FIFA rebukes Deschamps after his criticism of France-Spain referee

FIFA publicly rebuked Didier Deschamps after the French manager questioned the competence of referee Ivan Barton during the 2026 World Cup semi-final, won by Spain 2-0 against France on Tuesday evening.

Following the defeat, Deschamps acknowledged Spain’s superiority while targeting the Salvadoran referee: “First of all, it’s our fault. After that I’m asking a question and I’m not going to answer it: did the referee have the level to referee a World Cup semi-final?” He then elaborated: “If I say something, I’ll come across as a sore loser because we lost. But I’m asking you the question of whether the referee had the level to referee a semi-final. There’s the penalty but it’s not just that. I have nothing against tonight’s referee, but ask yourselves the question.”

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s head of refereeing and former Italian international referee, responded bluntly. “In response to Didier Deschamps’ comments, which questioned the referee’s ability to officiate the semi-final, FIFA’s answer is clear: yes, absolutely, he had the level,” he stated. “Our referees are world-class. No one can question the integrity of FIFA World Cup referees.”

Deschamps’ remarks, formulated as rhetorical questions to avoid appearing like a poor loser, did not escape the attention of world football’s governing body, which chose to respond publicly and unambiguously. France has been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup at the semi-final stage.