Thursday’s UEFA Europa League Group A matchday two tie away to SC Freiburg will be officiated by Swedish referee Mohammed Al-Hakim.
Born in Iraq, Al-Hakim was eight years old when he moved to Sweden with his family and settled in the town of Köping, where he still lives.
Al-Hakim became a professional referee in 2008, started officiating in the second-tier Superettan in 2011 and top-flight Allsvenskan the following year.
Since then, he has refereed a total of exactly 250 Allsvenskan fixtures, in addition to 48 Svenska Cupen ties and a variety of other cup and lower-division domestic league fixtures and promotion and relegation play-offs.
He refereed two Svenska Cupen finals in 2017 and 2023, the latter of which saw BK Häcken defeat Mjällby AIF and ultimately reach this season’s UEFA Europa League group stage.
In Europe, Al-Hakim has taken charge of games in the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League and UEFA Youth League.
He has also refereed FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship qualifiers, UEFA Nations League ties and international friendlies.
He has also been seconded to the Greek and Saudi leagues to gain further experience, including West Ham’s upcoming UEFA Europa League opponents Olympiacos’s home win over Aris in September.
Away from the pitch, the 38-year-old is a part-time commissioned officer in the Swedish Armed Forces.
Al-Hakim will be assisted by fellow Swedes Fredrik Klyver and Robin Wilde, while the fourth official will be Kristoffer Karlsson.
The VAR will be Frenchman Jérôme Brisard, who refereed Sparta Prague’s matchday one win over Aris Limassol himself, and he will be assisted by Clay Ruperti of the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Peter Bankes has been appointed as referee for the Hammers' Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Sunday.
The 41-year-old has already been in the man in the middle for one West Ham game this season, as he took the whistle for our 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth on the opening day of the campaign.
Bankes has been part of the Select Group 1 of match officials since the 2019/20 campaign, three seasons after being promoted to Select Group 2.
Last season saw Bankes officiate five West Ham United matches in the Premier League. He took charge of the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium in August 2022, before refereeing the draw with Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium in mid-October.
A third consecutive 1-1 draw followed at St James’ Park when Bankes oversaw the Hammers’ trip to face Newcastle in February, while he was also the referee for the 1-0 win over Manchester United and 3-1 victory against Leeds United in May.
His last outing this season was Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 victory over Sheffield United in mid-September, when he awarded 12 yellow cards and one red, for the Blades' Oli McBurnie.
He will be assisted at London Stadium by Eddie Smart and Nick Greenhalgh, while Michael Salisbury will be the fourth official.
VAR duties will be fulfilled by Andy Madley, with Simon Long the assistant VAR.
Match officials v SC Freiburg
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (Sweden)
Assistant Referees: Fredrik Klyver (Sweden) & Robin Wilde (Sweden)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (Sweden)
VAR: Jérôme Brisard (France)
Assistant VAR: Clay Ruperti (Netherlands)
Match officials v Newcastle United
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistant Referees: Eddie Smart & Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth Official: Michael Salisbury
VAR: Andy Madley
Assistant VAR: Simon Long
