Ilgiz Tantashev, the Uzbek referee who officiated France's last-16 World Cup victory over Paraguay, has been heavily criticized by French media for his performance. The 42-year-old official failed to book a single Paraguay player despite a series of aggressive challenges, while three French players received yellow cards. French outlet L'Equipe gave him a 1/10 rating, stating: "The referee of the Paraguay–France match received the worst possible rating in our newspaper. He completely botched his game, issuing no cards to the Paraguay players."
Referee's performance under fire
Access Sport also condemned Tantashev, saying: "The Uzbek referee was completely out of his depth, unable to distinguish right from wrong. He fell into the Paraguayan trap. A complete disaster." Tantashev struggled to contain the match, with a melee breaking out twice in the first half. In the 35th minute, players clashed after a foul on Kylian Mbappe, who pushed an opponent. Further tension erupted during the second-half hydration break and at full-time, when Paraguay's Gustavo Velazquez had to be separated from French players.
Player and pundit reactions
French players expressed their frustration. Arsenal's William Saliba said: "I think the referee could have given a few yellow cards; that might have calmed them down a bit." Manchester City's Rayen Cherki added: "The refereeing? I have nothing to say. You saw for yourselves. How many fouls were there? 30, 40? Zero yellow cards (for the Paraguayan players)? It doesn't matter, we're in the quarterfinals." Pundit Zlatan Ibrahimovic, speaking on Fox, remarked: "It was a different challenge for France today; it was about not responding to provocations and remaining calm... I would have given four red cards in this match."
Tantashev's World Cup debut
Tantashev was officiating at a World Cup for the first time, having previously handled two group-stage matches: 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 2024 Paris Olympics and two Asian Football Confederation Champions League finals. Despite his credentials, some fans called for FIFA to suspend him after the match.
France advance to quarterfinals
France secured a 1-0 win thanks to Kylian Mbappe's 70th-minute penalty. They will face Morocco on Thursday, July 9 for a place in the World Cup semi-final. Morocco defeated Canada 3-0 earlier on Saturday.
