Muhammad Taqi Al-Jaafari bin Jahari (born 25 October 1986) 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.
Internationally, 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.
While continentally, Taqi has also officiated in the finals of the 2012, 2014, and 2019 and 2024–25 Singapore Cup Final, the 2019 Indian Super League final, the 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship, the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, the 2026 Vietnamese Cup final, as well as matches in the Chinese Super League, Indian Super League, Indonesia Super League, and the Indonesia President's Cup.
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. He also was selected as the assistant VAR referee in the 2020 Olympic football final between Brazil and Spain.
Taqi is the fifth Singaporean referee to officiate at the 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.
In January 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 were selected as referees for 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.
Taqi was selected to officiate a match in the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite fixtures between Thailand club Buriram United and Japanese club Vissel Kobe on 17 September 2024 and also between Chinese club Shanghai Shenghua and Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale on 23 October 2024. Taqi was then selected to officiate the group stage fixture in the west region of the tournament between Emirati club Al Wasl and Qatari club Al Rayyan on 2 December.
In February 2025, Taqi was selected by Liga Indonesia Baru to officiate four matches in Liga 1. He officiate a league match on 21 February between Dewa United and Persebaya Surabaya, on 24 February between Arema and PSIS Semarang, on 11 April between Borneo Samarinda and Persib Bandung and then on 17 April between PSS Sleman and Dewa United.
On 31 May 2025, Taqi was selected to officiate the 2025 Singapore Cup final between Tampines Rovers and Lion City Sailors.
In July 2025, Taqi was appointed to officiate an international friendly match in the 2025 Indonesia President's Cup between English club Oxford United and the Liga Indonesia All Star team. The match was held at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on 6 July 2025 as part of the tournament's international showcase event.
In August 2025, Taqi was selected to officiate two matches in the Chinese Super League. He officiate a league match on 9 August in the Shanghai derby between Shanghai Shenghua and Shanghai Port where he also officiate on 30 August between Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Port.
On 20 September 2025, Taqi was selected to officiate a match in the UAE Pro League between Al Nasr and Shabab Al Ahli.
On 14 June 2026, Taqi officiate the 2026 Vietnamese Cup final between Ninh Binh and Cong An Hồ Chí Minh City.
Personal life Taqi is married and has two sons and a daughter.
Taqi also received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree whilst studying at the University of London in 2009.
Notable matches
FIFA tournament +2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup – IndiaDateMatchLocationVenueRound9 October 2017 – Navi MumbaiDr. DY Patil StadiumGroup stage14 October 2017 – GuwahatiIndira Gandhi Athletic StadiumGroup stage +2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup – PolandDateMatchLocationVenueRound23 May 2019 – LublinLublin StadiumGroup stage30 May 2019 – LublinLublin StadiumGroup stage +Video Assistant Referee (VAR)2022 FIFA World Cup – QatarDateMatchLocationVenueRound23 November 2022 – DohaAl Thumama StadiumGroup stage24 November 2022 – LusailLusail StadiumGroup stage25 November 2022 – Al RayyanKhalifa International StadiumGroup stage +Video Assistant Referee (VAR)2023 FIFA Women's World Cup – Australia/New ZealandDateMatchLocationVenueRound24 July 2023 – MelbourneMelbourne Rectangular StadiumGroup stage26 July 2023 – AucklandEden ParkGroup stage1 August 2023 – PerthPerth Rectangular StadiumGroup stage3 August 2023 – BrisbaneLang ParkGroup stage8 August 2023 – AdelaideHindmarsh StadiumRound of 16
AFC tournament +2019 AFC Asian Cup – United Arab EmiratesDateMatchLocationVenueRound12 January 2019 – Abu DhabiAl Nahyan StadiumGroup stage22 January 2019 – Abu DhabiAl Nahyan StadiumRound of 16 +2018 AFC U-23 Championship – ChinaDateMatchLocationVenueRound12 January 2018 – ChangzhouChangzhou Olympic Sports CentreGroup stage23 January 2018 – ChangzhouChangzhou Olympic Sports Centre,Semi-finals +2020 AFC U-23 Championship – ThailandDateMatchLocationVenueRound10 January 2020 – BuriramBuriram StadiumGroup stage15 January 2020 – BangkokRajamangala Stadium,Group stage +2023 AFC Asian Cup – QatarDateMatchLocationVenueRound14 January 2024 – Al RayyanKhalifa International StadiumGroup stage
Others notable matches +DateMatchVenueLocationTournaments28 October 2012SAFFC – Tampines RoversKallang, SingaporeJalan Besar Stadium2012 Singapore Cup Final8 November 2013Tampines Rovers – Home UnitedKallang, SingaporeJalan Besar Stadium2014 Singapore Charity Shield7 November 2014Balestier Khalsa – Home UnitedKallang, SingaporeJalan Besar Stadium2014 Singapore Cup Final16 August 2014Juventus – Singapore SelectionKallang, SingaporeSingapore National Stadium1st official match at the new Singapore National Stadium18 July 2015Stoke City – Singapore SelectionKallang, SingaporeSingapore National Stadium2015 Premier League Asia Trophy25 July 2017Chelsea – Bayern MunichKallang, SingaporeSingapore National Stadium2017 International Champions Cup30 July 2018Paris Saint-Germain – Atletico Madrid Kallang, SingaporeSingapore National Stadium2018 International Champions Cup11 September 2018 – Suita, JapanPanasonic Stadium Suita2018 Kirin Challenge Cup17 March 2019Bengaluru – FC GoaMumbai, IndiaMumbai Football Arena2019 Indian Super League final7 August 2019Shonan Bellmare – Athletico Paranaense.Hiratsuka, JapanShonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship19 August 2019Dalian Yifang – Shanghai Greenland ShenhuaDalian, ChinaDalian Sports Center Stadium2019 Chinese FA Cup Semi-finals10 October 2019 – Kallang, SingaporeSingapore National Stadium2019 Brazil Global Tour2 November 2019Tampines Rovers – WarriorsKallang, SingaporeJalan Besar Stadium2019 Singapore Cup Final15 December 2019 – Busan, South KoreaBusan Asiad Main Stadium2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship1 March 2020Bengaluru – ATKBengaluru, IndiaSree Kanteerava Stadium2020 Indian Super League playoffs22 September 2022 – Chiang Mai, Thailand700th Anniversary Stadium2022 King's Cup25 September 2022 – 28 March 2023 – Osaka, JapanYodoko Sakura Stadium2023 Kirin Challenge Cup06 July 2025Oxford United – Liga Indonesia All StarJakarta, IndonesiaGelora Bung Karno Stadium2025 Piala Presiden14 June 2026Ninh Binh – Cong An Hồ Chí Minh CityNinh Bình, VietnamNinh Bình Stadium2026 Vietnamese Cup final
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