England vs Iran ref sent off five players in huge derby clash this season

But it turns out official Raphael Claus is no stranger to dishing out cards like it's Christmas.

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The Brazilian ref is one of 36 at the tournament, which is his first, despite being in the role since 2010.

He has, though, been in the middle at the 2019 and 2022 Copas America.

Now he'll be taking charge of the Three Lions' Group B opener in Qatar, looking to tame any tough challenges.

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And the three-time Brazilian referee of the year will hope it's not going to be a repeat of the derby between Flamengo and Fluminense he took charge of in September.

On that occasion, Mr Claus gave the gift of FIVE red cards in a tasty tussle.

Fluminense's David Braz received two yellows for dissent after just six minutes, kick-starting a wild 90 minutes.

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Four minutes from time, Braz's teammate Manoel was given his marching orders for retaliating to a tackle by Flamengo's Marinho, who was also sent off.

Another brawl broke out in the final minutes of Fluminense' 2-1 win and VAR helped advise Claus to send Caio Paulista off for a headbutt and Everton for responding by grabbing him round the throat.

Let's hope it's more straightforward at the World Cup when England play Iran in Group B at 1pm in the Khalifa International Stadium.