Fans demand referee Tantashev suspended after booking no Paraguay players in France win

FIFA are under pressure to suspend referee Ilgiz Tantashev after he allowed Paraguay to commit 12 fouls without issuing a single yellow card during France’s 1-0 World Cup victory, a match that descended into ugly scenes at the final whistle as both sets of players clashed on the pitch.

Kylian Mbappe’s 70th-minute penalty was enough to send France through to a quarter-final against Morocco, but the performance of Tantashev — a FIFA-listed official for 13 years — dominated the post-match conversation. Three French players were booked during the contest; none of their opponents were.

BBC pundits Joe Hart and Thomas Hitzlsperger were scathing in their assessment of Paraguay’s approach, branding their tactics a “disgrace”. Hitzlsperger said he had lost respect for the South American side, while Hart expressed his disgust at the persistent aggressive challenges that left France fortunate to escape without serious injuries.

Fans on social media were equally unsparing about the officiating. “Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev with an extraordinary performance. No interest in refereeing, no interest in applying the laws of the game, no interest in player welfare or well-being,” one wrote. Another called it “one of the worst referee performances I have ever seen at any level.”

Calls for disciplinary action were widespread. “Ilgiz Tantashev needs a red card and suspended for the rest of the World Cup. How can he seriously not think Paraguay deserved a booking?” one fan posted. A second added: “Ilgiz Tantashev and the VAR officials on duty should be suspended. That was the worst officiating I’ve seen in this World Cup.”

Mbappe, who is now joint top scorer at the tournament alongside Lionel Messi on seven goals, was targeted on several occasions by Paraguay players. The flashpoints continued beyond the final whistle as Paraguay’s frustration at their elimination boiled over into confrontations with French players.

FIFA have not yet commented publicly on Tantashev’s performance or whether a review of his officiating is planned.