France lose appeal against Olise’s yellow card in Paraguay World Cup clash
FIFA has rejected France's appeal against Michael Olise's yellow card, meaning the player is one booking away from missing a potential semifinal.
France coach Didier Deschamps has confirmed that FIFA rejected the French national team's appeal against the yellow card shown to Michael Olise in their World Cup round of 16 win over Paraguay.
“The yellow card has not changed. We were notified by FIFA this morning; it has been maintained,” Deschamps told reporters on Wednesday, on the eve of France’s quarterfinal showdown with Morocco at Boston Stadium.
Olise, one of the tournament's standout stars, was booked in the final minutes of the bad-tempered clash after an altercation with Matias Galarza. Replays showed there was little contact between the two players. The Bayern Munich star put his finger in front of his mouth, and the Paraguayan dropped to the ground, claiming he had been hit in the face.
The decision means Olise is now walking a tightrope — if he is cautioned again against Morocco, he will be suspended for a potential semifinal against Spain or Belgium. Bradley Barcola and Manu Kone are also at risk of a ban, as they were booked against Paraguay as well.
Deschamps said midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is recovering well from a thigh injury that ruled him out of the Paraguay game. “Aurelien is doing better. I can’t say more than that. He will maybe take part in training today, but I will need to see. The others are all available,” he said of the Real Madrid player.
The France head coach refused to turn the appointment of an Argentinian referee for the game into a controversy. Facundo Tello will take charge of Thursday's last-eight tie. A rivalry between France and Argentina grew out of their 2022 World Cup final meeting, which the latter won on penalties. French official Francois Letexier was in charge for Argentina's 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16, and the Egyptian Football Association said it had filed a complaint following some controversial decisions.
“There is nothing I can do about refereeing appointments. I just try to have confidence in the officials,” Deschamps said. “I hope that Mr Tello and his assistants will be just as good as Mr Letexier and his assistants. There are always decisions that can lead to debate depending on which side you are on, but our opponents are Morocco. I can’t consider the referee to be an opponent.”
Deschamps, who led France to World Cup glory in 2018, will step down at the end of the tournament after 14 years in charge. That means Thursday's clash — a repeat of the 2022 semifinal, which France won 2-0 — will be his last if Les Bleus lose. “I am not thinking about that at all. In my head, with my staff, the objective is just to do everything we can so that things go well. I am focused on this Morocco team and on things going well for us,” he insisted.
