FIFA defends referee after France’s World Cup semifinal criticism

By Rohan Gupta — 15 July 2026 — 3 min read

FIFA defends referee’s performance

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA‘s director of refereeing, has defended Salvadoran official Ivan Barton following criticism from France coach Didier Deschamps. The controversy arose after France’s 2-0 defeat to Spain in a World Cup semifinal match held in Arlington, Texas. Deschamps had questioned the referee’s capability to officiate a semifinal match, particularly regarding a penalty decision.

Deschamps’ post-match comments were cautious, stating, “If I say anything, I’ll look like a sore loser because we lost. But I ask you: is the referee up to the task of officiating a semifinal? There’s the penalty, but that’s not all; it adds to everything else. I have nothing against the referee tonight, but ask yourselves the question.”

Collina, a former World Cup final referee, responded directly to Deschamps’ query, asserting, “Yes, absolutely. Our referees are world class.” This defence comes after a penalty was awarded to Spain in the first half when Barton judged Lucas Digne‘s challenge on Lamine Yamal to be a foul inside the box. Mikel Oyarzabal converted the penalty, giving Spain the lead, before Pedro Porro secured the win in the second half.

This is not the first instance where Collina has defended officials during the tournament. He previously supported a referee after a match between Egypt and Argentina in the Round of 16, where Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan accused FIFA of favouring the defending champions.

France’s World Cup journey and format’s impact

France’s World Cup campaign concluded with this single defeat, despite a dominant run leading up to the semifinal. The team had won six consecutive matches, scoring 16 goals and conceding only two, while keeping clean sheets in all three knockout games. Their path included a 3-0 victory over Sweden, a 1-0 win against Paraguay, and a 2-0 quarter-final success over Morocco.

At the heart of France’s performance was Kylian Mbappé, who entered the semifinal with eight goals and three assists, directly contributing to nearly 69 per cent of France’s 16 goals. He was the tournament’s leading scorer based on the assists tiebreaker and demonstrated significant creativity.

The semifinal loss highlighted the unforgiving nature of the World Cup format. Despite France’s consistent excellence over six matches, their fate was determined by a single defeat. Spain controlled the semifinal, effectively neutralising Mbappé and exposing weaknesses in France’s press, ultimately deserving to advance.

The format of the World Cup, with its single-elimination knockout rounds, means that one poor performance can end a team’s tournament, regardless of their previous dominance. This contrasts with league formats or two-legged knockout ties, where teams have more opportunities to recover from a single setback. For France, their first defeat of the tournament carried more weight than their preceding six victories combined.

Following their defeat, France will now participate in the third-place play-off on Saturday in Miami, facing the loser of the Argentina versus England semifinal. Didier Deschamps confirmed his departure as France manager after 14 years, leaving with his questions about the referee unanswered and his team preparing for the bronze medal match.

The World Cup format, while intense, is what gives the trophy its extraordinary significance. France delivered an outstanding campaign that ended with a disappointing result in the semifinal.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Rohan Gupta

Sports Reporter