Mohammad Al-Emara
Finnish football referee From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mohammad Al-Emara (born 26 February 1992) is a Finnish FIFA-listed football referee. He has been named the Veikkausliiga Referee of the Year in six consecutive seasons (2018–2023), voted by the league players.[1][2] Since 2025, Al-Emara is a UEFA First Category referee. Currently he resides in Helsinki.
| Born |
26 February 1992 Rafha, Saudi Arabia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Other occupation | Interpreter | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2017– | Veikkausliiga | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2021– | FIFA listed | Referee | |
Early life
Al-Emara’s parents are from Southern Iraq, and were forced to flee the country in 1991. They ended up in a refugee camp in Rafha, Saudi-Arabia, were Al-Emara was born in the next year.[3] He moved with his family to Kuopio, Finland in 1994 at an early age,[4] where he started playing football when aged five. After the family had relocated to Turku, Finland, Al-Emara continued football in the youth sectors of Turun Nappulaliiga (TuNL) and FC Inter Turku. Later the family moved to Varissuo neighbourhood in Turku. Al-Emara was part of the Inter Turku U17 team, winning the Finnish U17 championship. He also played in the third-tier level Kakkonen, before ending his playing career in 2011.[5]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
Domestic
Al-Emara started refereeing in 2012, and two years later he refereed in Kakkonen.[6] He moved on to second-tier Ykkönen in 2016. On 26 August 2017, he debuted in Veikkausliiga in a match between SJK and JJK. In the 2018 Ykkönen season, in a match between Haka and KTP in Tehtaan kenttä, Valkeakoski, Al-Emara temporarily suspended the match and ordered the teams to locker rooms for 10 minutes, after a spectator had been using racial slurs and offensive language on a player repeatedly, of which they were warned first.[5][7][8][9] Later the spectator was escorted out of the stadium, and the match was able to continue.
As of the start of the 2024 season, Al-Emara has refereed 102 Veikkausliiga matches.
International
Since 2021, Al-Emara is a FIFA-listed international referee.[10] On 6 June 2021, he was named the 4th official in an international friendly match between Denmark and Bosnia and Herzegovina.[11] In September 2023, Al-Emara refereed in the 2023–24 UEFA Youth League.[12] On 9 November 2023, Al-Emara was named the referee in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) group stage match between Nordsjælland and Spartak Trnava.[13] On 30 November 2023, he was also named the referee in UECL group stage match between Čukarički and Ferencváros.[14]
Personal life
Al-Emara is an interpreter by profession.
He has actively been speaking about racism and inequality in football and in society,[15][16][17] and for the safety and respect for the referees.[18][19][20][21] He was awarded Mielenterveyspalkinto (eng. Mental health prize) by MIELI Ry in 2023, for his work against racism.[22][23][24]
Al-Emara received an invitation from the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö for the Finland's Independence Day Reception in 2023.[25][26][27]
Honours
Individual
- Veikkausliiga: Referee of the Year 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023[1]
- Finnish FA: Referee of the Year 2023[1]
References
External links
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