World Cup referee Ilgiz Tantashev has been criticized for his role in France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday.
Tantashev was unable to book any Paraguayan players (Image: AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
The referee who officiated France’s last-16 win over Paraguay has come under heavy criticism from some in the French media. Uzbekistan’s Ilgiz Tantashev, 42, was judged to have been unable to control the intense encounter, with Les Bleus winning on Kylian Mbappe’s penalty in the 70th minute.
The South American team managed to avoid conceding a goal in their World Cup encounter despite provoking their opponents with a series of aggressive challenges. However, three French players were booked.
France’s L’Equipe newspaper gave the same official a shocking 1/10 rating. “The referee of the match between Paraguay and France received the worst reviews in our newspapers. He completely botched the match and gave no cards to the Paraguayan players,” they wrote.
Access Sports also made similar accusations. “The Uzbek referee was completely out of line and could not tell the difference between right and wrong. He fell into Paraguay’s trap. It was a complete disaster.”
Tantashev struggled to hold the match down many times. Melees had to be broken up twice early in the conflict. In the 35th minute, a foul on Mbappé drew the teams apart, and the French superstar forced his opponent into the match.
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During the hydration break in the second half, tensions escalated further between the players in both sets. Anger erupted even at the final whistle after Paraguay’s Gustavo Velasquez had to be separated from his opponent.
This is Tantashev’s first time as a World Cup referee. He has already been seen in action in two games: Scotland’s 1-0 loss to Morocco and the 3-3 draw between Algeria and Austria.
He is a highly regarded referee, having officiated four matches at the Paris 2024 Olympics and two matches at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League final.
However, various French players were dissatisfied with his performance. “I think the referee could have given a few yellow cards. That might have calmed them down a little bit,” Arsenal’s William Saliba said after the match.
French and Paraguayan players brawl during and after the match (Image: Douliery Olivier/ABACA/Shutterstock)
Manchester City’s Rayen Cherki said: “Referee? I have nothing to say. You saw it with your own eyes. How many fouls were there? 30, 40? Zero yellow cards (for the Paraguayan player)? It doesn’t matter. We are in the quarter-finals.”
Experts were equally shocked, with some fans calling on FIFA to suspend Tantashev. “It was a different challenge for France today. It was important not to react to provocations and to remain calm in the face of Paraguay’s tactics,” Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on FOX. “In this match, we would have received four red cards.”
Following their victory, France will face Morocco on Thursday, July 9th for a place in the World Cup semi-finals. The African side defeated Canada 3-0 earlier Saturday.
