Finally! A british referee at the world cup

Martin Atkinson

Martin Atkinson will ensure there is at least one British referee at the World Cup - although he is having to cycle 1,700 miles to be there.

The Premier League referee is part of the Whistle Stop Tour group who are riding from England's training base at St George's Park in Staffordshire to Kaliningrad - the venue for England's final group game against Belgium on 28 June - in aid of four charities.

Fellow referee Jon Moss will also take part in the 18-day trip to Russia, which will pass through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Poland.

There will be no British referee at the tournament for the first time since 1938, although New Zealand citizen Simon Lount, who lived in Leicester until he was 23, has been selected.

Mark Clattenburg was the only Briton on Fifa's long list of officials in 2016, but he forfeited his place after leaving his job with the Premier League for a new role in Saudi Arabia.