Argentine referee for France-Morocco: the Blues refuse to be distracted

FIFA has entrusted the refereeing of the France-Morocco quarter-final, scheduled for Thursday, to Argentine Facundo Tello — a choice that immediately reignited tensions stemming from the 2022 World Cup final between the Blues and the Albiceleste.

The context is well known: bitterness between the two nations has never fully dissipated since that night in Qatar. Tello’s appointment therefore inevitably fueled discussion, especially since the Argentine camp itself had reacted to the appointment of Frenchman François Letexier to referee the Albiceleste’s round-of-16 match against Egypt.

But facing the media on Tuesday, French internationals collectively chose not to engage in this debate. Goalkeeper Robin Risser responded with a touch of irony: “It’s your job to stir things up. There’s been a certain bitterness for a few years now, since the last World Cup final. That’s part of the game too. But if these referees are here, it’s because they’re at the level of this competition. We need to focus on what we can control to get through to the next round.”

Attacker Jean-Philippe Mateta was even more direct, stating that Tello’s appointment “changes nothing” and that the squad remains entirely focused on qualifying for the semi-finals.

Dayot Upamecano concluded with a definitive statement: “I don’t focus on who the referee is. I’ve never done that. We want to win this match, that’s all that matters to us.”

The message from the French dressing room is therefore uniform: leave it to journalists to debate diplomatic undertones, and reserve all energy for the pitch on Thursday.