{"id":4600,"date":"2026-07-09T06:35:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T06:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4600"},"modified":"2026-07-09T06:35:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T06:35:06","slug":"beseiged-referees-have-added-to-drama-of-world-cups-knockout-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4600","title":{"rendered":"Beseiged referees have added to drama of World Cup\u2019s knockout stage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FOXBOROUGH \u2013 Refereeing controversy has marked this World Cup since the opening game, when three red cards were issued in Mexico\u2019s 2-0 win over South Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more After his support collapses, Graham Platner ends scandal-plagued Senate campaign<\/a><\/p>\n

The situation has intensified since. So, it wasn\u2019t surprising France coach Didier Deschamps seemed to be sending an officiating-related message before Les Bleus meet Morocco in the quarterfinals Thursday. The question, though, is what Deschamps implied when referring to both the match\u2019s designated referee, Facundo Tello, and French referee Fran\u00e7ois Letexier, who worked Argentina\u2019s 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou could ask questions, certainly,\u201d Deschamps said of officiating Wednesday. \u201cWe just hope [Tello] and his crew will be as good as Letexier and his. Some refereeing decisions lead to discussions. But our opponent is Morocco, not the referee. We want the referee to apply fairly the laws of the game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Egypt apparently disagreed with Deschamps\u2019 evaluation, making a formal complaint to FIFA regarding Letexier, who handed out six stoppage time cautions to the Pharaohs, plus a red card to goalkeeper coach Saafan El-Sagheer. Coach Hossam Hassan accused officials of racism and, also, favoring Lionel Messi and Argentina. The Egyptians were particularly upset when a goal, converted after a rapid, length-of-the-field buildup, was disallowed following a VAR review. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately for Tello, similar national makeups enter into Thursday\u2019s contest. Tello and his assistants are Argentinian, working a game involving a North African team, and France. As impartial as they might be, any call they make might risks being interpreted as biased.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA very experienced referee, and that is what we want for these type of matches,\u201d Morocco coach Mohamed Oahbi said. \u201cVery calm. In general, I would say we have had good referees.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Morocco already enters the match feeling it was wronged. In 2022, <\/span><\/p>\n

The Atlas Lions became the first Africans to reach the semifinals, a 2-0 loss to France in Qatar. No surprise, that game was marked by a disputed non-call, Morocco believing Mexican referee C\u00e9sar Ramos failed to award them a penalty kick. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn all games, there are some decisions that lead to discussions,\u201d Deschamps said of the 2022 game. \u201cIt depends on which side you are on. It might be whistled, or not. But let\u2019s not go back in time, what happened or did not happen. There is no revenge in football. We cannot change it, we cannot go back in time. Let\u2019s hope tomorrow there are fewer mistakes on both sides.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

France is favored to capture the World Cup for the third time, after improving to 5-0-0 with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay. But Morocco\u2019s ambitions have grown under Ouahbi, who replaced Walid Regragui as coach in March.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMorocco\u2019s profile is not Paraguay\u2019s,\u201d Deschamps said. \u201cThey won the Coupe D\u2019Afrique and they are not here to play, they\u2019re here to win. They like to have the ball, they like to score goals. We have to be ready and performing at our best. They changed coaches, and I don\u2019t know if they progressed, but they are strong, they played well in the AFCON [African Nations Cup]. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump says he\u2019ll ask Supreme Court to rehear citizenship case, an unlikely event<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Here are five questions facing the US men\u2019s national team after a painful World Cup exit<\/div>\n

\u201cThey have great players and both teams really know each other at the individual level, because they play at the same clubs. There has been evolution, yes, progression, as a group. There have been a few adjustments compared to four years ago. When you change head coaches, you also bring a few changes to the team\u2019s style of play.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ouahbi was expected to jump-start the offense, but Morocco has again been depending on the back line and goalkeeping of Yassine Bounou. France-born central defender Issa Diop leads the defense, and scored the equalizer in a 1-1 tie with The Netherlands, Morocco winning on penalties in the Round of 32. Ismael Saibari (leg) scored three goals in four games, but was injured in a 3-0 victory over Canada, replaced by Soufiane Rahimi. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t reach the semifinals if you don\u2019t have an excellent team,\u201d Deschamps said. \u201cThe more you progress, the better the opposition. The key is we have to be efficient. Both teams have their strengths.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Deschamps said France\u2019s appeal of a Michael Olise yellow card was denied and the condition of midfielder Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni (thigh) had not been determined.<\/span><\/p>\n

Asked about Kylian Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s being singled out by a Paraguayan politician, who he accused of racism, Deschamps replied in Spanish: \u201c[Mbapp\u00e9] is a very strong chico<\/i>. He\u2019s focused.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTomorrow will be a hard game, two talented teams. All the games, we\u2019ve been ready for it. The idea is to reach 100 percent efficiency. We are efficient but we could have done better. It is important to be efficient, but in football you might create six chances and score one or two goals, or get two chances and score twice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Deschamps continues to display his Bostonian bona fides, complaining about traffic and weather.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>More World Cup coverage<\/div>\n

\u201cIt was quite a journey to come here,\u201d Deschamps said of the drive from the Four Seasons Hotel.<\/span><\/p>\n

You think it\u2019s steamy now, Deschamps added, wait until tomorrow. But, at least, \u201cit won\u2019t be as hot as last game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s plan for a triumphal arch in the nation\u2019s capital is getting another review<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

France coach Didier Deschamps seemed to send a message to officials before Les Bleus face Morocco in the quarterfinals Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nBeseiged referees have added to drama of World Cup\u2019s knockout stage - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4600\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beseiged referees have added to drama of World Cup\u2019s knockout stage - 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