadium.

Taqi underwent a football trials with Clementi Khalsa back in the days but things didn't quite work out for him being an actual footballer so he quickly developed a curiosity and understanding for the Laws of the Game, and was actively involved as a Class 3 referee after he completed his O-levels. When he was 19, he was promoted to a Class 2 referee to officiate in the Prime League matches, before stepping up as a Class 1 referee the same year to be involved in S.League (now known as Singapore Premier League) matches.

Refereeing career
Taqi started his referee career in 2006 where on 27 April 2006, he officiate his first match in the 2006 S.League contested between Geylang United and Balestier Khalsa. Taqi became a FIFA-listed referee in 2012.

In February 2014, Taqi had a double in his career where he refereed the 2014 Singapore Charity Shield and the 2014 Singapore Cup Final. In the opening ceremony at the new Singapore National Stadium, Taqi refereed the first match on 16 August 2014 between Italian giants, Juventus and Singapore Selection which saw Juventus winning the match 5–0. In the same year, he was also awarded with S.League Referee of the Year itself.

In 2015, Taqi was sent to Australia for being one of the support referees for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in January with his assistant, Jeffrey Goh. In July 2015, he refereed in the 2015 Premier League Asia Trophy between Stoke City and Singapore Selection where Stoke City won 2–0.

In May 2017, Taqi was a video assistant referee (VAR) for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup In South Korea. On 25 July 2017, he officiated the 2017 International Champions Cup match in Singapore between English champions Chelsea and German champions Bayern Munich. Bayern won the match 3–2. In October 2017,

Taqi was sent to India to officiate 2 group stage matches in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. On 26 November 2017, Taqi officiated the 2017 Singapore Cup Final between Albirex Niigata (S) and Global Cebu. Taqi was named 2017 AFF Referee of the Year.

On 30 July 2018, Taqi officiated the 2018 International Champions Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid at the Singapore National Stadium in which PSG won the match 3–2.

In January 2019, Taqi was selected by AFC for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup held in the UAE to officiate some matches. He was sent to Poland to officiate some matches for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup where he was the tournament match opening referee between Tahiti and Senegal on 23 May 2019 and on 30 May 2019, he also saw the tournament biggest ever win of 12–0 between Norway and Honduras where Erling Haaland scored nine goals in the match. On 7 August 2019, Taqi officiated in the 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship between Shonan Bellmare and Athletico Paranaense. During the Brazil Global Tour in Singapore. Taqi officiate the match between Brazil and Senegal on 10 October 2019.

In 2021, Taqi was Singapore's first FIFA video assistant referee (VAR) and officiated at the 2020 Summer Olympics held at Japan being the assistant VAR in the men's football final between Brazil and Spain.

On 15 July 2022, Taqi officiated the match between both English Premier League clubs, Liverpool and Crystal Palace at the Singapore National Stadium.

Taqi was also selected to officiate as a VAR for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, making him the first Singaporean to officiate at both the men's and women's World Cup tournaments.

On 14 September 2023, the AFC announced that Taqi and 32 other referees to the be the main referee in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. On 14 January 2024, he was selected to officiate a match between UAE and Hong Kong which UAE won the match 3–1. Taqi also saw Hong Kong midfielder Chan Siu Kwan who scored the 1,000th goal in the AFC Asian Cup history.

On 13 February 2024, Taqi was selected to officiate the opening 2023–24 AFC Champions League Round of 16 match between Shandong Taishan and Kawasaki Frontale.

Personal life
Taqi is married and has two sons and a daughter.

Taqi is also a degree holder of Bachelor of Science (BSc) studying at the University of London in 2009.

Honours

 * S. League Referee of the Year, 2014
 * AFF Referee of the Year, 2017