Bahattin Duran

Cüneyt Çakır, Turkey’s highest ranked football referee, was hospitalized at the halftime of a Spor Toto Super League game in Ankara on Nov. 23 after he told one of his assistants that he could not breathe.

Referee Cüneyt Çakır has been assigned to officiate the World Cup semifinal match between the Netherlands and Argentina, reaching a new high in Turkish footballing history.

Çakır, who became only the second Turk to officiate a World Cup game following Doğan Babacan’s assignment in 1970, will work alongside fellow assistants Bahattin Duran and Tarık Ongun.