France head coach Didier Deschamps refused to turn the appointment of an all-Argentine refereeing team for his side’s FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal into a controversy.
Argentina’s Facundo Tello will take charge of Thursday’s last-eight tie, with four of his compatriots assisting him. A rivalry between France and Argentina has grown since their meeting in the 2022 World Cup final, which the latter won on penalties.
It is the first time in this edition of the World Cup that a match will have officials exclusively from a single nation.
“There is nothing I can do about refereeing appointments. I just try to have confidence in the officials,” Deschamps said.
ALSO READ | France’s ambition faces biggest test yet from old rival Morocco
French official Francois Letexier was in charge of Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16 on Tuesday. The Egyptian Football Association said it had filed a complaint over some controversial decisions in that game.
“I hope that Mr Tello and his assistants will be just as good as Mr Letexier and his assistants,” Deschamps said.
“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.”
With inputs from AFP
Comments
Published on Jul 09, 2026