Faghani's two penalties and Quansah red card spark referee row after England edge Mexico 3-2

Referee Alireza Faghani became the central figure in England’s chaotic 3-2 round-of-16 victory over Mexico, awarding two penalties and sending off England defender Jarrell Quansah in a second half that left both benches furious and fans sharply divided over the officiating.

The Australian-Iranian official’s first major intervention came early in the second half when Quansah appeared to escape punishment for a high challenge. Mexico protested vehemently on the touchline, and after VAR intervened Faghani reviewed the monitor and upgraded the decision to a red card. Former England striker Alan Shearer, commentating for the BBC, backed the call, admitting the replay looked “horrible”.

Minutes later Faghani pointed to the spot at the other end, ruling that Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel had brought down Anthony Gordon. England converted to extend their lead, but the controversy was far from over.

The most disputed moment arrived when, following another pitchside monitor review, Faghani awarded Mexico a penalty after judging Harry Kane to have fouled his opponent. Mexico converted to make it 3-2, setting up a frantic finish against ten-man England. Shearer disagreed with the decision: “Kane does clip the player’s foot in there but that is not enough to give a penalty for me. He does clip his foot but not enough to give a penalty away, goodness me. I didn’t think it was a clear and obvious error.”

Former Premier League match official Darren Cann took the opposite view, arguing the call was correct, underlining how sharply the decisions split expert opinion.

England manager Thomas Tuchel was scathing in his post-match assessment, directing his anger at both the on-field officials and the VAR team. “Just not good enough. The referees just aren’t good enough, fourth officials just not good enough. It’s the bottom line,” he said. Tuchel also questioned the composition of the VAR panel, suggesting three South American officials reviewing a match involving Mexico represented a conflict of interest, though he acknowledged he could be mistaken on that point.

Despite Tuchel’s criticism, a significant portion of World Cup supporters took a very different view of Faghani’s performance, praising his willingness to consult the monitor and make difficult calls under pressure. Several fans called on FIFA to appoint him as referee for the final, arguing that his decisive handling of a volatile match was exactly what the tournament’s latter stages require.