French media savage referee with '1/10' after Paraguay escape cards in France win

Ilgiz Tantashev, the Uzbek referee who oversaw France’s 1-0 last-16 victory over Paraguay on Saturday, has been savaged by sections of the French media after the South American side escaped the match without a single yellow card despite a string of aggressive challenges on Les Bleus.

Kylian Mbappé’s 70th-minute penalty proved the difference, but the performance of the 42-year-old official overshadowed the result. French sports daily L’Equipe awarded Tantashev a 1/10 rating — the lowest possible — writing that he “completely botched his game, issuing no cards to the Paraguay players.” Outlet Access Sport was equally damning: “The Uzbek referee was completely out of his depth, unable to distinguish right from wrong. He fell into the Paraguayan trap. A complete disaster.”

The match was punctuated by flashpoints throughout. A melee had to be broken up twice in the first half, including an incident in the 35th minute when a foul on Mbappé prompted the forward to push his opponent. Further tension spilled over during the second-half hydration break, and tempers flared again at the final whistle, with Paraguay’s Gustavo Velazquez having to be separated from French players. Three France players were booked; none from Paraguay were.

French players were open in their frustration afterwards. Arsenal defender 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 Rayan Cherki was pointed in his assessment: “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 Ibrahimović, speaking in his media role, added: “It was a different challenge for France today; it was about not responding to provocations and remaining calm in the face of the tactics used by Paraguay. I would have given four red cards in this match.”

Tantashev is officiating at a World Cup for the first time, having previously taken charge of Scotland’s 1-0 defeat to Morocco and the 3-3 draw between Algeria and Austria at this tournament. He is a respected figure in the game, having officiated four matches at the 2024 Paris Olympics and two AFC Champions League finals, but his handling of Saturday’s match drew calls from some fans for FIFA to intervene.

France advance to a quarterfinal against Morocco on Thursday, 9 July, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.